Foxcroft rallies to edge Minutemen Earnest, Gilbert help defending champs come back from 13-point deficit

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DOVER-FOXCROFT – The hands-down headliner of Friday night’s football schedule lived up to its billing and then some. The battle of Eastern Maine Class C unbeatens and traditional powers Foxcroft Academy and Stearns of Millinocket did nothing to disappoint a massive crowd of more than…
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DOVER-FOXCROFT – The hands-down headliner of Friday night’s football schedule lived up to its billing and then some.

The battle of Eastern Maine Class C unbeatens and traditional powers Foxcroft Academy and Stearns of Millinocket did nothing to disappoint a massive crowd of more than 3,000 fans as the Ponies thrilled the home crowd with 14 points in the final 18 minutes en route to a pulse-pounding 14-13 victory on a crisp, cool and clear fall night at Oakes Field.

Being down 13-0 midway through the third quarter against a fired-up Minuteman squad was decidely unfamiliar territory for Foxcroft, the defending Eastern Maine champs.

Stearns, now 5-1, had just scored on a six-yard touchdown run off right tackle to widen its lead and the Ponies had accumulated only 37 yards of total offense against a Stearns team led by a quick and hard-hitting front seven.

“Our defensive line and ends did a good job of containing them most of the game,” said Stearns coach Chris Preble. “They weren’t able to bounce it outside, where they’re most dangerous.”

That being said, the Ponies adapted and changed their blocking to try and free halfback Bobby Gilbert up a bit more. The strategy finally paid off after the Stearns score as FA mounted an 11-play, 66-yard drive culminating with Gilbert’s two-yard TD run off left tackle with 1:25 left in the third.

Gilbert gained 19 of his 55 total rushing yards and another 21 on a pass from quarterback Josh Withee in that drive.

A roughing-the-kicker penalty on Stearns gave the Ponies a second chance after Withee’s PAT kick was just wide right, seemingly after getting deflected by a Stearns defender, and the Ponies cashed in as Gilbert scored two on a rush off right tackle.

“He missed the kick and our kids said they got a piece of it, so if that’s the case, you have the right to hit the kicker if you block it, but they said it wasn’t blocked,” Preble said. “From my perspective, if there’s one big play, that’s the biggest play of the game because we would still have had a one-point lead after they score the second one.”

The second one came just one series, five plays and 99 seconds later. After FA cornerback Greg Perry intercepted a pass by Derek DiFrederico and returned it 10 yards, Withee hit Matt Earnest on a quick fade pattern to the left sideline and Earnest turned it into a 59-yard TD pass.

“I just ran and saw the ball coming,” said Earnest, who dropped a pass in the end zone on a second quarter fourth- down play. “The guy [cornerback] jumped up and the ball slipped through his hands to me. I saw the other guy [safety] coming right at me, so I just jumped to the right, he fell down, and I took off.”

That made it 14-13, but the PAT kick was blocked by Stearns’ Cullen Craig.

After that, the Ponies’ defense stiffened and forced two punts in Stearns’ next three possessions. The first ended with a fake punt that DiFrederico turned into a two-yard run before being tackled by Cody Libby and Dane Miles four yards short. Stearns was limited to 14 plays in those final three series.

“I credit their coaching staff because I don’t necessarily think we wore them down,” said Foxcroft coach Paul Withee, whose Ponies are now 6-0. “Their kids didn’t quit on them all night long and neither did ours. I think for us, it was more a matter of sustaining our blocks more in the second half. Our kids really just persevered out there and did a great job.”

Stearns outgained Foxcroft 190-99 in rushing yards and 245-197 overall.

PONIES 14, MINUTEMEN 13

Stearns (5-1) 0 7 6 0 ? 13

Foxcroft (6-0) 0 0 8 6 ? 14

S ? Barnett 5 run (Pelkey kick)

S ? DiFrederico 6 run (kick failed)

FA ? Gilbert 2 run (Gilbert rush)

FA ? Earnest 59 pass from Withee (kick blocked)

Stearns Foxcroft

First downs 9 9

Rushing att.-yards 41-190 36-98

Passing comp.-att. 3-10 3-11

Passing yards 55 99

Total yards 245 197

Punts-avg. 5-28.8 5-28.0

Fumbles-lost 2-1 2-0

Intercepted by 0 1

Penalties-yards 5-36 1-5

Rushing

Stearns: DiFrederico 14-85, Barnett 19-64, Wark 6-35, Jandreau 1-3, Pelkey 1-3; Foxcroft: Gilbert 20-55, Robinson 9-40, Kennedy 1-3, Withee 4-1, Libby 2-(minus 1)

Passing

Stearns: DiFrederico 3-10-1-55; Foxcroft: Withee 3-11-0-99

Receiving

Stearns: Barnett 1-26, LeGassey 1-15, Jandreau 1-14; Foxcroft: Earnest 1-59, Gilbert 1-21, Robinson 1-19

A?3,000 (est.)


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