PORTLAND — The last time Thornton Academy won a Class A football state championship, current seniors Anthony Bracamonte, Athan Gikas and Ean Patry were on the sidelines as the 2015 squad’s waterboys.
On Saturday, the Thornton Academy standouts will get their chance to capture a Gold Ball when they lead the Golden Trojans onto the field at Fitzpatrick Stadium to take on the Portland Bulldogs in the Class A title game.
“I was actually the waterboy … me, Ean and Athan,” said Bracamonte on the 2015 championship game. “Being on the field, I could tell it meant so much to the seniors my freshman year — and now that it’s finally here I know what it feels like. I just want to go out there and play one last game with (my teammates) and make sure it comes out the right way.”
Patry got to watch his older brother Isaac win the 2015 Gold Ball — and now he wants to add another one to the family collection.
“I saw the effort they were putting in and I knew what it meant to them — just being with them on the bus after they won, I knew the whole feeling of it and I’ve always wanted to experience that myself,” Patry said.
Even though none of the current TA players have any experience playing in a Gold Ball game, longtime head coach Kevin Kezal is confident his captains — Bracamonte, Gikas, Patry and Ethan Logan — will lead the way on Saturday.
“Our senior class has just been so solid this year. Obviously, it starts with the four captains, but even the rest of those seniors are just a great group of kids. They are friends with one another. They are really close,” said Kezal. “In the past we’ve had lots of D1, D2 type kids, but we’ve got a lot of (players) who are just hard-working kids who just love to play football. They’ve really set the tone and the underclassmen have followed their lead.”
Saturday’s state title game will feature a pair of dangerous players on offense with Bracamonte leading the Trojans and senior running back Zack Elowitch powering the Portland offense.
Bracamonte has racked up 1,844 all-purpose yards and 23 touchdowns this season — including 300 yards, three rushing touchdowns and a kick return TD in the Trojans’ 53-21 win over Scarborough last weekend.
Elowitch has produced 1,713 yards and 19 touchdowns on the ground. The standout ran for 232 yards in the Bulldogs’ overtime win over Oxford Hills in the North final.
Last time these two teams met in the state final, Thornton Academy picked up a 24-14 win over the Bulldogs — and Kezal sees a lot of similarities between the 2015 Portland team and the current Bulldogs squad.
“It’s funny how the team we see this year is similar to the one we played in 2015,” said Kezal. “They grind. They are going to run the ball. They have a good tailback. They have a fullback (Jamal Moriba) who is a good lead blocker, but he also went the distance against Oxford Hills on a play the other night.”
The TA coach also knows the Portland defense will provide a tough test for his squad.
“Defensively, they’re aggressive, they run around. That defensive tackle for them — Nathan Kaponga — he’s a D1 prospect, and he’s a really good football player,” Kezal said. “They’re a good team. You know they’re going to play with great effort. They’re aggressive, physical, so we’ve got our work cut out for us.”
Bracamonte believes Saturday’s contest might come down to which special teams unit steps up.
“Both defenses are (strong), so I think it might come down to who has the better special teams,” said Bracamonte, who has returned several kicks for touchdowns this year. “Our (special teams) has been huge for us all year with me and Athan, we’ve been able to bust some, so I think if we bust one early that would be a big advantage.”
Fitzpatrick Stadium may be Portland’s home field, but TA will be the home team on the scoreboard — and the Trojans are expecting their loyal fan base to show up in full force.
“We always have a huge crowd for our games, so it’s going to feel like home for us,” Bracamonte said. “The community plays a huge part in how we play. We want to go out there and win for them — and also all of our friends who have been supporting us throughout the season. It’s great to have them behind us and hyping us up.”
The Class A title game will kick off at 11 a.m. at Fitzpatrick — and this group of Trojans is ready to go.
“Everyone’s been really fired up because as a group this is our first experience going to a state game. We’ve been kind of shut out the last two years and we’ve all been waiting for this,” Patry said. “This has been a team (goal) since eighth grade year. I just remember (everyone saying) ‘can’t wait to be seniors … can’t wait to get to a Gold Ball game.’ And now we’re finally here and it’s time to go.”
The seniors are hoping to follow in the 2015 squad’s footsteps — and bring another Gold Ball back to Saco.
“It would mean everything. I’ve been wanting this since Junior Trojans. It’s always been the goal … and to end it (at Fitzpatrick Stadium) with a W would mean the world,” said Bracamonte.
“To close it out here with a Gold Ball would mean everything,” added Patry.
— Sports Editor Pat McDonald can be reached at pmcdonald@journaltribune.com or at 780-9017. Follow the Journal Tribune Sports Department on Twitter @JournalTsports.