SACO—Sometimes, the story writes itself.

And the Hollywood ending is true to form.

Just ask Carter Lucca.

Saturday afternoon at Hill Stadium, Lucca’s return to his old stomping grounds produced a magical moment and in the process, he and his Portland Bulldogs got a measure of revenge in a “Game of the Year” that more than lived up to the hype.

Facing a Thornton Academy squad which broke their hearts a year ago in the Class A state final, the Bulldogs went toe-to-toe with this year’s favorite for 48 memorable moments and when all was said and done, Portland had its biggest victory of the season.

With the understanding that there’s more work to be done.

The Golden Trojans, winners of four straight games, took the ball to start the contest and drove right down the field, but just before going in for the game’s first score, they fumbled at the 2 and the Bulldogs dodged an early bullet.

After a scoreless opening period, Thornton Academy did strike first, as with 8:41 left in the first half, senior quarterback and Fitzpatrick Trophy candidate Wyatt Benoit broke free for a 13-yard touchdown.

Portland answered after an acrobatic interception from junior Charlie Abramson-Thompson in Golden Trjoans’ territory and with 1:45 on the clock, a 9-yard touchdown scamper from senior quarterback Louis Thurston forged a 7-7 halftime tie.

Despite horrendous field position for much of the second half, the Bulldogs hung tough and thanks to a stellar defensive effort, never allowed Thornton Academy to go back in front.

Then, with just 2:30 remaining and overtime looming, Portland produced its biggest play of the season, stunning everyone on hand.

Lucca, a senior captain, who transferred to Portland from Thornton Academy prior to this season, got open behind the defense, caught a long bomb from Thurston and broke a tackle before completing a 60-yard scoring catch-and-run to stagger the Golden Trojans and give the Bulldogs the lead.

Thornton Academy hoped to answer, but immediately fumbled and Portland was able to milk the clock from there and prevail, 14-7.

The Bulldogs won in Saco for the second year in a row, improved to 6-1 with their fourth consecutive victory and in the process, dropped the Golden Trojans to 5-2, snapping their four-game win streak.

“Coming from there to here, it felt different, but it felt amazing,” said Lucca, who was a big part of Thornton Academy’s state finalist team his sophomore year before being sidelined most of his junior season by injury. “It’s just amazing,”

Coming home

Last year, in the opener, Portland went to Thornton Academy and jump-started its undefeated regular season with a thrilling 35-28 victory, but when the teams met again, on the biggest stage, it was the Golden Trojans prevailing, 24-14.

Entering the 2024 campaign, the Bulldogs and Golden Trojans were viewed as favorites to get back to the state final and so far, neither squad has disappointed.

Portland started with wins at Oxford Hills (40-20) and at home over Windham (29-7). After stumbling at Bonny Eagle (14-8), the Bulldogs returned to form and defeated visiting Lewiston (56-0) and Edward Little (55-0) in emphatic fashion before rolling at Bangor last week, 35-7.

Thornton Academy, meanwhile, opened with a 42-0 win over Bangor, then lost to Bedford, New Hampshire (35-21). Since then, the Golden Trojans had passed every test, downing Windham (54-14), Bonny Eagle (35-12), Noble (33-26) and South Portland (35-7).

Saturday’s contest was highly anticipated and on a beautiful autumn afternoon (65 degrees at kickoff rising to 67 by game’s end), in front of a large and vocal crowd, two heavyweights punched and counterpunched before an unlikely but fitting hero delivered the knockout blow.

Portland won the opening coin toss, but deferred possession to the second half and Thornton Academy, after senior Evan Hill fair caught a short opening kickoff at the 40, threatened to march for a quick lead.

Junior Mauricio Sunderland, who was the Golden Trojans’ workhorse for much of the day, set the tone with a nine-yard run, then Benoit picked up a first down with a three-yard pickup. A penalty on Portland was tacked on and the hosts had a first down at the Bulldogs’ 38. After Benoit hit senior Jackson Paradis for five yards, Sunderland ran for three yards, then moved the chains again with a two-yard burst to the 28. Paradis then gained three yards, Sunderland picked up five and on third-and-2, Sunderland gained six more to the 14. After Sunderland ran for two yards, then picked up three, Benoit threatened to do the rest, as he burst free but just before he reached the end zone, the ball was stripped and Portland recovered at its 2, as junior Cordell Jones fell on the loose ball, and the Bulldogs dodged the early bullet.

“Momentum really affects a game between two good teams and that was a really big shift,” said Thurston.

“We talk about winning the turnover battle and we were able to do that today,” said Portland’s second-year coach Sean Green. “Anytime you can take the ball away from a potent offense like that, you’ll be in a good situation.”

The Bulldogs were pinned deep in their territory, in the shadow of their goalpost with 8:01 to go in the opening stanza, but they managed to chew up almost seven minutes as they moved across midfield.

After Jones was held to two yards on first down and Thurston was held to no gain on second, Thurston threw an incomplete pass to senior Aidan McGowan, but pass interference was called and Portland had a new set of downs at its 19. McGowan was thrown for a one-yard loss by juniors Grady Hersey and Colin Thompson, then Hersey dropped Thurston for a loss of another yard, but on third-and-12, Thurston threw a screen pass to sophomore Alex Martin, who took off for 32 yards and a first down at the 49. Thurston then kept the ball for nine yards into Thornton Academy territory. After an incomplete pass and an illegal formation penalty, the Bulldogs faced third-and-6, but Jones caught a pass for seven yards to the 40 to move the chains again. After senior Lisandro Rodrigues broke tackles and ran for eight yards, Thurston kept the ball for one and once again on third down, Portland converted, as Thurston hit McGowan for five yards to the 26. McGowan then ran for three yards, but Hill batted down a Thurston pass, Hersey and senior Henry Kenniston dropped Martin for a three-yard loss and on fourth-and-10, Thurston tried to connect with Jones in the end zone, but senior Ryan Camire knocked it down and Portland gave the ball over on downs.

Thornton Academy got the ball back at its 26 with 1:04 to go in the opening stanza, but went three-and-out, as junior Connor Ayoob ran for one yard, Benoit just missed on a long pass to sophomore Noah Fullerton and on third-and-9, Paradis caught a pass for eight yards, necessitating a punt.

The Bulldogs’ second possession began at their 27 and on the final play of a first quarter which saw Portland hold a slim 74-67 edge in yardage, McGowan ran for two yards.

On the first play of the second period, Jones was dropped for a one-yard loss by junior Curtis Nason, then Thurston threw incomplete and the visitors had to punt.

With 11:08 to go in the half, the Golden Trojans started at their 40 and they would drive 60 yards in six plays and 2 minutes, 27 seconds for what proved to be their lone score of the game.

Benoit got things started with a three-yard run. After Sunderland gained five, Thornton Academy was forced into a third-and-7 thanks to a false start penalty, but Paradis came back for an underthrown Benoit pass and wound up gaining 39 yards, all the way to the Bulldogs’ 18. After a five-yard run by Sunderland, Benoit threw incomplete, but on third-and-5, Benoit ran to his left, eluded a tackler, then broke free and raced into the end zone for a 13-yard touchdown with 8:41 on the clock. Junior Yeonwoo Kim added the extra point for a 7-0 lead.

Portland nearly answered on the ensuing kickoff, as McGowan fielded the ball at the 16 and broke away down the left sideline before being tripped up at the Golden Trojans’ 8, after a 76-yard pickup.

The Bulldogs couldn’t take advantage, however.

After Rodrigues ran for three yards, Jones did the same, but on third-and-goal, Jones was stopped inches shy of the goal line. Portland went for it on fourth down, but again, Jones was stuffed just shy of the stripe and after an inspirational goal line stand, Thornton Academy got the ball back at its 1.

A nine-yard run from Sunderland, followed by a four-yard Sunderland scamper moved the Golden Trojans out of the shadow of their goal line, but Martin dropped Benoit for a three-yard loss, Benoit threw incomplete, then Benoit’s pass down the left sideline was intercepted by Abramson-Thompson, who somehow hauled the ball in with his left hand while tumbling to the turf at the Thornton Academy 32.

This time, the Bulldogs wouldn’t be denied, using eight plays and 3:31 to find paydirt.

Thurston threw incomplete on first down, then Rodrigues ran for two yards. Martin gained three yards on a third-and-8 shovel pass, setting up fourth down, where Thurston connected with Jones for seven yards, with Jones coming down with his feet just inbounds on the right sideline, to set up first down at the 20. After Thurston lost a yard, he ran for nine, then Jones gained three to set up first-and-goal at the 9. On the next play, Thurston kept the ball, ran to his left, eluded a tackler, then raced into the end zone for the touchdown. Sophomore Justin Bouchard added the extra point and with 1:45 remaining in the first half, the game was deadlocked, 7-7.

And it would stay that way for a long, long time.

Thornton Academy had a chance to answer before the half, as Hill fair caught the ensuing kickoff at the Golden Trojans’ 35, but after senior Anthony Tavares held Sunderland to no gain, Sunderland ran for five yards and Benoit gained three, setting up fourth-and-2. Thornton Academy took a delay of game penalty, then punted and a short Jones return drained the clock and sent the game to the break.

In the first 24 minutes, the Golden Trojans outgained the Bulldogs, 135 yards to 112.

There would be little separation in the second half before Portland finally made the play of the game late.

The Bulldogs got possession to start the third quarter, but a miscue on the kickoff forced them to begin at their 12. Thurston ran for five yards on first down, but McGowan only gained one yard on a screen pass, then senior Brody Viola’s two-yard reception on third-and-4 forced a punt. Lucca then punted just 17 yards and Thornton Academy was in business, at Portland’s 37.

But the Bulldogs’ defense stood tall.

After Ayoob gained one yard, Benoit scrambled but couldn’t gain any yardage. On third-and-9, Lucca held Benoit to no gain and the Golden Trojans had to punt, a touchback which gave Portland the ball at its 20.

Jones began the drive with a two-yard run, but McGowan was held to no gain by Thompson. On third-and-8, Thurston somehow eluded a sack, then scrambled and threw to Viola, who made a catch on his knees for a 17-yard pickup to the 39. After Martin ran for four yards, Thurston picked up nine to the Thornton Academy 48. Rodrigues then gained two yards and Jones picked up three, but on third-and-5, Thurston’s pass fell incomplete and the Bulldogs had to punt.

With 4:18 to go in the third period, after a 24-yard return from Paradis, the Golden Trojans started at their 39, but again, went nowhere.

After Sunderland gained a yard, Martin sacked Benoit for a six-yard loss and Benoit threw incomplete, forcing a punt. Fullerton then unleashed a beautiful kick, which bounced and rolled to the Portland 2, good for 64 yards.

After Martin ran for one yard, Thurston was nearly trapped for a safety, but he barely got out of the end zone for a two-yard loss. On third-and-11, Thurston dropped back to pass, then ran to his left, broke a tackle and rumbled 18 yards for a first down at the 19. After Thurston ran for six more yards, Rodrigues did the same on the final play of the frame.

The Bulldogs began the final stanza at their 31 and Thurston took off for 14 yards to the left and another first down. After Jones gained six yards, Martin picked up one and McGowan was held to two, setting up fourth-and-inches, where Portland hoped to catch Thornton Academy off-guard. Jones, taking the snap in the “Wildcat” formation, faked a run, then tried to hit Viola over the top, but Viola was well covered and the ball fell incomplete, giving the Golden Trojans possession at their 46 with 9:54 to play.

Thornton Academy moved the chains, as after Benoit was held to no gain and Paradis had a two-yard reception, Paradis caught another ball for nine yards and a first down at the Bulldogs’ 42. Benoit ran for four yards, but on second down, senior Colin Kelly dropped Sunderland for a one-yard loss and after a false start penalty, Benoit’s scramble only gained five yards, forcing another punt, which Jones fair caught at the 6.

Portland quickly went three-and-out, as Rodrigues was held to one yard, Thurston ran for two, then Thurston threw to Jones at the sideline, but Jones couldn’t get a foot down and the pass was incomplete, necessitating a punt.

With 5:03 to play, the Golden Trojans started in great field position at the Bulldogs’ 35, but again, they couldn’t capitalize.

Benoit lost four yards on a scramble on first down, then Sunderland picked up just one on second down. On third-and-13, Benoit broke a tackle and gained eight yards, but on fourth-and-5, the shotgun snap sailed over Benoit’s head and while he ran it down and managed to get a pass off, to Paradis, Paradis was tackled for an eight-yard loss and not only did Portland get the ball back on downs, it finally had good field position, at its 38, with 3:15 remaining.

And three plays and 45 seconds later, the Bulldogs went in front.

Rodrigues only gained two yards on first down, then Thurston threw incomplete, but on third-and-8, Thurston rolled right, kept the play alive, then heaved a deep ball down the sideline to Lucca, who got behind a defender, caught the ball at the Thornton Academy 25, then broke Camire’s tackle attempt at the 15 before rumbling into the end zone for the touchdown with 2:30 to go.

“It was supposed to be a hitch, then I saw (Louis) almost get sacked, but he’s a peak athlete, so he got out of it, then I saw my guy bite in front of me, I turned on my left shoulder, ran down the field, made eye contact with (Louis) and he put it up there,” Lucca said. “Once I saw that pylon, there was no choice but to get in.

“I saw (Carter) cut back and his guy was running the other way, so I decided to take a shot,” said Thurston. “That was far from designed. We just play football until the whistle blows. That’s something I’ll remember forever.”

“It was a good catch, then he broke a tackle and ran,” Viola said. “It was a great play all around.”

“That was just Louis making a play,” Green added. “It starts with our offensive line. Our line has been tremendous all year. They held up and it was a broken play and players make plays. Carter got open and made a tremendous play.”

“Carter was a great player for us,” said Thornton Academy coach Kevin Kezal. “He was our starting H-back as a sophomore. He got hurt early last year. If someone’s going to beat us, he’s the guy I want beating us. He’s a great kid. I love the kid to death.”

Lucca, who heard from some old friends in the Thornton Academy student section at times Saturday, had the last laugh.

“I heard what they were saying,” Lucca said. “I let them know we were going to get in the end zone.”

“Their fan section was saying, ‘We don’t need you,’ but after that, I think they did need him,” Viola said. “I love having him on my team.”

“It was personal for him,” Green added. “What I’m most proud of with him is we talked all week that it’s a regular season game and there’s no such thing on our team as being extraordinary. Last time we tried to do that against these guys, we lost the football game. We wanted him to go out there and be himself and that’s what he did today. He didn’t get too emotional. He played within his technique and trusted his brothers and did his job for four quarters.”

Bouchard’s PAT made the score 14-7, but the Golden Trojans had an opportunity to answer.

An opportunity which was promptly squandered.

After Hill’s fair catch gave Thornton Academy great field position at its 42, Benoit, on a run-pass option, pulled the ball out of Sunderland’s belly at the last second and what resulted was a fumble.

A fumble that landed right in front of Viola, who fell on it at the Golden Trojans’ 37.

“I saw the prize and I took it,” Viola said.

Thornton Academy still had its timeouts, so Portland needed a pair of first downs to run out the clock, which proved to be no problem.

Rodrigues didn’t gain a yard on first down, but a 15-yard facemask penalty was called on the Golden Trojans, giving the Bulldogs a first down at the 22. After Thurston ran for two yards, McGowan gained three and Kezal called his last timeout. Jones then kept the ball for four yards, setting up fourth-and-1 and after being stymied at the goal line earlier, Jones wasn’t about to be denied with the game on the line, bulling forward for two yards and a first down at the 11 to salt it away.

“We couldn’t move the ball on the ground the way we wanted to the whole game long, but we kept talking about staying ahead of the sticks and we got a first down to get us in a victory situation,” Green said.

Thurston then twice took a knee and at 3:13 p.m., the horn sounded and Portland had a 14-7 victory.

“(Taking a knee is) my favorite play to do every time,” said Thurston. “It feels good to get a win, but we keep in mind that it’s the regular season and it’s not our Super Bowl. It does feel good in the moment and we’ll celebrate it tonight, but we’re looking forward.”

“Every play, we hit them as hard as we could and we didn’t stop no matter what, whether it was third-and-2 or third-and-10,” Lucca said.

“It means a lot,” said Viola. “It’s the best feeling in the world. The last time we saw them, we lost. We wanted to come down here and win on their homefield like they won on ours. The defense just played our technique and stayed sound and disciplined. That’s what won us the game. It’s a great feeling, but we know we’ll see them again.”

“After we scored, we knew a great offense was coming back on the field and they have playmakers all over the field, but credit to our defense for bottling them up most of the game,” Green added. “We did a great job containing their quarterback, who is one of the best players in the state.

“We talked all week that it’s a regular season game and we approach them all the same way. Obviously, there are certain opponents where you’ll get a playoff atmosphere.”

The Bulldogs weren’t as prolific as they’ve been most weeks, but still managed to produce 298 yards. They didn’t turn the ball over and only were flagged twice for 15 yards.

Thurston was a dual threat on offense, running 18 times for 78 yards and a touchdown and completing 9-of-15 passes for 134 yards with a TD.

“We had some things that were put in this week to give me the ball in the run game, but it was all line play and I just had to run,” said Thurston. “It started with a great game plan and ended up with us showing up and having some juice.”

“Louis is going to do what it takes to win,” Green said. “He’s not a quarterback, he’s a football player.”

Jones was held to 26 yards on 11 carries and caught two passes for 14 yards.

McGowan ran six times for 9 yards and had two receptions for 6 yards.

Rodrigues gained 24 yards on seven rushes.

Martin had two catches for 35 yards and ran four times for 3 yards.

Viola had two catches for 19 yards.

Lucca touched the ball just once, but his 60-yard TD reception was the difference.

Thornton Academy only mustered three yards in the second half and wound up with 138 for the game. The Golden Trojans committed six penalties for 50 yards and turned the ball over an uncharacteristic three times.

“(Portland’s) a really good football team and you have to play perfect football to beat a team like that,” Kezal said. “In a game like this, we talk about our five keys. Turnovers is one of them. You have to win the turnover battle and we didn’t do that. Explosive plays, you have to create them on offense and prevent them on defense and we lost that battle.”

Benoit wound up 6-of-9 passing for 56 yards and an interception and he ran 13 times for 39 yards and a touchdown.

Sunderland had 16 carries for 59 yards.

Paradis caught six passes for 56 yards.

“I’m proud of our kids,” Kezal said. “We played hard. We’ve been through the grinder here. I’m proud of the effort, but today we had some uncharacteristic stuff that didn’t let us win the football game. We had a hard time getting people open.”

“Hats off to those guys over there,” said Green, of the Golden Trojans. “Their players, their coaches, their AD (Lance Johnson), their boosters. They do things the right way. They never say quit and we respect those guys. Credit to Thornton Academy’s defense. They bottled up a lot of our stuff. We had to be creative and do some different things to get things going.”

Far from finished

While the teams could meet again for the big prize Nov. 23 at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland, both have work to do in the meantime.

Thornton Academy (ranked first in the Class A South Crabtree Points standings) is at Sanford next Friday, then closes at home versus Scarborough Halloween night.

“This was a learning experience and we have to learn from it,” Kezal said. “It’s going to be a grind. York County is tough.”

Portland (which will be the top seed in Class A North) plays host to Exeter, New Hampshire next Friday, then closes with the Battle of the Bridge at South Portland on Nov. 1.

“We need to play our technique and not get tired,” Viola said. “We have to keep pushing. The fourth quarter is when we have to play our hardest.”

“All we have to do is lock in during practice 100 percent every day of the week,” Lucca said. “We just have to come out and play.”

“We just have to be consistent,” said Thurston. “I can’t put into words how badly we want to finish this off.”

“We need to do what we’ve done the past couple weeks,” added Green. “Earlier in the season, I think we kind of lost track at times of who we are and what it takes to win. We’ve got to be disciplined and go to work every day and have a maniacal sense of urgency. Talent sets the floor and character sets the ceiling. If we do those things every week, we’ll be in a good position. At the end of the day, our goal is to just win one game at a time.”

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net.