Boys’ game: Oct. 11, 2013
Football: Scarborough 58 South Portland 57 (2 OT)

Scarborough and South Portland hadn’t met on the gridiron in nine seasons when they squared off in October of 2013. Both teams would go 5-3 and neither would make it past the semifinal round of the playoffs, but for one night, they stole the show with a dizzying display of offense at the Kippy Mitchell Sports Complex.

The Red Storm were primed to run away with the game when they went ahead, 21-0, early and held a 27-6 lead at halftime, but the fun was just beginning. Red Riots’ quarterback Duncan Preston sparked a third quarter rally and by period’s end, the contest was tied, 27-27, and not for the last time either. Scarborough quarterback Ben Greenberg ran for a score to put the Red Storm back in the lead, but Preston hit Jordan Susi for a TD to make it 34-34. When Greenberg scored on a 20-yard run and added a two-point conversion rush with 2:30 to go, Scarborough appeared home free, but with 32.5 seconds remaining, Joey DiBiase’s TD run and a Preston-to-Jaren Muller two-point conversion pass forced overtime.

In the first OT, Dan LeClair scored on a 10-yard run and added the two-point rush for the hosts, but again, South Portland rose off the deck and got a 5-yard Preston-to-Hayden Owen TD pass, followed by a Preston two-point rush, to force a second extra session. There, Preston threw a scoring pass to Muller to put the Red Riots on the brink of an inspirational victory, but after controversy ensued (South Portland thought it recovered a Scarborough fumble, but the officials ruled otherwise), LeClair scored from the 1 on fourth down and Chris Cyr’s two-point rush brought an end to the game for the ages.

What they said:

Scarborough coach Lance Johnson: “It’s right up there (with the best games I’ve ever been involved with). You don’t play a lot of overtime games in high school. It was an exciting game if it went to overtime or not. It was a lot of fun. Some parts of it were more fun than others. It really was amazing.”

Scarborough quarterback Ben Greenberg: “It’s the best game I’ve ever played in. It was fun too. I always love playing in tight games like this. You have to give South Portland credit. We underestimated them.”

South Portland coach Steve Stinson: “It was quite an evening. It was good to be competitive in the second half after not being very competitive in the first half. I liked how we responded. It was encouraging. We were a completely different team in the second half.”

Girls’ game: June 14, 2019
Lacrosse: Cape Elizabeth 12 Yarmouth 11 (3 OT)

One year after rallying to upset Yarmouth in the Class B girls’ lacrosse final, the Capers did it again. In even more dramatic fashion.

After trailing, 7-5, at halftime and 8-6 early in the second half, Cape Elizabeth went on top, 9-8, after successive goals from Brooke Harvey, but the Clippers turned it around and held an 11-9 advantage with under two minutes to go.

But the Capers had the Clippers right where they wanted them, as after Harvey scored with 1:54 left, Karli Chapin tied the score with 39 seconds remaining and it was on to overtime.

After Cape Elizabeth goalie Erin Foley made a sensational save to save the season in the first OT, neither squad scored in the second and that simply ratcheted up the drama to a fever pitch.

Then, 35 seconds into the third overtime, Chapin, who earlier that school year had scored the overtime game-winning goal for the Capers’ girls’ soccer team in the state final, etched her name even further into lore, by firing the ball into the goal to give Cape Elizabeth a 12-11 victory and a repeat championship.

What they said:

Chapin: “It’s a great feeling. I’m so glad our team got to feel it again. It’s kind of unbelievable. We gave it everything we had. We just stayed focused. It’s a great team to be a part of. We have such great chemistry. I wanted to do it for our seniors.”

Cape Elizabeth coach Alex Spark: “This is my sweetest victory in my career as a coach. Both teams showed a lot of heart. It was incredible, fun to watch. I’m not normally vocal on the sidelines, but tonight, I started to lose my voice out of pure excitement over the level of play. My team fought so hard. I’ve never been so proud.”

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter:@foresports.

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