Ponies roll past Hermon, 48-0, at Homecoming for third consecutive win
By Stuart Hedstrom
Staff Writer
DOVER-FOXCROFT — Two teams heading in different directions had these trends continue when Foxcroft Academy hosted Hermon High School during the Ponies’ 2016 Homecoming contest on Sept. 30 – a true return to Oakes Field after traveling out of town for road contests the previous two weekends. After starting the season at 0-2, the Ponies entered having won two in a row while the Hawks had dropped back-to-back contests after a 2-0 start.
Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom
THREE WINS IN A ROW — Foxcroft Academy junior quarterback Nick Clawson has plenty of room to throw, with senior guard Jacob Redmond in pass protection, during the second quarter of the Sept. 30 Homecoming game vs. Hermon. The Ponies won 48-0 to pick up the team’s third consecutive victory, a streak in which the team has given up just a half dozen points.
Foxcroft built a 34-0 lead at the half behind five rushing touchdowns from the backfield and cruised to a 48-0 victory, giving the team its third win in a row and handing Hermon its third straight defeat. The Pony squad posted its second consecutive shutout and during the three-game winning streak Foxcroft has given up just six points. In its three-game skid, Hermon has been held without a point in each contest.
The Pony offense got going quickly in the first game of the second half of the regular season. After Hermon elected to defer to the second half, sophomore Dustin Simmons returned the kickoff 17 yards to the Pony 42-yard line.
Senior Evan Chadbourne used a sweep to the left to pick up a first down at the Hermon-40, and classmate Billy Brock followed with a 12-yard gain on the ground. From the Hawk’s 28, junior quarterback Nick Clawson faked the dive to Brock as the signal-caller tucked the football and ran.
Clawson found a hole in the left side of the line and he did not stop running until reaching the endzone. The Ponies used three plays to go 58 yards in 34 seconds for the touchdown, the only half dozen points the team would end up needing.
Later in the quarter Foxcroft had the ball at the Hermon-23. On an option to the right, Clawson pitched the ball to Brock who carried all the way for the score. The senior also ran the ball in from 21 and 33 yards out in the second quarter, finishing with a game-high 111 yards and three touchdowns on 11 carries — all coming in the first half.
Brock’s 33-yard run was the second of two Pony scores coming off of Hermon turnovers in the last two minutes of the half. Brock’s touchdown came a play after a fumble recovery made by Chadbourne following a Hermon reception.
Just over a minute before Brock crossed the goalline a Pony punt was mishandled by Hermon, and Foxcroft regained possession at the Hawk-33. After Clawson and senior Nick Dyer connected on a 30-yard completion down the left sideline — the quarterback ran for 84 yards and picked another 34 yards through the air — Clawson kept the football and curled through the right side of the line for the 3-yard touchdown.
Chadbourne would join Brock and Clawson with a touchdown on the ground early in the third quarter. From Foxcroft’s own 42-yard line, Chadbourne came across in motion from the left. Clawson quickly gave Chadbourne the football and Chadbourne ran 58 yards for the score; during the game he picked up 80 yards in just four rushing attempts.
The Pony offensive reserves would pick up the team’s seventh touchdown during the third quarter. On a first-and-10 from the Hermon-25, sophomore quarterback Matthew Spooner dropped back to pass. Spooner found junior Cameron Marsh open near the 5-yard line as Marsh then went in for the touchdown. Junior Levi Stedman’s fourth PAT of the evening gave Foxcroft its 48th and final point.
The Ponies will host two-defending Class C champion and three-time Class C North champion Winslow High School (4-1) on Friday, Oct. 7 at 7 p.m.
The Foxcroft-Winslow matchup will be the BDN Game of the Week. The Bangor Daily News and SportsNet Maine will be there to present their sixth live streamed game of the season.
The games, which are sponsored by Quirk Auto Group, can be watched at bangordailynews.com/gameoftheweek, starting with the pregame show at about 6:45 p.m.
Fans later can watch a 60-second game recap with video highlights. The games are rebroadcast from 8 to 10 p.m. Tuesday on Time Warner Cable, Channel 9. Archived games also are available under “SNME” at driveshowmaine.com and via TWC/Charter local video on demand. Games are subject to change. Follow the BDN on Facebook or Twitter, or check bangordailynews.com/sports for any updates.
Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom
PASS BREAKUP — Senior Nick Dyer forces an incompletion on a pass intended for Hermon sophomore Sean Stark late in the first half of Friday night’s contest.
Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom
SHUTOUT PRESERVED — Sophomore Noah Contreras brings Hermon freshman River Mullen down for a 5-yard loss (with Foxcroft sophomore Dylan Stevens running in) on third-and-goal from the Pony-5 in the final minutes of the Sept. 30 game. The defense then forced an incompletion on fourth down to keep the Hawks off the scoreboard.
FOOTBALL
Foxcroft 48,
Hermon 0
HER 0 0 0 0 | 0
FOX 14 20 14 0 | 48
First qtr: F — Clawson
28 yds(kick wide); F — Brock
23 yds (Brock rush).
Second qtr: F — Brock 21 yds
(Stedman kick); F — Clawson
3 yds (kick blocked); F —
Brock 33 yds (Stedman kick).
Third qtr: F — Chadbourne
58 yds (Stedman kick); F —
Marsh 25 yds from Spooner
(Stedman kick).
Passing: F — Clawson
2-of-7 34 yds; Spooner
1-of-1 25 yds TD;
H — Magliozzi 7-of-15
78 yds.
Receiving: F — Dyer 1,
30 yds; Marsh 1, 25 yds
TD; Brock 1, 4 yds.
H — Zapsky 3, 35 yds;
Carmichael 1, 11 yds;
Kamorski 1, 11 yds;
Marseille 1, 11 yds;
Bishop 1, 10 yds.
Rushing: F — Brock 11,
111 yds 3 TD; Clawson
10, 84 yds 2 TD;
Chadbourne 4, 80 yds
TD; Niles 1, 38 yds;
Spooner 1, 16 yds;
Salley 4, 7 yds.
H — Mullen 10, 22 yds;
Proctor 12, 21 yds; Page
6, 12 yds; Carmichael
1, 7 yds; Magliozzi 3,
3 yds; Carino 1, -3 yds.
Records: F 3-2;
H 2-3.