DOVER-FOXCROFT, Maine — The Foxcroft Academy football team began the season full of offensive potential — with several returning starters in the backfield and at wide receiver.
But getting those playmakers started was the issue as the Ponies opened preseason camp in August, because who would do the less glamorous work on the line of scrimmage was less certain.
“We didn’t honestly know who all the pieces were going to be,” said first-year Foxcroft coach Danny White.
Fortunately for the Ponies, what began as a duo of returning starters in seniors Ryan Olmsted and Brad Dow has blossomed into a cohesive unit that has helped Foxcroft return to the Class C state championship game for the sixth time in eight years Saturday.
The Ponies (11-0) face Dirigo of Dixfield (11-0) for the state title in a 2:30 p.m. start at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland.
With Olmsted at guard and Dow at tackle, Foxcroft was set on the right side of the line, but one of the prime missions of preseason camp was to find three other starters.
“I was a little concerned,” said Olmsted, “but we knew there would be other guys who would step up and do what they had to do to get the job done.”
Those who rose to that challenge were seniors D.J. Clukey, Brandon Erickson and Eli Maheu.
Foxcroft’s abundance of receivers enabled Clukey to shift into the interior line.
“D.J. played tight end last year, but in our senior class we didn’t have another lineman or a younger guy who could step up,” said Olmsted. “D.J.’s a big kid anyway, and he worked hard and is getting the job done.”
Erickson had previous experience at center, so he was a natural to take over full-time duties, while Maheu moved up from reserve duty to play left guard.
“Brandon had played some center last year, and he really took over that role on the line this year,” said White, “and Eli has just come so far. He was the least experienced of the guys on the line, but he relied on Ryan, who plays the opposite guard, to guide him in the right direction.”
The group developed fairly quickly, emerging as a team strength rather than a cause for concern.
“It didn’t take as a long as a lot of people might have expected,” said Dow. “At least four of the front five [Dow, Olmsted, Maheu and Erickson] have been playing together on the line since fourth grade.
“It only took a week or two for us to come together, and we’ve improved every week since then.”
While not the biggest offensive front in the LTC — averaging about 220 pounds per man —- the Foxcroft front helped enable the Ponies to set a conference record with an average of 45 points per game during the regular season.
“We have some experience and a lot of good athletes on the line, a lot of strong, quick kids,” said Dow. “Everybody put in a lot of work during the off-season, so I didn’t have a doubt that we’d be among the top lines.”
That status was tested again during postseason play, particularly during the semifinals and regional championship game when Foxcroft was challenged by an aggressive Stearns of Millinocket defense and the defending state champions from John Bapst of Bangor.
But having survived those battles, the five seniors on the Ponies’ offensive line await one final challenge — with a state championship at stake.
“We came into the season working hard because we knew we had to so we could do the best job we possibly could,” said Olmsted. “I think we’ve been better than I was hoping we’d be, but we still have a lot more work to do to get the job done.”
