Scarborough 16

Thornton Academy 0

The Scarborough boys’ lacrosse team proved once again that they are the team to beat in Western Maine Class A when they dismantled Thornton Academy 16-0 on Monday. Ryan Hunt led the balanced attack for the Red Storm with three goals. Scarborough also had scores from eight other players.

“(The Trojans) are just not quite where we are,” said Scarborough coach Tobey Farrington. “We had some battles in the past, but we’ve returned a lot of guys and they lost a bunch of guys. Things are working and we hope the ball keeps rolling the way it is right now.”

Scarborough quickly set the tone for the game when Alex Dulac scored 1:34 into the first quarter. Just over a minute later Mike Hathaway scored to give the Storm a 2-0 lead. And then Hunt found the net for his first goal of the game and Scarborough led 3-0 just three minutes in.

“It was a tough game, but we had a feeling that might happen,” said Thornton Academy junior Zac Murray. “We just kept fighting.”

The Trojans did keep fighting and were able to hold Scarborough at bay for the rest of the opening quarter. Trojan goalie Chris Driscoll made a number of key stops to keep the game close. He finished the day with 32 saves.

Scarborough added to their 3-0 cushion when Hunt scored another with less than 30 seconds to go in the first.

In the second, it was more Scarborough as the Red Storm kept up the attack and increased their advantage with six more goals. Chris Kipp scored twice and Jake Barrett scored two straight goals in a 34-second span. Hunt added his third score of the game in the second quarter and the Storm also got one more tally from Dulac for a commanding 10-0 lead at the break.

“I think the real trick when you get a lead like that is staying focused,” Farrington said. “When you get a few goals it’s easy to let down; especially on the defensive end. It was nice to see the defense stayed focused the whole time.”

Scarborough scored three more times in the third quarter with goals from Danny Clark, Andy Clark and Brent Mayo. The Storm added three final goals in the fourth with Brendan Ham burying a shot and Andy and Danny Clark each adding their second.

“You have to give a lot of credit to guys like Darren Smith and Tim Robbins,” Farrington said. “They are the face-off guys and the wingers gave us a boost, too. When you can score a goal and then win the face-off and keep sending your offense out there, it helps. Our defense never really got tired because they never had to play a lot – because we maintained possession. Possession is the name of the game and getting chances. The team who gets the most chances will usually win.”

The Red Storm made the most of their chances by launching 48 shots on goal. Not only did they take a lot of shots, but they were able to keep the ball in the attacking end. By doing that they limited the Trojans to just three shots on goal at the other end.

“It was a lot of possession time,” said Farrington. “We were able to work our offense and as the offense stayed out there, they got into a rhythm. The more shots they get, they get into a better rhythm.”

The loss drops Thornton Academy to 4-5 on the season. They were scheduled to face Gorham on Wednesday. The Trojans are No. 4 in this week’s West A Heal Points with three games to play in the regular season. The top seven teams in the region make the tournament.

Scarborough remains unbeaten with Monday’s win. They are now 8-0 and are ranked No. 1 in West A. The Red Storm were scheduled to face Bonny Eagle on Tuesday and then Cheverus on Wednesday.

“Cheverus, it’s always a battle,” Farrington said. “Then we have Kennebunk to finish and they are a strong program. That should be a big battle, too. We have some tough games coming up. We’ll see what happens. Hopefully we’ll keep playing well.”

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