TOPSHAM

Kennebunk had one goal in mind when traveling north to take on Mt. Ararat in a high school football clash, and that was to improve its record to 2-0.

The Rams did just that, dominating from the opening kickoff and rushing for 324 yards in defeating the Eagles, 70-0, at the Topsham Fairgrounds on Saturday.

“We came here with a goal to be 2-0 and we’re 2-0,” Kennebunk coach Joe Rafferty said.

The loss dropped Mt. Ararat to 1-1 and the Eagles will face Fryeburg Academy on the road this upcoming Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

“They’re a great team and well-coached,” Eagles cohead coach Matt Haskell said. “They were bigger and faster than us out there.”

After the Rams forced Mt. Ararat to punt on its opening drive, quarterback Tripp Bush connected with Evan Schindler for a 14-yard completion on their first play. Following 25 yards on the ground behind Derek Smith and Dante DeLorenzo, Bush hit Zackary Sullivan for a 38- yard grab. An Isaac Myers tackle at the 2-yard line prevented a score. However, three plays later, Bush hit Sullivan again for a 9-yard touchdown strike.

“Everyone came out a little feisty as we wanted to win,” Bush said. “We knew we couldn’t take them lightly.”

Another three-and-out had Mt. Ararat punting from its own 29-yard line. Austin Damon’s punt traveled to the Kennebunk 25, where Sullivan received the football and turned up field, avoiding several tackles before reaching the end zone for a TD. Ryan Connors kicked his third extra point of the game to give the visitors a 14-0 lead late in the opening quarter.

Down 21-0 later in the first, the Eagles found themselves in trouble on their next possession. A fumbled snap on both third and fourth downs led to a turnover on downs, on its own 1-yard line. Two plays later, Bush scampered into the end zone for the score. The Eagles trailed 28-0 after one quarter.

After the Eagles failed to get a first down on their fifth possession, Kennebunk started on its own 24-yard line. The Rams once again charged downfield, using a little pitch action during the drive, with Bush running the ball, either keeping it or pitching it back to another runner.

“I think it’s cool,” said Bush of running the option. “I’ll fake the hand off one way and run the other. Depending on what the defense is doing, I may or may not pitch it.”

Bush and Jack Andrews hooked up for a 14-yard run on the drive.

Using their fifth different ball carrier of the half, the Rams received a 24-yard score from Cameron Lovejoy just over a minute into the second quarter.

Mt. Ararat was beginning to move the ball on its next drive, but a defensive stand by the Kennebunk line stopped the Eagles on a fourth-and-one on their own 30-yard line.

DeLorenzo took the ball on the next snap and ran it in for the score. Following Connors’ kick, the Rams led 42-0 with 9:27 on the clock.

The Eagles turned the ball over on downs, punted, then turned the ball over on an interception on their next three possessions, while the Rams scored on their next two to take a 56-0 lead into the half.

“I was pleased with both sides of the ball today as well as the great punt return,” Rafferty said. “We had a day where things went our way.”

The Rams rushed for 186 yards in the opening half, while Bush was 5-for-5 with 95 yards and two touchdowns in the air. The defense did not allow an Eagles first down and held them to 12 total yards in the first 24 minutes.

With running time in the second half, both teams only had a few possessions each. Kennebunk made the most of its time with the ball, grabbing two more scores in the third quarter. A 43-yard run by Thomas VanDeinse and a 6-yard scamper by Luc Gaucher rounded out the scoring.

The Rams rushed for 138 more yards in the second half, using 11 different rushers throughout the game. VanDeinse finished with 53 yards, while Lovejoy (50 yards), Alden Shields (45), Andrews (40) and DeLorenzo (39) followed. Connors kicked 10 extra points for the Rams.

Damon finished with six tackles while Bryce LaFrance chipped in with five for the Eagles.

“I was proud of the effort, we stuck in there the whole game,” Haskell said. “We got a lot of playing time for some of the kids that wouldn’t see time otherwise.”

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