PORTLAND — After beating its first five opponents to the tune of a combined 261-55, it was expected that Cheverus would get a test when defending state champions Thornton Academy rolled into Boulos Stadium on Saturday.

Instead, the Golden Trojans simply learned what Eastern Class A teams have been finding out all season ”“ that the Stags offense, and particularly junior running back Joe Fitzpatrick, is close to unstoppable.

Fitzpatrick ran for 261 yards and scored six touchdowns on 29 carries as Cheverus cruised to a 56-7 victory over Thornton in a rematch of last year’s Western Class A final.

The Trojans won that one 20-13, breaking the Stags’ Class A-record 34-game winning streak in the process, but had no answer for the well-oiled machine that Cheverus (6-0) threw at them Saturday.

“They’re a great football team,” Thornton head coach Kevin Kezal said. “We didn’t make enough plays. They were the better team.”

In addition to Fitzpatrick, fullback Cody O’Brien ran for 115 yards on 15 carries and running back Liam LaFountain added another 86 yards of offense and two scores as the Stags racked up 468 yards of total offense behind a dominant line that opened up big holes all game.

“We had a really good day offensively, especially the line and Cody O’Brien blocking,” Fitzpatrick said. “Those are our keys on offense. They just took care of their assignments so I could just worry about what I had to do. Every play the offensive line takes of business.

“And our defensive line was just as good as our offensive line. That was big today.”

Thornton (4-2) found yards hard to come by against a swarming Cheverus defense as the Trojans managed only four first downs and gained just 171 yards in all, nearly half of them on Dernel Ruff’s 80-yard scamper in the second quarter for Thornton’s lone points of the day.

“We’ve played fairly well this year, but I think this was our best game so far,” Cheverus coach John Wolfgram said. “(Thornton’s) a real quality opponent, but we played well. We were disciplined on defense, we made some plays and we played physical. We’re extremely happy.”

While the it eventually turned into a day they’d rather forget, things started brightly for the Trojans as Cody Lynn recovered an O’Brien fumble at midfield on the game’s opening drive.

But two plays later Jesse Meikle fumbled it right back to the Stags, and following punts from both teams, Fitzpatrick opened the scoring when he broke a 65-yard run off right tackle.

“(Tight end) Zordan (Holman) and Cody do a great job driving those defensive ends either out or in, and I just pick what side they’re not on,” Fitzpatrick said. “They make it really easy for me.”

It went from bad to worse for Thornton on its next drive as Austin McCrum’s pass went off the fingertips of receiver Carter Davis and into the hands of defender Isaac Dunn, who returned the interception 30 yards to the Thornton 3-yard line.

Two plays later Fitzpatrick had another TD, and LaFountain caught Ethan Jordan’s two-point conversion pass to make it 14-0.

Another Thornton three and out commenced, and another Cheverus touchdown soon followed as LaFountain ran 19 yards on a counter to cap a 53-yard drive, with Patrick Mourmouras adding the first of his six extra points to push the lead to 21-0.

Runs of 19 yards from Fitzpatrick and O’Brien on the Stags next series set up another Fitzpatrick score, this one from two yards out, and it was 28-0 with 3:54 left in the first half.

Ruff (17 carries, 133 yards) then provided Thornton’s one bright spot on offense when he broke an 80-yard run down the left sideline to put the Trojans on the board, but Cheverus needed just three plays on its next drive to respond as an O’Brien 51-yard run set up a Fitzpatrick 1-yard TD rush.

The Stags then capped the first half by showing they can throw the ball a little too, with Jordan finding LaFountain for a 38-yard TD pass with 25 seconds left to take a 42-7 lead into the break.

Fitzpatrick went on to add touchdown runs of 34 and 26 yards in the second half, and Cheverus had a convincing victory and a small dose of revenge from last year’s regional final.

“We knew it was a big game, but we still wanted to treat it like every other week,” Fitzpatrick said. “We were confident going in. We knew what we had to do and we’re not going to change anything up.

“We just took care of what we needed to in practice so we could just come out and play. A big part of the win was being mentally prepared.”

Cheverus will close out its regular season with trips to Bangor and Deering over the next two weeks.

Thornton, meanwhile, will get a look at another undefeated team when Bonny Eagle visits Saco on Saturday in a game that will go a long way in determining playoff positioning in Western Class A.

“If we’re going to have a chance in the end we’ve got to play the best teams,” Kezal said. “We’ve got to move forward; there’s no other option. We’ve got another big game next week.”

— Staff Writer Cameron Dunbar can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 323.