Special to the Leader

Remember the Wide World of Sports intro? You know the one: “The thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat.”

The Scarborough boys lacrosse team got a taste of both this week, beginning with a win over North Yarmouth Academy, followed by a blowout loss to cross-town rival Portland.

Let’s start with the thrilling victory:

A rejuvenated NYA Panthers team visited the Storm looking to extend its unbeaten string, and initially looked like they had the team to do just that. The Red Storm fell behind early, and while NYA’s tenacious defense initially frustrated the Storm’s big offensive guns, the Panthers had early success in confusing the Scarborough defense as they ran out to a 4-1 first quarter lead.

Midway through the second quarter, Scarborough began to figure out the Panther defense, as Jake Barrett scored twice, with Brendan Ham, Matt Mayo and James Wright all chipping in a goal each in a 5-0 Red Storm flurry to close the half ahead 6-4.

The second half saw more of the same, as NYA came out and scored twice, before the Storm took control with another five unanswered scores, this time with Matt Mayo hitting for three, and Peter Moore, Ham and Barrett each netting another goal. 

The Scarborough defense, which allowed NYA great looks in the first half, was impenetrable in the second. The Storm played defense with Peter Tuma and Nick Prince applying the hard checks while Jimmy Soules and James Wright scooped up the grounders that led to  transition opportunities. Nick Neugebauer had the hit of the night with a crushing check that jarred the ball loose from a Panther defender and led to a score.

Scarborough Coach Joe Hezlep was pleased with the defense ability to make changes as the game progressed, he said. 

“NYA came out initially and did some things that confused us, then we made a change that really helped. This game is going to go a long way in the progress of our team,” he said.

Hezlep was similarly pleased with his offense.    “They (NYA) have great athletes who make plays all over the field and defensively they have some of the best sticks in the state. Our offense has been getting close for a while and it’s just a matter of putting things together. We’re not there yet, but we’re getting close,” he said.

And then came the agony of defeat:

The Portland game was much anticipated as it featured two undefeated teams, largely thought to be the top teams in western Maine class A. Portland entered the game with three lopsided wins, and the Storm at 4-0 had a couple of hard wins to their credit.

The first hint of things to come occurred prior to the game, when all state attacker, Jake Barrett, contracted the flu and was unable to play. His backup, Connor Gullifer, was also out of action, having had his wisdom teeth extracted that day, putting Scarborough in the position of starting junior Tennessee Peters at attack for the first time in his career.

Portland opened the game, winning the face off, and rushing straight downfield into the heart of the Scarborough defense, where two passes later, the first goal was scored less than one minute into the contest. And that, was almost all the Bulldogs needed. 

Scarborough was consistently out hustled all day offensively and defensively by Portland, who had the Storm defense on their heels and just refused the offense to develop anything at all.

Hezlep could only shake his head after the game. 

“Clearly, Portland wanted it more, right from the get go. Ground balls, hustle after shots, overall effort; they came out ready to play,” he said. 

The Storm lost nearly every face off and Portland used the possessions to put immediate pressure on the Scarborough defense. At times, Scarborough players seemed either perplexed or disinterested in chasing down balls, while the Bulldogs went after every ball and every body with zeal from start to finish.

Hezlep noted that Portland intensity, while also recognizing the growing pains his team is experiencing. “They (Portland) did a really good job. They got after it. They were making plays, throwing bodies around, pressuring our guys. We have some inexperienced guys who are still new in their roles, and aren’t used to that kind of pressure and that’s something we have to learn from,” he said. 

The offense was similarly unable to do anything against a big and aggressive Bulldog defense. Scarborough’s game centers around its quickness and ability to make sharp passes around the perimeter and then hit a cutter. Each time they tried to make that work they were checked into the turf and the ball taken away, often leading to a Portland fast break as Scarborough middies picked themselves up off the ground.

“We were very stagnant on offense,” Hezlep said.  “We tried to move inside in situations that just didn’t warrant it and they were ready for it. We’ve got some things to work on.”

What Hezlep didn’t have to mention is that the Red Storm won’t have much time to make improvements. With teams such as Yarmouth, Kennebunk, and Cape Elizabeth still to come, his team will have to make changes on the move to stay in striking distance of Portland for the playoffs.