Tigers use momentum swing to defeat Purple Tornado
FOOTBALL
Union-Endicott 28, Norwich 7
ENDICOTT –Norwich was poised to take a lead into halftime – or at least remain tied with Union-Endicott. Instead, a drive thwarted was followed by a brilliant 80-yard scoring drive for the Tigers.
U-E quarterback Joey Orlando engineered go-ahead series completing six passes, the last of which found Nick Yesenky from 16 yards out with just four ticks on the clock and a 13-7 halftime advantage.
Yesensky made a key interception that set up that go-ahead possession for the Tigers. Norwich began a long drive from inside its own five-yard line, and advanced to the U-E 17-yard line. The Tornado attempted a fade pass to Kyle Edwards in the corner of the end zone that Yesensky stepped in to made the pick. “He just made a great play on the ball, and they were able to move the ball down the field with the passing game,” said Norwich coach John Martinson. “It was a big turnover for us. We felt that if we didn’t score a touchdown, we would at least attempt a field goal and hope to be up 10-7. We felt the momentum shift as a staff, and in the third quarter we gave them great field position after the kickoff. They just pounded us off tackle, and as a team, we did a poor job of tackling.”
It was in a 12-minute window – the end of the first half and most of the third quarter – that U-E took control of the game scoring three times. Running back Sammy Davis scored on a 13-yard run, and Yesensky was in the right place at the right time at the end of the third quarter scooping up a teammate’s fumble, and racing in from 15 yards out.
“The pendulum swung their way at the end of the half and in the third quarter, but I like how physical we were,” Martinson said. “We need to play that way the entire game. Our first drive was well executed, and the kids looked fantastic on film. I was pleased with the effort, and I think we have the makings of being a very good football team.”
Norwich took its opening drive for a touchdown mixing the pass and run effectively. Michael Sutton’s 26-yard TD pass to Grant Brightman and Zan Stewart’s PAT kick had Norwich in front.
Edwards led Norwich with 90 total yards of offense (rushing and receiving).
Norwich faces Owego on Friday
Score by quarters
NHS 7 0 0 0–7
U-E 0 13 15 0–28
Scoring Summary
N: Michael Sutton 26 pass to Grant Brightman (Zan Stewart kick)
UE: Michael Cheslock 9 run (kick good)
UE: Joey Orlando 16 pass to Nick Yesensky (kick failed)
UE: Sammy Davis 13 run (kick good)
UE Yesensky 15 fumble return (Davis run)
Team Summary
N UE
First downs 16 19
Rushes-yds 42-123 33-223
Passing yds 87 114
Comp-att-int 7-15-1 8-16-1
Punts-avg 5-33.6 4-37.8
Fumbles-lost 4-0 2-0
Penalties-yds 4-30 8-85
Norwich Individual Statistics
Rushing: Kyle Edwards, 15-52; Grant Brightman, 12-32; Keagan Franklin, 4-19; Danny Carson, 1-14; Michael Oralls, 2-11; Tristan Rifanburg, 4-1; Michael Sutton, 4-(-6).
Passing: Michael Sutton, 7-14-2, 87 yds, TD; Brightman, 0-1-0.
Receiving; Edwards, 2-38; Brightman, 2-35; Matt Burke, 2-9; Rifanburg, 1-5.
Sherburne-Earlville 48, Mt. Markham 26
WEST WINFIELD - Sherburne-Earlville’s offense worked in reverse, and the results yielded the best and most balanced offensive performance in head coach Mike Jasper’s four-year coaching tenure.
Senior Matt Smith threw four TD passes – all to different receivers – and teammates Austin Jasper along with Devven Ferris scored a combined for five touchdowns in a key league win on the road Friday night.
“Usually we use the run to set up the pass, but we struggled a little bit with the running game early on,” Coach Jasper said. “Those passes caused some problems for (Mount Markham) and forced them into some things they weren’t comfortable doing. We were able to pop a couple of long runs in the second half.”
Following a tentative start in the first quarter, S-E picked up its first big break when Dalton Sopchak recovered a Mustangs fumble, one of three recoveries for the S-E defense. Shortly thereafter, Smith hit Cody Marango on a 25-yard TD strike to kickstart the offense.
Smith added scoring tosses of 17 yards to Julienne Alsheimer, 11 yards to Felix Rodriguez, and the backbreaker, a 55-yard bomb that hit Ferris in stride on the first possession of the second half.
Jasper scored on a 60-yard running burst in the second half to follow up his one-yard TD run in the first half, and a 53-yard TD run by Ferris had S-E up by five touchdowns at one point.
“We definitely wanted to be more balanced on offense this season, and we have the skill position players to do it,” Jasper said.
Smith finished 8-for-11 for 180 yards. Jasper led with 96 yards rushing and Ferris was right behind with 95.
The Marauders play at Morrisville-Eaton/Hamilton on Friday.
Score by quarters
S-E 7 21 20 0–48
MM 0 6 6 14–26
Scoring Summary
S-E: Matt Smith 25 pass to Cody Marango (Garrett Duvall kick)
S-E: Smith 11 pass to Felix Rodriguez (Garrett Duvall kick)
S-E: Smith 17 pass to Julienne Alsheimer (Garrett Duvall kick)
S-E: Austin Jasper 1 run (Garrett Duvall kick)
MM: Nate Hudson 44 pass to (unknown player) (run failed)
S-E: Smith 55 pass to Devven Ferris (Garrett Duvall kick)
MM: Hudson 15 pass to Mackenzie Dorie (pass failed)
S-E: Jasper 60 run (kick failed)
S-E: Ferris 53 run (Garrett Duvall kick)
MM: Josh Holtham 7 run (pass failed)
MM: Kyle Yager 65 run (Yager run)
S-E individual statistics (MM not available at press time)
Rushing: Jasper, 9-96; Ferris, 7-95; DuVall, 10-39; Smith, 4-20; Alsheimer, 3-12; Cody Marshall, 5-7; Cody Marango, 2-6.
Passing: Smith, 8-for-11, 180 yds, 4 TDs.
Receiving: Ferris, 4-96; Jasper, 1-30; Marango, 1-25; Alsheimer, 1-18, Rodriguez, 1-11.
Walton 42, Oxford 28
WALTON – Walton used the big play to grab back the momentum and turn back Oxford’s bid at a road upset in Saturday’s opening game for both clubs.
After the Blackhawks scored on their first drive of the second half to extend their lead to 21-12, the Warriors’ Derek Meade sparked his club with a 75-yard kickoff return to paydirt.
Walton halted another Oxford drive deep in its own territory, and a 28-yard field goal attempt by the Blackhawks was off the mark. On the next play, Walton running back Austin Kilmer gave his club the lead for keeps dashing 80 yards on a quick hitter.
Walton proceeded to wear Oxford down with fullback Mike Beers, the main cog in a well-greased wheel. Beers had 226 yards rushing and a three scores, and Walton finished with over 400 yards rushing. “I was happy with our offense,” said Oxford coach Ray Dayton, whose club had over 200 yards passing and 160 yards rushing against the usually-stingy Walton defense. “Defensively, we have to make some adjustments and tweak some personnel, but I think we’ll be alright.”
Oxford took a 14-12 lead into halftime as quarterback Jody Smith threw TD passes of 30 yards to Cameron Heggie and 29 Andrew Golden. Smith finished with 205 yards passing, and all of his completions went to either Heggie or Golden.
The Blackhawks struck quickly in the second half, too, taking a 21-12 lead on Smith’s 32-yard TD strike to Heggie. Late in the game, Smith found Golden on a 10-yard TD reception. Golden had eight catches for 112 yards and one interception on defense. Paul Wonka paced the Oxford rushing attack finishing with 165 yards. “Our regular kicker was getting his ankle taped on the kickoff return touchdown, and in hindsight, we probably should have kicked the ball out of bounds,” Dayton said. “We don’t practice kickoffs with our backup kicker, but we will now.”
Oxford hosts Unadilla Valley Friday night. Prior to the game, the unbeaten 1982 Blackhawks football team will mark the 30th anniversary of that championship season. The majority of the players from that team are expected to attend and will be honored.
Score by quarters
Oxf. 7 7 7 7–28
Walt. 6 6 14 16–42
First quarter
O: Jody Smith 30 pass to Cameron Heggie (Golden Kick)
W: Kilmer 44 run (run failed)
Second quarter
O: Smith 29 pass to Golden. (Golden kick)
W: Beers 6 run (run failed)
Third quarter
O: Smith 32 pass to Heggie (Golden kick)
W: Meade 75 kickoff return (run failed)
W: Kilmer 80 run (Beers run)
Fourth quarter
W: Beers 5 run (Kaminsky pass good)
W: Beers 3 run (Beers run)
O: Smith 10 pass to Golden (Golden kick)
Individual statistics
Rushing: (W) Mike Beers, 26-226, 3 tds; Kilmer 7-141; 2 tds. Kaminsky, 4-40. (O) John Wonka, 21-165; Joe Jackson, 3-13; Jody Smith, 2-(-9); Shawn McKee, 2-(-2). Oxford total: 28-167
Passing: (W) Kaminsky, 2-5-1, 60 yds. (O) Jody Smith, 12-23-0, 205 yds, 4 TDs.
Receiving: Walton not available (O) Cameron Heggie, 4-93, Andrew Golden, 8-112.
Bainbridge-Guilford 42, Seton Catholic Central 6
BINGHAMTON – Saturday night’s season-opener at Seton Catholic Central went better than expected for Bainbridge-Guilford. Much better.
The Bobcats narrowly defeated the Saints in the Class D playoffs last year, but took control of the game on their third drive, and steamrolled the host Saints.
Jake Mazzarella ran for 132 yards and two touchdowns, and quarterback Corbin Palmer added two TD rushes for the Bobcats, who finished with 309 yards of total offense.
Early on, B-G went nowhere getting stuffed on its first two drives. “They were bringing everyone up to the line of scrimmage to stop the run,” said B-G coach Tim Mattingly. “It was a high-risk defense, and we just stuck to our game plan. On our third series, we popped a quick fullback trap with Mazzarella. Once we got past the linebacker, he was gone. We started having success with the trap, and that opened up our bootlegs and off-tackle traps. We didn’t run outside, just inside and off tackle. We had a lot of success with that.”
Mazzarella scored B-G’s first TD on a 79-yard gallop, and added an eight-yard score in the second. Palmer’s 22-yard keeper had the Bobcats up three touchdowns. Mazzarella, Palmer, and reserve Dylan Moffit scored on TD runs in the second half.
“It was great for the kids in the first game of the season to beat a team that we saw in the playoffs last year,” Mattingly said. “Defensively, we did a heck of a job. We pressured their quarterback, and we were all over their receivers.”
The Bobcats host Delhi on Friday.
Score by quarters
B-G 7 14 14 7–42
SCC 0 6 0 0–6
Scoring Summary
First quarter
BG: Jake Mazzarella 79 run (Palmer kick)
Second quarter
BG: Mazzarella 8 run (Palmer kick)
BG: Palmer 22 run (Palmer kick)
SCC: Robert Olson 24 pass to Cody O’Neil (kick failed0
Third quarter
BG: Mazzarella 22 run (Palmer kick)
BG: Palmer 1 run (Palmer kick)
Fourth quarter
BG: Dylan Moffit 6 run (Palmer kick)
Team Summary
B-G S
First downs 9 12
Rushes-yds 34-258 32-120
Passing 51 67
Comp-att-int 4-9-0 5-22-0
Punt-avg 2-32 3-32
Fubmles-lost 2-1 7-2
Penalties 6-70 2-10
Individual statistics
Rushing: (BG) Justin Cirigliano, 8-71; Mazzarella, 15-132; Palmer, 4-38; Lucas Butcher, 2-(-5), Pedro Aparicio, 4-16; Dylan Moffit, 1-6. (S) #40, 13-85; Robert Olsen, 11-18; connor McCormack, 6-14; Matt Corino, 1-0; Dan O’ Brien, 1-3.
Passing: (BG) Palmer, 4-9-0, 51 yds; Olsen, 5-22-0, 67 yds, TD.
Receving: (BG) Bauerle, 4-51. (S) Cody O’neil, 1-24; D. O’Brien, 2-22; Sam Crowley, 1-16; R. Miller, 1-5.
Union-Endicott 28, Norwich 7
ENDICOTT –Norwich was poised to take a lead into halftime – or at least remain tied with Union-Endicott. Instead, a drive thwarted was followed by a brilliant 80-yard scoring drive for the Tigers.
U-E quarterback Joey Orlando engineered go-ahead series completing six passes, the last of which found Nick Yesenky from 16 yards out with just four ticks on the clock and a 13-7 halftime advantage.
Yesensky made a key interception that set up that go-ahead possession for the Tigers. Norwich began a long drive from inside its own five-yard line, and advanced to the U-E 17-yard line. The Tornado attempted a fade pass to Kyle Edwards in the corner of the end zone that Yesensky stepped in to made the pick. “He just made a great play on the ball, and they were able to move the ball down the field with the passing game,” said Norwich coach John Martinson. “It was a big turnover for us. We felt that if we didn’t score a touchdown, we would at least attempt a field goal and hope to be up 10-7. We felt the momentum shift as a staff, and in the third quarter we gave them great field position after the kickoff. They just pounded us off tackle, and as a team, we did a poor job of tackling.”
It was in a 12-minute window – the end of the first half and most of the third quarter – that U-E took control of the game scoring three times. Running back Sammy Davis scored on a 13-yard run, and Yesensky was in the right place at the right time at the end of the third quarter scooping up a teammate’s fumble, and racing in from 15 yards out.
“The pendulum swung their way at the end of the half and in the third quarter, but I like how physical we were,” Martinson said. “We need to play that way the entire game. Our first drive was well executed, and the kids looked fantastic on film. I was pleased with the effort, and I think we have the makings of being a very good football team.”
Norwich took its opening drive for a touchdown mixing the pass and run effectively. Michael Sutton’s 26-yard TD pass to Grant Brightman and Zan Stewart’s PAT kick had Norwich in front.
Edwards led Norwich with 90 total yards of offense (rushing and receiving).
Norwich faces Owego on Friday
Score by quarters
NHS 7 0 0 0–7
U-E 0 13 15 0–28
Scoring Summary
N: Michael Sutton 26 pass to Grant Brightman (Zan Stewart kick)
UE: Michael Cheslock 9 run (kick good)
UE: Joey Orlando 16 pass to Nick Yesensky (kick failed)
UE: Sammy Davis 13 run (kick good)
UE Yesensky 15 fumble return (Davis run)
Team Summary
N UE
First downs 16 19
Rushes-yds 42-123 33-223
Passing yds 87 114
Comp-att-int 7-15-1 8-16-1
Punts-avg 5-33.6 4-37.8
Fumbles-lost 4-0 2-0
Penalties-yds 4-30 8-85
Norwich Individual Statistics
Rushing: Kyle Edwards, 15-52; Grant Brightman, 12-32; Keagan Franklin, 4-19; Danny Carson, 1-14; Michael Oralls, 2-11; Tristan Rifanburg, 4-1; Michael Sutton, 4-(-6).
Passing: Michael Sutton, 7-14-2, 87 yds, TD; Brightman, 0-1-0.
Receiving; Edwards, 2-38; Brightman, 2-35; Matt Burke, 2-9; Rifanburg, 1-5.
Sherburne-Earlville 48, Mt. Markham 26
WEST WINFIELD - Sherburne-Earlville’s offense worked in reverse, and the results yielded the best and most balanced offensive performance in head coach Mike Jasper’s four-year coaching tenure.
Senior Matt Smith threw four TD passes – all to different receivers – and teammates Austin Jasper along with Devven Ferris scored a combined for five touchdowns in a key league win on the road Friday night.
“Usually we use the run to set up the pass, but we struggled a little bit with the running game early on,” Coach Jasper said. “Those passes caused some problems for (Mount Markham) and forced them into some things they weren’t comfortable doing. We were able to pop a couple of long runs in the second half.”
Following a tentative start in the first quarter, S-E picked up its first big break when Dalton Sopchak recovered a Mustangs fumble, one of three recoveries for the S-E defense. Shortly thereafter, Smith hit Cody Marango on a 25-yard TD strike to kickstart the offense.
Smith added scoring tosses of 17 yards to Julienne Alsheimer, 11 yards to Felix Rodriguez, and the backbreaker, a 55-yard bomb that hit Ferris in stride on the first possession of the second half.
Jasper scored on a 60-yard running burst in the second half to follow up his one-yard TD run in the first half, and a 53-yard TD run by Ferris had S-E up by five touchdowns at one point.
“We definitely wanted to be more balanced on offense this season, and we have the skill position players to do it,” Jasper said.
Smith finished 8-for-11 for 180 yards. Jasper led with 96 yards rushing and Ferris was right behind with 95.
The Marauders play at Morrisville-Eaton/Hamilton on Friday.
Score by quarters
S-E 7 21 20 0–48
MM 0 6 6 14–26
Scoring Summary
S-E: Matt Smith 25 pass to Cody Marango (Garrett Duvall kick)
S-E: Smith 11 pass to Felix Rodriguez (Garrett Duvall kick)
S-E: Smith 17 pass to Julienne Alsheimer (Garrett Duvall kick)
S-E: Austin Jasper 1 run (Garrett Duvall kick)
MM: Nate Hudson 44 pass to (unknown player) (run failed)
S-E: Smith 55 pass to Devven Ferris (Garrett Duvall kick)
MM: Hudson 15 pass to Mackenzie Dorie (pass failed)
S-E: Jasper 60 run (kick failed)
S-E: Ferris 53 run (Garrett Duvall kick)
MM: Josh Holtham 7 run (pass failed)
MM: Kyle Yager 65 run (Yager run)
S-E individual statistics (MM not available at press time)
Rushing: Jasper, 9-96; Ferris, 7-95; DuVall, 10-39; Smith, 4-20; Alsheimer, 3-12; Cody Marshall, 5-7; Cody Marango, 2-6.
Passing: Smith, 8-for-11, 180 yds, 4 TDs.
Receiving: Ferris, 4-96; Jasper, 1-30; Marango, 1-25; Alsheimer, 1-18, Rodriguez, 1-11.
Walton 42, Oxford 28
WALTON – Walton used the big play to grab back the momentum and turn back Oxford’s bid at a road upset in Saturday’s opening game for both clubs.
After the Blackhawks scored on their first drive of the second half to extend their lead to 21-12, the Warriors’ Derek Meade sparked his club with a 75-yard kickoff return to paydirt.
Walton halted another Oxford drive deep in its own territory, and a 28-yard field goal attempt by the Blackhawks was off the mark. On the next play, Walton running back Austin Kilmer gave his club the lead for keeps dashing 80 yards on a quick hitter.
Walton proceeded to wear Oxford down with fullback Mike Beers, the main cog in a well-greased wheel. Beers had 226 yards rushing and a three scores, and Walton finished with over 400 yards rushing. “I was happy with our offense,” said Oxford coach Ray Dayton, whose club had over 200 yards passing and 160 yards rushing against the usually-stingy Walton defense. “Defensively, we have to make some adjustments and tweak some personnel, but I think we’ll be alright.”
Oxford took a 14-12 lead into halftime as quarterback Jody Smith threw TD passes of 30 yards to Cameron Heggie and 29 Andrew Golden. Smith finished with 205 yards passing, and all of his completions went to either Heggie or Golden.
The Blackhawks struck quickly in the second half, too, taking a 21-12 lead on Smith’s 32-yard TD strike to Heggie. Late in the game, Smith found Golden on a 10-yard TD reception. Golden had eight catches for 112 yards and one interception on defense. Paul Wonka paced the Oxford rushing attack finishing with 165 yards. “Our regular kicker was getting his ankle taped on the kickoff return touchdown, and in hindsight, we probably should have kicked the ball out of bounds,” Dayton said. “We don’t practice kickoffs with our backup kicker, but we will now.”
Oxford hosts Unadilla Valley Friday night. Prior to the game, the unbeaten 1982 Blackhawks football team will mark the 30th anniversary of that championship season. The majority of the players from that team are expected to attend and will be honored.
Score by quarters
Oxf. 7 7 7 7–28
Walt. 6 6 14 16–42
First quarter
O: Jody Smith 30 pass to Cameron Heggie (Golden Kick)
W: Kilmer 44 run (run failed)
Second quarter
O: Smith 29 pass to Golden. (Golden kick)
W: Beers 6 run (run failed)
Third quarter
O: Smith 32 pass to Heggie (Golden kick)
W: Meade 75 kickoff return (run failed)
W: Kilmer 80 run (Beers run)
Fourth quarter
W: Beers 5 run (Kaminsky pass good)
W: Beers 3 run (Beers run)
O: Smith 10 pass to Golden (Golden kick)
Individual statistics
Rushing: (W) Mike Beers, 26-226, 3 tds; Kilmer 7-141; 2 tds. Kaminsky, 4-40. (O) John Wonka, 21-165; Joe Jackson, 3-13; Jody Smith, 2-(-9); Shawn McKee, 2-(-2). Oxford total: 28-167
Passing: (W) Kaminsky, 2-5-1, 60 yds. (O) Jody Smith, 12-23-0, 205 yds, 4 TDs.
Receiving: Walton not available (O) Cameron Heggie, 4-93, Andrew Golden, 8-112.
Bainbridge-Guilford 42, Seton Catholic Central 6
BINGHAMTON – Saturday night’s season-opener at Seton Catholic Central went better than expected for Bainbridge-Guilford. Much better.
The Bobcats narrowly defeated the Saints in the Class D playoffs last year, but took control of the game on their third drive, and steamrolled the host Saints.
Jake Mazzarella ran for 132 yards and two touchdowns, and quarterback Corbin Palmer added two TD rushes for the Bobcats, who finished with 309 yards of total offense.
Early on, B-G went nowhere getting stuffed on its first two drives. “They were bringing everyone up to the line of scrimmage to stop the run,” said B-G coach Tim Mattingly. “It was a high-risk defense, and we just stuck to our game plan. On our third series, we popped a quick fullback trap with Mazzarella. Once we got past the linebacker, he was gone. We started having success with the trap, and that opened up our bootlegs and off-tackle traps. We didn’t run outside, just inside and off tackle. We had a lot of success with that.”
Mazzarella scored B-G’s first TD on a 79-yard gallop, and added an eight-yard score in the second. Palmer’s 22-yard keeper had the Bobcats up three touchdowns. Mazzarella, Palmer, and reserve Dylan Moffit scored on TD runs in the second half.
“It was great for the kids in the first game of the season to beat a team that we saw in the playoffs last year,” Mattingly said. “Defensively, we did a heck of a job. We pressured their quarterback, and we were all over their receivers.”
The Bobcats host Delhi on Friday.
Score by quarters
B-G 7 14 14 7–42
SCC 0 6 0 0–6
Scoring Summary
First quarter
BG: Jake Mazzarella 79 run (Palmer kick)
Second quarter
BG: Mazzarella 8 run (Palmer kick)
BG: Palmer 22 run (Palmer kick)
SCC: Robert Olson 24 pass to Cody O’Neil (kick failed0
Third quarter
BG: Mazzarella 22 run (Palmer kick)
BG: Palmer 1 run (Palmer kick)
Fourth quarter
BG: Dylan Moffit 6 run (Palmer kick)
Team Summary
B-G S
First downs 9 12
Rushes-yds 34-258 32-120
Passing 51 67
Comp-att-int 4-9-0 5-22-0
Punt-avg 2-32 3-32
Fubmles-lost 2-1 7-2
Penalties 6-70 2-10
Individual statistics
Rushing: (BG) Justin Cirigliano, 8-71; Mazzarella, 15-132; Palmer, 4-38; Lucas Butcher, 2-(-5), Pedro Aparicio, 4-16; Dylan Moffit, 1-6. (S) #40, 13-85; Robert Olsen, 11-18; connor McCormack, 6-14; Matt Corino, 1-0; Dan O’ Brien, 1-3.
Passing: (BG) Palmer, 4-9-0, 51 yds; Olsen, 5-22-0, 67 yds, TD.
Receving: (BG) Bauerle, 4-51. (S) Cody O’neil, 1-24; D. O’Brien, 2-22; Sam Crowley, 1-16; R. Miller, 1-5.
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