By Gillian Graham
Staff Writer

Arthur Tardif will be there, as he always is, working the chains and cheering on his team
Ray Cadorette will be there, too, rooting for his alma mater.
So will Scott Descoteaux and Kevin Kezal, who will guide their teams from the sidelines.
It’s the 89th Battle of the Bridge, the annual match up of football teams from Biddeford and Saco. The game will kick off at 3 p.m. Friday at Dr. Paul S. Hill Stadium at Thornton Academy as the 7-0 Golden Trojans take on the 6-1 Tigers.
The tradition began in 1893, when Thornton defeated Biddeford 12-0. Breaks were taken in the series from 1912 to 1921 and 1954 to 1963. The teams meet once during the regular season and have also played a handful of playoff games. Thornton leads the overall regular season Battle of the Bridge with 48 wins, 32 losses and eight ties.
The teams both come to the game with numerous wins under their belts. The Golden Trojans beat Massabesic 49-14 in last week’s match up, while the Tigers shut out Noble 14-0. Last year, Thornton won the Battle of the Bridge 23-6.
Descoteaux, now in his third year as Biddeford’s head coach, said his team does not prepare any differently for the Battle of the Bridge. A “tremendous amount of work” goes into preparing to face each Class A team, he said, though emotions run a bit higher during the Battle of the Bridge.
“We work hard each week to prepare,” he said.
Descoteaux said his team has a “tremendous, tremendous group of leaders” who are smart and work extremely hard.
“I say that with a smile on my face,” he said. “We’ve asked these kid to work as hard as they can.”
Descoteaux said he looks forward to Battle of the Bridge because, traditionally, both teams are well coached and ready to play.
“I just know it’s a special day,” he said. “I feel proud that the kids involved in my program have the opportunity to be part of what the tradition is all about.”
Kezal, who has coached Thornton for 10 years, said he has a great group of players led by four captains who do an “excellent” job of leading the team.
“They’re a great group of kids,” he said. “They work hard at practice.”
Kezal said his team also prepares for the game as they would any other. He said emotions run higher at the Battle of the Bridge, but his players are mature enough to settle in quickly and get the job done. He is also expecting a “great crowd” of fans to come out and cheer on the players.
“It’s great for both communities,” he said. “It’s an event that brings both communities together. It’s fun and an honor to be part of it.”
Dick Agreste of Biddeford was head football coach at Thornton from 1985 to 1996 and now serves as an assistant coach. He said the game is usually a good match up and one players look forward to all year.
“It was a traditional rivalry you look forward to every year,” he said. “From the kids’ point of view, they thought of it every week.”

Tardif, a longtime Saco city councilor, graduated from Thornton Academy in 1959. He was on the football team in those days, but didn’t see much playing time. For the past 40 years, he has been moving yardage chains at home games and recording defensive statistics at away games. He said he has only missed three games in 40 years.
While having coffee at the Golden Rooster on Main Street in Saco, Tardif said the Battle of the Bridge game is one nobody wants to miss.
“It’s a rivalry with the schools. It always has been,” he said.
Tardif said he thinks his team will win because they have more depth than Biddeford, “but you never know if it rains.” He said the games are usually close and spectators seldom see a blowout.
At a nearby table, Ray Cadorette Sr. of Biddeford begrudgingly admits Thornton just might take the game this year.
“My heart is with Biddeford, but I think Thornton will take this one. I’ll still cheer for my alma mater,” said the 1966 Biddeford High School graduate.
Cadorette, wearing an orange T-shirt on Thornton turf, said the Battle of the Bridge is always a big deal for the two communities. Not as many fans go to the games as in the 1960s and 1970s, but plenty of fans still come out to cheer their teams, he said.
“It’s still a big thing,” he said. “It’s a tradition.”
Golden Rooster owner Chris Rizeakos is a 1985 Thornton graduate and, when he was a senior, even helped craft the trophy the winning team takes home after the Battle of the Bridge. But while he jokingly says he doesn’t discriminate against Biddeford fans, Rizeakos is also quick to point out the orange T-shirt he wore Tuesday morning is to support this weekend’s Pumpkin Harvest Festival.
While both teams are strong this year, Saco’s football program from second through 12th grade is “one of the best in the country,” Rizeakos said.
At Doc’s Tavern in Biddeford, Steve Whelan of Saco took a moment to reflect on the Battle of the Bridge game. He was the quarterback from Biddeford in the early 1970s and can easily tick off the scores of the Battle of the Bridge games he played.
“We were pretty good,” he said. “It certainly meant a lot. They wanted to beat us, we wanted to beat them.”
Whelan said “he hates to say it,” but thinks Thornton will probably win this year. However, he said, Thornton was heavily favored to win his senior year and Biddeford won 12-0.
Ed Caron, a Biddeford graduate, said he played football his freshman year and “warmed the bench a lot.” While sitting with friends at Dad’s Smoke Shop in Biddeford, he said, “We all know Biddeford is going to win.” The game is still a “very big deal” in these parts, he said.
“It was the biggest thing going,” he said. “If anyone was going to rob a bank in Biddeford they did it that day because everyone was at the game.”

Staff Writer Gillian Graham can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 213.