KENNEBUNK

The Kennebunk High School football team topped visiting Morse, 26-14 Friday night thanks to big rushing performances by Jake Littlefield and Pat Saunders.

The Rams led 7-0 at the halftime break thanks to a 5-yard touchdown run by Littlefield in the first quarter. Despite trailing at half, Morse managed to limit the amount of damage the Rams’ backs caused in the first and kept the game tight.

Kennebunk exploded in the second half, with Littlefield and Saunders combining for 157 yards rushing and three touchdowns to secure the win.

“We just had trouble finishing and we talked about it at halftime. We didn’t make any big adjustments but we decided that we were doing a better job of running on the inside than outside, so really it was more of a determination,” said Kennebunk head coach Joe Rafferty.

Although the Rams took control in the second half, the Shipbuilders didn’t allow Kennebunk to get comfortable and continued to fight. After Littlefield scored his second touchdown at the 6:31 mark in the third on a 35-yard run, Morse’s Connor Upham connected with Arius Eich for an 11-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 14-6.

“They’re very good and we knew that coming in,” said Rafferty. “Coming in I felt that they were the most athletic group we’ve faced this season and that proved to be true. I think they’re outstanding, a team like that at 1-2 is a surprise.”

Saunders later scored from the 1-yard line in the final minute of the third quarter, and Littlefield added his third touchdown late in the fourth to put the game out of reach.

Morse’s Tyler York hauled in a 3-yard touchdown pass with 1:18 remaining.

The Rams defense also came up with some big plays, including an interception in the redzone by Dante Deloranzo that ended a Morse threat in the fourth quarter.

Upham racked up 175 yards passing while York totaled 97 yard receiving for the Shipbuilders. Raz Baltazar finished with 49 yards on the ground. Defensively, York had nine tackles, Baltazar seven and Tait Nygaard six. Parker Onorato came up with an interception, while Arius Eich had five tackles and a fumble recovery. Sebastian Tibbetts chipped in five stops, including a sack.

“We had some adjustments to make, both offensively and defensively, but mostly we talked about playing hard and playing for each other in the second half,” said Morse coach Jason Darling, whose Shipbuilders host Noble on Saturday at 1 p.m. “I was proud of our resolve on Friday night. Kennebunk is a good team and very well-coached. Our kids weren’t afraid of the challenge and answered most of what they threw at us.”

Littlefield finished the night with 158 yards on 20 carries with three touchdowns. Saunders racked up 89 yards and a score on 15 carries. Quarterback Tripp Bush also contributed over 50 yards on the ground.

The Rams improved to 3-0 to start their season.