Ponies score 10 touchdowns in season opener vs. Belfast
DOVER-FOXCROFT — Late in the first quarter of the 2024 season opener vs. fellow Class D North program Belfast Area High School on Friday, Sept. 6, Foxcroft Academy trailed 7-6. Less than 2:00 later the Ponies retook the lead on a 14-yard scoring quarterback draw by junior Aiden Harvey.
The Harvey touchdown started a run of 35 unanswered points in the first half, 45-7, and 65 overall as Foxcroft won 71-7. The Ponies found the endzone 10 times on plays by eight different players, nine counting the pair of touchdown passes thrown by junior quarterback Griffin Caruso. Foxcroft got into the endzone on nine of its 10 offensive possessions, the lone exception being when the team took a knee at the very end of the game.
The very first points of the season came on the opening drive of the game as five plays moved the football from the Foxcroft 48-yard line to the Belfast 6 for a 2nd-and-goal. Here junior Landon Smith took the handoff and swept left to get inside the pylon at the 9:04 mark. The PAT was blocked but the Ponies led 6-0.
FIRST POINTS OF 2024 — Foxcroft Academy junior Landon Smith runs around a block by senior Silas Topolski on Belfast’s Mythias Travis during a mutual opener on Sept. 6 at Oakes Field in Dover-Foxcroft. Smith would score a 6-yard touchdown, the first of his two on the night and first of 10 for the Ponies in the 71-7 victory.
Belfast responded with a 15-play drive to go 64 yards, capped off with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Luke Littlefield to Ryker Evans. Gabriel Wagner’s PAT put the Lions ahead for the moment.
An apparent kickoff return touchdown by Smith was called back due to a flag for a block in the back, but Foxcroft still had the ball well inside Belfast territory at the 31-yard line. Three plays on the ground moved it up to the 14 for a 3rd-and-9.
Here Harvey took the shotgun snap and he ran up the middle all the way across the goal line. The Ponies ran a similar play on the 2-point try and Harvey jumped over the pile to regain the missed PAT point, 14-7, as the team scored 115 seconds after losing the lead.
FORCED INCOMPLETION — Foxcroft junior Aiden Bryant pressures Belfast quarterback Luke Littlefield into throwing the ball away during the opening quarter on Sept. 6. Bryant would later pick up a Lion fumble and return it 14 yards for a touchdown.
Foxcroft was just getting started as the team added four touchdowns in the second quarter. Junior Finn Holmes caught a 13-yard touchdown pass from Caruso, Smith scored from the 4-yard line, junior Aidan Bryant scooped up a fumble at the Lion-14 and returned it into the endzone, and sophomore Aiden Sickler was on the receiving end of an 8-yard touchdown catch.
Caruso finished the night 9-of-11 for a contest-best 159 yards and two touchdowns passes.
Foxcroft graduated more than a dozen players from last year’s D North championship team, while the 2024 roster includes just five members of the Class of 2025 including several new to the team. Senior Silas Topolski is one of the key returnees – and the only senior among this year’s four captions — and early in the second half he made a reception, spun off some would-be tacklers, and ran 37 yards for a touchdown to help put Foxcroft ahead 49-7. Topolski led the Ponies with four receptions for 65 yards.
TACKLE FOR LOSS — Juniors Landon Smith (22) and Finn Holmes bring Belfast’s Ryker Evans down for a 2-yard loss to the Lion 44-yard line. The two would together total 127 rushing yards on 17 carries and three overall touchdowns on the ground and through the air.
On the next offensive series the Pony reserves had the opportunity to take to the field. One play was all that was needed as sophomore Eamon Vandermast ran for a 52-yard touchdown.
On the very next play for the Foxcroft offense, Vandermast ran for a 76-yard touchdown. He ended up rushing for a game-high 128 yards on just the two carries.
Holmes was next with 84 yards in 10 attempts. He had over 100 yards of total offense with his two recipients resulting in 30 yards.
MAKING THE MOST OF HIS CARRIES — Sophomore Eamon Vandermast carried the football twice in the second half, scoring touchdowns on plays of 52 and 76 yards.
Senior Shane Birungi capped off Foxcroft’s 10-touchdown evening with a 58-yard run late in the fourth quarter
The Ponies will play next at Oceanside High School of Rockland at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 13. The Mariners, the defending Class C North champions, won its first game of the season 30-14 at Brunswick High School.
KICKING OFF A NEW SEASON — Junior Aiden Harvey returns a short kick to the Foxcroft 48-yard line to begin the week 1 matchup between Foxcroft Academy and visiting Belfast. Sophomore Thomas Day (50) is among the Ponies looking to make a block.
FOOTBALL
Foxcroft 71,
Belfast 7
BEL 7 0 0 0 – 7
FOX 14 28 13 16 – 71
First: F – Smith 6 yds (kick blocked); B – Evans 14 yds from Littlefield (Wagner kick); F – Harvey 14 yds (Harvey rush)
Second: F – Holmes 13 yds from Caruso (Harvey kick); F – Smith 4 yds (Harvey kick); F – Bryant 14-yd fumble return (Harvey kick); Sickler 8 yds from Caruso (Harvey kick)
Third: F – Topolski 37 yds from Caruso (Harvey kick); F – Vandermast 52 yds (rush fail)
Fourth: F – Vandermast 76 yds (Vandermast rush); F – Birungi 58 yds (Birungi rush)
Passing: B – Littlefield 11-of-23 124 yds TD Int; Travis 0-of-1; F – Caruso 9-of-11 159 yds 2 TD; Harvey 0-of-0; Seavey 0-of-0
Receiving: B – Evans 7, 104 yds TD; Barrett 2, 14 yds; Wagner 1, 5 yds; Parenteau 1, 2 yds; F – Topolski 4, 65 yds TD; Holmes 2, 30 yds TD; Hutchinson 1, 34 yds; Sands 1, 22 yds; Sickler 1, 8 yds TD
Rushing: B – Littlefield 9, 42 yds; Evans 2, -1 yd; Parenteau 5, -5 yds; Alvarez 1, -2 yds; F – Vandermast 2, 128 yds 2 TD; Holmes 10, 84 yds; Birungi 1, 58 yds TD; Smith 7, 53 yds 2 TD; Harvey 2, 30 yds TD
Records: B – 0-1; F 1-0