CAPE ELIZABETH—Cape Elizabeth tailback Tommy Foden took control on a slushy synthetic field turf, rushing 17 times for 203 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Capers to a 40-0 victory over the Wells Warriors in a coastal rain Friday night at Hannaford Field in Campbell Conference action.
In what amounted to be more of a consistent drizzle, but troublesome nonetheless, Cape Elizabeth stuck largely to the ground and watched as Foden dismantled the Wells defense with an unstoppable combination of power and speed.
Foden scored the game’s first touchdown sweeping left and shaking off an arm tackle in the secondary for a 48-yard score on the Capers first possession.
Leading 12-0 after Cape Elizabeth quarterback Ezra Wolfinger found his favorite target Finn Melanson for a 6-yard TD after a Wells fumble, Foden struck a mighty blow with just under two minutes left to play in the first half.
On first down after another Wells punt, Foden broke through a gaping hole off right tackle and went 78 yards untouched directly down the center of the field for his second touchdown in as many quarters. Foden broke the line, hit the gas and never once looked back to consider the Wells defenders in full-pursuit.
Senior Matt Donovan kicked his first of four successful PAT kicks as the Capers machine started rolling downhill with momentum and enjoyed a 19-0 advantage at the half.
“We feel that if we play our game no one can stop us,” Foden said. “We’re confident that the other defense can’t stop our run game. The weather made us one-dimensional tonight, but we made some nice adjustments. The blocking was sound tonight. The offensive line played really well.”
The third quarter featured much of the same, with Foden rushing for a pair of touchdowns before exiting to start the fourth as the Capers improved to 6-0 on the season with another ho-hum win in conference play, dropping Wells to 4-2 in the process.
“We wanted to try a couple things and it didn’t pan out,” said Cape Elizabeth coach Aaron Filieo. “The weather wasn’t great. The O-line was coming off the ball, so we took what they gave us. Wells is a good team. They got great coaching and I think they’ll be there in the end.”
Cape Elizabeth also posted its fourth shutout of the season on Friday, its third in a row, during a stretch where they have outscored the opponent 220-20. So far, only York (12) and Fryeburg Academy (8) have managed to score on Cape Elizabeth’s experienced defense led by senior captains Brian Stephenson, James Martin, Wolfinger, Melanson and Foden.
The Warriors had virtually no luck against the Capers stout defense, going three-and-out on six different occasions, to go with one muffed punt and a pair of interceptions that led to scores. Wells managed just three first downs all game, two in a row on the ground on the same drive in the second quarter. Wells sophomore running back Chad Whitten spelled senior Vinny Laude and racked up 24 yards on three straight carries before the drive stalled. Whitten’s 24-yard spurt accounted for nearly half of Wells’ total offense in the game. To make matters worse, the Warriors punted and Foden followed with his back-breaking 78-yard touchdown run.
Foden’s 203 yards give him 680 yards on the ground this season on just 73 carries and his four touchdowns gave him a league leading 18. Foden has rushed for 11 touchdowns, caught four more, and returned three for scores in the kicking game.
Wolfinger passed only eight times against Wells, completing four of them, including a 38-yarder over the middle to junior Kyle Danielson. Wolfinger easily leads the league in total passing yardage (now with 905), attempts, completions and touchdowns (13). Melanson’s 26 catches, 439 yards and six touchdown receptions all lead the conference.
“We came in all week thinking we were going to spread it out and throw the ball,” said Wolfinger. “The weather wasn’t good, but we have a versatile team so we were able to adjust. Wells came in with a reputation as a good football team, but we were able to set the tone early.”
Foden, believe it or not, might be the league’s top defensive player, too. Anchoring the defense from his middle linebacker position, Foden covers a lot of ground and hits hard with the same skill set that makes him dangerous on offense.
But he’s hardly alone on defense, the name Stephenson was a common theme over the loudspeaker against Wells, and a few other names linked to Cape Elizabeth’s football past are standing up out of a lot of piles. Senior Lucas Morin, Danielson at defensive end and sophomore lineman Andrew LaVallee are all familiar names.
“The key tonight was to contain them and keep them inside,” said Stephenson. “This is an experienced defense with a lot of talent. Everybody did their job.”
Cape Elizabeth will welcome the Greely Rangers (2-4) to Hannaford Field Friday at 7 p.m. The Rangers have dropped two straight to York (25-0) and Mountain Valley (21-0). Last year, the Capers rolled 42-6 in Cumberland. After going to Lake Region the week after, Cape Elizabeth finally gets to engage in the showdown of the season when it hosts Mountain Valley Oct. 30.
Junior Kyle Danielson broke free during the second half of Cape Elizabeth’s victory, its sixth in a row.
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Cape Elizabeth senior Steve Homa sped downfield with an interception during the Capers 40-0 home blanking of Wells Friday night.
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