SCARBOROUGH — The offense was there all night, the defense showed up when it absolutely had to and as a result, the defending Class A champion Scarborough football team is heading into the playoffs on a high note.
The Red Storm scored seven touchdowns against Bonny Eagle in a shootout Friday night at the Kippy Mitchell Sports Complex. After letting a 14-point lead slip away, Scarborough went ahead to stay on a third-quarter touchdown pass from Chase Cleary to Robert Cleary and got a late sack by Nathan Mars and an interception by Eugene Foley to hold on for a 48-35 victory.
The Red Storm (6-1) will be the No. 2 seed for the Class A South playoffs.
“This is what you love,” said Scarborough Coach Lance Johnson. “We push the kids all summer and fall to play in a game like this.”
The tone was set less than three minutes in when Bonny Eagle’s Will Whyte broke away for a 65-yard touchdown run for a 7-0 lead.
That lead lasted 19 seconds as Jarett Flaker scored on a 63-yard touchdown run.
After a Connor Oliver interception, the Red Storm took the lead on a 7-yard run by Tyler Gobeil.
After a Scots’ three-and-out, Scarborough struck again, scoring on a 19-yard pass from Chase Cleary to Gobeil, who ran in the 2-point conversion for a 21-7 lead.
Bonny Eagle came back, however, as on fourth-and-10 from Scarborough’s 28, Keegan Meredith found Alex Dyer for a clutch score.
The Red Storm bounced right back on a 1-yard run from Thomas Galeckas, but with 31.5 seconds to go in the half, the Meredith-to-Dyer connection struck again for a 7-yard score and the Scots were within seven at the half, 28-21.
Bonny Eagle got the ball to start the second half and tied it when Meredith hit Shaun Brilliant for a 39-yard touchdown on fourth down.
Scarborough immediately answered as Chase Cleary connected with Robert Cleary for a 14-yard touchdown and a 35-28 lead and after a Scots’ three-and-out, Galeckas capped a drive with a 1-yard run to make it 42-28 heading to the fourth quarter.
“I expected more defense, but our offense just pushed it down their throat in the second half,” said Chase Cleary.
Bonny Eagle again made things interesting with a 25-yard Meredith-to-Brilliant score, but a 10-yard Flaker run made it 48-35.
A Mars sack and a Foley interception clinched it.
“It felt great to get a stop and it was great to hit the QB at the end,” Mars said. “These are the games you live for. I love it.”
The Red Storm will host a semifinal round playoff game Nov. 2.
Bonny Eagle (5-3) couldn’t get a timely stop.
The Scots hope to have standout Zach Maturo back for the playoffs, which will begin next weekend.
“Our kids battled,” said Bonny Eagle Coach Kevin Cooper.
“To come back and tie it up was awesome. I couldn’t ask for more.”
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