The Bangor Rams shutout Deering last Friday night with a punishing style of play to kick off the season.
And they will see how they stack up against one of the state’s top programs in their week two matchup.
The 1-0 Rams will roll into Saco on Friday night to take on the Thornton Academy Trojans, last year’s Class A South regional champions who won the state title in 2023.
“Well, obviously you respect what Thornton’s done. I mean, they’ve got a good program,” Bangor head coach Dave Morris told the BDN on Tuesday. “Their record speaks for itself.”
But the Rams don’t have to battle against Thornton’s impressive history. They just have to battle against the team across the line from them.
“Our approach is just the same as we would approach any other game,” Morris said.
That approach, as the Rams proved against Deerling last week, is a bruising one. Bangor’s tone is set first and foremost by senior quarterback and linebacker Kyle Johnson, who spent the season opener running over Deering on offense and running down ballcarriers on defense.
Morris said his team is “very fortunate” to have Johnson’s leadership on both sides of the ball.
“I liked how we hit,” Morris said about the 21-0 win over Deering. “I liked how physical we were.”
The powerful trio of Johnson teamed with senior running backs Zac Cota and Eli Marsh made for a formidable push on the ground for the rams last week.
Johnson scored two rushing touchdowns, threw another to Cota, and Marsh joined them in pounding the ball throughout the rainy night in Bangor.
“Obviously, I liked how we ran the football,” Morris said, noting that several of the offensive linemen are new to the position and are seeing improvement.
The biggest blotch on Bangor’s otherwise overwhelming effort against Deering was special teams, including a long kickoff return that the visitors nearly took back for a touchdown. But Johnson and the stout Bangor defense held their ground and forced a turnover on downs to preserve the shutout.
Morris highlighted special teams as an area where his team needs to improve, but credited them for the way they practice.
“We’re really gaining an identity of what kind of football team we want to become,” Morris said. “And that’s just a product of our kids and how they’re practicing, how hard they’re working.”
They’ll certainly have to work hard against the 1-0 Thornton team, which beat Scarborough 44-0 to start its regular season last week.
Friday night’s game at Thornton Academy kicks off in Saco at 7 p.m.