Ponies blank Stearns Foxcroft to play Bucks in final

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DOVER-FOXCROFT – There were a lot of different things to examine as likely keys to Friday’s LTC Class C semifinal football playoff game between Stearns and host Foxcroft Academy.

Individual matchups (quarterbacks Derek DiFrederico of Stearns and Josh Withee of FA), unit matchups (Stearns’ stingy defense against a potent FA offense), and intangibles/variables like turnovers or special teams play.

Sure, all those factors played a part in unbeaten Foxcroft’s 22-0 victory over Millinocket’s Minutemen on a frigid, fall night at Oakes Field, but the biggest of them all was also the most basic: blocking up front.

The 10-0 Ponies’ offensive line simply outlasted and then overpowered the Stearns defense, and when Stearns had the ball, the Minutemen simply couldn’t find a way deal with FA’s defensive pressure.

The top-seeded Ponies will host No. 3 Bucksport next week in a rematch of the 2001 LTC title game won by the Bucks. Bucksport beat No. 2 Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln 23-8.

The Ponies’ sizable, senior-laden line of center Chris Lewis (6-foot, 230 pounds), guards Brandon Croan (6-1, 200) and Todd Dow (6-1, 220), plus tackles Trey Merrill (6-2, 310) and Ryan McNulty (6-1, 270) wore down Stearns as FA rushed for 155 yards in the first half and 291 in the game.

“We really just put it to them by our guys up front winning the battle in the trenches,” said FA halfback Danny White, who ran for a game-high 112 yards on 10 carries. “Stearns is always a strong defensive team. They don’t make a lot of mistakes, they hit you hard, and they come at you at every angle. I think hammering them and hammering them on the off-tackle runs in the first quarter helped us get outside better later on. We were just bidding our time for that play to get open.”

That play came with 6:35 left in the first half, when White ran off left tackle and forward for six yards, cut left, broke two tackles, and then sped down the home sideline for a 70-yard TD run. Withee then converted a two-point play by scrambling left on a fake PAT kick and hitting Lincoln Robinson in the end zone on the run.

Stearns was primed to answer 21/2 minutes later after DiFrederico hit Chad Mills for a 7-yard reception, Mills fumbled, and Nathan Franck scooped up the ball and ran it 39 yards before being caught at the FA-4.

After a 1-yard run, White tipped away a potential TD pass on second-and-goal, Josh Sands dragged down Stearns back Matt Barnett for a 1-yard loss on third, and E.J. Imbert knocked away the fourth-down pass to foil Stearns’ bid.

“I really felt in the first half, when we stopped them on the 4-yard line, it was going to be hard for them to score on us,” said FA coach Paul Withee. “That was a real big series for both teams.”

The Ponies made it 15-0 50 seconds into the fourth quarter as sophomore Bobby Gilbert capped a five-play, 57-yard drive with a 2-yard TD run and White kicked the PAT. The final score came on a 17-yard Gilbert run with 3:56 left after the Ponies galloped 52 yards in four plays.

Sands led FA’s defense with four solo tackles for losses, a sack, and a fumble recovery.

“We didn’t block out Sands and he was causing problems for us all game,” said coach Chris Preble, whose Minutemen finish 5-5. ” They just beat us up front.”

FA’s defense held Stearns to 21 yards rushing and seven yards passing in the second half en route to 93 and 23 total, respectively.

“I was just reading them, pretty much,” said Sands. “DiFrederico’s their playmaker, so if you can contain him, you’ve got them beat. And we had a wicked surge on the line all night.”

Sands teamed with fellow linebackers Robinson, Noah Kennedy and Max Kennedy; tackles Merrill and McNulty; and ends Gilbert and Mike Larrabee to shred Stearns’ pass protection and run blocking all game.

PONIES 22, MINUTEMEN 0

Stearns (5-5) 0 0 0 0 ? 0

Foxcroft (10-0) 0 8 0 15 ? 22

FA ? White 70 run (Withee pass to Robinson)

FA ? Gilbert 2 run (White kick)

FA ? Gilbert 17 run (White kick)

Stearns Foxcroft

First downs 4 17

Rushing att.-yards 31-93 48-291

Passing comp.-att. 3-19 2-11

Passing yards 23 54

Total yards 116 345

Punts-avg. 5-35.0 4-31.0

Fumbles-lost 4-2 5-2

Intercepted by 0 2

Penalties-yards 3-25 0-0

Rushing

Stearns: Franck 1-39, DiFrederico 9-19, McVey 1-13, Leino 4-13, Barnett 13-6, Johnson 3-3; Foxcroft: White 10-112, Gilbert 13-93, Sands 15-60, Withee 7-21, Robinson 3-5

Passing

Stearns: DiFrederico 3-18-2-23, McLaughlin 0-1-0-0; Foxcroft: Withee 2-11-0-54

Receiving

Stearns: Mills 2-16, McLaughlin 1-7; Foxcroft: White 1-29, Hall 1-25

A? 600 (est.)