Scarborough senior Marc Guerette, left, and junior Marco Manfra celebrate after a goal during the Red Storm’s 16-8 victory at Yarmouth Saturday night.

Chris Lambert photos.

More photos below.

BOX SCORE

Scarborough 16 Yarmouth 8

S- 3 5 5 3- 16
Y- 1 2 4 1- 8

First quarter
2:43 Y May (unassisted)
2:12 S Thibault (Manfra)
43.5 S Manfra (Neugebauer)
7.1 S Manfra (unassisted) 

Second quarter
11:17 S Neugebauer (unassisted)
10:39 S Manfra (unassisted)
10:05 S Manfra (Neugebauer) (MAN-UP)
6:08 S Granzier (unassisted)
5:27 S Thiabult (unassisted)
5:13 Y Venden (unassisted)
1:33 Y Leblanc (unassisted) 

Third quarter
11:44 S Guerette (unassisted)
7:59 S Neugebauer (unassisted)
7:22 S Neugebauer (unassisted)
6:35 S Neugebauer (unassisted)
5:08 Y Jacobs (May) (MAN-UP)
4:17 Y Leblanc (unassisted)
3:01 Y Leblanc (unassisted)
1:07 Y Jacobs (Chappell) (MAN-UP)
24.2 S Neugebauer (unassisted) 

Fourth quarter
11:30 Y Leblanc (unassisted)
11:14 S Guerette (Parks)
6:41 S Thibault (unassisted)
2:38 S Guerette (unassisted) 

Goals:
S- Neugebauer 5, Manfra 4, Guerette, Thibault 3, Granzier 1
Y- Leblanc 4, Jacobs 2, May, Venden 1

Assists:
S- Neugebauer 2, Manfra, Parks 1
Y- Chappell, May 1

Faceoffs (Scarborough, 18-8)
S-Quaetararo 18 of 26
Y- Primeau 7 of 18, Jacobs 0 of 6, Jancovic 1 of 1, Guertier 0 of 1

Ground balls (Scarborough, 35-20)
S- Quaetararo 8, Thibault 7, Lagerquist 6, Neugebauer 5, Granzier, Guerette 2, Blaisdell, Joy, Manfra, Murray, Sears 1
Y- Moore 5, Primeau 3, Chappell, Guertier, Venden 2, Barton, Jacobs, King, Leblanc, May, Rogers 1

Turnovers:
S- 15
Y- 19

Shots:
S- 42
Y- 36

Shots on cage:
S- 32
Y- 17

Saves:
S (Joy) 9
Y (King) 16

YARMOUTH—The potent offense of the defending Class A state champion Scarborough boys’ lacrosse team was held in check for nearly 10 minutes by host Yarmouth in Saturday evening’s crossover showdown.

Unfortunately for the Clippers, they had no answer for the Red Storm the other 38 minutes.

And as a result, Scarborough got out of town with a relatively easy victory and appears poised to do what it seemingly always does.

Peak at the end of the season and enter the playoffs under a full head of steam.

Yarmouth held a 1-0 lead on junior Cooper May’s goal, but late in the first quarter, the Red Storm got the tying tally from junior Cam Thibault, followed by a pair of goals from junior Marco Manfra to go on top to stay.

Leading 3-1 at the start of the second period, the Clippers continued to pour it on and after senior standout Sam Neugebauer scored unassisted 43 seconds in, Manfra added two more goals to make it six goals in just over four minutes to open it up.

Sophomore Andrew Granzier and and Thibault scored as well to extend the run to eight straight goals and while Yarmouth got a pair back before halftime, Scarborough was in control.

After Red Storm senior Marc Guerette opened the second half scoring, Neugebauer scored three straight times and Scarborough would continue to pull away and lead, 13-7, after a penalty-plagued third period.

Clippers senior Remi Leblanc started the fourth quarter with a goal, but the hosts would draw no closer and the Red Storm got two more goals from Guerette and another from Thibault as they went on to a decisive 16-8 victory.

Neugebauer led all scorers with five goals, Manfra added four and Guerette and Thibault finished with three apiece as Scarborough won its fourth game in a row, improved to 6-2 and dropped Yarmouth to 3-4 in the process.

“They’re extremely well coached,” said Red Storm coach Joe Hezlep. “We put pressure on them for awhile, but they continued to fight. That’s one of my favorite things to see, any team, my team, teams we play, how hard they play when things don’t go well. Sam had a big number and if he didn’t finish, it could have been a different game.” 

Upper echelon

Scarborough and Yarmouth’s pedigrees need no introduction, as both are State Final Saturday regulars.

That was again the case a year ago, as the Red Storm won their seventh Class A title and the Clippers lost to Falmouth in the Class B state game.

This spring, both teams have faced adversity in the first half of the season, but both believe they’ll be at their best in June.

Yarmouth started by handling visiting rival North Yarmouth Academy (15-6) and visiting Kennebunk (14-6) before running into reality at defending Class A North champion Brunswick (a 22-5 loss) and Falmouth (16-6 in a state game rematch). After downing visiting Greely, 15-8, the Clippers were blanked at home by Cape Elizabeth, 17-0.

Scarborough opened by sandwiching wins at Gorham (15-9) and at home over Westbrook (14-3) around a 14-13 overtime setback at South Portland. After a 13-6 home loss to Cape Elizabeth, the Red Storm held off host Thornton Academy in an overtime epic (18-17), handled visiting Portland (15-2) and prevailed at Deering, 20-8.

Despite all their success, the teams have met only sporadically, just five times over the past 15 years (see sidebar, below), with Yarmouth winning four of the meetings, including last spring’s 16-11 victory at Scarborough behind Matthew Beatty’s mind-boggling 10 assists.

This time around, however, it was the Red Storm lighting up the scoreboard.

Scarborough had ample chances in the first quarter, but Clippers freshman goalie Spencer King made eight saves to keep the Red Storm off the board.

With 2:43 left in the frame, Yarmouth struck first, as May scored unassisted, but that would be the Clippers’ highwater mark.

Just 31 seconds later, Manfra set up Thibault for a shot which King couldn’t stop and the game was tied.

Then, with 43 seconds remaining. in transition, Neugebauer passed to Manfra for the go-ahead tally.

Scarborough would score one more time before the end of the first, as Manfra got to a loose ball in front before finishing with just 7.1 seconds on the clock to make it 3-1.

The Red Storm, bolstered by the faceoff dominance of sophomore Nick Quaetararo, seeing his first varsity action, controlled possession in the second quarter too and gradually opened it up.

After Neugebauer raced around the crease and finished with 11:17 to play in the first half, Manfra executed a similar move 38 seconds later.

Scarborough then scored a man-up goal with 10:05 left before halftime, as Neugebauer fed Manfra for a 6-1 lead.

With 6:08 showing, Granzier got a loose ball and finished unassisted and 41 seconds later, Thibault bounced a long shot past King to make it 8-1.

“We got good looks early, but they did a good job making sure the areas where we had to throw passes were tight and they got checks on our sticks,” Hezlep said. “We knew if we continued to work for looks, things would change.”

The Clippers finally ended the Red Storm’s surge with 5:13 to go in the half when junior Henry Venden beat Scarborough senior goalie Dom Joy.

Leblanc scored his first goal, unassisted, with 1:33 to play and after Neugebauer hit the crossbar in the final minute, the Red Storm took an 8-3 lead to halftime.

In the first 24 minutes, Quaertararo won 10 of 12 faceoffs and Scarborough enjoyed a 27-15 shots advantage.

King made a dozen saves and that performance allowed him to remain in the game in the second half.

“Spencer did a great job,” said Yarmouth coach David Pearl. “Not only his saves were great, but he did a nice job clearing the ball against an athletic team that pressed us hard. We have a really talented goalie in Liam Harke too. It’s not an easy decision when you flip-flop goalies. Both of them have started at different times and I went with the hot hand.”

The third period took nearly a half hour to complete thanks to seven penalties.

The Red Storm were called for a half dozen of them, but they still managed to build on their lead.

Just 16 seconds into the third period, Guerette scored unassisted.

Neugebauer then demonstrated his individual brilliance by weaving through the defense and finishing with 7:59 to go, scoring unassisted again 37 seconds later and scoring unassisted from up top with 6:35 left, pushing the lead to 12-3.

The Clippers would answer man-up when May set up Billy Jacobs with 5:08 left in the third.

Leblanc then heated up, scoring unassisted with 4:17 remaining and striking again unassisted and man-up with 3:01 left.

“Remi is a captain, he’s a competitor and he has the heart of a lion,” Pearl said. “He’s leading in a way that a lot of guys look up to him. He brings it to every practice, every day.”

When Jacobs scored an unassisted man-up goal with 1;07 on the clock, Yarmouth was back within five, but Neugebauer ended the run with an unassisted tally with 24.2 seconds to play, making it 13-7 Scarborough heading for the final stanza.

There, the Red Storm slammed the door for good,.

Leblanc scored the Clippers’ final goal, unassisted, with 11:30 to play, but just 16 seconds later, Guerette finished a feed from sophomore Mason Parks.

With 6:41 left, Thibault scored unassisted and with 2:38 showing, Guerette scored unassisted to account for the 16-8 final score.

“We moved the ball fast and we just had to rotate against their defense,” Neugebauer said. “That’s how we put the ball in the net. It’s nice to have balance. Teamwork is what I like to see. We’re moving the ball well.”

Scarborough’s potent offense featured five goals from Neugebauer, four from Manfra, three apiece from Guerette and Thibault and one from Granzier.

Neugebauer had two assists and Manfra and Parks each added one.

Quaetararo won 18 of 26 faceoffs and left a big impression.

“Nick did a great job bringing possession to the team,” Neugebauer said. “From the Gorham game to this one, it’s a big difference.”

“We like the faceoff guys we have, but we weren’t winning enough,” Hezlep said. “We had open tryouts last week and Nick dominated. He’s been a spark. He’s going to do good things going forward. When I looked at the film at games we didn’t do well, possession was a big issue. It’s nice he’s been able to come out and step right in and do as well as he’s done.”

The Red Storm got nine saves from Joy, had a 35-20 edge in ground balls (Quaetararo had eight and Thibault collected seven), a 42-36 advantage in shots (32-17 on cage) and overcame 15 turnovers.

Yarmouth’s offense was led by Leblanc’s four goals. Jacobs had two and May and Venden one each. Chappell and May both had assists. 

King made 16 saves and junior Sean Moore had a team-high five ground balls.

The Clippers turned the ball over 19 times.

“We’ve seen all the best teams in the state and we’ll grow from it,” Pearl said. “That bore a little fruit tonight. We were much more competitive. We fell behind and chipped our way back. Scarborough’s one of the best teams in the state for a reason. I have a lot of respect for them. We’ve always had great games. Tonight was no exception. There was great competition. It was a physical game for sure.”

Strong finish

Yarmouth looks to bounce back Wednesday at York. After welcoming St. Dom’s and going to Freeport, the Clippers close with the gauntlet of Falmouth at home and a trip to Cape Elizabeth.

“Tonight was great for us,” Pearl said. “We have to clean up some of things we didn’t execute. Part of winning is preparation and part of it is execution. We didn’t always execute to perfection and a talented team will take advantage of that.”

Scarborough will be tested again Monday night when Cheverus pays a visit in what could be a Class A state final preview. After going to Windham Friday, the Red Storm close with home games versus Marshwood and Biddeford.

“We have to get better each day,” Neugebauer said. “We’re pushing ourselves to try and be better.”

“We’re getting there,” Hezlep said. “We’re still working on maturity. I don’t mind taking penalties, but the timing is important. Now we turn around and face Cheverus. They’re capable of playing really well. It should be fun.”

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

Scarborough junior Marco Manfra carries the ball as Yarmouth senior Max Barton defends. Manfra scored four times in the victory.

Scarborough senior Sam Neugebauer rounds the crease as Yarmouth freshman goalie Spencer King warily looks on. Neugebauer scored five times.

Scarborough senior Marc Guerette fires a shot.

Scarborough sophomore Mason Parks shoots as Yarmouth seniors Max Barton (34) and Patrick Millett defend.

Recent Scarborough-Yarmouth meetings

2016
Yarmouth 16 @ Scarborough 11 

2013
Scarborough 10 @ Yarmouth 7 

2012
Yarmouth 7 @ Scarborough 6

2009
@ Yarmouth 13 Scarborough 6

2008
Yarmouth 19 @ Scarborough 6

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