SACO — If, as they themselves contend, Thornton Academy needed a chance to check its collective gut, they have the opportunity to do so, now.
The Golden Trojans, who have relished regular season perfection in recent seasons, tasted deep disappointment, Saturday, after losing to Deering, 35-6, before a homecoming crowd announced as 1,661 at Paul Hill Stadium.
After having won 24 regular season tilts in a row ”“ a string stretching back Sept. 21, 2007 and a 21-7 loss to Marshwood ”“ the Trojans (4-1) have been handed a stiff test of their character.
“That’s exactly what it is,” said senior fullback Dimitri Skinsacos. “It’s almost a good thing in a way. It shows us where we’re at. And where we need to be.”
Said senior defensive end Chris Dolewa, “I’m hoping this is a good opportunity to show how we can bounce back.”
That need for an elastic psyche was exposed very early in the contest.
Deering (4-1) scored 14 points on its first two possessions ”“ one point more than the Trojans had allowed all season ”“ on carbon copy TD tosses from Jamie Ross to John Hardy.
The first covered 32 yards, the second one stretched seven yards farther.
Both involved short screen passes and several missed tackles, and ended with Hardy strolling untouched across the goal line.
“Why did that work?” said Thornton coach Kevin Kezal. “Because they’re very good football players. The first time they went slant, and we didn’t cover it properly. Then they went fade. We just don’t see that type of speed and athleticism during the year.”
Thornton, behind quarterback Josh Woodward, countered with its lone scoring drive, a 15-play, 5:56 march that began at its own 18.
Woodward helped it along with three key completions, including a 13 yarder to Corbett Smith on third-and-11, and a 21 yard strike to Dolewa.
Later, Skinsacos gathered in a toss from Woodward and rumbled 23 yards to the Deering 1.
Two plays later, Andrew Libby waltzed in for the touchdown.
However, Woodward came up short on his run for the two point-conversion, and the score remained 14-6, until Ross scored on a 1 yard quarterback keeper with 2:14 to go in the half.
“At halftime,” said Dolewa, “it was probably the quietest I’ve seen the room all year. I think everybody was focusing on trying to get the game back.”
Unfortunately for the Trojans, Deering was unwilling to co-operate.
The Rams capitalized Thornton turnover that gave them the ball at the Trojans 26.
Two plays later, Ross and Hardy hooked up for a third score, this one covering 21 yards, which made it 28-6.
Afterward, Thornton moved twice into Deering territory, but both opportunities were choked off by interceptions.
“We’ve got a lot of young kids on our team,” said Skinsacos. “They’ve never really experienced a big loss like this. I trust that the people on our team will grow from it. I don’t think it will happen again.”
— Contact Dan Hickling at dhickling@journaltribune.com.
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