Foxcroft starts strong Running game fueling success

Through three weeks of the Class C football season, little has changed from a year ago.

Defending state champion Lisbon shares the top spot in the Western Maine standings, while reigning Eastern Maine champ Foxcroft Academy is the lone remaining undefeated team in the LTC.

Last weekend’s games provided a window into the future in both regions. That was particularly true in the West, where Lisbon avenged its only loss of the 2005 season with a resounding 27-0 crossover victory over Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln, which reached the regional final last fall and has figured to be among Foxcroft’s top competition for the LTC title again this year.

In addition, Dirigo of Dixfield announced its contending intentions with an 8-6 win over Jay, improving the Cougars to 2-1 with their only loss to Lisbon. Livermore Falls, which had lost its first two games to Lisbon and Foxcroft, bounced Boothbay from the unbeaten ranks in Week 3, while Old Orchard Beach remained tied for first in the West with a 38-0 victory over Madison.

In the East, meanwhile, 3-0 Foxcroft continued its dominant play with a 33-0 victory at Bucksport, a win coming on the heels of its opening-week 42-14 win against Rockland and a 29-0 victory at Livermore Falls.

It’s been a complete effort so far for coach Paul Withee’s Ponies. Strong offensive line play has fueled a potent rushing attack led by senior Brad Bellemare, who has had back-to-back 100-plus-yard outings the last two weeks. Complementing that ground game is senior David White, a second-team All-LTC guard a year ago who is making the transition to quarterback, a position he last played in middle school.

“The offense I was a little concerned about, but David’s really done a nice job in his first three games,” Withee said.

Defensively the Ponies have shut out their last two opponents after yielding a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to Rockland once they built a 35-0 lead.

“I think we’re better defensively than I anticipated,” said Withee, whose club hosts Maine Central Institute of Pittsfield at Oakes Field in Dover-Foxcroft on Friday night. “I thought we’d do a good job, but with some of the kids we had to replace, [Shayne] Croan and [Jon] Catell and [James] McPhee and [Josh] Pelletier, we’ve moved some other kids around and I thought it might take a while. But we’ve already pitched two shutouts and we’re just going to get better defensively the way the kids are learning their positions.”

Among the key defensive changes has been the shift of Shaw Weeks and Ian Imbert from defensive end to inside linebacker to replace All-LTC standouts Pelletier and McPhee. In addition, Bellemare has moved from cornerback to safety, while David Frasz has stepped in successfully at outside linebacker.

The Ponies have given up approximately 500 total yards in its three wins, including just over 100 yards apiece to Livermore Falls and Bucksport.

“We’ve got good athletes at those positions,” said Withee. “But I think I’m a little surprised at how well we’re doing on the defensive side of the ball.”

Withee credits some of that success to team strength, both the strength in numbers that represents the Ponies’ depth, but also individual physical strength.

“We’ve physically gotten so much stronger in the off-season,” he said. “We’ve worked as hard as any group has worked for me, and the number of kids who have worked out has been tremendous.”