Big plays in the second half help Ponies run past Nokomis

By Stuart Hedstrom 
Staff Writer

    DOVER-FOXCROFT — Following a first half of Football action Foxcroft Academy found itself trailing 8-7 against Nokomis Regional High School of Newport in the Ponies’ regular season home finale on Oct. 17. After coming out of the locker room the Foxcroft offense got going, putting 20 unanswered points on the scoreboard and outscoring the Route 7 rival Warriors 26-6 in the second half to win 33-14.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom

    BIG NIGHT ON THE GROUND — Junior Hunter Smith grabs a hold of Nokomis’ Ray Girroir  while senior Peter Boyer (22) and junior Chris Storer close in during an Oct. 17 contest at Oakes Field. The three Ponies would account for all five of the team’s touchdowns in a 33-14 victory on Senior Night, together rushing for over 300 yards.

    The Pony defense got the latter 24-minute session started by forcing a three-and-out. Three plays later the offense had the ball in Nokomis territory at the 40-yard line.
    In the second quarter junior Chris Storer put Foxcroft on the scoreboard with an 80-yard run, originating with Storer being split left and then coming across in motion. Storer then quickly took the shotgun snap from junior quarterback Hunter Smith and ran up the right sideline for the score.
    From the 40-yard line in the third quarter Storer was motioned, this time from right to left, as the Nokomis defense got ready for the play. Instead of handing off to Storer, Smith put the pigskin in the grasp of senior tailback Peter Boyer. With the defense biting on the motion, Boyer ran through a huge hole to the right for the go-ahead touchdown at 13-8 — a lead Foxcroft would never relinquish.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom

    SIX KICKOFFS — The Foxcroft kickoff team was on the field six times in the Oct. 17 victory over Nokomis. Among those getting ready to cover senior Kaleb Faloon’s kick are, from left, senior Gaige Pleninger, junior Abe Simpson, seniors Isaiah Kennell, Brandon Dyer and Clay Carroll and juniors Hunter Smith, James Smith and Brandon Brock.

    Another three-and-out by Nokomis led to a Warrior punt being downed at the Pony-43. On the first play from scrimmage Smith faked the handoff to Boyer and opted to tuck the football and run. The Nokomis defense was concentrating on Boyer after its last appearance on the field, and once again the fake worked to perfection as Smith ran down the right sideline 57 yards for the score — Foxcroft’s second in as many offensive plays. Boyer followed by going up the middle untouched for the 2-point conversion and multiple possession 21-8 advantage.
    Nokomis would gain a first down on the next drive, but the team was stopped short on a fourth-and-5 from the team’s own 47.  Four plays then moved the ball from the 50 to the Nokomis-28 as the third quarter concluded.
    The final 12 minutes began with a Boyer run, and he went up the right 28 yards for another Pony touchdown. The play gave the team 20 unanswered points in a little over eight minutes of game time, going from an 8-7 deficit to a 27-8 lead.
    The visitors did go on to score the team’s second touchdown of the game, but the Pony offense responded with another for a 4-to-1 edge in second half trips to the endzone.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom

    TRYING TO MAKE GOOD ON THE RETURN — Sophomore Billy Brock heads up the field after catching a Nokomis kickoff. The 33-14 win over the team’s rival down Route 7 improved the Ponies to 5-2 on the season.

    On third-and-9 at the Pony-42, Boyer ran up the middle and split the secondary to rush for his third touchdown of the second half to make the game 33-14. Boyer led with a game-high 167 yards, with 159 of this total coming on just seven carries in the second half.
    The victory over the team’s closest geographic opponent improved Foxcroft to 5-2 on the season, while Nokomis fell to 3-4.
    The Ponies are scheduled to conclude the regular season on Friday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. at Mount Desert Island High School in Bar Harbor in a game set to be televised live on WABI-DT2 the CW Network. The Trojans will enter at 3-4 and in the sixth position in the Crabtree Point standings. The game may end up being a preview of a quarterfinal matchup one week later as Foxcroft is currently in third place.
    Before kickoff on Oct. 17 the seniors on the football and cheering teams were recognized. The 10 seniors playing in their last regular season game at Oakes Field were Peter Boyer, Clay Carroll, Sean Cody, Brandon Dyer, Caleb Edgerly, Kaleb Faloon, Isaiah Kennell, Gaige Pleninger, Talon Strout and Trevor Tash. Nine of the seniors would end up being introduced over the PA system a second time, as members of the starting offensive unit.
    The seven cheering squad seniors are Samantha Brawn, Christine Carmody, Ricky Chen, Amber Lewis, Gloria Oh, Kaitlynn Muncil and Abigail Warner.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom

    NOWHERE TO RUN TO — Senior Kaleb Faloon wraps up Noah Kershner of Nokomis at the line of scrimmage.