BANGOR – Chris Fogler has been one of the state’s most versatile track and field performers for the last two years, as well as a top-notch soccer player at John Bapst High of Bangor.

Now he’s taken that versatility to a new sport as a first-year senior on the John Bapst football team.

“I’ve played soccer for as long as I can remember,” said Fogler. “It was just something to do for a change. I thought I would give it a shot.”

Fogler, a 6-foot, 175-pound wide receiver and defensive back for the 2-1 Crusaders, brings some impressive track and field credentials to his new sport.

He is the reigning Class C state record holder in the outdoor 110- and 300-meter hurdles, and also is the reigning state champion in the 200-meter dash.

Last winter he won the Class B indoor high jump while placing second in the 200 and the 55 hurdles, and as a sophomore Fogler won Class C state outdoor championships in the 300 hurdles and the high jump while placing second in the 110 hurdles and the triple jump.

“He’s a great athlete, he’s a very coachable kid and he’s just willing to do whatever you ask,” said John Bapst football coach Dan O’Connell. “He’s made some plays for us and we’re glad to have him.”

Fogler scored his first touchdown late in the first half of John Bapst’s 33-24 victory over Rockland at Cameron Stadium on Saturday night, catching a 15-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Derek Smith.

“I just remember it was a quick slant and I used my speed and got open and saw the ball,” said Fogler. “I wasn’t even thinking about catching it, it just went in my hands and I got over the line.”

Given his history as a soccer player and track athlete, one of the biggest questions surrounding Fogler’s transition to football had to do with whether he could catch the ball.

“We didn’t know how his hands were going to come,” said O’Connell. “He’d never played a sport with his hands because he’s a track guy in the spring and he’d played soccer all his life. He’s also a great instrumentalist, a jazz musician, but that’s the only thing he’s done with his hands.”

Fogler, who plays the trumpet, says learning to catch the football largely involves repetition.

“They’re getting better,” he said. “At the beginning I was having a little trouble, but they’re getting better. It’s all a work in progress.”

Fogler’s athleticism adds another weapon to a wide-open John Bapst offense that has averaged 32.7 points per game.

“Athletically, he hadn’t done a lot with his hands so we didn’t know what to expect from him, especially early in the season,” said O’Connell. “Over the last couple of weeks his hands have been coming and coming so we feel more comfortable with him out there. He provides us great balance with Shane [Hass] on one side and him on the other side, and he’s starting to make some big plays.

“On defense he just covers ground so quickly that he helps us there. His fundamentals are starting to come in terms of coverage, and if he can pick that up he’ll be a great player on both sides of the ball.”

Fogler sees himself growing in a football sense with every game.

“Mentally I’m starting to figure the game out,” he said. “I’m starting to know what to see. I’ve still got a ways to go but I’m starting to figure it out.”

It’s likely to be a short-lived football career for Fogler, who plans to continue his track and field career at the college level next year.

But he’s enjoying the football moment, and the camaraderie within the Crusaders.

“It’s definitely a great experience,” he said. “I love the team. The team is probably the reason I’m playing football this year. They’re great.”

Ponies’ Nason sidelined

Foxcroft Academy senior Jamie Nason, who quarterbacked the Ponies to the Class C state championship last fall, will be sidelined indefinitely after suffering a lower leg injury last weekend.

Nason was stepping back to pass late in the second quarter of Foxcroft’s game at Bucksport last Friday night when the injury occurred.

He left the game and did not return, and currently has his lower leg in a cast.

Nason guided the Ponies to a 12-0 season in 2007, with his individual contribution to that cause coming to the forefront during postseason play.

He passed for one touchdown and ran for another score as the Ponies defeated John Bapst of Bangor 14-7 in the Eastern Maine final.

Nason came back the following weekend and threw three touchdown passes as Foxcroft defeated Boothbay 26-8 in the state championship game.

Nason likely will be replaced in the Foxcroft lineup by junior Ryan Stroud, who completed 6 of 13 passes for 75 yards in relief duty during the Ponies’ 48-12 loss to Bucksport.

Foxcroft (1-2) returns to action Friday night with its homecoming game against 2-1 Orono at Oakes Field in Dover-Foxcroft.

eclark@bangordailynews.net

990-8045