SACO — Now that the dust has settled after the 102nd Battle of the Bridge game, the Thornton Academy football team is on its way to the Western Maine Class A playoffs.

And the first opponent the Golden Trojans face is a team that gave Thornton one of its toughest tests in the regular season.

The No. 2 ranked Trojans (7-1) host the No. 7 ranked Windham Eagles on Saturday at Hill Stadium in Saco.

The two squads met in a regular season matchup on Sept. 17. A 1-yard touchdown by Trojans running back John Remmes proved to be the difference in what turned out to be a defensive battle, beating the Eagles 7-0.

But the game was full of errors for the Trojans, who, even at a successful 2-1 record, knew they needed to play better football.

“I threw two (interceptions) myself that day,” Thornton quarterback Eric Christensen said. “If I can cut back on those, we should do well offensively. Our defense shut them out the last time we played them, so if we can do that again, we should be fine.”

On Saturday, they will get their chance.

Both the Trojans and the Eagles have played different football since that day. The Trojans, who had their share of struggles offensively early in the season, averaged 29 points per game in the final five contests. One of the keys for the offensive turnaround has been running back Andrew Libby. A sophomore, Libby leads the Trojans with 12 touchdowns this season, nine of which have been scored since the Windham game.

Christensen has also found a connection in the passing game with tight end Dakota Tarbox. The pair have connected for five touchdowns this season, all of which have come in the past three weeks. During last Saturday’s contest with Biddeford, the duo took advantage of the Tigers playing a soft-zone coverage, and connected on hitch routes throughout the game, accounting for five completions for 59 yards.

“He’s a big kid,” Christensen said after connecting with Tarbox on four passes for 142 yards in a 14-12 win over Portland on Oct. 6. “I like getting the ball to him. He’s a playmaker.”

The Thornton defense remained stout throughout the regular season, allowing 12 points per game.

Windham’s loss to the Trojans dropped the Eagles to 0-3, and forced a change in the offense. Windham head coach Matt Perkins changed quarterbacks from T.D. O’Brien to Todd Allen. The results were instant. The Eagles won their next four games, including a tough 20-19 victory over No. 3 seeded South Portland, becoming one of the hottest teams in Western Class A.

Much like the Trojans, the Eagles run a spread option offense out of the shotgun. Aside from Allen, who has six rushing touchdowns this season, Windham uses running back Christian Coons, who has four touchdown runs this season, and Damien Shepherd, who is the Windham version of Libby, becoming a threat in the run game, the passing game and as a kick returner.

One fact is clear. If the Trojans hope to reach the semifinals, they will need to play a better game against the Eagles than they did on Sept. 17.

“Offensively, we didn’t execute well that day,” Thornton head coach Kevin Kezal said. “We kind of broke down and had a lot of penalties. We’ve got to clean that up. (Windham) is a good defensive football team. We’ll go back and watch the film. But it’s a different season. We’re both 0-0 next Saturday.”

— Contact Staff Writer Dave Dyer at 282-1535 Ext. 318 or follow him on Twitter @Dave_Dyer.