Oxford Hills falls to Cony, future still looks bright

OXFORD HILLS — It was a matter of who was left standing Friday night as Cony battled Oxford Hills. Cony left with a 34-14 win as they headed into the playoffs, while Oxford Hills ended its season with a hard-fought 3-6 record.

“They are a very physical team,” said Cony quarterback Ben Lucas, who finished with 199 yards passing and one touchdown while playing through an ankle injury.

“That (Dexter Turner) is one of the best players I have played against all year," says Lucas. 

Cony jumped on the board on their second drive, as Ben Lucas hit Tayler Carrier on an 18 yard reception to give Cony a 6-0 lead.

Oxford Hills answered back when the talented Nick Bowie answered with a 47 yard touchdown run. Cony fired back when Brandon St. Michel rushed one in from seven yards out, and Cony had a 13-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.

“They have a great offense,” said Oxford Hills Head Coach Mark Soehren when asked about Cony. “They play very physical as well. You can tell they hit the weight room.”

Nick Bowie got his second touchdown of the night on the next series, a 10- yarder to give Oxford Hills a 14-13 lead with 10:43 left in the first half.

After St. Michel answered with another touchdown run to give Cony a 20-14 lead later in the half, a collision in the backfield sent Spencer Thompson, of Oxford Hills, off in an ambulance (he waved his arms to the crowd) and Lucas to the sidelines for the rest of the half with an injured ankle.

Lucas returned in the second half and provided enough of a boost to help Cony pull away.

Chandler Shostak’s 54-yard interception return for touchdown late in the third put it away, and Cony’s Charlie Hallock had a four-yard run in the fourth to give the game its final tally.

“This was a great group of seniors,” said Soehren. “You hate to see them go; it felt like they were just getting started.”

Improvement

After a controversial off-season when an unexpected coaching change had to be made; no one really knew what to expect from Oxford Hills. Soehren took the head coaching position, installed the flexbone triple-option offense, and it took the team a few weeks to get its sea legs underneath it.

“You look back to those games with EL [week eight] and Skowhegan [week one],” said Soehren before the game Friday night. “This team is right there.”

Many of the seniors who are leaving, including Jordan Croteau, Bill Leahy, Dexter Turner, Ryan Godin and Ben Bowie, spoke for much of the year about leaving the program in good shape for the underclassmen.

The youth programs in the area are doing well, the underclassmen are talented, and with a realigned schedule next year (depending on what happens with the Maine Principals Association reclassifying football programs throughout the state) no one knows for sure what Oxford Hills Vikings football will be facing next year.

One thing is for certain: if they triple their win output next year like they did this year, the season won’t end after the final regular season game; it will only be getting started.