Scarborough and Massabesic both entered Friday night’s football game badly in need of a win. The Red Storm and Mustangs had each dropped their prior two games and were looking to get back on track with the postseason looming.

Despite five turnovers and playing with a new quarterback, Massabesic pulled out a 34-12 road win to improve to 5-2 and secure a playoff spot, while the Red Storm dropped to 3-4. Joey Eon rushed 39 times for 353 yards for the Mustangs and scored a pair of touchdowns.

Massabesic went up 14-0 early in the second quarter when junior quarterback Tony Campbell ran in a keeper from 6 yards out and Pat McCarthy added the extra point with 9:59 to go until the half.

Campbell had only practiced as the starter for two days, said Mustangs coach John Morin. Former starter Nolan Rollins was not with the team on Friday. Morin declined to comment on Rollins’ situation after the game and Massabesic athletic director Chris Daigle did not have a comment on the matter on Monday morning.

“Tony’s been a quarterback in our system since he was in the third grade, so he’s been ready for this opportunity for a long time,” Morin said. “At times, he did some real nice things. At other times he showed he’s a little rusty and needs some work in getting used to the speed of the game at the varsity level.”

Massabesic’s first score came with 5:54 to go in the first quarter when Eon broke through a number of tackles on a 45-yard TD run. The PAT made it 7-0.

After taking the 14-0 lead, Massabesic turned the ball over on its next two possessions, the second coming on a fumble that Scarborough’s Matt Duquette recovered at the Mustang 46. Nine plays later, the Red Storm got on the board on sophomore quarterback Zack Bean’s 1-yard touchdown run with 44 seconds left in the half, which made it 14-6 when the point-after attempt bounced off the crossbar. A 12-yard keeper by Bean and a 12-yard completion to Colin O’Connor keyed the drive.

“A lot of underclassmen had to step into roles we weren’t expecting them to have to early on in the game and we moved the ball well with them,” said Scarborough coach Dave Sterling. “It says a lot about our program and about moving forward from here.”

A scoreless third quarter saw the Mustangs fumble away their first two possessions, but the Red Storm was not able to capitalize.

Massabesic broke the game open with three TDs in the fourth period. On the first play of the quarter, Massabesic’s Quintin Drain intercepted Bean for the second time in the game, giving the Mustangs possession at the Red Storm 39. Two plays later – both Eon carries – Eon rambled in from 21 yards out. The kick made it 21-6 with 11:29 left in the game.

After the Mustang defense held Scarborough three-and-out, Massabesic struck again quickly. Following a 34-yard run from Eon, Campbell scored on an 11-yard keeper for his second rushing TD. With the kick, it was 28-6 with 8:39 to go.

Scarborough turned the ball over on downs near midfield with 5:49 remaining. Scott Sampson ran in from 2 yards out to cap a 10-play, 47-yard drive with 1:13 left, giving the Mustangs a 34-6 lead when the 2-point conversion attempt failed.

Massabesic attempted only five passes in the game, none in the second half. Eon picked up 230 of his yards in the second half.

“Part of the reason we were able to hand off to (Eon) is because of the job our guys up front did,” Morin said. “We got off the ball and we got after them pretty good.”

The punishing Massabesic ground game took its toll on the Red Storm.

“By the time we got to the fourth quarter, we were missing six defensive starters,” Sterling said. “We played well. I’m very happy with the way our men played and the way we stuck together at the end of this game.”

Big play of the game

Drain’s interception to start the fourth quarter provided the spark the Mustangs needed. It was still a one-score game at the time, with Massabesic up 14-6. On a second-and-one, Bean looked to air the ball out, but Drain was there for the pick. Massabesic scored less than 30 seconds later and never looked back.

They said it

Sterling, on the upcoming season finale: “It’s plain and simple, we’ve got to win. We’ve got some great kids, some great seniors. We want to win for them. We wanted to get this one for them tonight. We came up short.”

Up next

Scarborough is scheduled to travel to Kennebunk for the final game of the regular season on Friday at 7 p.m. The Rams are 2-5 and coming off a 49-7 loss at Thornton Academy.

Copy the Story Link