STANDISH – Deering High rebounded from a 21-7 halftime deficit, then recovered after a furious Bonny Eagle comeback, to beat the Scots 35-28 in overtime Saturday afternoon in a Western Class A quarterfinal at Dr. Paul Vincent Stadium.

The fifth-seeded Rams (6-3) will play at No. 1 Cheverus (9-0) on Saturday.

The No. 4 Scots are done at 5-4.

Deering got the ball first in overtime. After losing a yard on a run, the Rams reached the Bonny Eagle 1 on a 10-yard pass from Matt Flaherty to tight end James Doyle.

On third down, Flaherty scored on a sneak. Brandon Saucier kicked the extra point.

On Bonny Eagle’s possession, the Eagles lost a yard on their first two running plays. Deering defensive back Kenny Sweet ended the game with an interception on third down.

Even though both teams came in with identical records, the Scots were heavy favorites based on a five-game winning streak, which included a 41-7 romp over the Rams two weeks ago.

“We came back, had a game plan and executed better,” Deering wide receiver Renaldo Lowry said.

Lowry ran back a punt 85 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter, tying the game at 21. The ball bounced and Lowry looked like he might let it roll, but then he grabbed it, bolted straight head, then cut to his right into open field.

“I saw the defender was still five yards away from me, and I had great blocking,” Lowry said.

Both teams committed turnovers (Bonny Eagle five, Deering four), but a Scots fumble at midfield with 4:30 left was huge. Doyle recovered for the Rams.

On second down, Flaherty hit the outstretched hands of Doyle for a 39-yard completion to the Bonny Eagle 6. Deering then used three straight running plays, and Trey Thomes scored on a pitch from the 2 for a 28-21 lead with 1:50 left.

Flaherty threw for 156 yards, and Doyle caught five passes for 92 yards.

Bonny Eagle got the ball back on the 29 and looked in trouble. Not only had the Scots’ offense stalled in the second half, but deep receiving threat Cam Cooper was lost in the first half with a broken arm.

Scots quarterback Tyson Goodale (173 yards rushing, 131 passing) drove Bonny Eagle down the field, and his 29-yard completion to Matt Burnell put the Scots on the Deering 3. Goodale rushed in there, and Isaiah Reynolds’ extra-point kick made it 28-28 with 23 seconds left.

“We fought back. That last two-minute drive was special, but not enough to pull it out,” Bonny Eagle Coach Kevin Cooper said. “Give Deering credit, being down two scores at halftime and kicking the ball to us. Coming out and playing like they did, they took the momentum away from us.”

Deering, which lost three of its last four regular-season games, gets a chance to avenge another of those defeats. The Rams lost to Cheverus 14-0 last week.

“There is some good motivation there,” Deering Coach Jon Gallant said.

Staff writer Kevin Thomas can be reached at 791-6411 or:

kthomas@pressherald.com

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