Windham controlled the first half of Saturday’s Class A State Final versus Thornton Academy, sinking the Trojans’ running, stifling their passing and building a 14-7 halftime lead on touchdowns by Eric Webb and Dylan Koza.

After the break, though, TA surged back, thwarting the Eagles’ red zone drives and capitalizing on their multiple giveaways to score 28 unanswered points, amass a 35-14 win and return the gold ball to Saco.

“Turnovers really hurt us,” said Windham head coach Matt Perkins. “When we have two turnovers and we don’t connect on a couple plays – that was huge.”

“We didn’t take care of opportunities when we had them ourselves,” Perkins said. “And that’s what ended up getting us. We had situations we didn’t score on; we had two or three times inside their 20 and we didn’t capitalize.”

Both squads opened Saturday’s game looking defensively strong: Each forced the other to punt on its first possession. But Windham gained the edge on their second, and crawled on a succession of short runs by Tanner Laberge and Dylan Koza to third and six at TA’s 27. From there, QB Desmond Leslie launched a ball into the end zone – and Eric Webb pulled it in for the TD.

Josh Dugas added the PAT kick, and the Eagles stood on top 7-0. The teams then traded punts once more – again, both defenses held their ground stalwartly: Laberge, who dashed left and right across the field, determinedly contributing to what felt like 60 percent of all plays, sacked Thornton QB Austin McCrum, and Webb batted down one of McCrum’s powerful passes. For their part, the Trojans pressured Eagles QB Desmond Leslie, bullying him into a costly grounding penalty and strangling his team’s advance.

Having regained the ball, TA tacked short run on short run to reach the Windham two; from there, Mike Laverriere pushed into the end zone, vaulting the tally to an even seven all. The Eagles answered immediately, though: Griffin Jacobson grabbed a 50-yard run early in his squad’s follow-up drive, and Koza then machine-gunned through several short dashes to cover the rest of the distance to the goal line. Dugas added another PAT and Windham climbed back on top, 14-7.

The score lingered there into the break. Windham had throttled Thornton’s mighty offense, an achievement that included downing their passes. The Trojans, led by 6-foot-4 McCrum, had perhaps the best throwing game of any opponent the Eagles had faced all year, which could’ve proven a liability. Instead, they rose to the challenge.

After the break, Thornton’s first series died suddenly, when Webb intercepted a McCrum pass. The Eagles went three and out on their possession, though, promptly handing the Trojans another chance to attack – one they made the most of. On first and 10 at the Windham 45, Demel Ruff carried the ball, juked through the middle and broke away right, and went all the way to propel the Trojans even again, 14-14.

Then came, arguably, the turning point. Webb fielded the kickoff, but fumbled it on the return. TA’s Elijah Ayotte recovered, giving his team mouthwatering field position – first and 10 at the Eagles’ 16 –and before long, McCrum, on a 13-yard keeper, had pushed Thornton into their first lead, 21-14.

Perkins saw errors compound missed opportunities in the second half, eventually leading to his team’s fall.

“We’re down here, we’ve got Zach Davis wide open, we threw the ball late; we had a bad snap, we had a fumbled punt return, had a big stop to turn it over – that was the shift in the game,” Perkins said. “Those mistakes you can’t make, and we haven’t made those mistakes this year.

“That’s part of the game, we made them there, the second half. I thought we did a lot of things well, but the turnovers ended up getting us.”

The game slipped away from Windham. A second turnover early in the fourth led to a McCrum-to-Corey-Hart touchdown pass, a 15-yarder, and with mere minutes remaining, Greg Ruff fought his way from the Eagles’ five into their inner sanctum for 35-14, the final.

The contest, played out at Fitzpatrick Stadium, concludes Windham’s year at 9-2. The Eagles’ other loss, their lone defeat in the regular season, came at the hands of Portland, who they rematched in the semifinals and edged past.

That victory earned Windham a meeting with Cheverus in the Eastern Regional bout. The Eagles had walloped the Stags in late September, and beat them again the second time around – but in much more nerve-wracking fashion.

Thornton exits 2014 at 10-1. Their one setback of the year was to Cheverus, interestingly. The Trojans’ playoff path was nowhere near as challenging as Windham’s; though they faced two tough teams – Scarborough first, and then Bonny Eagle – neither was in peak form.

Windham’s Griffin Jacobson carries on a nimble long run for the Eagles in Saturday’s Class A State bout. Thornton’s C.J. Michaud pursues.Dylan Koza jukes through a gap propped open by blocking teammates Tanner Laberge, left, and Eric Webb, right.Windham’s Zach Davis and Thornton’s Mike Laverriere vie for an incoming throw.The Eagles’ Kyle Houser lines up for a snap.Windham’s Eric Webb defends a ball thrown for Trojans receiver Corey Hart.Tanner Laberge wrangles emotion after Windham fell 35-13 to TA in Saturday’s Class A title game.Windham head coach Matt Perkins accepts the Eagles’ state championship runners-up plaque, flanked by his captains.