STANDISH – It may be hard to believe, but in a game decided by 29 points a blocked extra point may have been the difference.

That’s what happened Friday night when top-ranked Bonny Eagle beat fourth-seeded Sanford 42-13 in a Class A South semifinal.

The Scots (9-0) will be home against Thornton Academy or Scarborough – who play Saturday at Saco – in the final next weekend.

Bonny Eagle saw a 14-7 halftime lead shrink to 14-13 on Ethan Belanger’s second scoring reception from Frankie Veino – set up by a blocked punt by Michael Lunny to put the ball at the Scots’ 38.

But Zach Klein blocked the extra point to keep the Scots in front.

“Zach Klein busted through the line like a madman and blocked that kick,” said running back Nick Thorne, who scored two second-half touchdowns. “You just knew from the sideline, from the crowd, that it was a game-changer for us.”

Bonny Eagle then scored three plays later on an 82-yard catch-and-run from quarterback Cam Day to Kordell Menard, who weaved through the defense for the final 55 yards with 1:53 left in the third quarter.

“When you block an extra point it can deflate another team,” said Scots Coach Kevin Cooper. “(It allowed us to) still have the lead, so how can it not give us a little better outlook?”

Bonny Eagle scored on its next three possessions – Day from 5 yards, then Thorne from 20 and 6.

Alex Sprague also scored in the first quarter.

Sprague ran for 163 yards, Thorne for 89 and Day for 65 against the Spartans (6-4), who beat Deering in the quarterfinals.

“Sometime people think we run the ball too much and we are kind of one-dimensional, but we run with different guys and that puts stress on a defense,” Cooper said. “We mix it up and let all our running backs have touches because it keeps the defense on their toes.”

Bonny Eagle came out looking every bit the part of a top seed when it took the opening kickoff and scored in 2:08. Sprague’s 14-yard score capped off the five-play, 59-yard drive.

Menard’s first TD – a 32-yard strike from Day – pushed the lead to 14-0 with 1:52 left in the first quarter.

But Sanford didn’t cave. Veino and Belanger hooked up from 31 yards, making it 14-7 at the half. The drive was set up by an interception by Brad Bouchard on the first play of the second quarter.

“If people look at the score they’re not going to understand what happened on the field. That was a football game heading into the fourth quarter,” said Sanford Coach Mike Fallon.

“Our kids came out and played their tails off. We wanted to make it a football game and we did that for three quarters.”