Comment on 2 lengthy football streaks ended over the weekend

Week 7 of the high school football season kicks off Friday night without two of the state’s longer winning streaks still in play. Wells High School’s run of 33 consecutive victories was halted Saturday night at Leavitt of Turner Center, with the Hornets scoring a 22-8 win in their battle of unbeatens to take over first place in Class C South with two games remaining before the playoffs begin. Wells had not lost since dropping a 13-7 decision to Cape Elizabeth in the final week of the 2016 regular season. The Warriors avenged that loss by defeating the Capers in the Class C South championship game and went on to defeat Mount Desert Island of Bar Harbor to capture the 2016 state crown in that class before dropping by enrollment to Class D for the next two years and defeating North regional champion Foxcroft Academy of Dover-Foxcroft to win the 2017 and 2018 Class D state titles. On a more regional level, the Dexter Tigers ended a 33-year, 25-game losing streak against neighboring rival Foxcroft Academy on Saturday, outlasting the visiting Ponies 27-21 in overtime. Dexter last defeated Foxcroft in 1988, when the Tigers went on to capture the Eastern Maine Class C championship before bowing to Madison 17-3 in the state final. The teams had not met every season since then because they were not always in the same class, but with Foxcroft moving back down to Class D North in 2017 the schools renewed their football rivalry. Foxcroft defeated Dexter during the regular season and in the Little Ten Conference semifinals that year, then topped the Tigers 28-7 again last fall. Foxcroft led Dexter 21-14 at halftime of this year’s game thanks to two touchdowns in the final minute of the second quarter by Logan Martin. Dexter tied the game early in the fourth quarter on a 55-yard run by Tyler Chapman, then took its 27-21 lead on a 1-yard run by quarterback Logan Perkins to open the first overtime. Chapman then intercepted a pass to end Foxcroft’s offensive possession in the first overtime and give Dexter the victory. The win was the fourth straight this fall for 5-1 Dexter, which is in second place in the LTC behind undefeated Bucksport with regular-season games remaining at home against 0-6 Mt.