SACO — The dream of every high school football player is to one day get a chance to play Division I college football.

On Wednesday morning, Thornton Academy seniors Austin McCrum and Owen Elliott took the first step towards living that dream as they signed their National Letters of Intent to play football at the next level.

McCrum signed with Lafayette College in Pennsylvania to play quarterback, while Elliott will be headed to the University of Maine to play linebacker for the Black Bears.

“I say I’m blessed and I truly mean it. To be up here with one of my best friends is a great feeling,” said McCrum.

Elliott was thrilled to sign his letter of intent in front of a large crowd, which included the families of both standouts, coaches and a large group of teammates and friends.

“It’s just great to be up here. All the boys up there just supporting us, a great community supporting us, it’s just great,” said Elliott.

McCrum, who along with Elliott helped TA win back-to-back state championships, called choosing Lafayette “an easy decision.”

“Picking Lafayette was kind of an easy decision for me. I got three offers and all the schools I was looking at, I was looking for the best academics with a high level of football. When I took my visit, I was pretty sold by the coaches, the community and all their facilities, so it was an easy decision for me,” said McCrum, who also held offers from Maine and Old Dominion.

The standout quarterback, who threw for 1,956 yards and 20 touchdowns this past season, will have an opportunity to start right away at Lafayette.

“I was told it was pretty much going to be viewed as an open job,” said McCrum, who would love to win the starting job, but also knows the first year will be a learning experience. “If I go work and I fit well then so be it, and I could get some playing time, but I think it will be a good learning year for me and trying to learn the new system.”

Like every college freshman, McCrum knows he will have to acclimate himself to his new environment.

“The transition is going to be a hard one, but it’s one that I’m looking forward to and hopefully it will spark some motivation,” said McCrum, who went 27-5 as the Trojans’ starting quarterback.

McCrum believes his time at TA will help him transition to his new life on the Lafayette campus.

“It’s been huge. I mean if you look around it’s like a college feel already, so the transition will be easier in that sense … but just the coaching staff, the community, the teachers and everything, they have prepared me academically and athletically and I think the transition will be a lot smoother because of it,” said McCrum, who threw for more than 5,000 yards and 49 touchdowns in his TA career.

Elliott also gave credit to Thornton Academy for getting him ready for college life.“They always push you to be the best you can, on and off the field, they just want the best out of you no matter what. They really care about you, which helps out a lot too,” said Elliott, who was a three-time All- SMAA selection at linebacker.

Signing with UMaine was an easy decision, according to Elliott.

“It just felt right. It’s a big school and I know a few people there already, so it just felt right when I went down. The coaching staff is great and they are excited to have me down,” said Elliott, who said he may have a chance to play this fall. “When I went down, they said it would depend on how I came in to camp and they said if I was looking pretty good I might get a chance to play, but if not, I would just be redshirted.”

Elliott is especially excited to play for the state’s only Division I football program.

“It’s a pretty great opportunity to go out and show what Thornton Academy has been about … and to just go out and play football for the state of Maine is just great. It’s my home state, I’ve always lived here, it’s going to be fun,” said Elliott, who first got the attention of college scouts at last summer’s Boston College camp where he ran a camp-best 4.59 40-yard dash.

TA head coach Kevin Kezal was thrilled to see two of his standouts receive scholarships to play at the Division I level – and believes both Lafayette and Maine are getting incredible student-athletes.

“They are obviously getting very good football players, but they are getting great kids,” said Kezal. “They are getting the whole package. They are getting kids who are going to work hard in the classroom, who are gentlemen off the field, they are going to work hard on the field and they are just great teammates.”

The TA coach also believes McCrum and Elliott will provide some inspiration for future Trojans.

“We’ve had a pretty good run over the past four or five years with players going on to the next level and I think it just kind of feeds off itself. Our younger kids see what these guys have done and how much hard work they have put into it and it kind of feeds itself,” said Kezal.

Kezal is happy for McCrum and Elliott, but will also miss them when next football season rolls around.

“It’s kind of bittersweet when kids graduate. You’re going to miss them, but at the same time you can’t be more proud of what they have done,” said Kezal.

For McCrum and Elliott, who both thanked their families, coaches, teammates and friends during speeches on Wednesday, the friendships and memories they made at TA will last forever.

“I’m going to miss everything about this place,” said McCrum. “Especially just the moments with the teammates, not even on the field, but in the locker room, going out to dinner and bonding, it’s going to be something I miss a lot. We are all going to go out separate ways, but hopefully we all stay together.”

— Sports Editor Pat McDonald can be reached at [email protected] or at 282-1535 ext. 322. Follow the Journal Tribune Sports Department on Twitter @ JournalTsports.