Eight forced turnovers help Foxcroft top Camden Hills
By Stuart Hedstrom
Staff Writer
DOVER-FOXCROFT — Late in the first quarter, Foxcroft Academy found itself trailing 8-7 following a high shotgun snap into the end zone for a safety during a Sept. 12 game vs. Camden Hills Regional High School of Rockport (a team that also was defeated in its first contest of the young season). The Ponies would then get rolling with a 33-0 scoring advantage, assisted by eight Windjammer turnovers, to earn a 46-16 victory in the team’s 2014 home opener.
Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom
TWO-PRONGED GROUND ATTACK — Foxcroft junior quarterback Chris Storer follows senior Peter Boyer, with senior linemen Clay Carroll (57) and Brandon Dyer (54) clearing holes, during the Ponies’ 2014 home opener against Camden Hills on Sept. 12. Storer and Boyer would combine for four rushing touchdowns and over 230 yards to help Foxcroft earn a 46-16 victory.
In the second quarter Camden Hills drove into Foxcroft territory where senior quarterback Nate Pascal’s pass downfield was intercepted by Pony senior Caleb Edgerly and returned to the Foxcroft 21-yard line. From there the offense used nine plays to move the football to the Windjammer-1.
An illegal motion penalty negated a touchdown for senior Peter Boyer, but the 5-yard pushback would not keep him out of the end zone. On first-and-goal from the 6, Boyer weaved his way up the middle for the touchdown and 13-8 Foxcroft lead.
A stop on defense gave the Ponies possession again, and like the previous drive the home team offense would get down close to the goal line. On third-and-goal from the Camden Hills-2 Boyer took the handoff and he extended to get the pigskin across the goal line for his second touchdown of the quarter and a 19-8 advantage.
Camden Hills opted to receive to open the game and while the team was able to find the end zone on its opening possession, this meant that the Ponies were set to get the football to start the second half. The team followed by using four plays to go from the Pony-42 to Camden Hills’ 24-yard line.
Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom
TWO-PRONGED GROUND ATTACK — Foxcroft junior quarterback Chris Storer follows senior Peter Boyer, with senior linemen Clay Carroll (57) and Brandon Dyer (54) clearing holes, during the Ponies’ 2014 home opener against Camden Hills on Sept. 12. Storer and Boyer would combine for four rushing touchdowns and over 230 yards to help Foxcroft earn a 46-16 victory.
On the ensuing play junior quarterback Chris Storer caught the shotgun snap and faked the handoff to Boyer, who for most of the game was the lone player other than the signal caller positioned in the backfield. Camden Hills was thinking Boyer would get the ball as Storer cut up the right and did not stop running until he had reached the end zone. Junior Nate Church’s PAT then made the score 26-8 as Foxcroft had scored 19 points since giving up the first-quarter safety.
Trailing by three possessions, Camden Hills needed to gamble in order to get back into the game and this included going for a fouth-and-1 at the team’s own 31. A QB sneak by Pascal resulted in the chains being brought onto the field, but the measurement showed the Windjammers were just shy of the first down.
Foxcroft made Camden Hills pay on the very next play as Storer found junior Hunter Smith open over the middle for a 32-yard touchdown. Earlier the southpaw quarterback and tall, speedy receiver connected on a 60-yard strike down the left sideline to put the Ponies on the scoreboard, part of a three catch, 130 yard and two touchdown connection for the pair.
Pascal had been intercepted twice in the first half — in addition to Edgerly’s pick junior Abe Simpson snagged a pass intended for a Windjammer in the opening quarter — and the third such turnover came on another Edgerly interception at the Camden Hills-31. Late in the quarter sophomore Billy Brock forced a Windjammer fumble and senior Clay Carroll made the recovery to put the turnover ratio at 4-1 in favor of the Ponies.
Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom
NOWHERE TO GO WITH THE THROW — Late in the first half Foxcroft junior defensive linemen James Smith, left, and Cody Strout forced Camden Hills senior quarterback Nate Pascal to quickly get rid of the ball. Unfortunately for the Windjammers, no receiver was in the vicinity of the football and the quarterback was flagged for intentional grounding.
Smith got into the act by picking off Pascal on the very first play of the fourth quarter and retuning the ball from inside Pony territory to the opposition’s 18. Boyer then ran three times with the last rush a 2-yard touchdown run. A Church PAT gave Foxcroft 33 unanswered points and a 40-8 lead. Boyer finished with a game-high 161 yards on 29 carries and his three touchdowns provided more points than the entire Camden Hills team.
With 30 total pass attempts, a sixth of Pascal’s throws ended up in the hands of Pony defenders. Senior Kaleb Faloon had the fifth and final interception near the 50-yard line and the defensive lineman returned the ball 40 yards before being brought down at the Camden Hills-10.
Late in the game Camden Hills lost the football and sophomore Jacob Redmond made the recovery at the Windjammer-29. This change in possession led to another Foxcroft touchdown.
On the game’s final play freshman Nick Clawson took the handoff on a third-and-25 at the Windjammer-34. He ran down the left sideline and pulled away for Foxcroft touchdown No. 7 to nearly match the eight-turnover total.
Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom
OPEN FIELD TACKLE — Senior Isaiah Kennell brings down Camden Hills senior Wyatt Summers, with Pony junior Hunter Smith in the background.