FA athletic news

Boyer, White honored
by Big Ten Conference

    It was quite a weekend for Foxcroft Academy senior Pete Boyer, who learned on Saturday that he is one of 13 semifinalists for the coveted Fitzpatrick Trophy and on Sunday that he has been voted the Big Ten Football Conference 2014 Player of the Year.

    In 10 games this season, Boyer rushed for 1,310 yards and 21 touchdowns while piling up 119 tackles and three interceptions on defense, running his remarkable career numbers to 2,710 rushing yards, 35 rushing touchdowns, 302 tackles and six interceptions. He joins older brother Donnie, now a tailback for Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, who was named the Little Ten Conference Player of the Year in 2012.
    “This is a well-deserved honor for a player who gave everything he had to this program over the past four years,” said Head Coach Danny White. “It was a true pleasure to coach Peter.”
    The Big Ten Conference also announced on Sunday that White is the 2014 Coach of the Year. White, who was honored by the Little Ten Conference in 2012, led the Ponies to a 7-3 record this season and is now 45-18 over his six-year career. He joins field hockey coach Stephanie Smith and boys soccer coach Luis Ayala as Coach of the Year winners for Foxcroft Academy this fall.

Wrestling team opens eyes with strong performance
in Belfast

    Foxcroft Academy’s wrestlers opened their season with a very impressive showing at the Belfast Duals on Saturday. Coach Luis Ayala’s squad swept all five of its opponents, including perennial powerhouses Camden Hills (defending Class B champs) and Ellsworth (PVC champs last year). The Ponies knocked off Camden Hills 45-33, beat Ellsworth 52-24, topped Belfast 48-33, handled MDI 65-6 and bested Medomak Valley 53-18.
    Ayala called the Belfast Duals “a good indicator of where we stand in Class B East,” and he applauded his team’s effort. “I am really proud of how hard the team worked this week,” he said. “We’ve worked hard to improve our conditioning and to improve our technique, and it showed.”
    Four Foxcroft grapplers went 5-0 on the afternoon: RJ Nelson at 120 pounds, Eli Olson at 126, Billy Brock at 182 and Brandon Brock at 195. Adding four wins for the Ponies were Esau Olson (106), Conner Johnson (132), Isaac Whittemore (145), Brooks Law (152) and Michael Pendriss (220).
    Though Ayala was thrilled with his team’s effort, he realizes that much work lies ahead. “We understand that it’s early in the season and that some teams were not at full strength,” he said. “Going 5-0 at this event lets us know that we are here to compete and challenge this year. Beating Camden Hills and Ellsworth gives us a lot of confidence to start the season, but we know we still have a lot of work to do to be where we want to be at the end of the season. This is just round one of the many rounds to come. We will rise when the bell rings and give our best effort every time.”
    The Ponies will wrestle at Mt. Valley on Saturday and at home on Dec. 17.

Basketball teams fall
to Ellsworth in openers

    Both the boys and girls varsity basketball teams opened the season with losses to Ellsworth. Coach Dave Carey’s boys’ team fell 48-36 in Ellsworth Friday night. Hunter Smith had 15 points, three assists and three steals; freshman Drew Dankert opened his career with an impressive 11 points; and Sean Cody scored six points and pulled down nine rebounds.
    Coach Blake Smith’s girls team, which lost all five starters (Brianna Skolfield, Mackenzie Coiley, Amber Anderson, Julia Annis and Brittany Dyer) from the team that reached the Class B Eastern Maine semifinals a season ago, fell 55-39 to the Eagles at home on Saturday. Abigail Simpson had nine points and 15 rebounds while both Grace Bickford and Madison Chadbourne scored eight points.
    The boys will host MDI Wednesday at 7 p.m. The girls will travel to Dexter on Thursday.