By Jeremy Stafford -- Daily Sports Correspondent

WINCHESTER — For the Millbrook Pioneers, if the heavy rain wasn't a force to be reckoned with, then Skyline wideout Andrew Thorne certainly was.

Thorne, who had no trouble finding soft spots in the Millbrook secondary, caught nine passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns, leading the undefeated Hawks to a 28-21 victory over the Pioneers.

"I just did what my coaches asked me to do," Thorne said. "Luckily I was able to make some plays."

And Thorne indeed made plays, including a 59-yard touchdown reception from Nathaniel White on the first play of the Hawks' second possession of the game.

Thorne's second touchdown reception was a 20-yard pass from White, which Thorne acrobatically caught as he tiptoed his way along the back corner of the end zone.

Following a 70-yard touchdown run from Cliff Woodard on the Hawks' next possession, Thorne and the Hawks jumped out to a 25-7 lead over Millbrook, and with just under seven minutes remaining in the second quarter, they seemed to be unstoppable.

The Hawks felt a slight panic, however, when Thorne was shaken up on a tackle at midfield. After wearily making his way to the sideline to gather himself, Thorne returned the very next play to catch a 40-yard pass down the left sideline, ensuring his teammates and a perturbed Millbrook crowd that he was healthy as ever.

But while Thorne made a relatively quick recovery from his affliction, Woodard, who rushed for 142 yards, suffered an injury to his shin and was unable to return to the game. And as the rain began to drench the Millbrook football field, running backs became increasingly important to the Hawks.

By the start of the third quarter, the Hawks led the Pioneers 25-13, and despite having passed for 145 yards and two touchdowns, White was replaced at quarterback with dual-threat signal caller Kieren Caison in order to bolster the Skyline running game. Caison rushed for 55 yards on 14 carries and completed four passes for 86 yards.

And as the Hawks became more reliant on the run in the second half, the Pioneers, who had had success rushing the ball in the early moments of the game, all but abandoned the run in an attempt to keep up with the Hawks.

Despite the rain, though, Millbrook quarterback Andrew Oates completed 12 passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns, and marched the Pioneers 48 yards for a score with 5:52 remaining in the game.

Following a fake field goal by Zak Butler for a two-point conversion, the Pioneers found themselves within a touchdown of the Hawks at 28-21. But penalties, mixed in with an aggressive Skyline pass rush, kept Millbrook from being able to tie the score in the closing seconds of the game.

"These are never the conditions you want to make a comeback in," Millbrook assistant coach Joe Burton said.