KNOX — The scoring chances came early for the Mt. View High School football team, but the Mustangs, playing the first playoff game in the history of the program, couldn’t capitalize.

On the other hand, Foxcroft Academy, one of the most successful programs in the history of the Little Ten Conference, took advantage of just enough opportunities, and left Larrabee Field with a 19-0 LTC quarterfinal win.

No. 5 Foxcroft (6-3) will face No. 1 Bucksport in the semifinals. No. 4 Mt. View ends the best season in its five years of football at 6-3.

“We played our hearts out. The boys played hard. They did everything we asked them to all year long,” Mt. View coach Jack Brady said. “It’s disappointing, but this is a great football team. Foxcroft played a great game against us.”

Mt. View had its best chance to score on the game’s opening drive. Starting on their on 30, the Mustangs marched as far into Foxcroft territory as possible without finding the end zone. The Mustangs had two cracks at pay dirt from inside the Ponies 1, but each time, Jalen Babin was stuffed on the quarterback sneak.

“We did what we needed to do there,” Foxcroft’s Don Boyer said.

Mt. View had two other first-half drives end in Foxcroft territory without points, one on downs at the Ponies 32, and the other with a fumble at the 16.

The Mustangs’ final six drives ended with a turnover.

Foxcroft generated just enough offense. The Ponies got on the board with 44 seconds left in the first quarter when Boyer scored on a 2-yard run. The play was set up by a 52-yard pass from Chris Shorey to Ryan Rebar. Boyer took a toss and ran to the right, stretching the ball over the goal line as he was met by Mt. View defenders.

“We knew we had a chance to beat them around the corner, and we just got enough on the sweep,” Boyer, who ran for 134 yards and also had two interceptions, said. “Good blocking from the fullback, Cody Coiley, and I managed to punch it in.”

The Ponies added to their lead when Shorey connected with Rebar for a 12-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter on a fourth-and-goal play.

Foxcroft sealed the win on Boyer’s 10-yard touchdown run with 2:00 left in the game.

Craig Nealley ran for 61 yards to lead the Mustangs’ offense.

“We did play hard. We just couldn’t make it happen in the end,” Brady said.

Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242

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