No football team was hotter over the second half of the season than Scarborough, but the Red Storm finally met their match in the semifinals last weekend.

Scarborough, which began the season 0-4, only to awaken and win four in a row to earn the No. 4 seed in Western Class A before eliminating fifth-ranked Sanford in the quarterfinals, 42-35, had the daunting task of visiting No. 1 Thornton Academy, which had enjoyed a week of rest, Saturday afternoon.

While the Red Storm were much more competitive than in the first meeting (a 54-0 home loss to the Golden Trojans on Sept. 19), they were ultimately no match for what might be the best team in the state.

Thornton Academy raced to a 21-0 lead after one period, but Scarborough got on the board when quarterback Jack Hughes hit Anthony Quintiliani for a touchdown pass. After the Golden Trojans made it 28-6, a long TD pass from Hughes to Griffin Madden made it 28-14. The Red Storm’s momentum was dashed, however, when a late Thornton Academy score and two-point conversion made it 36-14 at the break. After a scoreless third period, a short Hughes TD run made it 36-20 and gave Scarborough faint hope, but the hosts closed it out with two more scores and prevailed, 50-20, ending the Red Storm’s season at 5-5.

“I was really happy with how hard our kids played and how they stuck together against TA,” said Scarborough coach Lance Johnson. “When we played them in week three, they beat us, 54-0, in three quarters and Saturday we were in the fourth quarter with them in a two-score game. We moved the ball against TA better than any team has with the exception of Cheverus.

“Jack Hughes threw for 253 yards and 2 TDs and rushed for 70 yards on 12 carries. Our offensive line, made up of Joe Brown, Patrick Shaw, Josh Reed, Mahlon Glidden and Dakota Joy, did an outstanding job in pass protection. Tight ends Anthony Quintiliani and Jacob Gardner and wide receiver Griffin Madden played well. Defensively, linebacker Aren Dickman and defensive backs Milani Hicks and Anthony Simoneau stood out for us.”

Scarborough expects to be even stronger in 2015.

“We have eight starters returning on offense and eight starters returning on defense next year,” Johnson said. “I think our players learned a lot about diligence and resilience this year and gained valuable experience that will help us next year. Our players are certainly encouraged by the way we finished the season and are motivated to work hard in the off season to get ready for a successful season next year.”  

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

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