SACO ”“ It’s a matchup 12 months in the making. Thornton Academy. Cheverus. Boulos Stadium. The same two teams as last year playing on the same field for the Western Maine title. Only this time, the Trojans are hoping for a different outcome.

Last year, the Trojans took a 3-0 lead into halftime, looking to upset the undefeated defending-state champions. It was not to be, as the Stags flexed their championship mettle and came away with a 21-10 win. For junior Andrew Libby, that loss was doubly painful.

“Last year was my last year I got to play with my brother, and this team is the team that we lost to. It wasn’t a good sight to see my brother down after losing this important game,” said Libby. “So this game’s for him.”

These same two teams met in week seven, with both teams undefeated. The game was tied 7-7 at halftime before a late Thornton turnover gave the Stags a 28-14 victory.

Last year the Trojans couldn’t finish. This year they got off to slow starts in both halves. Senior Dakota Tarbox said the key to winning is very simple.

“Play 48 minutes. That’s just about it,” said Tarbox. “You got to play the whole game.”

Tarbox, like Libby, has plenty of motivation for this game.

“They took away the Western Maine finals last year. They took away our perfect season from us this year. We’re just really amped up to get back at these guys,” said Tarbox.

That’s not to say that the Stags will make it easy for them. Cheverus has won 34 consecutive games in the toughest conference in the state. As Thornton head coach Kevin Kezal said, ““You don’t win all those games in a row without being good.”

Their two closest games in the last calendar year have been the two matchups against the Stags. Kezal said that it hasn’t been about his team playing bad, but about Cheverus playing that much better.

“They beat us last time. They were more physical than us, and they executed much better,” said Kezal.

“We played passive,” Tarbox said of the matchup earlier this season. “We didn’t do what we do as a team. We didn’t play hard football.”

Ever since that regular season matchup, the Trojans have been talking about being physical. They showed it the week after in a thrashing of Biddeford, and again last week in a semifinal blowout of Scarborough. Both players and coaches say they have to play that way once again.

“Football is a physical sport. There’s no secrets to the game,” said Libby. “You got to go out, play hard, hit hard. And you just got to want more than the person across from you.”

Kezal said they have to match what Cheverus does best. The Stags don’t fool their opponents, but just out-execute them.

“The game still comes down to blocking and tackling; they do it very well,” said Kezal. “Certainly we’ve got to try to do it better than they do it.”

Tarbox said that the defense has to be ready to take on the Stags’ run game head-on.

“I just got to hit it hard. Everyone has to do the same thing too: hit their reads, and hit ”˜em hard,” said Tarbox.

In two losses to the Stags, the Trojans have found out that just how much they have to turn up the intensity compared to other games. Libby, for one, says they’re ready.

“We’re going to come out hitting harder and faster than we ever have before,” said Libby.

Kezal said his team is as prepared for this game as possible. They know the stakes. They know the opponent. And they know what they have to do to win.

“They’ll be ready,” said Kezal. “They’re going to play hard, and they’re going to leave everything they have on the field.”

—Contact Wil Kramlich at 282-1535, Ext. 323 or follow him on Twitter @WilTalkSports.