SACO – Oxford Hills plays a strong defensive game against the run. But if the Vikings had thoughts of upsetting unbeaten Thornton Academy, they needed to stop the pass.

That didn’t happen.

Trojans quarterback Kobe Gaudette threw for 254 yards and five touchdowns – four of them to Peyton Jones – as Thornton Academy enjoyed a 35-6 Homecoming victory Saturday afternoon at Paul S. Hill Stadium.

Thornton’s first-team defense was just as dominant. Oxford Hills didn’t score until the final play, against the Golden Trojans’ backups.

Thornton remains the only undefeated team (7-0) in Class A. In the Trojans’ last five games, they’ve outscored opponents 194-27.

Oxford Hills is 4-3.

After its first five offensive plays, Thornton led 14-0. Costa Gikas got open out of the backfield for a 52-yard touchdown reception, and Jones flew past the Vikings’ secondary to haul in a pass that went for 74 yards.

Jones finished with five catches for 191 yards. His other touchdowns were 17, 66 and 26 yards.

“Kobe is a great quarterback, very smart,” Jones said.

And when Jones hears the play call and knows he’s the primary target?

“I get all excited,” he said. “I just try not to give it away.”

The Trojans looked to the air because the Vikings did a decent job of stopping Thornton’s run game (30 carries, 106 yards), which was led by Isaac Ofielu with 80 yards on 18 carries.

“They were stuffing the box and taking away our run game,” Trojans Coach Kevin Kezal said. “But we were able to make some plays with the pass game.”

Thornton led 21-0 at halftime. On the first play of the second half, the Trojans worked a perfect play-action pass, with Gaudette finding Jones wide open for a 66-yard score.

“Their coaches saw things and their kids made some great plays,” Oxford Hills Coach Mark Soehren said. “They’re athletic, smart and good. You have to be disciplined. Those are mistakes we have to fix.”

On offense, the Vikings’ nine possessions against Thornton’s No. 1 defense resulted in seven punts and two Colby Bolduc interceptions. The Trojans also concentrated on stopping the run, limiting primary running back Colby VanDecker to 47 yards on 14 carries. The rest of the Vikings had minus-7 yards rushing.

“He has made them go all year,” Kezal said of VanDecker. “He’s had some big games and we needed to shut him down.”

With the run stopped, Oxford Hills quarterback Atticus Soehren went to the air 30 times, completing 15 for 183 yards. Ty LeBlond caught five passes for 67 yards, and Addison Brown had three receptions for 65 yards.

The Vikings twice drove into Trojans territory, to the 19 and 27, before both possessions ended with interceptions.

Thornton did not punt in the first half. But after taking the 28-0 lead, the Trojans went three-and-out three times in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter Jones made a leaping catch in traffic in the end zone to cap a 74-yard drive.

With the score 35-0, the clock went to running time and the Vikings hurried up on offense, quickly moving 74 yards. They scored on Soehren’s 21-yard pass to LeBlond.

It was the 18th straight win for the reigning Class A champions.

“We’ll watch the tape on Monday. There are always things you can do better,” Kezal said. “That’s what this team has done all year. We’ve progressively gotten better each week, which is what you want to see.”

Thornton will be at home Friday night against winless Edward Little. Oxford Hills will play host to 6-1 Scarborough on Friday night.

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