Saturday’s annual high school football state championship tripleheader at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland kicks off with a Class A battle matching programs not far removed from carrying home the gold.
Windham (9-1) is seeking its first gold ball since 2009, while Thornton Academy (9-1) of Saco is after its second state title in three years after winning it all in 2012.
Game time is 11:06 a.m., followed by the Class D final between Maine Central Institute of Pittsfield and Oak Hill of Wales at 2:36 p.m. and the Class B clash involving Brunswick and Marshwood of South Berwick at 6:06 p.m.
Windham, with just 10 seniors on its roster, advanced by knocking off top-seeded Cheverus of Portland in the Eastern Maine final for the second time this fall.
But while the Eagles romped to a 35-7 victory over the Stags in their regular-season matchup, the teams’ rematch in the Eastern Maine final wasn’t decided until Tanner Laberge blocked a Cheverus extra-point attempt in overtime to clinch a 21-20 victory.
Junior Dylan Koza is Windham’s leading rusher with 876 yards and 11 touchdowns on 144 carries. Sophomore quarterback Desmond Leslie, a first-year starter, has completed 58 of 89 passes for 925 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions while adding more rushing responsibilities late in the season.
Thornton Academy earned its berth with a 30-14 win over defending state champion Bonny Eagle of Standish last Saturday — marking the first time the Golden Trojans have won a regional title on their home field.
Junior quarterback Austin McCrum passed for 246 yards and two touchdowns, both to Kevin Barrett, as coach Kevin Kezal’s Thornton squad avenged a loss to Bonny Eagle in last year’s Western Maine final.
Thornton’s lone loss this season came in Week 6 when it was outlasted by Cheverus 48-41 in double overtime.
Class B: Brunswick Dragons (9-1) vs. Marshwood Hawks (11-0): Marshwood of South Berwick compiled one of the more dominant seasons of recent vintage — until last Saturday when the Hawks needed a blocked extra point by Zach Mitchell to preserve a 14-13 win over York in the Western Maine final.
Even with that scare, Marshwood has outscored its opposition 569-80, with 2,069-yard rusher Brett Gerry leading a ground-oriented offense that has averaged 51.7 points per game during the Hawks’ quest for a first state title since winning as a Class A program in 1989.
Brunswick also is rush-oriented as led by the backfield duo of Will Bessey and Alex Bandouveres. Bessey, a junior, has rushed for 568 yards and five touchdowns during playoff wins over Messalonskee of Oakland in the Eastern Maine semifinals and Lawrence of Fairfield during a 48-19 victory in the regional final.
That win gave Brunswick its first Eastern Maine title since 2003, and the Dragons will be vying for its first state crown since being Class B co-champions with Madison in 1963.
Messalonskee represents a common opponent for the two finalists. Brunswick split with the Eagles this fall, with its 27-20 semifinal victory avenging a 20-7 loss at Oakland during Week 6 of the regular season.
That Messalonskee victory came the week after the Eagles fell to Marshwood 48-14 in their Class B crossover game at South Berwick.
Marshwood will be playing in its second state championship game in three years after falling 44-42 to Mt. Blue of Farmington in 2012. The Hawks are coached by Alex Rostko, who before arriving at the school three years ago guided Longmeadow High School to 11 Massachusetts Super Bowl victories.
