Ponies come back to best Belfast at Homecoming

By Stuart Hedstrom 
Staff Writer

    DOVER-FOXCROFT — After trailing 21-6 in the second quarter, Foxcroft Academy took its first lead of the game, 28-27, on a 2-point conversion by junior Peter Boyer late in the third quarter of the Ponies’ 2013 Homecoming  game vs. Belfast Area High School on Sept. 20. With over 15 minutes of game time remaining Foxcroft then had to maintain the slim lead, and the team did just that by controlling the clock and winning by the 28-27 score to improve to 3-0 on the season.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom

    FIRST-AND-GOAL — Foxcroft senior Kolby Kendall (81) correctly signals that senior quarterback Hunter Law had snuck past the edge of the chains for a first down on a second-and-inches play late in the first half of the Sept. 20 Homecoming game vs. Belfast. Two plays later Law would score from the Belfast-1 on another QB sneak, part of a comeback effort as the Ponies won 28-27 after trailing 21-6 in the second quarter.

    With less than three and a half minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Ponies had the ball at the Belfast 6-yard line for a third-and-goal. On third down senior quarterback Hunter Law handed off to senior Corey Bjornson, who had the football slip out of his grasp.
    Bjornson quickly scooped up the loose pigskin before any member of the Lions’ defense could get to it. The fullback had time to set the football in his arms as he took off toward the left corner of the end zone. Bjornson dove inside the pylon to cross the goal line, for his second touchdown of the game, and to put the Ponies within a point of Belfast (who dropped to 1-2) at 27-26.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom

   PREVENTING A PICK SIX — Pony junior Gaige Pleninger is tackled by Belfast senior Greg Clark on the last play of the first half. Pleninger had intercepted a Lion pass inside Belfast territory, but Clark brought him down after a short return.

    The team then went for the two-point conversion as Boyer got the ball. He found a hole in the left side of the line and ran into the end zone as Foxcroft took its first lead of the game at 28-27 with 3:15 on the clock in the third quarter.
    Now the Ponies needed to maintain a lead instead of coming back from a deficit. Upon getting the ball Belfast did gain a first down, but three plays later faced a fourth-and-1 inside the Foxcroft-29. The Lions ended up fumbling and recovered the ball, but the pile of players was behind the 28-yard line as the Ponies then took over on downs with 37.5 seconds to play in the quarter.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom

   RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME — Junior Caleb Edgerly covers up a Pony fumble before Lions senior Baxter Smith can get his paws on the pigskin during the second quarter of the Sept. 20 contest at Oakes Field.

    Foxcroft kept the ball on the ground as Bjornson, Boyer and Law each carried the football to move from the Pony-30 into Belfast territory. The drive featured a quarterback sneak by Law to convert on fourth-and-1, as Law would take the snap from senior center Craig Chambers five times during the contest and immediately lunge ahead. On these four plays Law picked up 11 yards and four first downs with the other sneak ending up being good for a touchdown.
    On the 10th play of the drive Bjornson had the ball knocked out of his hands, and the Lions recovered at the team’s own 38 with 7:20 on the clock.
    The Pony defense responded to the miscue by limiting Belfast to just five yards on a trio of rushes by senior Greg Clark — who ended up gaining a game-high 163 yards on the ground. Facing a fourth-and-5, Belfast opted to punt rather than risk giving Foxcroft possession inside Lion territory.
    The ensuing punt was downed at the Pony-35, pushing the ball back 22 yards compared to the line of scrimmage for the kick. The Foxcroft offense then had five minutes and 24 seconds to work with, with Belfast having two timeouts remaining.
    In the next three plays Boyer and Bjornson — who combined for over 200 rushing yards — gained nine yards to set up a fourth-and-1. Following a Foxcroft timeout to discuss strategy, the offense returned to the field.
    Law took the snap from Chambers and then, aided up blocks by senior right guard Corbin Bruce and junior left guard Clay Carroll up the middle, found a hole in the line of scrimmage and dove past the end of the chains for the first down with the clock at 3:20 and then running once the fresh set of downs was set.
    Three plays later the Ponies faced a fourth-and-6 from midfield. Belfast’s second timeout stopped the clock at the 2:03 as Bjornson stood 10 yards back to punt the ball downfield. He sent the ball up in the air and it landed on the turf, taking a Pony bounce to the Belfast-11 with 1:52 to go.
    Four yards on the ground for Clark and an incomplete pass forced the Lions into a third-and-6. The team tried to run the ball on third down, but lost the football. The officials quickly ruled that Foxcroft came up with the pigskin, as the Pony offense returned to the field with possession at the 13-yard line and a win 75 seconds away.
    Boyer took the handoff and stayed on his feet to get down to the Belfast-1. The Ponies then lined up in the victory formation as Law took a knee to run out the clock.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom

    TAKING A DIVE — Senior quarterback Hunter Law falls ahead for a gain, while teammates seniors Corey Bjornson (34) and Kolby Kendall (81) and junior Gaige Pleninger (14) look on.

    By the time the scoreboard was done for the evening, Foxcroft had a fourth quarter advantage in time of possession, 9:18 to 2:42, plays, 20 to seven, and first downs at five to zero with the team most importantly having given up no points while ahead 28-27.
    Following Foxcroft’s go-ahead score in the third, the team’s edge in these stats was 9:55 to 5:20 in time of possession, 21 to 11 in plays run by the offenses and five first downs to the one for Belfast.
    The team came back from the 21-6 second-quarter deficit as Bjornson scored from nine yards out late in the first half and Boyer returned a punt 55 yards in the third quarter and then ran around a block by junior right tackle Sean Cody for two to put the team within one of Belfast at 21-20 before the final Lion touchdown of the game.
    Next on the schedule for the Ponies is a trip to Rockport for a game with Camden Regional Hills High School (1-2) on Saturday, Sept. 28 at 3 p.m. The contest will be the first varsity meeting between Foxcroft and the Windjammers, one of the state’s newer programs, on the gridiron.