The Wells High football team is 4-1 and tied for the top in Western Class B. The Warriors will travel to Rumford to play Mountain Valley on Friday night.

After winning the state championship last year, Wells is looking to get back to the title game. The fact the Warriors are in this position may surprise some. After all, they did graduate several key players from last season.

The rebuilding job has happened sooner than expected. Or maybe it’s not a rebuilding job after all.

“The players don’t want to live off last year,” said Coach Tim Roche. “They want to build on it. They feel they have something to prove.”

Players like Dante Fanning were eager to show what they could do. Fanning, a fullback/linebacker, played behind Louis DiTomasso last year and on special teams.

Roche said Fanning kept pestering him last season about playing regularly.

Fanning didn’t wait patiently to get his turn and that suited Roche just fine.

“I don’t want players to be patient. I want them to be impatient. That means they want to play,” said Roche. “Dante is my son’s best friend. All I heard last season at my house is Dante asking me when he could start. He felt he could play and he can play. I told him his turn will come.”

Fanning’s time is now and he’s making the most of it as one of the team’s top runners and linebackers.

“Dante has been awesome,” said Roche.

THORNTON ACADEMY’S postgame huddle at one end of the field was particularly raucous Saturday. There were reasons besides the obvious one of having handily beaten Scarborough, which entered the game undefeated.

Bobby Begin, one of the three captains, explained the excitement.

“It’s Homecoming,” said Begin. “Also, the school inducted the 1962 team into the Thornton Academy Athletic Hall of Fame. We wanted to put on a good show because we knew some of them were in the stands.”

Was there another reason?

“Five wins gets you into the playoffs,” said Begin.

The Golden Trojans improved to 5-0 with the 35-7 victory against the Red Storm.

Begin had the game’s big play. It happened in the first quarter when he picked up a fumble and ran 75 yards for a touchdown that gave his team a 6-0 lead. Begin, a 230-pound linebacker-center, ran away from his pursuers.

Staff Writer Tom Chard can be contacted at 791-6419 or at:

tchard@pressherald.com

Twitter: TomChardPPH