JAY – The Jay Tigers punched in 20 quick points in the first quarter and suddenly found themselves out of harm’s way for the rest of the evening.

For the last three quarters, undefeated Jay (7-0) played the waiting game, even though stubborn Cape Elizabeth High School (2-5) refused to call it quits.

With Trevor McCourt paving the way, the Tigers scored another two touchdowns and triggered a safety in the second half, cruising to a 35-0 victory over the Capers in a Class C football game Friday night at Taglienti Field.

Jay scored TDs on its first three possessions in the opening stanza.

McCourt, a sophomore fullback, turned in a command performance, scoring back-to-back TDs. Wide receiver Andrew Deering kept the show going, hauling in a nine-yard TD pass from quarterback Justin Wells and allowing the Tigers take control with a 20-0 lead.

“We had a couple of quick scores early,” said Jay coach Mark Bonnevie. “Our defense played great again. Our defense was outstanding.”

While Bonnevie was obviously elated that his Tigers took the wind out the Capers’ sails so early in the game, he was concerned his team might cool off too early.

“Sometimes, it’s hard when you get a big lead like that,” said Bonnevie. “It’s hard to stay focused.”

But the Tigers didn’t lose their perspective the last three quarters.

In the second quarter, the Capers fumbled on their 13-yard line. Shane Gagnon picked the ball and ran it in, giving Jay a 27-0 lead after Mike Nemi split the uprights for the extra point.

In the second half, the Tigers decided to grind out.

Jay eventually put another TD on the board late in the third quarter. With the Tigers resting on their 29-yard line, Wells dropped back to pass and flung a 71-yard, scoring pass to Joel Ouellette.

Wells completed eight of 19 passes for a whopping 203 yards.

“I thought if we could get to Wells, he could misfire,” said Cape Elizabeth coach Aaron Filieo. “It didn’t happen.”