Football

Season: Fall
2025 Opening Date: August 18
Teams: Varsity, Junior Varsity, Freshman
Head Coach: Kevin Kezal

Football is one of the oldest sports at Thornton Academy. Thornton sponsored its
first football team in 1893 when Coach Joseph T. Shaw guided the Maroon and Gold to a
York County championship. The original home of Thornton Academy football was the Saco
Driving Park, a horse racing facility located west of the campus. Visiting teams and many
spectators used the adjacent railroad as a means to travel to the games. Thornton
Academy football achieved great success there prior to the turn of the century with three
state championships beginning in 1896, with the 1898 squad coached by former Harvard
All-American football player John Moulton.

Thornton Academy football can boast some of the top football coaches in the history
of the sport in Maine. After debuting with a winless season in 1930, Robert Bowie coached
three undefeated state championship teams in the next four years; he later became the
Thornton Academy headmaster. George Martin led Thornton Academy to an overall
record of 56-5-5 and five state titles from 1935-1942. Known for coaching in his
trademark fedora, Martin left his position at Thornton to serve in the military with
distinction during World War II. Bob Cote moved from rival St. Louis High School to coach
Thornton from 1970-1984 and collected 81 victories at the academy; he was later inducted
into the school’s athletic hall of fame. Dick Agreste guided the fortunes of Thornton
football from 1985-1996 and won two state Class A state championships (1986, 1988). Under current head coach Kevin Kezal, the Trojans have added to their legacy of success with Class A State Championships in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2021, and 2023. 

Thornton Academy conducts its football workouts at both an on-campus practice
facility and at Dr. Paul S. Hill, Jr. Stadium. The varsity team traditionally plays its games on
Saturdays at 1:30pm; in recent years, one Friday night home game has been added to the
yearly schedule. Varsity players who may be less experienced have an opportunity to
participate in junior varsity games on Mondays. Thornton Academy also has a freshman
team that competes against schools in southern Maine and northern New England.