SCARBOROUGH — Jack Hughes threw for 330 yards and Connor Kelly had eight catches and a pair of touchdowns as Scarborough celebrated homecoming with a 37-15 victory against Sanford in a Class A South football game Friday night.

Hughes rebounded after an interception on the first play from scrimmage to complete 19 of 31 passes with four touchdowns. The senior has 13 touchdown passes this season, helping Scarborough win three in a row after a season-opening loss to Portland.

“When you thrown a pick, you have to put it behind you and move on to the next play,” said Hughes, who threw three interceptions. “You think about it, know what you did wrong, and move on.”

Scarborough Coach Lance Johnson was pleased at the way his team responded after the inauspicious start.

“That’s just how we play. We make some mistakes, and then we strike pretty quick. It is the type of team that we have,” Johnson said.

Johnson praised his defense for stopping Sanford (1-3) after a couple miscues gave the Spartans good field position.

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“Our defense played great,” Johnson said. “When our offense put them in bad situations, they played great.”

Hughes had six completions of more than 25 yards, including three to Tim Carion. Red Storm receivers, especially Kelly, consistently found themselves with an advantage, in part because of the attention paid to Scarborough’s 6-foot-7 tight end, Jacob Gardner.

“We have (two guys) teams pay a lot of attention to, so Kelly ends up usually with one-on-one coverage with not the other team’s best corner,” said Johnson.

Sanford quarterback Frankie Veino threw for 206 yards and two scores. The Spartans ran for 100 yards, led by senior James Roche, who had 47 yards on six rushes.

The teams combined for 43 first-half points, but the second half was sluggish on both sides.

“We got a little sloppy on offense and didn’t take advantage of things we wanted to,” said Johnson, whose team next faces defending state champion Thornton Academy. “There are definitely things we want to clean up for next week.”

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The Red Storm put the game out of reach after Sanford fumbled on the opening series of the second half. After a couple runs, Hughes threw a 2-yard TD pass to Jacob Gardner.

Scarborough took a 21-7 lead in the middle of the second quarter, and on its next possession, Sanford could not score on four plays inside the 8.

Scarborough then snapped the ball out of the end zone for a safety. The Spartans cut the lead to 21-15 on a 43-yard reception by senior James Roche.

Sanford’s second interception in the first quarter led to a 32-yard touchdown pass from Veino to Tye Laviolette. Scarborough retook the lead on its next possession with a 28-yard run by sophomore Owen Garrard.

Sanford, which got its first win last week – a 25-0 shutout of South Portland – could not capitalize after it picked off Hughes on the first play of the game.

After two runs and an incomplete pass, Peter Hegarty missed a field goal. On the ensuing possession, Hughes lofted a pass to Kelly on fourth-and-inches for a 52-yard touchdown.


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