SACO — They couldn’t be more different off the football field.

But on the football field, the Libby brothers, Luke and Andrew, are a cohesive unit, and part of the reason why the Thornton Academy football team is 8-1 this season, and is a win away from playing for a regional championship.

Luke wants to eventually be an orthodontist. Andrew wants to continue to play football in college. Luke is the better student (all As on his report cards), while Andrew focuses a little more on social activities (though he does get As and Bs in school).

But on the field, the two have responsibilities, not only to each other, but to their teammates.

Luke, a senior, is a co-captain and one of the top offensive linemen for the Golden Trojans. A guard, it is Luke’s job to protect quarterback Eric Christensen, and open holes for fullback Nick Kenney.

Luke also opens holes, and in a way, protects Andrew, his younger brother. A sophomore running back, Andrew has been a do-it-all player for the Trojans this season. He leads the team with 14 touchdowns, and also plays defensive back, punts, and returns kicks.

Luke said blocking for his brother gives him added motivation, and in turn, gives his younger brother extra confidence.

“I like to play every play to the best of my abilities,” Luke said. “But it does have some effect on how I do things. I know I can hit this guy at such an angle that he’s going to read what I do, because he’ll figure it out.”

“I trust all my linemen,” Andrew said. “But he’s my brother, so I know what he’s going to do, and it kind of clicks. I always trust him to make his block.”

Surprisingly, the Libby brothers did not start football at a young age. Both started playing in middle school. On top of that, neither watched a lot of television, and didn’t have any football idols to look up to when starting out.

“I never watched sports that often,” Luke said. “I still don’t now. I probably know about two players in the NFL, that’s about it.”

Instead, both brothers, along with the rest of the Libby siblings ”“ six in total ”“ learned their father’s trade. Richard Libby is a contractor, and the kids learned some of the aspects of the job growing up.

“He taught us how to do all kinds of stuff,” Luke said. “We did work all around the house, and he showed us along the way how to do all this stuff when working on a house.”

“When we were younger, I played basketball and (Luke) did too, and baseball,” Andrew said. “As we got older, more sports came into play.”

Including football. The elder Libbys played football growing up, and so, by junior high, so did Luke and, eventually, Andrew. While it took time for Luke to work through the system, Andrew took to football like a duck to water, playing with Luke and his eighth-grade teammates as a sixth-grade student.

“He came up to play his sixth-grade year with the eighth-grade team,” Luke said. “And it was the funniest thing. He was on kick return, and they were all running down (on the kickoff team), he made it all the way past all the other eighth-graders and into the end zone at practice. I remember the eighth-grade coach was ripped, because there was no way a sixth-grader should be able to make it all the way back against eighth-graders, and he did.”

Andrew continued to follow Luke right up to high school, where he started as a freshman for the Trojans last season.

While Luke admits Andrew has more natural talent, both Libby brothers agree they couldn’t perform the duties of the other.

“If I were a lineman, and he were a lineman, I’d win,” Luke said. “And if I were in his position, and he did what he does now, I would lose.”

Both will be playing on Saturday, as the Trojans host the South Portland Red Riots in the Western Class A semifinal game. The last time the two teams played against each other on Sept. 9, a 67-yard scoring strike from South Portland quarterback Michael Salvatore to running back Dan Medici proved to be the difference, as the Riots escaped with a 20-16 win, the only loss of the season for Thornton.

Whatever happens on Saturday at Hill Stadium, the Libbys have cherished the time spent together, especially on the football field.

“I’ve been waiting for him to get up here, and it’s been fun,” Luke said.

“It’s a lot of fun, I love having him on the team,” Andrew said. “I don’t want it to end yet. I want to win and have it last as long as it can.”

— Contact Staff Writer Dave Dyer at 282-1535, Ext. 318 or follow him on Twitter @Dave_Dyer.