WATERBORO – Zach Bean did more than his share to get Scarborough’s football season off on the right foot.

Bean scored two touchdowns and recovered a key fumble in Friday night’s 33-29 Western Class A win over Massabesic at a damp Ronco Field.

“These kids have worked so hard and have been so diligent,” said Scarborough first-year coach Lance Johnson of his team, which matched last season’s total number of wins. “What they have been through these last couple of years and to see them come out tonight was something special.”

With his team down 22-6 to start the half, Bean, a senior linebacker, started the Scarborough comeback by halting what would have been a game-sealing touchdown drive for Massabesic. He recovered a Mustangs fumble at the Scarborough 31-yard line. In case that wasn’t enough, Bean took a starring role at running back on the ensuing Red Storm possession.

He highlighted the drive with three runs of 16, 9 and 6 yards before finding the end zone from 5 yards out. Bean then ran the ball in to complete the 2-point conversion and keep the Red Storm alive, trailing 22-14.

“We came out in the second half together,” said Bean. “We are sick of losing and we are turning this around. We are winning. We’ve got the most talent we’ve had in a long time.”

Seconds after his first score, Bean found the ball in his hands again after a Massabesic fumble gave the Red Storm prime field position at the Mustangs’ 20. Bean brought the Red Storm within two points with a 19-yard carry followed by a 1-yard scoring run.

“He is one of those guys who makes big plays,” said Johnson. “He wants the ball when the game counts. He loves the spotlight and he wants to be the guy and he certainly was tonight. He put the game on his shoulders.”

The Scarborough defense held the Mustangs scoreless on the next drive and put the ball back in the hands of its streaking offense. It only took two plays for the Red Storm to take their first lead of the game. Dennis Liu went on a 53-yard jaunt to the end zone to put Scarborough up, 26-22.

The Mustangs answered with a six-play, 84-yard drive. Sophomore quarterback Jake Desrochers marched his team down the field on back-to-back runs of 19 and 45 yards. Casey Nava’s 3-yard score and the extra point put Massabesic back up, 29-26.

“It’s amazing how a turnover can change momentum in a game,” Massabesic Coach John Morin said. “From then on, it just breathed life into them and for some reason we just didn’t respond very well.”

“It just goes to show you how much of an effect a turnover at an inopportune time can have.”

The final word came from the Red Storm, who scored with just under two minutes remaining on a 54-yard Jack Adams pass to Conor McCann.

Adams and McCann also hooked up earlier in the game on a 24-yard completion. In the first quarter, after going three-and-out on its first possession, Massabesic put together a seven-play, 82-yard drive for the game’s first score. An interception by Mike Nieves set up the score by Desrochers on a 9-yard quarterback keeper. Desrochers scored all three Massabesic touchdowns in the first half — the second and third on runs of 1 and 15 yards, respectively.

 

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