Go to a Bangor High School boys soccer game, and signs of the team’s recent success are minimal.

Sure, coach Adam Leach may be wearing his state championship jacket, as was the case last Saturday when Bangor remained undefeated with a 3-0 victory at Messalonskee of Oakland, but the focus is on the here, the now and the next six weeks.

After winning the school’s first Class A state title in the sport last fall, the Rams would like to do it again.

“We’ve decided we’re not going to talk about last year because this year is this year and we’re a different team,” said sophomore forward Nick George. “Those memories are good, but we can’t dwell on the past and have that be all we talk about. ”

While there are differences from year to year, the results so far this season suggest Bangor has picked up where it left off last November. The Rams are 8-0 heading into Thursday’s game at Waterville and are riding streaks of 14 consecutive victories and 22 straight matches without a loss (21-0-1).

“I think the biggest thing we took from last year is that we’ve got to have great team chemistry,” said senior back Christian Larochelle. “Last year there wasn’t one guy who wasn’t part of the group, and this year we’ve really tried to keep everybody together and make sure everybody blends well.

“The one thing we’ve always harped on is just trying to outwork the other team.”

Bangor relies on a strong defense that includes junior sweeper Nate Frazier, sophomore stopper Kyle Savage, Larochelle and his younger brother, junior back Ryan Larochelle, in front of senior Erik Milles, a first-year starter in goal who has six shutouts.

Offensively, the Rams have 11 different goal-scorers, a contingent led by George (eight goals), senior Devin Lincoln (seven) and junior Dan Taft (six). Juniors Johnny Warren and Mack Susi and sophomore Cody Cormier each has three goals for Bangor, which has outscored its opponents 37-2.

“This team is pretty similar to last year,” Christian Larochelle said. “Definitely this year our strength is on the outside. Johnny and Mack have been playing amazing for us all year. They’ve been able to get the ball outside and beat their guys up the wings. I think we’re definitely a team that likes to cross the ball because they can get the ball to the outside and put it across in front of the net.”

Bangor emerged as a state champion in 2006 despite having a youthful squad, with four freshmen on the varsity. The team is still young a year later, with just five seniors to go with eight seniors, eight sophomores and two freshmen.

Balance boosts FA ground game

The best running back on the typical high school football team has the most carries and the most yardage.

The best running back for the Foxcroft Academy Ponies is measured by a different standard – he happens to be the guy with the ball on any given play.

Such is the balance of Foxcroft’s ground game, which combined with the LTC’s best defense – 18 points allowed in four games – has left coach Paul Withee’s club unbeaten and alone in first place at the season’s midpoint.

Five different Foxcroft running backs have gained between 145 and 198 yards with between 18 and 45 carries, good for an average of 5.6 yards per attempt.

Senior Ben Provost leads that cooperative effort with 198 yards on 37 carries. He shares time at fullback with junior Wade Witham (18-171), while sophomore Ian Champeon (30-177) and seniors Jerod Rideout (45-168) and Shane Adkins (19-145) all play halfback behind junior QB Jamie Nason.

In last Friday’s 34-0 victory over Orono, the Ponies piled up 345 yards on 43 rushing attempts with no one having more than eight carries as Foxcroft earned its 35th straight home-field victory and 23rd straight LTC win.

“It’s been very typical of the last two seasons actually,” said Withee, whose Ponies are in search of their third consecutive Eastern Maine Class C title and fifth in the last six years. “We played six kids in our backfield last season. We’re playing five this year, and those kids are really doing a tremendous job.”

It’s a platoon system that requires some sacrifice on the part of the individual backs, but it’s a sacrifice made in pursuit of team glory.

“It’s just perfect because nobody’s really the star so the other teams can’t focus on one person,” said Rideout. “Everybody’s capable of making the big plays, and it really plays to our advantage.”

Adkins and Witham had the most impressive numbers against previously unbeaten Orono. Adkins was named the LTC player of the week after rushing for 114 yards on just eight carries, including a 20-yard TD run. He also had 87 return yards, as well as a pass interception and six tackles on defense.

Witham, meanwhile, used his speed and strength to turn a quick opener into an 81-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

“[Witham’s] only a junior, and with the three seniors we have in our backfield it sometimes makes it difficult for Ian Champeon and Wade to get carries,” said Withee, “We have another sophomore, Ben Richardson, who’s got a broken thumb right now and he’s a tremendous runner as well.

“We feel very fortunate that we have a wide range of kids that we can go to, and they obviously are running extremely well.”

Much of that success stems from the development of an offensive line that graduated four starters last June. But in veteran Adam LePrevost and first-year starters Josh Boone, Robert Segerson, Andrew Larson and Dan Moriarty, the Ponies’ line has improved quickly through its early season battles against veteran lines from the likes of Mattanawcook Academy of Lincoln and John Bapst of Bangor.