Not every day I get to hit 3 games, especially on a day as beautiful as this one. Got there as quickly as possible from Camden, which was a challenge in itself with part of Route 31 closed.
Walked on the field right after the 1st TD of the game, scored with 8:28 left in the 1st quarter. Chris Beavo, VVS' all everything back, ran one in from 2 yards out to give the Red ones the 7-0 lead in the battle of the Devils. Camden moved the ball well using the ground game, but weren't able to capitalize on its first drive, fumbling it away in the red zone. Using a 25 yard connection from VVS QB Christian Tiffin to Matt McCoy on 3rd & 10 and a 28 yard Beavo run 2 plays later, the Red Devils moved down the field and completed the 10 play, 85 yard drive with a 3rd & goal 1 yard TD run by Tiffin, making the score 14-0 in favor of VVS with 9:27 left in the 1st half.
I'll use a new paragraph here, because from that point, it was a different game. VVS had 2 drives in the 2nd & 3rd quarters after that one that weren't 3 & outs; 1 of them was a 3 & out after an 11 yard pickup on the 1st play of the drive. Over those drives, Beavo, who has been a part of the vast majority of VVS touchdowns this season, had just 12 yards on 4 carries. Meanwhile, Camden was cruisin'. They responded to the Tiffin TD by going 68 yards in 6 plays, all with the run, no gains less than 7 yards. Camden QB Ryan McCarthy finished it off with a 13 yard TD run, making it 14-7 with 6:49 left in the half. McCarthy had 3 carries for 38 yards on that drive, and RB Jeremy Zeitchel had the other 30 on his 3 carries. Late in the half, Camden used its defense to set up its offense. Evan Kessler picked off a Tiffin pass on the 1st play of their drive, returning it to the VVS 34. McCarthy hit Matt Critelli on a 33 yard score 2 plays after, highlighted by Critelli dragging his defender the last 4 yards into the end zone. With this, it was tied up at 14 with just over a minute and a half remaining in the half. They continued their dominance into the 3rd - after a couple dead drives, they chewed up 6:34 on a 16 play, 69 yard drive, culminating with a 3 yard McCarthy TD run. He connected with Critelli the play before to keep the drive alive, a 7 yard catch on 4th & 4. The snap was higher than Dave Chappelle in Half Baked and botched, making the score 20-14 in Camden's favor at the 1:42 mark of the 3rd.
I'll use a new paragraph here, because from that point, it was a different game... kinda. VVS started to get the ball moving and had a double-digit play drive of their one. However, a Tiffin pass fell incomplete on play #11 of that drive, giving Camden the ball on downs with 5:53 to play at their own 13. At that point, I said to the guy next to me, "They're close, but the momentum is gone. They just need one big play." They got it. The Red Devil D forced a 3 & out, and on 4th & 5 at the Camden 18, they got pressure on McCarthy, who was also the punter. He kicked it into the backside of one of his own players, and the ball rolled into the end zone. VVS' Drew Hoehn beat everyone to it and pounced on it for the Devil TD, giving them the lead for good at 21-20 with 4:11 to go. Camden turned it over on downs at their own 11 on their ensuing drive, and on the 3rd play of VVS' ensuing push, the Camden D let Chris Beavo waltz in from 2 yards out so their offense could get one more shot at it. With the score 28-20 and 45 seconds showing, Camden got one more shot, starting at their own 39... and ending there. McCarthy threw a pick on the first play of that drive, to Mr. Big Shot Drew Hoehn. VVS took knees to finish it out. Camden needed this one, and they looked like they were going to get it for a while. However, they drop to 1-3, and VVS jumps up to 3-1.
#NumbersDontLie - Camden moved the ball well, and they contained Chris Beavo for most of the game, but Beavo and the Red Devils made big plays and picked up yards when it mattered. All-in-all, Camden outgained VVS 233-178 when not factoring in that drive I missed. However, they only picked up 13 yards in the 4th quarter, while VVS gained 61. Chris Beavo (again, not factoring the first drive where he scored) ran for 106 yards on 17 carries, including the last TD. He also caught 3 passes for 30 yards. 46 of those 106 rushing yards came in the 4th quarter. On Camden's end, Ryan McCarthy went 4/11, throwing for 54 yards, a TD, and a pick. He did most of his work on the ground, running for 91 yards on 19 carries & scoring twice. Jeremy Zeitchel rushed for 76 yards on 15 carries. Both of them did most of their damage in the 1st half.
Final Thoughts - First time at VVS for a football game. Enjoyed myself. Halftime entertainment was great, atmosphere was nice. Felt like something the community was behind. Coaches treated me like gold - classiest group I've been around. I'd love to hit another Red Devil football game in the near future.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
9/28 Most Valuable Thoughts: Homer/Camden Boys Soccer
Homer 5, Camden 1
Was only here for 28 minutes of game time, to be exact - from 8 minutes left in the 1st half to 20 minutes left in the game. Saw all I needed to see. Already watched Camden boys once, so I know they're not a strong group. I was actually somewhat surprised to see that Homer was only up 1-0 upon my arrival. That was OK with me though, it made for a more interesting watch for a while. Well, that and the fact that one of the officials was my old business teacher at Herkimer. Shooting the bull with him through the 2nd half was a welcome addition to the game experience. I'll interject with his commentary.
The score remained 1-0 at half, but Homer started to click after intermission. The ball started rolling when Bradley Sovocool connected on a ball played by Marton Tozser with 31:23 left to play. Tozser played it long - almost too long - but Sovocool was able to get a foot on it and connect from, as this official stated, a "nearly impossible angle". It didn't even take 4 full minutes to make 2-0 turn into 3-0. Anthony Levitskiy put through his first of 2 goals off a feed from Collin Lake (I think). He one-touched it about 10 yards away and put it by the Camden GK's right side at the 27:52 mark (53rd minute for all the fútbol junkies). Official commentary: "Near post". Initially said I was out at 3-0, but decided to stick until 4-0: that only took another 7 minutes. Levitskiy put another one through the pipes with 20:24 left, and since I'm a man of my word, I booked it at 4-0. After I left, each team tacked on a goal. When all was said and done, Levitskiy had a pair of tallies, Tozser, Sovocool, and Igor Sokolik had a goal & a dime apiece, and Collin Lake had an assist. Homer GK Alex Djafari was credited with 7 saves. For Camden, their lone goal was scored by Josh D'Angelo, fed by Bailey Dixon. They used a pair of keepers; Andrew Hill gave up the first 3 and was credited with 7 saves, and Chris Calabrese had 5 saves while giving up the last 2.
#NumbersDontLie - Homer dominated. I think that's all the explaining that needs to be done.
(From last 5 min of 1st half; 1st 20 of 2nd)
Shots - Homer 9-0
Corners - Homer 2-0
Saves - Camden 2-0
GK Touches - 2-2
Goal Kicks - Camden 6-1
*** Homer boys & girls soccer always shows that love, and I recognize that. Therefore, this won't be the last time MVT hits a Homer game.
Was only here for 28 minutes of game time, to be exact - from 8 minutes left in the 1st half to 20 minutes left in the game. Saw all I needed to see. Already watched Camden boys once, so I know they're not a strong group. I was actually somewhat surprised to see that Homer was only up 1-0 upon my arrival. That was OK with me though, it made for a more interesting watch for a while. Well, that and the fact that one of the officials was my old business teacher at Herkimer. Shooting the bull with him through the 2nd half was a welcome addition to the game experience. I'll interject with his commentary.
The score remained 1-0 at half, but Homer started to click after intermission. The ball started rolling when Bradley Sovocool connected on a ball played by Marton Tozser with 31:23 left to play. Tozser played it long - almost too long - but Sovocool was able to get a foot on it and connect from, as this official stated, a "nearly impossible angle". It didn't even take 4 full minutes to make 2-0 turn into 3-0. Anthony Levitskiy put through his first of 2 goals off a feed from Collin Lake (I think). He one-touched it about 10 yards away and put it by the Camden GK's right side at the 27:52 mark (53rd minute for all the fútbol junkies). Official commentary: "Near post". Initially said I was out at 3-0, but decided to stick until 4-0: that only took another 7 minutes. Levitskiy put another one through the pipes with 20:24 left, and since I'm a man of my word, I booked it at 4-0. After I left, each team tacked on a goal. When all was said and done, Levitskiy had a pair of tallies, Tozser, Sovocool, and Igor Sokolik had a goal & a dime apiece, and Collin Lake had an assist. Homer GK Alex Djafari was credited with 7 saves. For Camden, their lone goal was scored by Josh D'Angelo, fed by Bailey Dixon. They used a pair of keepers; Andrew Hill gave up the first 3 and was credited with 7 saves, and Chris Calabrese had 5 saves while giving up the last 2.
#NumbersDontLie - Homer dominated. I think that's all the explaining that needs to be done.
(From last 5 min of 1st half; 1st 20 of 2nd)
Shots - Homer 9-0
Corners - Homer 2-0
Saves - Camden 2-0
GK Touches - 2-2
Goal Kicks - Camden 6-1
*** Homer boys & girls soccer always shows that love, and I recognize that. Therefore, this won't be the last time MVT hits a Homer game.
9/28 Most Valuable Thoughts: CVA/VVS Girls Soccer
CVA 4, V-V-S 2
Boom.
The Thunder have arrived. Not sure what the expectations were of the newly merged district, but they're making people notice. They don't look like they used to be on rivaling teams just last season - it's a squad to be reckoned with.
Got there later than planned - took me forever to find VVS' soccer field, considering the varsity game was tucked in the armpit of the facility and the modified boys & JV girls were on the more easily accessible ones. That'll be talked about in another article. It was 1-0 CVA at that point - still don't know who scored that goal. They carried that 1-0 lead into the half, and that's when it got interesting. I had to estimate times of goals, because the varsity game was on a field without a clock... whereas the JV game was on a field with a clock. Yeah.
Both of these teams are more known for their offensive firepower than defensive prowess, so I figured the 1-0 score wouldn't last. I was right. With around 31 minutes remaining, the Red Devils tied it up on a goal scored by freshman Katie Muscchio, assisted by Selena Haas. That tie was the first of two, and both of them didn't last long. Around the 23 minute mark, the usual suspect struck for the Thunder; Teigha Ward. The senior, who's pretty much been wreaking havoc since I was still in high school, outran everyone on a ball played ahead of the pack and put it past the keeper to give CVA a 2-1 lead. The fireworks began here. With around 16 to go, VVS' own usual suspect put one through. Tess Lohr usually doesn't wait 64 minutes to score, but hers came at a good time, tying it at 2. However, that also did not last long... all of about 1 minute. Ward connected on another, this one assisted by Nicole Doolen, to give the Thunder a 3-2 lead. It'd be nice to have an insurance goal - and that came 2 minutes later, with a little under 13 left, when Doolen put one through herself. VVS nearly cut into it - Lohr took just about everyone on, and the only thing that stopped her was the top post. She's real. 3 or 4 beautiful moves and a great strike past the keeper, but about 2 inches too high. CVA was able to run out the clock, improving their record to 6-1. VVS drops to a still-strong 8-3.
#NumbersDontLie - Well, this time, they kinda do. If you look directly at the numbers, at least in the 2nd half, you would think VVS ended up on top. They outshot CVA 10-6, had 3 corners to 1 for CVA, didn't have a single goal kick all half compared to 8 for CVA, showing that the ball was in their attacking half quite often, and they forced Thunder GK Alicia Ceneviva into making a couple saves. CVA just took care of business when they had the chances. It's fun to watch when a team is clicking, and they're clicking.
(All 2nd half stats only)
Shots - VVS 10-6
Corners - VVS 3-1
Saves - CVA 2-0
GK Touches - 4-4
Goal Kicks - CVA 8-0
Boom.
The Thunder have arrived. Not sure what the expectations were of the newly merged district, but they're making people notice. They don't look like they used to be on rivaling teams just last season - it's a squad to be reckoned with.
Got there later than planned - took me forever to find VVS' soccer field, considering the varsity game was tucked in the armpit of the facility and the modified boys & JV girls were on the more easily accessible ones. That'll be talked about in another article. It was 1-0 CVA at that point - still don't know who scored that goal. They carried that 1-0 lead into the half, and that's when it got interesting. I had to estimate times of goals, because the varsity game was on a field without a clock... whereas the JV game was on a field with a clock. Yeah.
Both of these teams are more known for their offensive firepower than defensive prowess, so I figured the 1-0 score wouldn't last. I was right. With around 31 minutes remaining, the Red Devils tied it up on a goal scored by freshman Katie Muscchio, assisted by Selena Haas. That tie was the first of two, and both of them didn't last long. Around the 23 minute mark, the usual suspect struck for the Thunder; Teigha Ward. The senior, who's pretty much been wreaking havoc since I was still in high school, outran everyone on a ball played ahead of the pack and put it past the keeper to give CVA a 2-1 lead. The fireworks began here. With around 16 to go, VVS' own usual suspect put one through. Tess Lohr usually doesn't wait 64 minutes to score, but hers came at a good time, tying it at 2. However, that also did not last long... all of about 1 minute. Ward connected on another, this one assisted by Nicole Doolen, to give the Thunder a 3-2 lead. It'd be nice to have an insurance goal - and that came 2 minutes later, with a little under 13 left, when Doolen put one through herself. VVS nearly cut into it - Lohr took just about everyone on, and the only thing that stopped her was the top post. She's real. 3 or 4 beautiful moves and a great strike past the keeper, but about 2 inches too high. CVA was able to run out the clock, improving their record to 6-1. VVS drops to a still-strong 8-3.
#NumbersDontLie - Well, this time, they kinda do. If you look directly at the numbers, at least in the 2nd half, you would think VVS ended up on top. They outshot CVA 10-6, had 3 corners to 1 for CVA, didn't have a single goal kick all half compared to 8 for CVA, showing that the ball was in their attacking half quite often, and they forced Thunder GK Alicia Ceneviva into making a couple saves. CVA just took care of business when they had the chances. It's fun to watch when a team is clicking, and they're clicking.
(All 2nd half stats only)
Shots - VVS 10-6
Corners - VVS 3-1
Saves - CVA 2-0
GK Touches - 4-4
Goal Kicks - CVA 8-0
9/27 Most Valuable Thoughts: Oriskany/South Lewis Football
South Lewis 44, Oriskany 42
This one might be the craziest game I hit all year. Knew it would be that way though - between the craziness of the day already & stories leading up to the game, it was only right. Hell, Oriskany's cheerleaders almost didn't make it. Their bus had an unfortunate accident en route to Turin... as in a turkey hit their windshield. I can't make that up. Alright, to the game.
Each team was out there looking for their 1st W. Youth plays a big part in that. Oriskany QBs Ethan Juarez & Ryan Enos, RB Shamis Lasher, and WR Devin Bryant are all sophomores. South Lewis QB Justin Smith, and I also believe RBs Randall Cobb & maybe Lucas Kelly are all freshies. The first TD of the game was a combo of a flash of what these kids will be able to do in a couple years and the pains of inexperience. Smith tried the option toss for South Lewis, but Enos jumped the lane. Smith probably should've cut it back, but tossed it right into the hands of Enos, who bolted 55 yards untouched for Oriskany's 1st TD of the night - 8-0 at 7:57 mark of the 1st. South Lewis responded quickly and easily, all byrunning pounding the ball down the field. This will be a common theme for the Falcons. Started off with a big return to Oriskany's 47, and it took only 3 plays from there: 1, 43, and 3 yard runs from Randall Cobb, which made it 8-6 with 6:57 left in the 1st. Oriskany had good field position over their next few drives, but weren't able to cash in because of the pressure South Lewis' defensive front was able to put on Juarez (and Enos when he was under center). This was also a common theme. South Lewis was able to snag the lead with 8:40 left in the 1st half - a 37 yard run by Lucas Kelly set up a 1 yard QB plunge by Justin Smith to make the score 12-8. It didn't take too long for the Redskins to grab the lead back - South Lewis did things well such as run the ball & put pressure in the backfield, but they were very mistake-prone. They committed 2 mistakes on back-to-back drives, and Oriskany capitalized on both. First, a Smith pass was picked by Tyler Murfit and returned to the Falcon 35 - tack on a personal foul and Oriskany started their drive from the 20. On the 4th play of the drive, which was 3rd & goal from the 6 (got to the 1 on 1st play, false start to the 6, 2 plays that went nowhere), Juarez hit Devin Bryant for a 6 yard score, and Oriskany took a 14-12 lead with over 4 left in the 1st half. South Lewis' Randall Cobb fumbled it away on the next play, recovered by Oriskany's TJ Schweizer at the Falcon 26, and nearly the same thing happened - Juarez to Bryant to the 2, false start, nothing doing, Juarez to Bryant 8 yard TD on 4th & goal 2 minutes after the last one. South Lewis drove back to the 1 before the half was over, but turned it over on downs a foot outside the goal line in the last 5 seconds, making the score 20-12 Oriskany at half.
And then it picked up. South Lewis tied it up at the 7:47 mark of the 3rd quarter with a 14 yard TD run by Nick Kraeger - Cobb had 34 yards on 3 carries that drive. Oriskany came right back with a 70 yard TD run by Dom Silvestri on his only touch of the game to make the score 26-20. A quick, 6 play South Lewis drive centered around Lucas Kelly tied it back up. Kelly ran 3 times for 42 yards, including the 8 yard TD run. The next time South Lewis got the ball, the drive was much longer, but their ground & pound game took form and tired out the Redskins defense into the end zone. It was a 15 play, 80 yard drive that took over 7 minutes off the clock. They shot themselves in the foot a couple times - made it to the 19, then called for holding to the 30, and then a personal foul a couple plays later back to midfield, which looked like it would be the end of the drive - but a 50 yard TD run up the middle on 2nd & 39 by Lucas Kelly was apparently just what the doctor ordered to give SL the lead back. On the 2nd play of the ensuing drive for Oriskany, Juarez hit Craig Whittaker for a 66 yard TD connection, giving the Redskins a 34-32 lead with 6:33 to play. Oriskany couldn't stop the run; South Lewis couldn't stop the pass. Just over 2 minutes later, Lucas Kelly struck again, this time a 31 yard TD run to give South Lewis a 38-34 lead. Oriskany turned the ball over on downs at their own 9, giving South Lewis the ball with 3:13 left, 1st & goal. Looked like the end, right? Wrong. South Lewis proceeded to fumble it away, giving Oriskany another shot. However, they again turned it over on downs, and Randall Cobb ran one in from 37 yards out to give the Falcons a 44-34 lead with 1:15 remaining. Oriskany did answer to make it interesting - a big Devin Bryant return to the Falcon 48, a 26 yard Ethan Juarez run, and a 22 yard Juarez to Shamis Lasher connection cut the deficit to 44-42 with just over 30 seconds remaining - but South Lewis recovered the onside kick and was able to take a pair of knees to secure their 1st W.
#NumbersDontLie - For Oriskany, Ethan Juarez had a bad completion percentage, but made completions count. He was just 10/33 throwing the ball, but finished with 200 passing yards and 4 TDs. He also ran the ball 45 yards on 10 carries. Shamis Lasher, their running back with Tyler Tarkowski out with an ankle injury, only had 3 carries in a pass-heavy game for 2 yards; however, he did catch the one pass for a 22 yard TD late. Devin Bryant caught 5 passes for 81 yards and 2 TDs, and it seemed like more. He also caught a pair of conversion passes. For South Lewis, Randall Cobb lost a pair of fumbles, but had a great game overall. He rushed the ball 25 times for 234 yards, scoring twice, including what proved to be the game-winner. Lucas Kelly had a dominant 2nd half, rushing the ball 16 times for 214 yards and 3 scores. FB Nick Kraeger had 6 carries for 50 yards and a TD, and Corey Marolf only rushed 3 times, but had 73 yards, including a 59 yard run early. South Lewis had 568 rushing yards on the night. They ran 74 plays for 580 total yards, whereas Oriskany ran 58 plays for 238 yards.
Neat-o Stat of the Night - It's a tie. 2 big things that ran true for the night - Oriskany couldn't protect their QBs, and South Lewis shot themselves in the foot repeatedly. For the game, Oriskany QBs were sacked 8 times for a total loss of 76 yards. With the combo of sacking the QB so many times and outgaining their opponent by nearly 350 yards, you'd think South Lewis should have won by more than 2. However, they turned the ball over 5 times by way of INT or fumble, 3 of those times in their own territory, and one of the two that was in Oriskany territory was returned for a TD. They also were penalized for a total of 96 yards, compared to just 25 Oriskany penalty yards.
This one might be the craziest game I hit all year. Knew it would be that way though - between the craziness of the day already & stories leading up to the game, it was only right. Hell, Oriskany's cheerleaders almost didn't make it. Their bus had an unfortunate accident en route to Turin... as in a turkey hit their windshield. I can't make that up. Alright, to the game.
Each team was out there looking for their 1st W. Youth plays a big part in that. Oriskany QBs Ethan Juarez & Ryan Enos, RB Shamis Lasher, and WR Devin Bryant are all sophomores. South Lewis QB Justin Smith, and I also believe RBs Randall Cobb & maybe Lucas Kelly are all freshies. The first TD of the game was a combo of a flash of what these kids will be able to do in a couple years and the pains of inexperience. Smith tried the option toss for South Lewis, but Enos jumped the lane. Smith probably should've cut it back, but tossed it right into the hands of Enos, who bolted 55 yards untouched for Oriskany's 1st TD of the night - 8-0 at 7:57 mark of the 1st. South Lewis responded quickly and easily, all by
And then it picked up. South Lewis tied it up at the 7:47 mark of the 3rd quarter with a 14 yard TD run by Nick Kraeger - Cobb had 34 yards on 3 carries that drive. Oriskany came right back with a 70 yard TD run by Dom Silvestri on his only touch of the game to make the score 26-20. A quick, 6 play South Lewis drive centered around Lucas Kelly tied it back up. Kelly ran 3 times for 42 yards, including the 8 yard TD run. The next time South Lewis got the ball, the drive was much longer, but their ground & pound game took form and tired out the Redskins defense into the end zone. It was a 15 play, 80 yard drive that took over 7 minutes off the clock. They shot themselves in the foot a couple times - made it to the 19, then called for holding to the 30, and then a personal foul a couple plays later back to midfield, which looked like it would be the end of the drive - but a 50 yard TD run up the middle on 2nd & 39 by Lucas Kelly was apparently just what the doctor ordered to give SL the lead back. On the 2nd play of the ensuing drive for Oriskany, Juarez hit Craig Whittaker for a 66 yard TD connection, giving the Redskins a 34-32 lead with 6:33 to play. Oriskany couldn't stop the run; South Lewis couldn't stop the pass. Just over 2 minutes later, Lucas Kelly struck again, this time a 31 yard TD run to give South Lewis a 38-34 lead. Oriskany turned the ball over on downs at their own 9, giving South Lewis the ball with 3:13 left, 1st & goal. Looked like the end, right? Wrong. South Lewis proceeded to fumble it away, giving Oriskany another shot. However, they again turned it over on downs, and Randall Cobb ran one in from 37 yards out to give the Falcons a 44-34 lead with 1:15 remaining. Oriskany did answer to make it interesting - a big Devin Bryant return to the Falcon 48, a 26 yard Ethan Juarez run, and a 22 yard Juarez to Shamis Lasher connection cut the deficit to 44-42 with just over 30 seconds remaining - but South Lewis recovered the onside kick and was able to take a pair of knees to secure their 1st W.
#NumbersDontLie - For Oriskany, Ethan Juarez had a bad completion percentage, but made completions count. He was just 10/33 throwing the ball, but finished with 200 passing yards and 4 TDs. He also ran the ball 45 yards on 10 carries. Shamis Lasher, their running back with Tyler Tarkowski out with an ankle injury, only had 3 carries in a pass-heavy game for 2 yards; however, he did catch the one pass for a 22 yard TD late. Devin Bryant caught 5 passes for 81 yards and 2 TDs, and it seemed like more. He also caught a pair of conversion passes. For South Lewis, Randall Cobb lost a pair of fumbles, but had a great game overall. He rushed the ball 25 times for 234 yards, scoring twice, including what proved to be the game-winner. Lucas Kelly had a dominant 2nd half, rushing the ball 16 times for 214 yards and 3 scores. FB Nick Kraeger had 6 carries for 50 yards and a TD, and Corey Marolf only rushed 3 times, but had 73 yards, including a 59 yard run early. South Lewis had 568 rushing yards on the night. They ran 74 plays for 580 total yards, whereas Oriskany ran 58 plays for 238 yards.
Neat-o Stat of the Night - It's a tie. 2 big things that ran true for the night - Oriskany couldn't protect their QBs, and South Lewis shot themselves in the foot repeatedly. For the game, Oriskany QBs were sacked 8 times for a total loss of 76 yards. With the combo of sacking the QB so many times and outgaining their opponent by nearly 350 yards, you'd think South Lewis should have won by more than 2. However, they turned the ball over 5 times by way of INT or fumble, 3 of those times in their own territory, and one of the two that was in Oriskany territory was returned for a TD. They also were penalized for a total of 96 yards, compared to just 25 Oriskany penalty yards.
Friday, September 27, 2013
9/27 Most Valuable Thoughts: Sackets Harbor/South Lewis Girls Soccer
South Lewis 2, Sackets Harbor 1
If I'm making the trip from the Utica area to the Frontier League, there better be some drama, some weird, some crazy, right? Between comebacks, back and forth action, the always-interesting PK, shots being saved by people who aren't the keeper, and an ending I may just never see again... today didn't disappoint.
More good timing struck in this one. Showed up with just over 22 minutes left in the 1st half and the game scoreless. That didn't last long. Sackets got on the board first - Samantha Menapace put one over the heads of the Falcons & Diana Dotson beat everyone to it. She finished it off, giving them the 1-0 lead with 21:57 left in the half. Although South Lewis really started to challenge in the last 10 minutes of the half, the Patriots held their 1 goal halftime lead. That also didn't long. South Lewis challenged, and there was a pile a few yards away from goal. A Sackets defender committed the Sect. 3 girls soccer equivalent of the #1 party foul - no handballs in the box! Sounds dirty... anyway. South Lewis was awarded a PK, and Jayne Strigle knew exactly what to do with it. Something along the lines of knocking it through the pipes, thus tying it up at 1 with 33:10 left. Both teams had their chances throughout. At some points, I thought Sackets would grab the lead. At others, South Lewis. Hell, at others, I thought it would stay 1-1 and I should get to the football game early. Reegan Domagala answered my pressing question with the tally to break the tie for South Lewis. There was another scrum around goal, and a shot was put up by Alexis Olmstead. That deflected away, but Domagala was there for the cleanup, giving South Lewis a 2-1 lead with 12:05 left.
Now for the fun. Sackets was attacking throughout the last few minutes, but the Falcons were doing enough of a job holding them off... for a while. Over the last 25 seconds, Sackets was awarded a free kick 45 yards away from goal. South Lewis GK Miranda Rys, solid all the way through, misplayed that one and let it one-hop over her head. Now with under 10 seconds showing, it appeared as if the Patriots would tie this one up late, and I wouldn't be able to catch it because of the football game. South Lewis' #5 (an unnamed hero to me, since I don't have rosters) came from out of nowhere and booted the ball away from the goal when it was about a yard away from the goal line. Game over, right? Not so fast. A Sackets player got a foot on the ball about 35 yards away from goal with around 3 seconds left. A South Lewis defender tried to head it away around the 6 - but they headed it in the wrong direction, bouncing it off the noggin by Rys into the goal for Sackets. One problem... time ran out about a second before the ball went through. The head connected with the ball just before the buzzer went off, and according to fútbol rules, the ball's gotta go through by the time it hits all zeroes. A second late = South Lewis improves to 2-5-1 with their 2-1 W over 3-6 Sackets Harbor.
#NumbersDontLie - Pretty evenly matched. Shots were nearly dead-even, as were saves. Like Thursday, the only noticeable difference is non-save keeper touches. South Lewis GK Miranda Rys cleared the air 10 times with non-save GK touches to go with the 7 saves she's credited for. Sackets GK Lauren Harrienger had the same amount of saves, but only 3 non-save touches. How even this game was can be shown in the stats.
Shots - South Lewis 9, Sackets Harbor 8
Corners - Sackets 4, South Lewis 1
Saves - 7 apiece
GK Touches - South Lewis 10, Sackets Harbor 3
Goal Kicks - South Lewis 9, Sackets Harbor 6
If I'm making the trip from the Utica area to the Frontier League, there better be some drama, some weird, some crazy, right? Between comebacks, back and forth action, the always-interesting PK, shots being saved by people who aren't the keeper, and an ending I may just never see again... today didn't disappoint.
More good timing struck in this one. Showed up with just over 22 minutes left in the 1st half and the game scoreless. That didn't last long. Sackets got on the board first - Samantha Menapace put one over the heads of the Falcons & Diana Dotson beat everyone to it. She finished it off, giving them the 1-0 lead with 21:57 left in the half. Although South Lewis really started to challenge in the last 10 minutes of the half, the Patriots held their 1 goal halftime lead. That also didn't long. South Lewis challenged, and there was a pile a few yards away from goal. A Sackets defender committed the Sect. 3 girls soccer equivalent of the #1 party foul - no handballs in the box! Sounds dirty... anyway. South Lewis was awarded a PK, and Jayne Strigle knew exactly what to do with it. Something along the lines of knocking it through the pipes, thus tying it up at 1 with 33:10 left. Both teams had their chances throughout. At some points, I thought Sackets would grab the lead. At others, South Lewis. Hell, at others, I thought it would stay 1-1 and I should get to the football game early. Reegan Domagala answered my pressing question with the tally to break the tie for South Lewis. There was another scrum around goal, and a shot was put up by Alexis Olmstead. That deflected away, but Domagala was there for the cleanup, giving South Lewis a 2-1 lead with 12:05 left.
Now for the fun. Sackets was attacking throughout the last few minutes, but the Falcons were doing enough of a job holding them off... for a while. Over the last 25 seconds, Sackets was awarded a free kick 45 yards away from goal. South Lewis GK Miranda Rys, solid all the way through, misplayed that one and let it one-hop over her head. Now with under 10 seconds showing, it appeared as if the Patriots would tie this one up late, and I wouldn't be able to catch it because of the football game. South Lewis' #5 (an unnamed hero to me, since I don't have rosters) came from out of nowhere and booted the ball away from the goal when it was about a yard away from the goal line. Game over, right? Not so fast. A Sackets player got a foot on the ball about 35 yards away from goal with around 3 seconds left. A South Lewis defender tried to head it away around the 6 - but they headed it in the wrong direction, bouncing it off the noggin by Rys into the goal for Sackets. One problem... time ran out about a second before the ball went through. The head connected with the ball just before the buzzer went off, and according to fútbol rules, the ball's gotta go through by the time it hits all zeroes. A second late = South Lewis improves to 2-5-1 with their 2-1 W over 3-6 Sackets Harbor.
#NumbersDontLie - Pretty evenly matched. Shots were nearly dead-even, as were saves. Like Thursday, the only noticeable difference is non-save keeper touches. South Lewis GK Miranda Rys cleared the air 10 times with non-save GK touches to go with the 7 saves she's credited for. Sackets GK Lauren Harrienger had the same amount of saves, but only 3 non-save touches. How even this game was can be shown in the stats.
Shots - South Lewis 9, Sackets Harbor 8
Corners - Sackets 4, South Lewis 1
Saves - 7 apiece
GK Touches - South Lewis 10, Sackets Harbor 3
Goal Kicks - South Lewis 9, Sackets Harbor 6
9/26 Most Valuable Thoughts: Remsen/Holland Patent Girls Soccer
Remsen 4, Holland Patent 2
Remsen may not have the O'Connors, and Lizzy Swasey may be up at their neighbors to the north... but they're still pretty damn good.
It didn't take long for me to see that, either. Got there about 6 minutes into the game. I remember hitting a Remsen/HP game last season where it took until very late in the game for someone to get on the board. Joleen Marfone made sure that wasn't the case this season. 12:16 into the game, she was able to get a foot on an Elisha Hamilton cross and put it past HP keeper Nikki Lupia-Eannace. I actually put the camera down too because I saw the cross and didn't think anything was going to happen... that was stupid. I forgot she was good for a second. My bad. Holland Patent, a very young team this season and one that's come across streaks of bad luck through September, wasn't going to go away. Ashley Stanley, one of the few seniors, was awarded a direct kick from 25 yards out a few minutes after. She kinda sorta upper 90'd it. It wasn't clean (hit the back of the post as it went through the top left corner of goal), but damn, it still looked solid to me! With that goal, HP tied it at 1 with 21:52 left in the 1st half...
But that was the last tie of this game. With 8:21 left in the half, the Lady Rams reasserted themselves, Marfone once again doing the honors. She had a beautiful one-touch strike from 20 yards out off a pass from Hailey Murray. Just as Stanley's previous goal was - the keeper had no shot. They went into the half with that 2-1 score - Holland Patent's coach seemed slightly unhappy and really animated from 150 yards away in their huddle. It didn't work. With 27:14 left, Elisha Hamilton knocked one through off a Remsen corner to give them a 3-1 lead. If Hamilton's tally wasn't insurance enough, Joleen Marfone's hat trick finisher with 19:31 left should be. She found the corner of the net in the middle of a scrum near goal off a cross. Ashley Stanley got herself goal #2 with 2:27 left, one that Remsen's backup GK, now in at this point, kinda just looked at as it went through because she realized there wasn't a chance. Too little, too late for Holland Patent. Remsen was able to run out the clock without the game getting any closer, and the Class D school went into the home of the B and came out with a W.
#NumbersDontLie - stats were actually pretty even. Remsen outshot Holland Patent by a minimal margin. Not much to talk about. Low save numbers, etc. The only glaring difference was non-save goalkeeper touches, where Holland Patent's keeper had to clear the air 6 times in non-save situations, along with the 3 saves she made. Remsen's keeper only saw the ball twice, one being a save.
Shots - Remsen 11, Holland Patent 9
Corners - Holland Patent 2, Remsen 1
Saves - Holland Patent 3, Remsen 1
GK Touches - Holland Patent 6, Remsen 1
Goal Kicks - Remsen 11, Holland Patent 5
(these stats do not include anything that happened in the first 6 minutes)
Remsen may not have the O'Connors, and Lizzy Swasey may be up at their neighbors to the north... but they're still pretty damn good.
It didn't take long for me to see that, either. Got there about 6 minutes into the game. I remember hitting a Remsen/HP game last season where it took until very late in the game for someone to get on the board. Joleen Marfone made sure that wasn't the case this season. 12:16 into the game, she was able to get a foot on an Elisha Hamilton cross and put it past HP keeper Nikki Lupia-Eannace. I actually put the camera down too because I saw the cross and didn't think anything was going to happen... that was stupid. I forgot she was good for a second. My bad. Holland Patent, a very young team this season and one that's come across streaks of bad luck through September, wasn't going to go away. Ashley Stanley, one of the few seniors, was awarded a direct kick from 25 yards out a few minutes after. She kinda sorta upper 90'd it. It wasn't clean (hit the back of the post as it went through the top left corner of goal), but damn, it still looked solid to me! With that goal, HP tied it at 1 with 21:52 left in the 1st half...
But that was the last tie of this game. With 8:21 left in the half, the Lady Rams reasserted themselves, Marfone once again doing the honors. She had a beautiful one-touch strike from 20 yards out off a pass from Hailey Murray. Just as Stanley's previous goal was - the keeper had no shot. They went into the half with that 2-1 score - Holland Patent's coach seemed slightly unhappy and really animated from 150 yards away in their huddle. It didn't work. With 27:14 left, Elisha Hamilton knocked one through off a Remsen corner to give them a 3-1 lead. If Hamilton's tally wasn't insurance enough, Joleen Marfone's hat trick finisher with 19:31 left should be. She found the corner of the net in the middle of a scrum near goal off a cross. Ashley Stanley got herself goal #2 with 2:27 left, one that Remsen's backup GK, now in at this point, kinda just looked at as it went through because she realized there wasn't a chance. Too little, too late for Holland Patent. Remsen was able to run out the clock without the game getting any closer, and the Class D school went into the home of the B and came out with a W.
#NumbersDontLie - stats were actually pretty even. Remsen outshot Holland Patent by a minimal margin. Not much to talk about. Low save numbers, etc. The only glaring difference was non-save goalkeeper touches, where Holland Patent's keeper had to clear the air 6 times in non-save situations, along with the 3 saves she made. Remsen's keeper only saw the ball twice, one being a save.
Shots - Remsen 11, Holland Patent 9
Corners - Holland Patent 2, Remsen 1
Saves - Holland Patent 3, Remsen 1
GK Touches - Holland Patent 6, Remsen 1
Goal Kicks - Remsen 11, Holland Patent 5
(these stats do not include anything that happened in the first 6 minutes)
Monday, September 23, 2013
Ballin' Out - Section 3 Football Week 3
Funny bit of irony here - the song coming through my headphones as I start this is "Ordinary People" by John Legend - however, none of these kids were just ordinary people this weekend.
No one had absolutely staggering numbers this week, so it wasn't a no-brainer. Dashon Taylor stepped in for West Genny at QB and put in work. Kevin Warmack put in work for Notre Dame. Austin Mills did the same for Herkimer, with 4 1st half TDs. They were all in blowouts. Hell, I could mention Homer's O-line. They beat Chittenango while passing for 0 yards... but rushing for 447. How about Holland Patent's defense? I mean, I think a couple Frankfort parents even ran for 100 yards on them Friday night. However, we can only pick one 'Ballin Out' Athlete of the Week. So... congratulations to:
Romero Collier. The Henninger QB and the aforementioned Taylor had a lot of similarities. Both 1st week starting QBs in AA schools. Both threw for 4 TDs. Taylor actually had a better completion percentage and more yards. However, sometimes it's not just about the numbers. Collier stepped into the QB role, bumping previous QB Keisean Scott over to WR. 3 of Collier's 4 TD passes were to Scott. Romero gets the nod for these reasons: first, the nature of the game. West Genny is better than Central Square, would've smacked them if it was just the Naes Howard show, and put up 48 points at half. Henninger was playing city rival Corcoran, had a lead, gave it up, and needed 4th quarter work from Collier to secure the W. Squandering a 15 point lead, Henninger found themselves down 28-27 in the 4th quarter. Collier then connected with Scott again - 4th of the day, 3rd to him. The rivalry and the late-game strong work was big. Second, the other stats. Collier did more than just throw the ball. He only completed 5 passes - but 4 TDs out of 5 completions isn't a bad percentage, is it? He went 5/12 for 102 yards, 4 TDs, and 2 picks. However, he made up for those 2 picks by picking off 2 passes defensively himself. In addition, Collier rushed for 82 yards on 11 carries, just under 7.5 yards per carry. In a close game against a rival as a 1st week QB, I'll take that any day. And there may be an excuse for the 5/12 - reason #3. It was raining. That makes things a little bit more difficult when it comes to throwing the football - again, especially as a 1st week QB. For all of these reasons, our Ballin' Out Athlete of the Week for Week 3 of the Section 3 Football season goes to Henninger junior QB Romero Collier. Congrats, boss.
No one had absolutely staggering numbers this week, so it wasn't a no-brainer. Dashon Taylor stepped in for West Genny at QB and put in work. Kevin Warmack put in work for Notre Dame. Austin Mills did the same for Herkimer, with 4 1st half TDs. They were all in blowouts. Hell, I could mention Homer's O-line. They beat Chittenango while passing for 0 yards... but rushing for 447. How about Holland Patent's defense? I mean, I think a couple Frankfort parents even ran for 100 yards on them Friday night. However, we can only pick one 'Ballin Out' Athlete of the Week. So... congratulations to:
Romero Collier. The Henninger QB and the aforementioned Taylor had a lot of similarities. Both 1st week starting QBs in AA schools. Both threw for 4 TDs. Taylor actually had a better completion percentage and more yards. However, sometimes it's not just about the numbers. Collier stepped into the QB role, bumping previous QB Keisean Scott over to WR. 3 of Collier's 4 TD passes were to Scott. Romero gets the nod for these reasons: first, the nature of the game. West Genny is better than Central Square, would've smacked them if it was just the Naes Howard show, and put up 48 points at half. Henninger was playing city rival Corcoran, had a lead, gave it up, and needed 4th quarter work from Collier to secure the W. Squandering a 15 point lead, Henninger found themselves down 28-27 in the 4th quarter. Collier then connected with Scott again - 4th of the day, 3rd to him. The rivalry and the late-game strong work was big. Second, the other stats. Collier did more than just throw the ball. He only completed 5 passes - but 4 TDs out of 5 completions isn't a bad percentage, is it? He went 5/12 for 102 yards, 4 TDs, and 2 picks. However, he made up for those 2 picks by picking off 2 passes defensively himself. In addition, Collier rushed for 82 yards on 11 carries, just under 7.5 yards per carry. In a close game against a rival as a 1st week QB, I'll take that any day. And there may be an excuse for the 5/12 - reason #3. It was raining. That makes things a little bit more difficult when it comes to throwing the football - again, especially as a 1st week QB. For all of these reasons, our Ballin' Out Athlete of the Week for Week 3 of the Section 3 Football season goes to Henninger junior QB Romero Collier. Congrats, boss.
Sunday, September 22, 2013
The Recap & The Precap
This Past Week - unfortunately fell a little behind. Sickness put me under - only got to 3 games personally. 18 for the season. Goal is still 100 over the fall, so it's time to pick it up. All 3 games were close - however, none of them were great to watch. Hopefully that will change this week.
The Week Ahead - Really girls soccer heavy. Also pretty Syracuse heavy. This week could include at least 2 and possibly even 3 'Cuse area trips. Where exactly?... You'll see. Let's put it this way. I'm looking as far west as Solvay/Liverpool area, as far north as South Lewis, and as far in West Bumf... you get me... as Fabius-Pompey. This could be a big few days... possibly 15 games, including 5 on Saturday. That will either kill me or be a lot of fun.
MVT might be out your way very soon. Let us know if you want us at your game - it might happen!
The Week Ahead - Really girls soccer heavy. Also pretty Syracuse heavy. This week could include at least 2 and possibly even 3 'Cuse area trips. Where exactly?... You'll see. Let's put it this way. I'm looking as far west as Solvay/Liverpool area, as far north as South Lewis, and as far in West Bumf... you get me... as Fabius-Pompey. This could be a big few days... possibly 15 games, including 5 on Saturday. That will either kill me or be a lot of fun.
MVT might be out your way very soon. Let us know if you want us at your game - it might happen!
Section 3 Football Roundup - Saturday, September 21
The vast majority of Week 3's games were Friday night specials - only 7 Saturday games. Keeping in the same vein as the night before, a lot of high scoring. Westmoreland dropped 61, Notre Dame hit 55, Dolgeville fell just short of 50. However, a couple close ones too. Here comes the rundown.
AA
Henninger 35, Corcoran 28 - Romero Collier's more than a point guard. He's got the QB gene in him, too. He threw for 4 TDs on the day, 3 of them to Keisean Scott. Scott also returned a kick 85 yards to the house, and Henninger, although losing their lead at one point in the 4th quarter, came back to score the last 8 points and improve to 2-1 on the season. Roy Bell had a hand in all 4 Corcoran TDs - 1 in the air, 3 on the ground - and they're also now 2-1.
C
Notre Dame 55, Little Falls 13 - No words needed, but that would be unprofessional. All 55 of the Juggler points came in the first 3 quarters. Kevin Warmack threw for a TD & ran for TDs of 1, 16, and 47 yards, and Alex Kondzielawa ran for a pair of scores as well. ND 2-1, Little Falls not.
Port Byron 18, Jordan-Elbridge 14 - Panthers' victory about as bittersweet as Kanye's poetry (I like you if you get that). Port Byron's guy, RB Cormac Green, struck for a 24 yard TD run, but proceeded to injure his knee in the 2nd quarter. However, the home team was able to pull it together and get their 1st W of the season. They're rewarded with taking on a game Canastota team next week...
Clinton 34, LaFayette/Fabius-Pompey 6 - Never thought I'd be saying this, but Clinton improves to 2-1 with this W. LaF-P scored first, but Clinton scored most. Mac Moquin ran for a pair of TDs - from 65 and 37 yards out, to be exact. Both teams 2-1.
D
New York Mills 16, Oriskany 15 - Check the article below about this one.
Dolgeville a lot, Cooperstown not a lot - Ok. Just having fun. 49-6 final. Reid Johnson threw for a pair of TDs, Kasey Foster hit the end zone twice on the ground, and Devin Coonradt eclipsed the 100 yard plateau while putting 6 on the board himself. Coop didn't score until late, and according to a trusted source there, it was never a game. I could've figured that one out.
Westmoreland 61, Beaver River 28 - Hey guess what? They're tough. Still somewhat of a game at halftime, the Bulldogs exploded for 26 in the 3rd quarter to make it 48-7 with 12 minutes left. Tyler Deveans threw for a pair of TD passes, one an 85 yard connection to fellow Tyler, Tyler Taverne, and the other a 26 yarder to Tim Harrison, who ran for 2 himself (84 yarder on the 1st play of a drive and an 8 yarder). Deveans ran for a TD as well.
We're going to be doing our own little Athlete of the Week for Section 3 Football - check back Monday night for the article. Happy reading!
AA
Henninger 35, Corcoran 28 - Romero Collier's more than a point guard. He's got the QB gene in him, too. He threw for 4 TDs on the day, 3 of them to Keisean Scott. Scott also returned a kick 85 yards to the house, and Henninger, although losing their lead at one point in the 4th quarter, came back to score the last 8 points and improve to 2-1 on the season. Roy Bell had a hand in all 4 Corcoran TDs - 1 in the air, 3 on the ground - and they're also now 2-1.
C
Notre Dame 55, Little Falls 13 - No words needed, but that would be unprofessional. All 55 of the Juggler points came in the first 3 quarters. Kevin Warmack threw for a TD & ran for TDs of 1, 16, and 47 yards, and Alex Kondzielawa ran for a pair of scores as well. ND 2-1, Little Falls not.
Port Byron 18, Jordan-Elbridge 14 - Panthers' victory about as bittersweet as Kanye's poetry (I like you if you get that). Port Byron's guy, RB Cormac Green, struck for a 24 yard TD run, but proceeded to injure his knee in the 2nd quarter. However, the home team was able to pull it together and get their 1st W of the season. They're rewarded with taking on a game Canastota team next week...
Clinton 34, LaFayette/Fabius-Pompey 6 - Never thought I'd be saying this, but Clinton improves to 2-1 with this W. LaF-P scored first, but Clinton scored most. Mac Moquin ran for a pair of TDs - from 65 and 37 yards out, to be exact. Both teams 2-1.
D
New York Mills 16, Oriskany 15 - Check the article below about this one.
Dolgeville a lot, Cooperstown not a lot - Ok. Just having fun. 49-6 final. Reid Johnson threw for a pair of TDs, Kasey Foster hit the end zone twice on the ground, and Devin Coonradt eclipsed the 100 yard plateau while putting 6 on the board himself. Coop didn't score until late, and according to a trusted source there, it was never a game. I could've figured that one out.
Westmoreland 61, Beaver River 28 - Hey guess what? They're tough. Still somewhat of a game at halftime, the Bulldogs exploded for 26 in the 3rd quarter to make it 48-7 with 12 minutes left. Tyler Deveans threw for a pair of TD passes, one an 85 yard connection to fellow Tyler, Tyler Taverne, and the other a 26 yarder to Tim Harrison, who ran for 2 himself (84 yarder on the 1st play of a drive and an 8 yarder). Deveans ran for a TD as well.
We're going to be doing our own little Athlete of the Week for Section 3 Football - check back Monday night for the article. Happy reading!
9/21 Most Valuable Thoughts: New York Mills/Oriskany Football
It took until Saturday for us to cover a full game this week - skipped out on OT of a Wednesday game, and caught just the 2nd half of a Friday game. One thing they all had in common - they were all close. Not necessarily good, but close. This one, though, was probably the best of the three. Plus the rain held off. That's good, right?
Well, NYM/Oriskany is what I would like to call a rivalry reborn... or renamed. The rivalry has never died, but this installment was the 1st annual.. wait for it... "Maraudskin Bowl". I need to touch on that before I get to the game. That's the worst name I've ever heard. I don't care if one team is the Marauders & one is the Redskins. APW & Pulaski have a name for their game - APW is the Rebels, Pulaski is the Blue Devils. That game isn't the Blue Rebel Bowl... it's another odd, but cool name. The Salmon Cup. Makes sense - Salmon River connection, fish hatchery in the area, yadda yadda. Maraudskin? Sounds like a skin disease... but I digress. To the game...
Oriskany started off the game looking MUCH improved from the other time I've seen them - a 47-0 beatdown at the hands of the aforementioned Pulaski. After forcing NYM into a turnover on downs, Oriskany used an 8 play, 66 yard drive to get on the board first, and in doing so, they took their first lead of the season. Sophomore QB Ethan Juarez hit Craig Whittaker for a 34 yard TD connection. In that drive, QB turned halfback Tyler Tarkowski had a 14 yard pickup on his first carry, but went down with what may have been a high ankle sprain - either that or lower leg issue. He tried to return, but didn't last more than a couple plays. This threw another sophomore, Shamis Lasher, into a larger role. Did it have an impact on the game? We may never know... the extra point - fun fact, the only attempted one of the day - was ugly enough not to have an alibi, but it went through to give Oriskany a 7-0 lead with 5:46 left in the 1st quarter. That lead, however, did not last long. On a free-flowing NYM ensuing drive that went 79 yards in 7 plays that took just over 2 minutes, QB Zach Griffith had easily his best drive of the game. He went 3/3 for 68 yards, including a 57 yard strike to Terry Nichols (the son of... Terry Nichols), and he had 3 rushes for 13 yards, including a 1 yard TD run on a bootleg that he might have been able to run in for a score if they were on the other 1 yard line. Only one on his side of the field. The 2-point conversion was good (another Griffith to Nichols hookup - as were all of them on the drive), which gave Mills an 8-7 lead with 3 and a half to play in the 1st. Teams traded 3 & outs for a few minutes before NYM struck again. On the play directly after a 43 yard punt return TD by Nichols was called back due to a block in the back, NYM running back Tevin Pham broke through everyone, ran through people's legs, under arms, the whole bit, and busted out for a 44 yard TD run. Another conversion was bueno, and Mills took a 16-7 lead with just .3 seconds showing in the 1st quarter. The Marauders outgained the Redskins throughout the 1st half, but their drives stalled with a pair of turnovers on downs & an interception in the 2nd, while Oriskany really just couldn't get the ball moving until late in the half - where they had a pass picked off themselves. The score remained the same at half, and through the end of the 3rd quarter, for that matter. Between 3 & outs, quickly stalled drives, and turnovers, that wasn't the most entertaining 12 minutes I've ever seen. Only 4 first downs in the 3rd - and one was because of a pair of offsides calls against New York Mills.
However, the 4th quarter picked up. Oriskany had its chances. Much like their Rt. 69 neighbor Whitesboro on Friday, they had great field position. In the 4th, their drives started at the Mills 36 and 28 respectively. After Ryan Lockwood forced a Griffith fumble, which was recovered by Ryan Enos of Oriskany, and a 19 yd completion from Juarez to Erik Buckingham, the Redskins looked ready. However, a holding penalty and a pass intercepted in the red zone by Terry Nichols switched that up. Juarez made up for it on the next drive, hitting Shamis Lasher for a 24 yard gain on 3rd & 14 to make it 1st & goal. Mills bailed the Redskins out twice in a row once there - first with a roughing the passer on an incompletion, and 2nd with a face mask on a 2 yard loss. However, Oriskany didn't do anything with it until 4th down, where Ryan Enos hit Devin Bryant on an option pass from 8 yards out. The conversion was good, making the score 16-15 in favor of NYM with over 4 minutes to go. The Marauders would make sure Oriskany didn't get another chance. NYM's offense, which had been incredibly stagnant throughout the 2nd half, got moving late, behind Pham's 22 yards on 5 carries and 2 first downs on the drive, along with Griffith's 2 completions for 17 yards and the game-clinching 1st down - a 9 yard completion to a covered Griffin Baur on 3rd & 8. New York Mills improves to 2-1 on the season, and Oriskany is still looking for their 1st W, dropping to 0-3.
QB Battle - Unofficially, I have Zach Griffith (NYM) at 14/31 for 163 yards and a pick. He also rushed 3 times for 13 yards and a TD (all on one drive). He was sacked 3 times for a loss of 34 yards, and lost a fumble in the process. For Oriskany, Ethan Juarez went 8/25 for 123 yards, a TD, and 3 picks; he also rushed the ball 12 times for 16 yards. Enos threw the other TD pass.
Everyone Else - Tevin Pham (NYM) rushed the ball 21 times for a total of 113 yards, including the 44 yard TD scamper. Terry Nichols (NYM) caught 6 passes for 84 yards. Shamis Lasher (Oriskany) had 26 yards on 11 carries - lost 6 yards in the 2nd half. He also caught the 24 yard pass to set up 1st & goal on their 2nd scoring drive. Craig Whittaker (Oriskany) was their leading receiver, catching 3 passes for 61 yards, including the opening TD. New York Mills outgained Oriskany, not including penalty or return yards, 251-189. However, neither had much doing in the 2nd half. Oriskany gained 73 yards after intermission, and NYM managed only 23. As a matter of fact, they were held to -16 before their final drive.
Well, NYM/Oriskany is what I would like to call a rivalry reborn... or renamed. The rivalry has never died, but this installment was the 1st annual.. wait for it... "Maraudskin Bowl". I need to touch on that before I get to the game. That's the worst name I've ever heard. I don't care if one team is the Marauders & one is the Redskins. APW & Pulaski have a name for their game - APW is the Rebels, Pulaski is the Blue Devils. That game isn't the Blue Rebel Bowl... it's another odd, but cool name. The Salmon Cup. Makes sense - Salmon River connection, fish hatchery in the area, yadda yadda. Maraudskin? Sounds like a skin disease... but I digress. To the game...
Oriskany started off the game looking MUCH improved from the other time I've seen them - a 47-0 beatdown at the hands of the aforementioned Pulaski. After forcing NYM into a turnover on downs, Oriskany used an 8 play, 66 yard drive to get on the board first, and in doing so, they took their first lead of the season. Sophomore QB Ethan Juarez hit Craig Whittaker for a 34 yard TD connection. In that drive, QB turned halfback Tyler Tarkowski had a 14 yard pickup on his first carry, but went down with what may have been a high ankle sprain - either that or lower leg issue. He tried to return, but didn't last more than a couple plays. This threw another sophomore, Shamis Lasher, into a larger role. Did it have an impact on the game? We may never know... the extra point - fun fact, the only attempted one of the day - was ugly enough not to have an alibi, but it went through to give Oriskany a 7-0 lead with 5:46 left in the 1st quarter. That lead, however, did not last long. On a free-flowing NYM ensuing drive that went 79 yards in 7 plays that took just over 2 minutes, QB Zach Griffith had easily his best drive of the game. He went 3/3 for 68 yards, including a 57 yard strike to Terry Nichols (the son of... Terry Nichols), and he had 3 rushes for 13 yards, including a 1 yard TD run on a bootleg that he might have been able to run in for a score if they were on the other 1 yard line. Only one on his side of the field. The 2-point conversion was good (another Griffith to Nichols hookup - as were all of them on the drive), which gave Mills an 8-7 lead with 3 and a half to play in the 1st. Teams traded 3 & outs for a few minutes before NYM struck again. On the play directly after a 43 yard punt return TD by Nichols was called back due to a block in the back, NYM running back Tevin Pham broke through everyone, ran through people's legs, under arms, the whole bit, and busted out for a 44 yard TD run. Another conversion was bueno, and Mills took a 16-7 lead with just .3 seconds showing in the 1st quarter. The Marauders outgained the Redskins throughout the 1st half, but their drives stalled with a pair of turnovers on downs & an interception in the 2nd, while Oriskany really just couldn't get the ball moving until late in the half - where they had a pass picked off themselves. The score remained the same at half, and through the end of the 3rd quarter, for that matter. Between 3 & outs, quickly stalled drives, and turnovers, that wasn't the most entertaining 12 minutes I've ever seen. Only 4 first downs in the 3rd - and one was because of a pair of offsides calls against New York Mills.
However, the 4th quarter picked up. Oriskany had its chances. Much like their Rt. 69 neighbor Whitesboro on Friday, they had great field position. In the 4th, their drives started at the Mills 36 and 28 respectively. After Ryan Lockwood forced a Griffith fumble, which was recovered by Ryan Enos of Oriskany, and a 19 yd completion from Juarez to Erik Buckingham, the Redskins looked ready. However, a holding penalty and a pass intercepted in the red zone by Terry Nichols switched that up. Juarez made up for it on the next drive, hitting Shamis Lasher for a 24 yard gain on 3rd & 14 to make it 1st & goal. Mills bailed the Redskins out twice in a row once there - first with a roughing the passer on an incompletion, and 2nd with a face mask on a 2 yard loss. However, Oriskany didn't do anything with it until 4th down, where Ryan Enos hit Devin Bryant on an option pass from 8 yards out. The conversion was good, making the score 16-15 in favor of NYM with over 4 minutes to go. The Marauders would make sure Oriskany didn't get another chance. NYM's offense, which had been incredibly stagnant throughout the 2nd half, got moving late, behind Pham's 22 yards on 5 carries and 2 first downs on the drive, along with Griffith's 2 completions for 17 yards and the game-clinching 1st down - a 9 yard completion to a covered Griffin Baur on 3rd & 8. New York Mills improves to 2-1 on the season, and Oriskany is still looking for their 1st W, dropping to 0-3.
QB Battle - Unofficially, I have Zach Griffith (NYM) at 14/31 for 163 yards and a pick. He also rushed 3 times for 13 yards and a TD (all on one drive). He was sacked 3 times for a loss of 34 yards, and lost a fumble in the process. For Oriskany, Ethan Juarez went 8/25 for 123 yards, a TD, and 3 picks; he also rushed the ball 12 times for 16 yards. Enos threw the other TD pass.
Everyone Else - Tevin Pham (NYM) rushed the ball 21 times for a total of 113 yards, including the 44 yard TD scamper. Terry Nichols (NYM) caught 6 passes for 84 yards. Shamis Lasher (Oriskany) had 26 yards on 11 carries - lost 6 yards in the 2nd half. He also caught the 24 yard pass to set up 1st & goal on their 2nd scoring drive. Craig Whittaker (Oriskany) was their leading receiver, catching 3 passes for 61 yards, including the opening TD. New York Mills outgained Oriskany, not including penalty or return yards, 251-189. However, neither had much doing in the 2nd half. Oriskany gained 73 yards after intermission, and NYM managed only 23. As a matter of fact, they were held to -16 before their final drive.
Friday, September 20, 2013
Section 3 Football Roundup - Friday, September 20
Something like 31 games tonight, so let's get going.
By the numbers - blowout city. Only 3 games were decided by less than 10 points. Indian River 14-7 over Whitesboro, Camden 35-26 over CVA, and of course, the RFA/Proctor overtime special (47-46 RFA). High scorers of the week went to West Genesee & Weedsport, who each put up 62. Frankfort wasn't far off, with 60, Sandy Creek put 57 in the mix, and Skaneateles added 51... with a backup QB. Watertown, Nottingham, Onondaga, Adirondack, and APW are wishing they shared the love - they got the goose egg tonight due to New Hartford, Shaker, ITC, IHC, and Pulaski, respectively. 21 out of 31 games had at least 1 team score 30, so if you ask me... defense was optional on this beautiful Friday. This, to me, is also most certainly rivalry weekend, with Proctor/RFA, Oneida/VVS, a new one in Sauquoit/Waterville, NYM/Oriskany, among others all going down between tonight and tomorrow. Just mentioned Proctor/RFA final. Waterville got the W over Sauquoit to make up for last year, 26-6. Oneida cracked VVS 37-13, & NYM/Oriskany will be tomorrow at 2.
AA
West Genesee 62, Central Square 21 - This one wasn't just the Naes Howard show... scary. Dashon Turner threw for 232 & 4 TDs in his 1st start as QB, and gave Howard a "light" night (136 on 13 carries & 2 TDs). The Camillus boys put up 48 in the first half.
Liverpool 21, Auburn 10 - Auburn scored the 1st 10 in this one, shutting out the Pool until the 3rd quarter.. but that's why they play 4 quarters. Justin Capoto threw for a TD & ran for another for Liverpool, now 2-1.
Fayetteville-Manlius 49, Baldwinsville 37 - More like a girls basketball score. Battle of the QBs - Gage Blasi gave the Bees an aerial attack they're not known for, throwing for a TD in the process along with running for 2, but Jake Wittig threw for 4 Hornet scores in the W... along with kicking the extra points.
RFA 47, Proctor 46 (OT) - New York's oldest rivalry didn't disappoint, but the Raiders must be disappointed in letting this one go. They were up 19-0 after 1 and 26-14 at half, but RFA came back and completed it in the 1st OT. My Hometown Sports was there, and Angus Evans was the player of the game... so if you know what being that means... he won't be sleeping for a while. Monsters all around!
CBA 42, C-NS 21 - The Brothers started slow, but a 21 point 2nd quarter reversed that. 21-0 at half, and 2/3 of the Northstar points came in the 4th quarter when the game was already decided. Deshawn Salter ran for TD runs of 4, 2, 61, and 5 for this stacked CBA bunch.
A
East Syracuse-Minoa 40, Fowler 6 - Sean Richardson threw for a pair of TDs, and ES-M scored a variety of different ways with a variety of different players in this one. As a matter of fact, every time they scored, it was a different guy in the end zone.
Shaker 27, Nottingham 0 - Nottingham took the trip out to Section 2, and didn't come back with any points, let alone a W. At least maybe they got to see the pretty houses out that way. It was within reach up until the 4th quarter, where Shaker tacked on the last 13 of their points.
New Hartford 39, Watertown 0 - Since we're on the topic of shutouts... New Hartford didn't win once in about 2 years, and they've now won twice in 2 weeks. Nice turnaround. Stephen Tomaino scored the 1st 2 TDs with runs of 39 and 12 yards, and he finished with 107 rushing yards on 14 carries. He also caught 2 passes for 69 yards, giving him 176 total yards on the night.
Indian River 14, Whitesboro 7 - Live tweeted the 2nd half. This one was ugly. Possibly a separate short article on it. Deondre Grier scored the TD that proved to be the winner in the 3rd quarter. The home Warriors pissed away opportunity after opportunity that the visiting Warriors gave them. Jakese Crockett ran for 105 on 13 carries & a TD, a lot of those yards coming on the big scamper that set up Grier's plunge (who ran for 72 on 8 carries).
Carthage 27, Oswego 14 - The Comets scored 21 in the 2nd quarter to get the separation they needed. Baily Wilkinson ran 1 in and threw for 1 more - Carthage now 3-0, Oswego now.. the opposite.
Jamesville-Dewitt 42, Fulton 7 - Fulton scored in the 1st quarter, but that was that. J-D used the ground game - 1st 2 TDs on runs of 5 and 44 yards from Rasheed Baker, who finished with 195 yards on 24 carries. James Jones added 109 on 8 carries and a score.
B
Westhill 48, Solvay 6 - The Warriors systematically beat down the home team in this one. JaShai Jamison ran for TD runs of 5, 59, and 4, and Westhill runs their record to 2-1 with the W. Solvay hoping that K-Mart starts selling wins on their Blue Light Special, because they're looking for one.
Camden 35, CVA 26 - Illhawk was up at half, but the Blue Devils were able to come back and pick up a W they needed badly. Mykel Farley ran for 3 short TD runs for the Thunder, but Camden countered with Ryan McCarthy, who threw for 1 TD pass and ran for a pair from 56 & 70 yards out.
Homer 28, Chittenango 14 - Chittenango scored the 1st 14 tonight, but another comeback W on this Friday night here. Homer had something like 447 yards tonight... every single one of them on the ground. Sounds like Chittenango got sonned in the trenches. Shortest Homer TD run was 28 yards - Alec Bush ran for that and a 57 yarder, Gage Root ran one out from 31 yards, and Jake Casey took the cake with a 74 yarder.
Cortland 42, Phoenix 20 - Phoenix made the score look a little better in the 4th. Zachary Whelan ran for 118 on 11 carries & hit the end zone twice - Qadir Artis was even more efficient, rushing for 103 on just 6 carries and scoring from 50 yards out. Cortland now 2-1; Phoenix 0-3.
P.S. - Been listening to R&B this whole time, and I swear this John Legend will make me pass out by the time I get to Class D.
South Jefferson 36, Mexico 26 - Over 50% of the scoring was done in the 1st quarter, where South Jeff was up 20-14 after the first 12 minutes. Mexico actually enjoyed a 26-22 lead in the 3rd, but the visitors came back and handled that. Dylan Beckstead finished the night with 4 TDs on the ground. This was a battle of 2 teams that hadn't won yet.
Oneida 37, VVS 14 - This was the opposite - 2 early season unbeatens. Tied at 8 at halftime, but Oneida used a dominating 2nd half performance. This one sparked up some Twitter drama. Rory McCarthy threw for 2 TDs, Dylan Cafalone ran for 2 TDs, and Kyle George, proud member of the 2 first names club, caught a TD pass & returned a kick for a score.
C
Sherburne-Earlville 24, Mt. Markham 6 - This was actually the 1st TD Sherburne allowed this year - but they're still unbeaten. Every TD was scored by someone different, and the best numbers came from a guy who wasn't one of them. Brady Sopchak carried the ball 16 times & picked up 142 yards for a rough & tumble S-E team.
Frankfort-Schuyler 60, Holland Patent 35 - Another basketball score here - looks like what F-S wants. These high-scoring games. HP's uptempo offense seems to have played right into F-S' hands. Joe DeSarro threw for 2 TDs & 115 yards, and ran for 2 more TDs & 168 yards.. so using simple math, that's 283 total yards & 4 TDs. Mitchell Shortt ran for 182 on 24 carries & 3 scores, and Justin Kiesow added 152 & 2 TDs, including a 96 yard scamper.
Skaneateles 51, Hannibal 7 - No starting QB? No problem! Tyler Parr was out, so Devin Callahan went 11/15 for 114, but more importantly, threw for 3 TDs. Matt Lee added 143 on the ground off 11 carries & a score.
Tully 28, Cato-Meridian 14 - TDs come in pairs, right? Tully scored the first 2 off Jon Warner runs of 1 & 66. Cato scored the next 2 off a pair of 50 yard runs from Phil Schroeder. Tully completed the scoring with a pair of TDs that Nick Edinger had a hand in - running one from 10 yards out & throwing a 49 yard one. Tully now 2-1, Cato 1-2.
IHC 37, Adirondack 0 - Looks like they called off the dogs after getting up 23-0 in the 1st quarter. Michael Marra finished with 203 total yards - 110 on the ground (just 6 carries) and a rushing TD, and 93 receiving (just 1 catch) and a receiving TD. Haden Baker added 128 on 8 and a score.
Canastota 17, Bishop Ludden 7 - Atoning for a sectional loss last year, I see. Ludden scored first, but were shut out after the 1st quarter as the Raiders took home what you could call another comeback W. Jordan Miller ran for a TD & kicked a short FG for Canastota in the W.
* Now it's Musiq Soulchild. I am getting verrryyy sleeeepyyyyy..... just give me some Boyz II Men & a pendulum.
General Brown 34, Thousand Islands 19 - Closer than I would've expected. Jared Christopher ran for a pair of 1 yard TDs, and Zach Pitre rushed for a buck-60 on 15 carries & a score. The Lions of Dexter still unbeaten.
Pulaski 32, APW 0 - The Class D school takes home the Salmon Cup this year. Tom Taplin had a hand in 4 of Pulaski's 5 touchdowns - TD runs of 5, 2, and 80, and a 24 yard connection with Cody Mosher. A 20 point 3rd quarter put this one out of reach.
Lowville 20, WCV 7 - I wouldn't call this a rivalry, but another inter-class battle, this time won by the C school. It was 14-7 after 1... very nearly scoreless from then on. All 3 Lowville TDs were handled by a Malik - Cameron caught a 15 yarder & ran a 17 yarder, and Kyle ran one out from 28 yards.
Institute of Technology 41, Onondaga 0 - Not exactly the Mike Hart days for 'Daga anymore. ITC got 2 rushing TDs & a kickoff return TD from Josh Thomas in this blowout, which was 33-0 by the end of the 1st half. Tech is now 3-0 on the year, Onondaga... not so much.
D
Weedsport 62, Bishop Grimes 20 - 49-0 after 1 quarter. Yeah. Need I say more? No one was in the end zone all the time for Weedsport either - they spread the love, and are somehow under the radar as a very tough 3-0 squad.
Herkimer 35, Morrisville-Eaton/Hamilton 14 - MVTer Rob Drumm gave the updates of this one. It was 35-0 at half, and then the Magicians called off the dogs, letting the 2nd string in for the vast majority of the 2nd half. Austin Mills ran for TDs of 5, 30, 1, and 3, and Matt Borek had a fumble recovery that he turned into a touchdown as well.
Waterville 26, Sauquoit 6 - A quickly-brewing rivalry, this one also sparked some talk over 140 characters. No one had overwhelming numbers in this one. The defense left shining for H2Oville, who held SV scoreless until the 4th. Jon Piersma threw for a TD & ran for another in the W.
Sandy Creek 57, South Lewis 6 - Apparently, 4 of Sandy Creek's 9 TD came on defense & special teams - 3 punt returns & a pick return. Kyle Fayette had all the punt returns, along with 2 TD passes. Cameron Hall caught one of them, and then ran one in on his own.
Thank God the rundown is done... Lost Without You by Robin Thicke just came on. Zzzzzzzz......
We'll be back at it tomorrow! Until then... stay thirsty, my friends.
- Jeff
By the numbers - blowout city. Only 3 games were decided by less than 10 points. Indian River 14-7 over Whitesboro, Camden 35-26 over CVA, and of course, the RFA/Proctor overtime special (47-46 RFA). High scorers of the week went to West Genesee & Weedsport, who each put up 62. Frankfort wasn't far off, with 60, Sandy Creek put 57 in the mix, and Skaneateles added 51... with a backup QB. Watertown, Nottingham, Onondaga, Adirondack, and APW are wishing they shared the love - they got the goose egg tonight due to New Hartford, Shaker, ITC, IHC, and Pulaski, respectively. 21 out of 31 games had at least 1 team score 30, so if you ask me... defense was optional on this beautiful Friday. This, to me, is also most certainly rivalry weekend, with Proctor/RFA, Oneida/VVS, a new one in Sauquoit/Waterville, NYM/Oriskany, among others all going down between tonight and tomorrow. Just mentioned Proctor/RFA final. Waterville got the W over Sauquoit to make up for last year, 26-6. Oneida cracked VVS 37-13, & NYM/Oriskany will be tomorrow at 2.
AA
West Genesee 62, Central Square 21 - This one wasn't just the Naes Howard show... scary. Dashon Turner threw for 232 & 4 TDs in his 1st start as QB, and gave Howard a "light" night (136 on 13 carries & 2 TDs). The Camillus boys put up 48 in the first half.
Liverpool 21, Auburn 10 - Auburn scored the 1st 10 in this one, shutting out the Pool until the 3rd quarter.. but that's why they play 4 quarters. Justin Capoto threw for a TD & ran for another for Liverpool, now 2-1.
Fayetteville-Manlius 49, Baldwinsville 37 - More like a girls basketball score. Battle of the QBs - Gage Blasi gave the Bees an aerial attack they're not known for, throwing for a TD in the process along with running for 2, but Jake Wittig threw for 4 Hornet scores in the W... along with kicking the extra points.
RFA 47, Proctor 46 (OT) - New York's oldest rivalry didn't disappoint, but the Raiders must be disappointed in letting this one go. They were up 19-0 after 1 and 26-14 at half, but RFA came back and completed it in the 1st OT. My Hometown Sports was there, and Angus Evans was the player of the game... so if you know what being that means... he won't be sleeping for a while. Monsters all around!
CBA 42, C-NS 21 - The Brothers started slow, but a 21 point 2nd quarter reversed that. 21-0 at half, and 2/3 of the Northstar points came in the 4th quarter when the game was already decided. Deshawn Salter ran for TD runs of 4, 2, 61, and 5 for this stacked CBA bunch.
A
East Syracuse-Minoa 40, Fowler 6 - Sean Richardson threw for a pair of TDs, and ES-M scored a variety of different ways with a variety of different players in this one. As a matter of fact, every time they scored, it was a different guy in the end zone.
Shaker 27, Nottingham 0 - Nottingham took the trip out to Section 2, and didn't come back with any points, let alone a W. At least maybe they got to see the pretty houses out that way. It was within reach up until the 4th quarter, where Shaker tacked on the last 13 of their points.
New Hartford 39, Watertown 0 - Since we're on the topic of shutouts... New Hartford didn't win once in about 2 years, and they've now won twice in 2 weeks. Nice turnaround. Stephen Tomaino scored the 1st 2 TDs with runs of 39 and 12 yards, and he finished with 107 rushing yards on 14 carries. He also caught 2 passes for 69 yards, giving him 176 total yards on the night.
Indian River 14, Whitesboro 7 - Live tweeted the 2nd half. This one was ugly. Possibly a separate short article on it. Deondre Grier scored the TD that proved to be the winner in the 3rd quarter. The home Warriors pissed away opportunity after opportunity that the visiting Warriors gave them. Jakese Crockett ran for 105 on 13 carries & a TD, a lot of those yards coming on the big scamper that set up Grier's plunge (who ran for 72 on 8 carries).
Carthage 27, Oswego 14 - The Comets scored 21 in the 2nd quarter to get the separation they needed. Baily Wilkinson ran 1 in and threw for 1 more - Carthage now 3-0, Oswego now.. the opposite.
Jamesville-Dewitt 42, Fulton 7 - Fulton scored in the 1st quarter, but that was that. J-D used the ground game - 1st 2 TDs on runs of 5 and 44 yards from Rasheed Baker, who finished with 195 yards on 24 carries. James Jones added 109 on 8 carries and a score.
B
Westhill 48, Solvay 6 - The Warriors systematically beat down the home team in this one. JaShai Jamison ran for TD runs of 5, 59, and 4, and Westhill runs their record to 2-1 with the W. Solvay hoping that K-Mart starts selling wins on their Blue Light Special, because they're looking for one.
Camden 35, CVA 26 - Illhawk was up at half, but the Blue Devils were able to come back and pick up a W they needed badly. Mykel Farley ran for 3 short TD runs for the Thunder, but Camden countered with Ryan McCarthy, who threw for 1 TD pass and ran for a pair from 56 & 70 yards out.
Homer 28, Chittenango 14 - Chittenango scored the 1st 14 tonight, but another comeback W on this Friday night here. Homer had something like 447 yards tonight... every single one of them on the ground. Sounds like Chittenango got sonned in the trenches. Shortest Homer TD run was 28 yards - Alec Bush ran for that and a 57 yarder, Gage Root ran one out from 31 yards, and Jake Casey took the cake with a 74 yarder.
Cortland 42, Phoenix 20 - Phoenix made the score look a little better in the 4th. Zachary Whelan ran for 118 on 11 carries & hit the end zone twice - Qadir Artis was even more efficient, rushing for 103 on just 6 carries and scoring from 50 yards out. Cortland now 2-1; Phoenix 0-3.
P.S. - Been listening to R&B this whole time, and I swear this John Legend will make me pass out by the time I get to Class D.
South Jefferson 36, Mexico 26 - Over 50% of the scoring was done in the 1st quarter, where South Jeff was up 20-14 after the first 12 minutes. Mexico actually enjoyed a 26-22 lead in the 3rd, but the visitors came back and handled that. Dylan Beckstead finished the night with 4 TDs on the ground. This was a battle of 2 teams that hadn't won yet.
Oneida 37, VVS 14 - This was the opposite - 2 early season unbeatens. Tied at 8 at halftime, but Oneida used a dominating 2nd half performance. This one sparked up some Twitter drama. Rory McCarthy threw for 2 TDs, Dylan Cafalone ran for 2 TDs, and Kyle George, proud member of the 2 first names club, caught a TD pass & returned a kick for a score.
C
Sherburne-Earlville 24, Mt. Markham 6 - This was actually the 1st TD Sherburne allowed this year - but they're still unbeaten. Every TD was scored by someone different, and the best numbers came from a guy who wasn't one of them. Brady Sopchak carried the ball 16 times & picked up 142 yards for a rough & tumble S-E team.
Frankfort-Schuyler 60, Holland Patent 35 - Another basketball score here - looks like what F-S wants. These high-scoring games. HP's uptempo offense seems to have played right into F-S' hands. Joe DeSarro threw for 2 TDs & 115 yards, and ran for 2 more TDs & 168 yards.. so using simple math, that's 283 total yards & 4 TDs. Mitchell Shortt ran for 182 on 24 carries & 3 scores, and Justin Kiesow added 152 & 2 TDs, including a 96 yard scamper.
Skaneateles 51, Hannibal 7 - No starting QB? No problem! Tyler Parr was out, so Devin Callahan went 11/15 for 114, but more importantly, threw for 3 TDs. Matt Lee added 143 on the ground off 11 carries & a score.
Tully 28, Cato-Meridian 14 - TDs come in pairs, right? Tully scored the first 2 off Jon Warner runs of 1 & 66. Cato scored the next 2 off a pair of 50 yard runs from Phil Schroeder. Tully completed the scoring with a pair of TDs that Nick Edinger had a hand in - running one from 10 yards out & throwing a 49 yard one. Tully now 2-1, Cato 1-2.
IHC 37, Adirondack 0 - Looks like they called off the dogs after getting up 23-0 in the 1st quarter. Michael Marra finished with 203 total yards - 110 on the ground (just 6 carries) and a rushing TD, and 93 receiving (just 1 catch) and a receiving TD. Haden Baker added 128 on 8 and a score.
Canastota 17, Bishop Ludden 7 - Atoning for a sectional loss last year, I see. Ludden scored first, but were shut out after the 1st quarter as the Raiders took home what you could call another comeback W. Jordan Miller ran for a TD & kicked a short FG for Canastota in the W.
* Now it's Musiq Soulchild. I am getting verrryyy sleeeepyyyyy..... just give me some Boyz II Men & a pendulum.
General Brown 34, Thousand Islands 19 - Closer than I would've expected. Jared Christopher ran for a pair of 1 yard TDs, and Zach Pitre rushed for a buck-60 on 15 carries & a score. The Lions of Dexter still unbeaten.
Pulaski 32, APW 0 - The Class D school takes home the Salmon Cup this year. Tom Taplin had a hand in 4 of Pulaski's 5 touchdowns - TD runs of 5, 2, and 80, and a 24 yard connection with Cody Mosher. A 20 point 3rd quarter put this one out of reach.
Lowville 20, WCV 7 - I wouldn't call this a rivalry, but another inter-class battle, this time won by the C school. It was 14-7 after 1... very nearly scoreless from then on. All 3 Lowville TDs were handled by a Malik - Cameron caught a 15 yarder & ran a 17 yarder, and Kyle ran one out from 28 yards.
Institute of Technology 41, Onondaga 0 - Not exactly the Mike Hart days for 'Daga anymore. ITC got 2 rushing TDs & a kickoff return TD from Josh Thomas in this blowout, which was 33-0 by the end of the 1st half. Tech is now 3-0 on the year, Onondaga... not so much.
D
Weedsport 62, Bishop Grimes 20 - 49-0 after 1 quarter. Yeah. Need I say more? No one was in the end zone all the time for Weedsport either - they spread the love, and are somehow under the radar as a very tough 3-0 squad.
Herkimer 35, Morrisville-Eaton/Hamilton 14 - MVTer Rob Drumm gave the updates of this one. It was 35-0 at half, and then the Magicians called off the dogs, letting the 2nd string in for the vast majority of the 2nd half. Austin Mills ran for TDs of 5, 30, 1, and 3, and Matt Borek had a fumble recovery that he turned into a touchdown as well.
Waterville 26, Sauquoit 6 - A quickly-brewing rivalry, this one also sparked some talk over 140 characters. No one had overwhelming numbers in this one. The defense left shining for H2Oville, who held SV scoreless until the 4th. Jon Piersma threw for a TD & ran for another in the W.
Sandy Creek 57, South Lewis 6 - Apparently, 4 of Sandy Creek's 9 TD came on defense & special teams - 3 punt returns & a pick return. Kyle Fayette had all the punt returns, along with 2 TD passes. Cameron Hall caught one of them, and then ran one in on his own.
Thank God the rundown is done... Lost Without You by Robin Thicke just came on. Zzzzzzzz......
We'll be back at it tomorrow! Until then... stay thirsty, my friends.
- Jeff
Monday, September 16, 2013
The Week Ahead - 9/16 - 9/21
Another week in paradise. We'll be at a maximum of 13 games this week - 3 or 4 with limited coverage, including tonight. Here's the rundown.
Monday, 9/16 - I'm taking a break for the night.. everyone deserves one, right? However, Rob and Chris will be in Herkimer for their boys' soccer contest vs. West Canada Valley.
Tuesday, 9/17 - I'm back at it. 2 games on tap, a boys soccer/girls soccer combo. Start off at New Hartford, where the Spartans take on Whitesboro at 5:30. After that, hitting Route 8 South to Sauquoit to watch their girls soccer squad play Waterville (starts at 7).
Wednesday, 9/18 - What up 'Cuse? Another boys/girls combo. Starting with boys, where Jordan-Elbridge goes up against Bishop Grimes at 4:30. After that, heading to West Genesee/F-M girls, which starts at 7.
Thursday, 9/19 - Rob & I will both be in Herkimer to start for girls soccer. West Canada Valley will visit the Magicians for a 4:30 start. I'm hitting the Thruway right after and probably heading to Chittenango, where ES-M boys will play them at 7:15.
Friday, 9/20 - Boys soccer, boys soccer, football. Probably going to stop by Westmoreland/West Canada Valley for a little while, then the short ride to Herkimer for Little Falls/Herkimer boys soccer. After that, hopefully catching the 2nd half of Camden/CVA football in Ilion. Rob will be in Morrisville, where Herkimer's football team looks to bounce back from a loss against Morrisville-Eaton/Hamilton.
Saturday, 9/21 - Other work has me bogged down early in the day, but I plan on hitting Oriskany for the 2nd half of New York Mills/Oriskany football. After that, making another Syracuse trip, this time to OCC for Bishop Ludden/Bishop Grimes girls and boys soccer, starting at 5 and 7 respectively.
Monday, 9/16 - I'm taking a break for the night.. everyone deserves one, right? However, Rob and Chris will be in Herkimer for their boys' soccer contest vs. West Canada Valley.
Tuesday, 9/17 - I'm back at it. 2 games on tap, a boys soccer/girls soccer combo. Start off at New Hartford, where the Spartans take on Whitesboro at 5:30. After that, hitting Route 8 South to Sauquoit to watch their girls soccer squad play Waterville (starts at 7).
Wednesday, 9/18 - What up 'Cuse? Another boys/girls combo. Starting with boys, where Jordan-Elbridge goes up against Bishop Grimes at 4:30. After that, heading to West Genesee/F-M girls, which starts at 7.
Thursday, 9/19 - Rob & I will both be in Herkimer to start for girls soccer. West Canada Valley will visit the Magicians for a 4:30 start. I'm hitting the Thruway right after and probably heading to Chittenango, where ES-M boys will play them at 7:15.
Friday, 9/20 - Boys soccer, boys soccer, football. Probably going to stop by Westmoreland/West Canada Valley for a little while, then the short ride to Herkimer for Little Falls/Herkimer boys soccer. After that, hopefully catching the 2nd half of Camden/CVA football in Ilion. Rob will be in Morrisville, where Herkimer's football team looks to bounce back from a loss against Morrisville-Eaton/Hamilton.
Saturday, 9/21 - Other work has me bogged down early in the day, but I plan on hitting Oriskany for the 2nd half of New York Mills/Oriskany football. After that, making another Syracuse trip, this time to OCC for Bishop Ludden/Bishop Grimes girls and boys soccer, starting at 5 and 7 respectively.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
9/4 Most Valuable Thoughts - Little Falls/Notre Dame & Brookfield/Waterville Girls Soccer
Little Falls 2, Notre Dame 0
Waterville 3, Brookfield 2
Went out to Waterville Wednesday for the opening round of the annual Brothertown Optimist Tournament - girls soccer installation. Got there 20 minutes into LF/Notre Dame, left with 10 minutes to go in Brookfield/Waterville. Left without much to talk about.
I guess what I can take from it is Little Falls looks pretty tough, and Brookfield has a lot of young pieces that might make them interesting in D.. in a couple years. Little Falls was completely dominant throughout the entire game. Over the 60 minutes I saw, Notre Dame got within 40 yards of goal 3 times. Most of the play was between midfield and the 18 on Little Falls' attacking side, but they only ended up with those 2 goals to show for it - one from Katelyn Parese with 5:08 in the first half, where she tapped the ball through on an effective cross, and an insurance goal from Sarah Bruins off a Nicole Foti pass with 12:56 left to play. The MVT Rudolph numbers showed how dominant they were in possession and attack, though. From 20 minutes left in the first half on, Little Falls took 14 shots. Notre Dame took... well, 14 less than that. Mountie keeper Cheyenne Rivenburg touched the ball twice the whole time, neither of them being saves. Notre Dame's keeper, between saves and non-save touches, saw the ball 13 times. The Lady Jugglers have low numbers (13, to be exact), and their soccer program has left a lot to be desired since the graduation of the last Reina, so I'm not sure if this says more about how tough of an out Little Falls will be in their league this season or about how much ND is struggling. We'll see as the season progresses.
Onto Brookfield/Waterville. Waterville's Indians looked like the class of the 2 squads.. in warmups. Good ball skill, possession, etc. However, the young Beavers came to play. As a matter of fact, they scored first, and it took until the beginning of the 2nd half for Waterville to grab the lead. Waterville had many more chances, but Brookfield made good with theirs early. Abby Reilly started the scoring just over 13 minutes into the game, poking one from about 20 yards out on the left side above the Waterville GK and into the side of the net. It didn't take long for Waterville to respond. A Brookfield defender committed a no-no - protected her face with her hands when a ball was coming at it. Too bad she was inside the 18. Penalty kick time... and Hannah Gray converted easily with 22:44 showing on the clock. Before I even had time to relax, Brookfield grabbed the lead one more time. There was commotion in front of the net, and Courtney Maine got her foot on the ball and it entered the promised land - a whole 2:19 after the game was tied. However, H2Oville was able to tie it up again with 9:44 left in the 1st half. Shannon Stromeyer put one through off a cross from Alexis Becker. We went into half tied, even though at that point, Waterville outshot Brookfield 14-4. Waterville's GK made no saves and touched the ball twice, where Brookfield GK Brooke Terrier made 7 legitimate first half saves, including 2 exceptional ones over the course of a minute while up 2-1. It didn't take long for Waterville to get that lead in the 2nd half - with 34:30 left, they took the lead on a play much like the one that tied it up for them. Left 10 minutes early, but nothing changed, and Waterville picked up the 3-2 W. They outshot Brookfield 19-4 while I was there, but Brooke Terrier was able to stave off a lot of that pressure by making 10 saves.
Brookfield will play Notre Dame in the Brothertown Optimist Consolation game Saturday around 1:00, and Waterville and Little Falls will take the field for the championship game at 5:30.
Waterville 3, Brookfield 2
Went out to Waterville Wednesday for the opening round of the annual Brothertown Optimist Tournament - girls soccer installation. Got there 20 minutes into LF/Notre Dame, left with 10 minutes to go in Brookfield/Waterville. Left without much to talk about.
I guess what I can take from it is Little Falls looks pretty tough, and Brookfield has a lot of young pieces that might make them interesting in D.. in a couple years. Little Falls was completely dominant throughout the entire game. Over the 60 minutes I saw, Notre Dame got within 40 yards of goal 3 times. Most of the play was between midfield and the 18 on Little Falls' attacking side, but they only ended up with those 2 goals to show for it - one from Katelyn Parese with 5:08 in the first half, where she tapped the ball through on an effective cross, and an insurance goal from Sarah Bruins off a Nicole Foti pass with 12:56 left to play. The MVT Rudolph numbers showed how dominant they were in possession and attack, though. From 20 minutes left in the first half on, Little Falls took 14 shots. Notre Dame took... well, 14 less than that. Mountie keeper Cheyenne Rivenburg touched the ball twice the whole time, neither of them being saves. Notre Dame's keeper, between saves and non-save touches, saw the ball 13 times. The Lady Jugglers have low numbers (13, to be exact), and their soccer program has left a lot to be desired since the graduation of the last Reina, so I'm not sure if this says more about how tough of an out Little Falls will be in their league this season or about how much ND is struggling. We'll see as the season progresses.
Onto Brookfield/Waterville. Waterville's Indians looked like the class of the 2 squads.. in warmups. Good ball skill, possession, etc. However, the young Beavers came to play. As a matter of fact, they scored first, and it took until the beginning of the 2nd half for Waterville to grab the lead. Waterville had many more chances, but Brookfield made good with theirs early. Abby Reilly started the scoring just over 13 minutes into the game, poking one from about 20 yards out on the left side above the Waterville GK and into the side of the net. It didn't take long for Waterville to respond. A Brookfield defender committed a no-no - protected her face with her hands when a ball was coming at it. Too bad she was inside the 18. Penalty kick time... and Hannah Gray converted easily with 22:44 showing on the clock. Before I even had time to relax, Brookfield grabbed the lead one more time. There was commotion in front of the net, and Courtney Maine got her foot on the ball and it entered the promised land - a whole 2:19 after the game was tied. However, H2Oville was able to tie it up again with 9:44 left in the 1st half. Shannon Stromeyer put one through off a cross from Alexis Becker. We went into half tied, even though at that point, Waterville outshot Brookfield 14-4. Waterville's GK made no saves and touched the ball twice, where Brookfield GK Brooke Terrier made 7 legitimate first half saves, including 2 exceptional ones over the course of a minute while up 2-1. It didn't take long for Waterville to get that lead in the 2nd half - with 34:30 left, they took the lead on a play much like the one that tied it up for them. Left 10 minutes early, but nothing changed, and Waterville picked up the 3-2 W. They outshot Brookfield 19-4 while I was there, but Brooke Terrier was able to stave off a lot of that pressure by making 10 saves.
Brookfield will play Notre Dame in the Brothertown Optimist Consolation game Saturday around 1:00, and Waterville and Little Falls will take the field for the championship game at 5:30.
Monday, September 2, 2013
9/3-9/8: The Week in Preview
What's up, world? Back at it after the extended weekend, AKA actually having 2 days without games instead of 1. We'll be at a maximum of 12 games between Tuesday and Saturday, and possibly even something on Sunday. There may be a couple on the list that we'll end up missing, but we'll try to hit them all!
Tuesday: I (Jeff) will be at Notre Dame at 4:15 for the 1st half of New Hartford/Notre Dame girls soccer. Then I'll cut to Herkimer, where we'll both be at Frankfort/Herkimer boys soccer at 6.
Wednesday: Plan on hitting Waterville for the girls soccer tournament. 2 straight days of Notre Dame (possibly): Little Falls/Notre Dame at 5, Brookfield/Waterville at 7. May end up skipping out on at least the 5:00 game, though.
Thursday: I'll be doing another girls/boys setup, starting in Clinton, where Sauquoit girls soccer will come to town at 4:30. After that, I'll make the trip to Oneida to catch Camden/Oneida boys at 7:00.
Friday: The big game on the schedule looks to be Whitesboro/RFA football at 7. Don't think we'll be at anything before.
Saturday: Ahh, the fun day. I'll start off in Frankfort early for Remsen/F-S girls soccer. The whistle will blow at 9 in the morning. Might stick around for Westmoreland/F-S boys soccer at 11:30, might not. However, we'll each be at a different football game in the afternoon. I'll be in Oriskany for their opener vs. Pulaski, and Rob will be at the game of the day, Herkimer @ West Canada. 2:00 kickoffs. I'll most likely swing down to Sherburne after that to catch their opener against the Mounties of Little Falls.
Hope to see some of y'all out and about!
Tuesday: I (Jeff) will be at Notre Dame at 4:15 for the 1st half of New Hartford/Notre Dame girls soccer. Then I'll cut to Herkimer, where we'll both be at Frankfort/Herkimer boys soccer at 6.
Wednesday: Plan on hitting Waterville for the girls soccer tournament. 2 straight days of Notre Dame (possibly): Little Falls/Notre Dame at 5, Brookfield/Waterville at 7. May end up skipping out on at least the 5:00 game, though.
Thursday: I'll be doing another girls/boys setup, starting in Clinton, where Sauquoit girls soccer will come to town at 4:30. After that, I'll make the trip to Oneida to catch Camden/Oneida boys at 7:00.
Friday: The big game on the schedule looks to be Whitesboro/RFA football at 7. Don't think we'll be at anything before.
Saturday: Ahh, the fun day. I'll start off in Frankfort early for Remsen/F-S girls soccer. The whistle will blow at 9 in the morning. Might stick around for Westmoreland/F-S boys soccer at 11:30, might not. However, we'll each be at a different football game in the afternoon. I'll be in Oriskany for their opener vs. Pulaski, and Rob will be at the game of the day, Herkimer @ West Canada. 2:00 kickoffs. I'll most likely swing down to Sherburne after that to catch their opener against the Mounties of Little Falls.
Hope to see some of y'all out and about!
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