TA returns to state final after holding off Bonny Eagle

SACO—It's become a rite of autumn.

Thornton Academy's football team playing for a Gold Ball.

But this time, the opportunity didn't come easily.

Saturday afternoon at Hill Stadium, the top-ranked Golden Trojans faced a rare deficit and were pushed to the brink by second-seeded Bonny Eagle in the Class A South Final, but Thornton Academy rose to the occasion, time after time.

And it sure doesn't hurt that the Golden Trojans boast the state's premier players in senior running back Connor Ayoob, who put on a second half display of brilliance to help his squad get over the hump.