The Windham Eagles looked solid in the first half of Saturday morning’s State Final versus Thornton – looked, indeed, as if they’d come into Fitzpatrick Stadium correctly anticipating much of Thornton Academy’s offensive maneuvering. Windham shut down the Trojans’ run, thwarted their passing and on Eric Webb and Dylan Koza touchdowns, built a 14-7 halftime lead.

In the later quarters, however, and despite a succession of beautiful defensive stands, the Eagles failed to maintain their advantage. They couldn’t capitalize on their red zone opportunities, and turnovers cost them dearly: A fumbled kickoff return, picked up by Thornton’s Elijah Ayotte, allowed TA to capture the lead, 21-14, and the momentum.

A second Windham fumble, recovered by Trojan Matt Cleary, allowed Thornton to widen the divide to 28-14 in the early fourth; Greg Ruff added one last TA TD with time winding down, capping a 35-14 comeback victory and reclaiming the Class A gold ball.

Look for a full story in next week’s Lakes Region Weekly and online at keepmecurrent.com/sports. For a first batch of pictures, head over to @CurrentSportsME on Twitter.