Barstow leads Kennebunk to 36-17 win over Massabesic, advances to Class B state final

KENNEBUNK, Maine — There were some tense moments on Saturday for the Kennebunk High School football team, but by the fourth quarter, the Rams had shaken loose from pesky Massabesic to claim a 36-17 win and the Class B South championship.

Kennebunk (9-1) will play in Saturday’s Class B state championship at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland at 2:30 p.m. against Lawrence (8-2), a 27-7 winner over Cony in the B North championship. The Rams are looking to win their first state title since 1991.

“Our defense in the second half, after that one drive, dug right in,” said Kennebunk coach Keith Noel. “They (Massabesic) weren’t able to do too much. The kids kind of responded, got lined up correctly and made some plays.”

The No. 1 Rams jumped out 15-0 in the first half, but two big pass plays allowed the No. 2 Mustangs (5-5) to close the gap to 15-10 at the half.

The two teams traded TDs in the early stages of the third quarter as the Rams hung on to a tenuous 22-17 lead. But then they pulled away on a late 18-yard scoring run by Austin West. The third TD of the day by senior fullback Jonah Barstow in the fourth quarter, from 14 yards out, put the game out of reach.

“It changes the game dynamic a little bit,” Noel said of Barstow’s third TD. “When a team’s down three scores, they’ve got to start doing some things they’re not used to. They’ve been running the ball really well the last couple of weeks. It might have taken them out of what they really want to do. Defensively, we were able to focus on the pass end a little bit more, which helped us in that regard. Our kids came with a lot of energy. That helped as well.”

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Barstow scored twice in the first half on runs of 56 and 4 yards, sandwiched around his 31-yard field goal, as Kennebunk went up 15-0. The field goal softly hit the middle of the upright, bounced up, and fell backward for three points.

Massabesic, however, clawed back to 15-10 in the final four minutes on a 68-yard pass from QB Cameron Bradbury to Zeke Rand and a 22-yard field goal by Brady Batson.

Kennebunk widened its lead at the outset of the second half to 22-10 on a 20-yard strike from Gray Compton to Jaiden Homa. The Mustangs answered with Caleb Waters' five-yard TD run before the Rams tacked on the final two touchdowns to pull away.

Another big game from Barstow helped pave the way to the win.

“Jonah’s done a really good job,” Noel said. “He’s a tough runner. He reads his blocks well. When we ask him to block, he’ll block. He’s a tough guy to take down. He’s a big body. He runs hard. He has that burst of speed when needed. For some teams, that can be deceiving at times. He’s done a great job for us.”

Looking ahead to Lawrence, one thing that stands out is that neither team has lost to a Class B opponent. The Rams’ lone setback was to Class A South Portland, while Lawrence fell to Class A Bangor and Class C Leavitt, who is generally regarded as the best team in the state.

“They’re a lot like us,” Noel said. “They’re going to run the ball really well. They’ll mix in the pass. From what we’ve seen on film, it’s going to be a test. … They’ve done a really good job getting their kids ready to play. They’re fundamentally sound. They do a good job of getting their kids in space and blocking at the line of scrimmage. They remind me a lot like us, I guess. They kind of have the same mentality of getting off the ball quick and playing hard-nosed football.”

Although the Rams have not lost in Class B, they have been tested. Their last two Class B wins over Marshwood and Westbrook were each by a point. They came back to beat Westbrook in the waning seconds of the regional semis, 23-22, on Barstow’s 26-yard field goal. They then held off a furious fourth-quarter comeback from Marshwood to win, 41-40, stopping a two-point conversion with 18 seconds to play.

“We’ve made some big plays,” Noel said. “Stopping that two-point against Marshwood in Week 8, and then having the composure last Monday night to kick that field goal, and then moving on to this past Saturday. Credit to them, when they’re dialed in, they’re dialed in. They can make a big play when called upon.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Kennebunk beats Massabesic 36-17, sets up Class B showdown with Lawrence