PORTLAND – All week long, the talk leading into the Class C state title football game between Foxcroft Academy and Boothbay was on the big linemen and the running backs.

With the unbeaten teams taking a combined total of 6,000-plus rushing yards into the game, the focus was on the ground game since that would be where the game was won.

Evidently no one told that to Boothbay quarterback Will Carroll, who passed for three first-half touchdowns – including two in a whirlwind 26-second span at the end of the second quarter – and 124 yards to help lead the Seahawks to a 25-20 victory and a second straight gold ball on a cold, crisp afternoon at Fitzpatrick Stadium.

“We actually passed less in practice this week, but they’re an excellent team,” said Carroll. “We had to throw a lot more than we usually do, but I didn’t mind.”

That’s not to say the running game had no bearing. It was a key factor as the 12-0 Seahawks kept the ball away from the 11-1 Ponies for all but 57 seconds in the first quarter by running 24 plays to FA’s four.

“We had to play a lot tougher … A LOT tougher,” said ‘Hawks coach Tim Rice. “We were fortunate to be able to keep the ball away from them as much as we did.”

The Ponies seized control of momentum in the second quarter, but not until after Boothbay punctuated a 12-play, 80-yard drive with a 21-yard TD pass from Carroll to Mike Norton. The drive was aided by Carroll’s 12-yard run off a fake punt on fourth-and-5.

The Ponies answered with a nine-play, 61-yard scoring drive capped by a 5-yard pass from Josh Withee to Greg Perry. Perry caught the ball in the left flat and was heading into the end zone, but he fumbled the ball while trying to avoid a tackle. The ball bounced into the end zone, where teammate Josh Sands gathered it under him for what officially counts as a 1-yard TD run.

After forcing the ‘Hawks to go five plays and punt, FA scored again, this time with a seven-play, 49-yard drive capped by Bobby Gilbert’s 5-yard TD run with 3:31 to play in the half. Danny White nailed his second PAT kick to give FA a 14-6 lead.

The Seahawks’ next drive ended with an interception, but they got the ball back three plays and 25 seconds later when John Farrin recovered a fumble on an FA hook-and-ladder play.

The game’s key play came three plays later, when Norton again came up with a TD catch, this time on a disputed 24-yard pass from Carroll. Cornerback Josh Withee had a bead on the throw to the end zone’s right corner after Carroll was flushed from the pocket. Withee stepped in front of Norton and made the catch as Norton tried to rip the ball away.

“I thought his foot was there, but I wasn’t sure,” Carroll said. “I guess they made a good call. I was like ‘Oh, please.’ I wasn’t sure what to think.”

An official ruled it a TD despite both players apparently landing out of bounds.

“I had the ball and then we both had mutual possession, but when I saw that we were both past the solid white line, I just let off because I figured he was going to blow the whistle and call it incomplete,” said Withee. “I guess I should never have done that.”

“Will just threw it up and I tried to grab it,” Norton said. “It happened so fast, I don’t remember the entire play. It was a good question, but I guess I came down with it. I had no idea where I was. I just grabbed it and the ref put his hands up.”

Boothbay then recovered an onside kick at the FA-30 with 58 seconds left and scored four plays later on a 12-yard pass from Carroll to Norton.

Boothbay made it 25-14 with 58 seconds left in the third after marching 70 yards in 17 plays and eight minutes.

The Ponies got back on the board and made it 25-20 with 3:29 left in the game as Matt Earnest caught an 18-yard TD pass from Withee.

After FA stopped Boothbay on four downs for a second straight time, the Ponies got the ball back on the B-46 with 1:51 left, but the last of their five turnovers was the killer as Withee’s pass was batted down and around before Mike Doucette somehow kept it between his arm and side while falling down for the game-icing interception with 1:37 left.

“My hat’s off to them. We felt we were the better team, but we didn’t prove that today,” said FA coach Paul Withee. “They’re an excellent team. They take advantage of mistakes, and we made some crucial ones, plus we didn’t get any good bounces today.”

SEAHAWKS 25, PONIES 20

Boothbay (12-0) 0 18 7 0 ? 25

Foxcroft (11-1) 0 14 6 0 ? 20

B ? Norton 21 pass from Carroll (rush failed)

FA ? Sands 1 run on fumble recovery in end zone (White kick)

FA ? Gilbert 5 run (White kick)

B ? Norton 24 pass from Carroll (pass failed)

B ? Arsenault 12 pass from Carroll (pass intercepted)

B ? Rand 1 run (Arsenault kick)

FA ? Earnest 18 pass from Withee (pass failed)

Boothbay Foxcroft

First downs 21 9

Rushing att.-yards 60-230 26-151

Passing comp.-att. 7-18 4-12

Passing yards 124 64

Total yards 354 215

Punts-avg. 2-39.0 2-25.0

Fumbles-lost 1-0 4-3

Intercepted by 2 2

Penalties-yards 5-45 3-30

Rushing

Boothbay: Wood 19-73, Farrin 11-55, Rand 15-45, Arsenault 10-36, Carroll 5-21; Foxcroft Academy: White 9-67, Withee 5-64, Sands 8-13, Gilbert 1-5, Robinson 3-2

Passing

Boothbay: Carroll 7-17-2-124, Wood 0-1-0-0; Foxcroft Academy: Withee 4-12-2-64

Receiving

Boothbay: Norton 3-75, Arsenault 2-41, Wood 2-8; Foxcroft Academy: Gosselin 1-26, Earnest 2-23, Perry 1-15

A? 3,200 (est.)