PORTLAND — Football is truly a game of inches, and it was never more apparent than on Thursday night in Portland.

Down 14-12 in the third quarter, the Portland football team, having just scored a touchdown against Thornton Academy, lined up for the two-point conversion. Bulldogs quarterback Jayvon Pitts-Young lined up in the shotgun, took the snap, and rolled right. He found his wide receiver, Seamus Kilbride, wide open in the right corner of the endzone. He fired a pass, straight into the middle of the No. 6 on Kilbride’s jersey.

Kilbride taps both feet inside the line and catches the ball. The crowd erupts. But there’s one problem. Kilbride stepped mere inches out of bounds before crossing back into play, catching the ball. By stepping out, Kilbride became an ineligible receiver, and the play was negated.

It was the play that made the difference, as the Golden Trojans held on for the 14-12 win at Fitzpatrick Stadium.

The win brings Thornton’s record to 5-1 on the season, but more importantly, it seals a spot in the Western Class A playoffs. Because of Yom Kippur, the Jewish holiday, the Trojans played on Thursday night instead of Friday, meaning Thornton lost a day of preparation for the Bulldogs after last week’s win 28-21 win over Deering.

But Thornton Academy head coach Kevin Kezal didn’t blame the loss of a day to some of Thornton’s problems during the game.

“We’re not going to blame it on that,” Kezal said. “It’s us. We’ve been taking too many penalties. We took the ball deep in our end one time, just some things to clean up. But I’m happy that we won. We’re 5-1, we’re in the playoffs now, and I’m happy with all that.”

Portland (2-4) stayed with the Trojans, who were heavily favored, throughout the contest by using a methodical running game which ate the clock, keeping the Thornton offense off the field. In turn, the Trojans hurt themselves at times, racking up three personal foul penalties and multiple holding calls, which stood in the way of Thornton having more success.

“I think we were kind of flat coming out,” Kezal said. “We just, for whatever reason, are frustrated right now. This feels like a loss for some of our guys. We got the win, but give Portland credit. In another year, they’re going to be a team to be reckoned with. They have a lot of talent.”

The Bulldogs scored on the first possession of the ballgame, driving the ball 76 yards down the field on 13 plays and eating seven minutes off the clock before Pitts-Young connected with Kilbride on a post pattern for a 28-yard touchdown strike. Portland kicker Kyle Reichert missed the extra point, giving the Bulldogs the 6-0 lead.

But Thornton responded on the very next possession, needing just two plays and 48 seconds to score its first touchdown of the game. Trojans quarterback Eric Christensen found tight end Dakota Tarbox on a seam route down the middle of the field, and Tarbox outran the Portland defenders for a 69-yard scoring strike. The extra point by Brandon Briggs gave Thornton the 7-6 lead, where it remained until halftime.

The Trojans took the opening kickoff of the second half and marched down the field for its second and final score of the contest. Christensen once again connected with Tarbox for a 48-yard gain, moving the ball to the Portland 11-yard line. Two plays later, Christensen took the snap and powered into the endzone on a 2-yard quarterback sneak for a touchdown. The Briggs extra point gave Thornton the 14-6 lead.

Christensen and Tarbox connected on four passes on the night, for a total of 144 yards. Christensen finished the game going 5 of 7 passing for 154 yards.

“(Tarbox) is a big kid and he has good hands,” Christensen said. “I like throwing the ball to him, he’s a playmaker.”

On the next possession, the Bulldogs moved 55 yards down the field, 54 of which came on one play, a scamper up the middle and down the sideline by running back Nick Volger, to the Trojans 1-yard line. On the next play, Pitts-Young took a shotgun snap and ran up the middle and into the endzone for the touchdown.

But seconds later, Portland failed on the 2-point conversion from Pitts-Young to Kilbride. It turned out to be the final opportunity for Portland to come back for the rest of the contest.

Pitts-Young, a sophomore, finished 6-18 passing for 70 yards, and also ran for 40. Volger led the Bulldogs in rushing with 72 yards on 10 carries.

Both teams were similar in total offensive yards, as Thornton finished with 229 yards on the night, while Portland totaled 209 yards.

The Trojans will host another Cumberland County foe next Saturday at Hill Stadium, taking on Scarborough (2-4), who lost a 14-7 game against Deering on Thursday night.

— Contact Dave Dyer at 282-1535 ext. 318.