DOVER-FOXCROFT – The Foxcroft Academy football team is hoping to channel last year’s letdown into this year’s success.

With a number of talented skill players and one of the best defenses coach Paul Withee has had in his 18 seasons in charge of the program, the Ponies feel they will contend for the Eastern Maine Class C championship and beyond after losing in the 2006 Class C state game.

“It’s not really a good feeling at all, coming up short,” said Ben Provost, a fullback-linebacker who is one of 16 seniors on the team this year. “If we get there this year, that’s not going to happen. All that hurt, going through all those games and then coming up one short, it really does drive you a lot. I really don’t want to feel that again.”

Although the Ponies lost their quarterback, along with LTC Class C Player of the Year Brad Bellemare, Foxcroft has a lot of last year’s talented backups ready to step into big-time starting roles.

“We have 13 or 14 letterwinners back,” Withee said. “The nucleus of this group has been with us for four years.”

The Ponies are deep in the backfield positions with five players who will share the carries.

Jerod Rideout will start at left halfback and Shayne Adkins will be on the right side. Provost is the top fullback. Those three seniors will be backed up by 6-foot-1, 220-pound junior fullback-left halfback Wade Witham and sophomores Ian Champeon and Ben Richardson.

“All three [seniors] played a lot,” Withee said. “I rotated my backs every series so they all got a lot of playing time.”

Quarterback was a three-way battle in the preseason between senior Chris Steinke, junior Jamie Nason and sophomore Ryan Stroud, although Nason was likely to emerge as the starter. The lefthanded junior has been the junior varsity starter and got some varsity playing time last year. He’ll throw to returning starters Evan Worthing, Jon Geiger and Jason Gould, a group Withee called “outstanding.”

“We have a lot of depth on our team, so I think that helps us a lot,” Worthing said. “That’s what makes us a good team. We always have people step up.”

The only question mark for the winners of four of the last five Eastern Maine Class C titles is the offensive line, where senior guard Adam LePrevost is the only returning starter.

“We have three seniors that will probably start there and two juniors, and we’ve got good size at our tackles,” Withee said, “but there’s probably 7-8 kids competing for four spots.”

Foxcroft will stick with its 4-4 defense. Withee feels this year’s defensive group is among the quickest he’s ever had.

It’s not all about skill and speed however. The big group of seniors, the core of which has played together for four years, have developed one key intangible quality.

“We have an excellent chemistry among us, the senior class, just from playing together so much,” Rideout said. “We trust each other and we know that everybody’s going to step up. We’re going to do excellent on the football field.”

FOXCROFT PONIES

2006 results: 11-1, lost in Class C state final

Head coach: Paul Withee, 18th year

Key players: Jerod Rideout HB-LB, Sr.; Ben Provost, FB-LB, Sr.; Jon Geiger, WR-DE, Sr.; Evan Worthing, WR-DE, Sr.; Adam LePrevost, OG-DT, Sr.; Shayne Adkins, HB-DB, Sr.; Jason Gould, WR-DB, Sr.; Josh Boone, C-DT, Sr.; Robert Segerson, OG-DT, Sr.; Wade Witham, FB-LB, Jr.

Outlook: Withee is looking forward to a more competitive league top to bottom this year. The Ponies will open against John Bapst of Bangor, the team Foxcroft beat in the quarterfinals last year. The Ponies are excited about the potential shown by linebacker Dan Brown, a transfer from Massachusetts who practiced with the Ponies last year. Jon McFarland, who lettered as a sophomore but didn’t play last year, will be a quick and athletic defensive tackle.