SACO — A game, even a season, can turn on the briefest of moments.
Granted, Thornton Academy has seven full weeks of regular season football still to play.
But whatever success the Golden Trojans will ultimately enjoy might trace back to the fourth quarter of Saturday’s 20-6 triumph over Bonny Eagle, and Josh Cyr’s plucky goal-line fumble recovery.
It may have been a game-saver, given that the Scots were on the verge of cutting Thornton’s two touchdown lead in half.
Cyr himself had a different description for the scene that followed the collaborative goal-line strip of Bonny Eagle’s Matt Burnell by Trojans Andrew Libby and Chris Madden.
“Scoop and score,” was his term of choice.
He was half right, but it was alright.
Cyr fell 80 yards from the end zone on the run back when Tyson Goodale tripped him up near the 20.
“I saw Andrew (Libby) then the ball go flying,” said Cyr. “The only thing I was worrying about was to not fumble it. I wanted to maintain possession. It was a moment I will never forget.
“I was more worried about maintaining possession than taking it to the house.”
The touchdowns you prevent are, after all, points you don’t have to score.
And Bonny Eagle never mounted another threat.
A rock-ribbed Trojan defense saw to that.
“It was fantastic,” said lineman Tyler Danley about the lift Cyr’s clutch play provided. “He really stepped up for us. He’s a first year starter who is proving he can compete. My hat’s off to him.”
Thornton coach Kevin Kezal certainly saw how big Cyr’s contribution to the Trojan cause was.
“The ball bounced our way, today,” said Kezal. “You make your own breaks. But absolutely that was a huge play.
“If they get in there, all of a sudden it’s a one-score game with about seven minutes to go and it’s a real tight ballgame.”
But it wasn’t, was it?
In part, no small part, because one brief moment became a large momentum shifter.
“Big plays,” said Cyr. “I think we pulled out a big win. It showed the mental toughness we have as a team.”
— Contact Dan Hickling at dhickling@journaltribune.com or follow on Twitter @DanHickling.
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