Smith officially becomes Black Bear during Div. 1 football letter signing ceremony

By Stuart Hedstrom
Staff Writer

DOVER-FOXCROFT — Foxcroft Academy senior Hunter Smith will be taking his talents on the gridiron to Orono next fall as he signed his National Letter of Intent (NLI) to accept a full athletic scholarship from the University of Maine during an evening ceremony on Feb. 3 in the lobby at Foxcroft Academy.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom

BLACK BEAR FOOTBALL RECRUIT — Foxcroft Academy senior Hunter Smith, third from right, signed his National Letter of Intent to join the University of Maine football team in the fall on an athletic scholarship during a ceremony in the school lobby on Feb. 3. There to congratulate Smith is his family, from left, grandfather Jake Smith, younger brother Hyatt Smith, father Dean Smith — who was a basketball standout for the Black Bears, mother Laurie Smith and grandmother Glenda Smith.

“Welcome to Foxcroft Academy and the official National Letter of Intent signing for Hunter Smith at the University of Maine-Orono,” Foxcroft Academy head football coach Danny White said to the audience, including Smith’s family, teammates, friends and school officials. “It’s an incredible opportunity, not only for Foxcroft Academy but for Hunter and his family,” White said, saying the entire school community congratulates him on the achievement.

Sitting in front of the trophy case, which includes a Gold Ball from the 2012 Class C state championship season when he was a freshman, Smith signed his name on the paperwork to enact the scholarship. “Alright, go Black Bears!,” Smith said to a round of applause.

He then received a hug from his father Dean — who was an All-Maine high school basketball player at Foxcroft Academy before staring at Maine where he was a team captain and the leading scorer as a senior in the conference in 1990 as well as a three-time Academic All-American — followed by White and then many of the others gathered to recognize Smith.

A member of the National Honor Society, Smith is a three-sport star at Foxcroft Academy. In addition to his talents on the football field, he recently became a member of the Ponies’ 1,000-point club on the basketball court and he is a three-time state champion in outdoor track and field.

Smith was a member of the 2012 state championship football team, three squads that reached the regional semifinals and four teams that earned postseason berths. As a freshman, he helped the Pony basketball team reach the Class B East semifinals with playoff berths the next three seasons. He won the high jump at the Class C outdoor track championship as a sophomore in 2014, and repeated last spring while also winning the 110 hurdles, placing second in the long jump and third in the 300 hurdles to help Foxcroft finish third in the team standings.

During the 2015 preseason in August, Smith suffered a dislocated hip during an exhibition contest at Orono High School and the injury forced him to miss the rest of his senior campaign. Despite the injury, Smith was still able to join some of the nation’s other top players — many of whom also signed their NLIs on Feb. 3 — in the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl last month in Tampa. A framed jersey of Smith’s from the game is now on display in the school lobby, placed next to other uniforms from past Foxcroft Academy standouts.

Smith, who is 6-foot-4 and weighs 180 pounds will head to Maine as a wide receiver and he plans to major in business. He is one of 15 members of the 2016 recruiting class for the Black Bear football team, the first for new head coach Joe Harasymiak. The group is comprised of players from five states and another from Canada who attends a prep school in Connecticut, with linebacker Owen Elliott of Saco and Class A Thornton Academy joining Smith as Black Bear in-state recruits.

“I think he’s got a tremendous up side,” Harasymiak said about Smith. “Being a multisport athlete, and throughout the injury that he went through, the kid hasn’t even touched the weight room yet. He’s got tremendous athleticism.”

“It’s a special class for me being my first time, being in charge of the recruiting deal and being the head coach, and going through the process was a rewarding,” Harasymiak said. “We’re very pleased that we have tremendous football players, but also great young men in terms of their character and the way they represent their families and the schools they come from.”

The Bangor Daily News’ Ernie Clark and Peter Warner contributed to this story.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom

NLI SIGNING — Signing his National Letter of Intent to play football at the University of Maine is Foxcroft Academy senior Hunter Smith. Smith is one of 15 members of this year’s Black Bear recruiting class, comprised of players from five states and another from Canada.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom

FROM FOXCROFT ACADEMY TO UMAINE — Foxcroft Academy senior  and 2016 University of Maine football recruit Hunter Smith is pictured with his head coach Danny White, right, and Foxcroft Academy Athletic Director Tim Smith. In addition to his football talents, Smith recently scored his 1,000th point for the Pony basketball team and he is an outdoor track state high jump and hurdle champion.