(Ed. Note: For the complete Scarborough-Bangor game story, with a detailed box score, please visit theforecaster.net)

It was nearly a perfect weekend for local teams on the gridiron.

Friday, Scarborough hosted Bangor and handled the Rams in the first meeting between the schools, 34-7. Meanwhile, Cape Elizabeth went to Poland and got its first victory, 31-0.

Saturday night, South Portland, flying high after its upset of defending state champion Thornton Academy the week before, took a 14-0 lead at Bonny Eagle, but it was all Scots after that as the Red Riots fell, 46-21.

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Scarborough was expected to have a high powered offense, but the Red Storm managed just on touchdown in a 21-6 loss at Sanford to open. Coming home to face Bangor Friday seemed to do the trick.

Scarborough took the lead for good on Dan LeClair’s touchdown in the first period, added a scoring run from Kenny Adams to go up, 13-0, at halftime, then broke it open in the third quarter, as quarterback Ben Greenberg hit Adams for a long TD and senior Chris Cyr scored on a short run. A second LeClair scoring run in the fourth quarter all but put it away and the Red Storm cruised to a 34-7 victory, evening its record 1-1, doing the same to Bangor.

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“This is more what we’re about,” Greenberg said. “We played well. We didn’t want to underestimate them. We underestimated Sanford. They were big and physical. We knew we had to come out tonight and pound it. It’s good to get a win.”

“It was a rough week after starting that way, but I told the kids you don’t win or lose the Gold Ball in week one,” said Red Storm coach Lance Johnson. “We went back to work and put in effort. We simplified the gameplan a little bit and put guys where they belong and let them perform.”

Greenberg directed a balanced and potent attack.

I felt good,” said the strong-armed Greenberg, Maine’s reigning Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year. “I like throwing the ball. Coach definitely wanted to pound the rock. He said if we could develop the run game, passes would be open and that’s what we did.”

“Benny’s a good athlete,” Johnson said. “A great kid. I think he looked more comfortable tonight. We set up the pass with a good running game. We passed on our terms tonight.”

Scarborough rushed for 283 yards, led by Greenberg (95 on 12 attempts), LeClair (74, with two TDs, on 15 rushes), and Adams (61, with a TD, on 11 attempts).

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Greenberg completed 7-of-14 passes for 158 yards and a score. Brendon Smith had three receptions for 55 yards, Cyr three for 54 and Adams one for a 49-yard TD.

“We knew they’d cover deep and that the flats would  be open,” said Greenberg. “Having Cyr out there and LeClair and Kenny running the ball, there’s not much the defense could do. They played good D in the first half, so it was good to complete a couple.”

Scarborough travels to defending Class A champion Thornton Academy in a pivotal early-season showdown Friday night. Not only will it be the first ever night game at Hill Stadium, but it will also be a chance for the Red Storm to avenge not one, but two losses to the Golden Trojans from a season ago, 35-7, in the regular season and 49-14 in the semifinal round of the playoffs.

Scarborough is 0-9 all-time versus Thornton Academy.

“I’ve never beaten TA,” Greenberg said. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to next week. They’re tough. We’ll see what happens.”

“They have an excellent program,” said Johnson. “We’ll check them out on film and get to work. We’ll show up and do our best.”

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First win

Cape Elizabeth played powerhouse Leavitt tough in the opener, but lost, 26-7. Friday at Poland, the Capers found their stride, producing 239 yards on the ground and another 113 in the air.

Cape Elizabeth scored on its second possession when Christian Lavallee scored from 12 yards out for a 7-0 lead with 6:38 left in the first. Lavallee took it in from the 2 for a 13-0 lead with 2:17 left in the half.

“We definitely tried to play aggressive and have fun out there,” said Capers coach Aaron Filieo, whose team controlled the line of scrimmage for much of the game on both sides of the ball. “I thought we did a good job doing that.”

In the second half, Cape Elizabeth opened the lead. Jack Drinan led the charge, finishing with 105 yards on 18 carries. He scored from the 10 with 11:36 left in the fourth. Nick Moulton added a four-yard run with 6:21 left. Then Drinan finished it off with a 40-yard run with 3:01 remaining.

“We were moving the ball,” Filieo said. “We just needed to finish and convert some third downs and some fourth downs. We didn’t turn the ball over. Defensively, we gave up one big play, but I think we locked things down after that. We try to get better every week.”

The Capers have a tough home test Friday when they host 2-0 Wells (see theforecaster.net for game story). Cape Elizabeth lost at home to the Warriors in last year’s season opener, 21-7.

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Rough finish

South Portland was riding high after beating Thornton Academy, 26-13, in the opener, but the Red Riots’ first road test did not end well. South Portland was ready to play at Bonny Eagle Friday, but heavy rainfall forced a last minute postponement to Saturday night.

There, the Red Riots got off to an ideal start when Hayden Owen returned the opening kickoff 85-yards to paydirt and quarterback Duncan Preston found Luch Bol for a TD pass to make it 14-0. After South Portland missed an opportunity to add to its lead, fumbling away the ball, the hosts came to life.

By halftime, the Scots pulled within 14-13 and went ahead, 20-14, early in the third quarter. Preston then threw an interception that was returned for a TD and after a fumble by the Red Riots on the ensuing kickoff, Bonny Eagle scored again to make it 34-14 heading for the fourth quarter. A short Preston TD run pulled South Portland within 34-21, but the Scots scored twice more and went on to the 46-21 win.

The Red Riots look to bounce back Friday, when they host 0-2 Massabesic. South Portland won, 35-34, at the Mustangs a year ago.

Sun Journal staff writer Kevin Mills contributed to this story.

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


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