Waterville 26, Morrisville-Eaton/Hamilton 14
Quick thoughts. This one was a little interesting. Not sure whether I learned more about M-E/H or Waterville in this game. I'm leaning towards the side of Waterville - as in they're not as good as their record indicates. Nothing against them, they've won the games they're supposed to win. However, their 4-1 record is a little inflated because they've yet to step on the field against Herkimer & Dolgeville. Both of those teams had their bench in by the 3rd quarter. Waterville needed all 48 minutes to get this win. On to the game.
After the squads traded punts, the Vipers got on the board first with a drive that was spearheaded by EJ Hackney. He had 41 yards on 4 carries during the drive, including a 4 yard TD run to put Morrisville, the home team, up 6-0 about 7 minutes into the game. They had a chance to add to it - went for an onside kick and recovered - but the drive stalled in the red zone, where M-E/H turned it over on downs at the Waterville 10. The Indians responded with their best drive of the night. Pinned at the 3 after QB Jon Piersma was taken down for a loss, they proceeded to move 97 yards in the next 9 plays. An offsides penalty also helped Waterville. They got out of enemy territory with a 35 yard connection from Piersma to Zach Sawyer. They had another connection of 18 yards to get near the red zone, and Piersma finished it off 4 plays later with a 3 yard TD run on 3rd & goal to give Waterville a 7-6 lead early in the 2nd. Morrisville wasn't done yet, though. After picking up 4 yards on a big 4th & 1 near their own 40, EJ Hackney turned the next play into a 55 yard TD run, putting M-E/H back up 14-7 with 7:30 left in the half. Waterville had a shot late in the half, using a hurry-up offense to get inside Morrisville's 30, but a 15 yard loss on a high shotgun snap proved to be the drive killer.
It was just a delay of the inevitable. Waterville got the ball to start the 2nd half and turned it up from the start. A 51 yard run by Casey Jones was the big play that set up a 12 yard TD pass from Piersma to Sawyer, tying it at 14 with just under 8 to go in the 3rd. This was no longer a back-and-forth game, though. Isaiah Spooner picked off a Bryce Belanger pass and returned it to Morrisville's 19 to set up an easy drive for Waterville - in my opinion, this was the play of the game. After Jones rushed for no gain, Connor Jipson got the ball and took it those 19 yards to the house, giving Waterville a 20-14 lead with just over 5 to play in the 3rd. 3 plays into the next Morrisville drive, Casey Jones picked off another Belanger pass, and Waterville was back in business in the red zone, this time at the 20. On 3rd & 1 at the 11, Piersma hit Sawyer for an 11 yard score. This put Waterville up 26-14 with around 2:15 to go in the 3rd, and proved to be the last points put up in the game.
Morrisville had its opportunities. The ensuing drive of theirs lasted 8 minutes and spanned 63 yards at one point, before Hackney lost 4 yards on a 4th & 4 at the Waterville 7. After forcing the Indians into a 3 & out, Morrisville picked up a big 43 yard punt return to set up 1st & goal at the 7 with 4:24 to go. However, they got nothing going, and a Belanger pass fell incomplete on 4th & goal at the 5, nullifying that opportunity. They pinned Waterville at the 1 on 4th down, but a 60 yard punt with no return knocked the Vipers back to their own 39 with 1:27 left. Belanger completed a 36 yard pass on the 1st play, but they went no further, throwing a pick to Piersma 3 plays later. Waterville improved to 4-1, Morrisville-Eaton/Hamilton now 1-4.
For Waterville, Jon Piersma went 8/17 in the air for 122 passing yards and 2 TDs; he also ran for 14 yards on 11 carries and another TD. Zach Sawyer was his main target, catching 6 passes for 101 yards and was on the receiving end of both TD passes. Connor Jipson had 7 carries for 36 yards and a TD, and Casey Jones ran for 54 yards on 5 carries, all in the 2nd half. On Morrisville-Eaton/Hamilton's end, Bryce Belanger had a rough day under center. He went 3/15, throwing for 47 yards and 3 picks. He lost 11 yards on 2 carries in the option game. EJ Hackney picked up 162 yards on the ground off of 25 carries and 2 TDs, and Nick Christman had 13 carries for 67 yards.
Neat-o Stat of the Night: Morrisville-Eaton/Hamilton outgained Waterville overall: 269-217. However, yards don't always equal wins. Ask the Cowboys. The Vipers came up short on some great oportunities, and it cost them what would've been a huge W.
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