SACO — On Saturday, defending Class A champion Bonny Eagle showed it’s still the team to beat.

And based on their 49-14 win at Thornton Academy, the Scots’ edge on the competiton is sizable.

The teams traded first-half touchdowns and Thornton led 14-13 before Bonny Eagle (5-0) scored 36 unanswered points, turning the game into a running-time rout with 1:18 left in the third quarter before 1,889 fans at Hill Stadium.

“They’re a good football team and they certainly made a lot more plays than us today, and that’s why they’re the defending champs,” said Thornton Coach Kevin Kezal.

Scots quarterback Connor Sirois threw three touchdown passes in the spree, including two fade patterns to Kordell Menard (six catches, 79 yards) where the 6-foot-1 receiver used his 6-inch height advantage and ball-catching skills to defeat good coverage by Eli Arsenault of Thornton.

“Kordell’s ability to catch the ball away from his body just allows Connor to put the football in places where it’s really hard to defend,” said Bonny Eagle Coach Kevin Cooper.

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Menard’s first score put Bonny Eagle ahead 19-14 with 4:19 left in the second quarter.

After the defense forced a punt, the Scots took over at their 35 with 1:10 left in the half and their first opportunity of the season to perform a two-minute drill that mattered. Bonny Eagle won its first four games by an average of 55-5.

Keyed by a perfectly thrown 21-yard sideline pass to Menard on third-and-11, the Scots converted when Sirois zipped a seam pass to Arlo Pike for a 21-yard score with 19.8 seconds left in the half. After a Sirois-to-Alex Sprague conversion pass, Bonny Eagle led 27-14.

“We work on it in practice and we put it to use,” Sirois said.

Bonny Eagle’s defense got in on the act after halftime.

A quick three-and-out stop led to an 11-yard touchdown pass to Menard on fourth-and-goal.

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“We knew that opening drive of the second half was probably the biggest drive of the game,” said Bonny Eagle defensive tackle Zach Klein. “The three-and-out and then we get the score on offense, and all of a sudden it’s just a new confidence.”

After Bonny Eagle stopped Thornton on downs at the Scots’ 24, it needed just two plays to score: a 62-yard run by Sirois and Nick Thorne’s 14-yard touchdown rumble.

Then Chael Anastacio intercepted a sideline pass by Thornton sophomore quarterback Will Mitchell (7 of 13, 47 yards) and returned it 46 yards to the 3. Thorne, wearing a thick wrap over his injured left hand, took a direct snap and scored on the next play for the 49-14 lead.

Alex Sprague (81 rushing yards) set the tone in the first quarter for the Scots with a 10-yard touchdown run and 97-yard kickoff return.

Thornton (4-1) is still in second in Class A South by virtue of its win at Scarborough, the league’s other 4-1 team. Scarborough and Bonny Eagle play in the regular-season finale.

Early in the game, Thornton junior back Anthony Bracamonte (15 carries, 101 yards) was able to run outside, slipping tackles for gains. He and Cameron Houde each had a rushing touchdown for Thornton.

Steve Craig can be reached at 791-6413 or:

scraig@pressherald.com

Twitter: SteveCCraig


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