DOVER-FOXCROFT, Maine — In a game featuring at least a dozen momentum-switching, tempo-changing, crunch-time and/or highlight-reel plays over the final five minutes, it was the one that occurred in the waning seconds of the opening quarter that determined the outcome.
Foxcroft Academy’s successful execution of a fake punt with 10 seconds left in the first quarter not only led to a touchdown, but the game-winning touchdown in the unbeaten Ponies’ 14-13 victory over John Bapst of Bangor in a nerve-rattling LTC Class C championship game at Oakes Field on an overcast Saturday afternoon.
“I think maybe offensively it gave us more confidence,” said Ponies rookie head coach and former quarterback Danny White. “Any time you can complete a fourth-down conversion, that’s big, but emotionally I think it did springboard and help us.”
The play also turned a four-play, 8-yard possession into a six-play, 64-yard scoring drive capped by a touchdown pass from the same duo that produced the fake punt conversion: quarterback Ryan Stroud and receiver Josiah Richard.
“That touchdown was what put us ahead in the game and that was the difference,” said Stroud, who was instrumental in influencing White’s decision to call for a fake punt.
With his Ponies facing a fourth-and-two situation at their own 44-yard line at the end of the first quarter in a tied game, Stroud shared an observation he’d made with White.
“We noticed [Bapst two-way back] Bill Wetherbee wasn’t guarding [Richard] on the previous punt,” said Stroud. “We’ve run that play all season long in practice and we knew we had a mismatch with Josiah out there on another guy, so I told coach and he trusted me enough to go with it.”
Stroud, who also handles punting duties, lined up as if to punt, sold the fake, and then stepped back to scan the field for an open man.
“It’s called ‘80’ and we go over it every time we do our punts in practice. I just pretty much go find an open spot,” explained Richard. “The defender just thought I was going straight for the guy who’d be returning the kick, so I just ran out straight and Ryan hit me with a perfect pass that hit me right in the chest.”
It was the first time all season the Ponies had tried a fake punt, and the completion went for a 16-yard reception by Richard on the right side.
“At the time it swung the momentum and ratcheted up the pressure on us a little bit,” said John Bapst coach Dan O’Connell. “And they thrive on that stuff when they successfully execute a trick play.”
A 5-yard run later, Stroud found Richard again for the TD pass with 11:18 left in the half.
“We were in a punt safe formation with one guy deep, and we taught that all week because any time your quarterback is also a punter, there’s always that chance,” O’Connell said. “For them to still do it is indicative of how great their athletes are.”
White couldn’t agree more with that assessment.
“In hindsight, yeah, it was a big play. I have so much faith and trust in Ryan and Josiah. It’s fortunate to have those guys there to allow us to do a fake-punt pass,” White said. “Those guys have such a unique feel, sometimes we’ll call a route and they’ll change it during the play because they feel something else will work better.
“That can’t be coached. I can take no credit for that. That’s all athletic ability and understanding the game.”