Ponies cap off undefeated regular season with win at John Bapst
By Stuart Hedstrom, Staff Writer
BANGOR — Foxcroft Academy jumped out to a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter during a Class D North football game at John Bapst Memorial High School on the afternoon of Saturday, Oct. 26 on the turf at Cameron Stadium. The Ponies would later lead 35-7 in the third as the team won by a final score of 42-20 to conclude a perfect 8-0 regular season.
Foxcroft will be the top seed in the upcoming playoffs, having already clinched the spot before the matchup against the Crusaders who fell to 4-4 and the third seed for the Class D North playoffs. John Bapst had a 3-game winning streak snapped and entered having won four of five contests.
The Ponies have gone undefeated in three of the last four regular seasons since tackle football returned in 2021 after the pandemic-canceled 2020 season. The team has gone 31-1 in these seasons, having just one defeat more than two years ago in 2022.
SLIPPING THROUGH HIS FINGERS — Foxcroft Academy senior Shane Birungi gets away from John Bapst senior Max Puhlman for an 8-yard touchdown during the fourth quarter of 42-20 Pony victory on Saturday, Oct. 26 at Cameron Stadium in Bangor. Foxcroft finished the regular season at 8-0, the team’s third perfect regular season in the last four years during which the program has gone 37-1 in these contests.
Foxcroft and John Bapst traded possessions at the start before the Ponies found the endzone for the first of six times. The offense used nine plays to move the football from the Foxcroft 29-yard line to the John Bapst-3. On 1st-and-goal junior Landon Smith took the handoff and he ran through a hole across the goalline for the touchdown.
On the next play from scrimmage John Bapst lost the football and Foxcroft senior Fynn Eigan recovered it at the John Bapst-19. One play was all the Pony offense needed as junior quarterback Griffin Caruso found sophomore Aiden Sickler wide open down the right side of the field for the second touchdown in 16 seconds of gametime. Junior Aiden Harvey’s PAT was good for the 14-0 lead. Harvey finished a perfect 6-of-6 on the day.
About a minute and half into the second quarter Smith scored again on a 13-yard rush as he ran down the left sideline and got inside the pylon to help build the 21-0 advantage. Smith ran the football 14 times in the opening half for 127 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He added a 7-yard touchdown in the third quarter to finish with 15 rushes for a game-high 134 yards and three trips to the endzone.
INTO HIS GRASP – Senior Silas Topolski makes a 20-yard reception to the John Bapst-7 in front of Crusader junior Malcolm Butler during the third quarter on Oct. 26. Topolski led the Ponies with five catches for 29 yards.
Junior Finn Holmes scored on a 47-yard run early in the third quarter, after the Pony defense stopped John Bapst on a 4th-and-5 inside Pony territory. Taking over at the Foxcroft-40, Holmes gained 13 yards and he then carried the ball up the middle for the score and then 28-7 lead. Holmes finished with 88 yards on 11 carries.
During the fourth quarter John Bapst came up with an interception at the Crusader-46. The John Bapst offense threw on its first play but Sickler picked off the deep pass at the Pony 23-yard line.
The Foxcroft offense then consisted of senior Shane Birungi getting the ball on six consecutive running plays. Birungi rushed from the 23 to the opposition’s 8 in four carries. After no gain on 1st-and-goal, Birungi ran to his left and dragged a would-be tackler into the endzone for the sixth Pony touchdown of the day. Birungi gained 77 yards in his eight attempts.
PICK UP AND RUN — Pony senior Fynn Eigan recovers a fumble to set the Foxcroft offense up inside the redzone during the opening quarter. Looking on are sophomore Thomas Day (50) and junior Aidan Bryant (54) with junior Lucas Sands on the turf.
John Bapst would score on a quarterback sneak out of the triple option in the game’s final seconds with some of Foxcroft’s defensive reserves on the field as the 20 points are a season-high scored by a Pony opponent (14 in two separate games was the previous mark). In eight games Foxcroft has given up just 70 points, second across all six classes of Maine high school football, behind just the 54 yielded by Class B South Falmouth High School.
Foxcroft is set to host No. 8 Belfast Area High School in a quarterfinal matchup this weekend — official date and time to be announced. The Lions will enter at 0-8, including a 71-7 week 1 loss in Dover-Foxcroft back on Sept. 6.
INTERCEPTION RETURN — Sophomore Thomas Day brings an interception back the other way during the third quarter at John Bapst on Oct. 26. The pick helped set up Foxcroft’s fifth touchdown in a 42-20 victory.
FOOTBALL
Foxcroft 42, John Bapst 20
FOX 14 7 14 7 – 42
JBT 0 7 0 13 – 20
First: F – Smith 3 yds (Harvey kick); F – Sickler 19 yds from Caruso (Harvey kick)
Second: F – Smith 13 yds (Harvey kick); J – Butler 4 yds (Butler kick)
Third: F – Holmes 47 yds (Harvey kick); F – Smith 7 yds (Harvey kick)
Fourth: J – Ouellette 1 yd (kick short); F – Birungi 8 yds (Harvey kick); J – Ouellette 1 yd (Rusiecki kick)
Passing: J – Ouellette 4-of-12 104 yds 2 Int; F – Caruso 10-of-13 TD Int 77 yds; Seavey 0-of-0
Receiving: J – Babcock 2, 77 yds; Butler 2, 27 yds; F – Topolski 5, 29 yds; Sickler 2, 25 yds TD; Sands 2, 21 yds; Holmes 1, 2 yds
Rushing: J – Ouellette 20, 87 yds TD; Curtis 10, 27 yds; Butler 7, 27 yds TD; Wilkinson 3, 15 yds; F – Smith 15, 134 yds 3 TD; Holmes 11, 88 yds TD; Birungi 8, 77 yds TD
Records: J 4-4, F 8-0
3-TOUCHDOWN DAY — Junior Landon Smith runs behind freshman Preston Hutchinson (8) and sophomore Steven Li (64) during the second quarter in Bangor. Smith rushed for three touchdowns to help the Ponies defeat John Bapst 42-20.