Indians Quarterback Thornton Settling In, Gaining Confidence

As the first half continued to drag on, and mistake after mistake piled up, Franklin quarterback Jackson Thornton found his confidence progressively waning.

The junior transfer, who had entered the season with such large goals and expectations, all of a sudden found the struggles of the first game and a half starting to affect him.

After struggling during the Indians’ season-opening loss to Wise, tossing two interceptions, Thornton, rather than taking a step forward in Franklin’s next game against Eastern Tech, appeared to be regressing.

Indecisive and hesitant for much of the first half, Thornton misfired on four of his five first half pass attempts, and was sacked three times, as the Indians entered halftime facing a 2-0 deficit.

“I just got to the point where I didn’t want to make a mistake,” said Thornton, who enrolled at Franklin High School in August after spending his first two years of high school at Calvert Hall and Dulaney.

Just as quickly as Thornton’s confidence had dipped, though, it only took one play to restore it.

 With Franklin still trailing early in the third quarter, and in dire need of a big play, the Indians once again turned to Thornton.

This time, however, the quarterback delivered, connecting with wide receiver Reggie Ellis for a momentum changing 59-yard touchdown pass.

Fueled by the touchdown, Franklin eventually won the game, 13-2.

“Making that throw turned everything around for me,” Thornton said. “In the first half, I just wanted us to run the ball and didn’t want to make another mistake. But after that play, I had nothing but confidence and couldn’t wait to get back out there and do it again.”

Now, Thornton is looking forward to seeing that carry over to the Indians’ next game, a home matchup with rival Hereford Friday night.

“I was nervous before each of the first two games,” Thornton said, “but I’m nothing but excited now. I can’t wait for this game.”

Indians coach Anthony Burgos, meanwhile, having seen Thornton progress through the first two games, is eager to see how he performs against the Bulls Friday night.

“His confidence has grown a good amount,” Burgos said. “He’s settled down and has gotten more comfortable. He’s going to get better every week and we still believe he’s going to be ‘that guy’ for us.”

Still, Burgos understands the pressure being thrust on Thornton.

Led by quarterback Joey Dorsey, who threw for 2,182 yards last year while accounting for 28 total touchdowns, Franklin finished last season 11-3 and advanced all the way to Class 3A state final.

With Dorsey gone, however, the Indians were hopeful Thornton, who impressed during preseason practice, could step right in and lead them right back to the playoffs—a lot of pressure to thrust on a quarterback that had never even taken a varsity snap prior to this season.

Thornton says he welcomed the pressure, though, knowing it would be there and is still hopeful he can, like Dorsey, propel the Indians to a deep run in the Class 3A playoffs.

“There’s definitely a lot of pressure,” Thornton said, “but I knew that the expectations were going to be high coming in, especially given what the team did last year. But I knew coming in what I had to do and hopefully we can still make it back to M&T Bank Stadium [for the state playoffs].”

He added, “I feel confident that we can and that I’m the man to lead us back.”

Burgos is confident as well.

“Jackson still needs to improve, and is still adjusting to everything, but he has tremendous upside and we’re confident that we have a kid that can get the job done," he said.