It’s a long way from now until November, when the high school football state championships will be decided. But there’s a very good chance that the teams who were at the top in Class A last year will be there again.
Thornton Academy and Windham played for the Class A title last season and are favorites to be playing for the Gold Ball again. Thornton is the team to beat in Class A South, and Windham is the consensus pick in Class A North.
That doesn’t mean those two teams will have it easy. In the South, Bonny Eagle, Scarborough and South Portland are expected to be playoff teams. In the North, Cheverus, Bangor, Edward Little and Portland look strong.
“It’s a tough league,” said Thornton Coach Kevin Kezal. “Every year there are surprises.”
It will be a surprise if the Trojans don’t go deep into the playoffs.
“I like our senior leadership. The seniors have enjoyed a lot of success,” said Kezal, whose team also won the state championship in 2012.
Thornton beat Windham 35-14 in the 2014 state final after trailing 14-7 at halftime.
Asked about his team defending the state title, Kezal deflected the question.
“We’re not defending anything,” he said. “We have different players. We’re in pursuit of another championship. We have to avoid injuries. Two years ago we couldn’t do that. We have to develop our line.”
Thornton graduated three all-conference linemen. With All-State quarterback Austin McCrum back, the Trojans will have another strong passing game. At 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, McCrum can also be a punishing runner. He’ll be throwing to or handing off to several talented players, including Owen Elliott, Corey Hart, Greg Ruff, Ben Lambert and Michael Laverriere.
“If the team stays hungry, which I think we will, we have an excellent chance for another strong season,” said McCrum. “We have a lot of skill people returning. We have to replace three starting linemen we lost but the younger kids are stepping up.”
Windham has eight returning starters on offense – including the entire backfield – and seven on defense.
“We have four of our five offensive linemen back,” said Coach Matt Perkins.
Perkins cited Edward Little as a team that could surprise. The Red Eddies have plenty of talent at the skill positions, with quarterback Matt Verrill running a spread offense.
Bangor has one of the top runners in the state in Dane Johnson, who rushed for 1,500 yards and scored 27 touchdowns last season. The Rams also have a new coach in Al Mosca, who has been an assistant in the program for several years.
Cheverus, a perennial powerhouse, graduated standouts Joe Fitzpatrick and Zordan Holman, but Coach John Wolfgram likes his team’s character and athleticism.
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