By HUNTER O. LYLE
lyleoleanstar@gmail.com
SALAMANCA, NY – The Salamanca football team is good. Really good.
If it wasn’t clear enough that the undefeated, defending Section VI champion, No. 1 ranked team in New York Warriors were the team to beat, they made that clear with a 50-7 win over Medina in the Class C semifinals.
Since winning the Sectional title in 2023, Salamanca has only improved. Not only did they finish the regular season 8-0, they routinely outscored their opponents by nearly 30 points a game. Earning the second seed in the Class C bracket, the Warriors demolished Cleveland Hills in the quarterfinals 49-12, earning a matchup with the Mustangs in the semifinals.
Just because there’s nearly 80 miles in between the two teams, doesn’t mean they aren’t familiar. Last year, the Warriors and Mustangs met in the postseason as well but in the Sectional VI finals played at Highmark Stadium. In that contest, Salamanca came back from the brink of elimination, outscoring Medina 22-7 in the second half to win the Sectional title. Although they came away with the win, Medina remained on Salamanca’s radar.
“They’re size and their running back was our focus. It was our challenge to stop him,” said Salamanca head coach Chad Bartoszek of Medina’s Christian Moss, who rushed for 1,825 yards and 26 touchdowns throughout the season. “You have to spill a lot, you have to fill gaps and you have to play physical.”
Despite the tall task of stopping Medina’s potent offense, Salamanca shut them down early. After forcing a three-and-out on the opening drive, the Warriors took to the ground to run the ball down the Mustang’s throat. Marching down the field with a combination of carries from quarterback Maddox Isaac and running backs Xavier Peters and Zachery Trietley, the Warriors took the ball the length of the field for the first score of the night in eight plays.
Eager to respond, the Mustangs attempted a varied attack with limited success. Through the air, Medina only managed to come away short gains while their ground game was continuously stopped in the backfield. It seemed as though the Warriors had an answer for anything in the Mustang’s playbook.
“Coach Hill and Coach Furlong, they get a game like this and you can just see the motors start turning. They were fired up,” said Bartoszek. “We had a lot of great stuff in this week and sometimes it comes down to X’s and O’s but really these guys just executed. It’s easy to put lines on a chalkboard and say ‘you’re supposed to be in this gap,’ but they did it.”
Getting the ball to start the second quarter, it took the Warriors just four snaps to reach the end zone again. The finishing blow this time came from a 69-yard reception from Cory Holleran. Forcing another three-and-out on the ensuing Medina drive, Salamanca hit the ground running, finding yards in bunches from Peters and Quinten Brown. Making it to the Mustang’s 10-yard line, the Warriors were forced into a fourth-and-goal. However, an encroachment penalty put them on the one-yard line, where Isaac called his own number for a short gain to go up 21-0. But they weren’t finished yet. Getting the ball with under three and a half minutes remaining, a 55-yard reception from Peters put the Warriors up 28-0 before the break.
Coming into the second half, the Warriors’ defense came alive. After driving down the field once again and coming away with a field goal, a big hit from a Salamanca defender forced a fumble. Taking over at the Mustang’s 16-yard line, it didn’t take long for another seven points to be added to the scoreboard.
While Medina would finally break through to the endzone on the following drive, Salamanca responded soon after – Peters scored his third touchdown of the game from a 40-yard carry – before forcing yet another Mustang fumble to produce yet another score.
With just under five minutes remaining in the third quarter, Salamanca had amassed a 50-7 lead. The game was all but over and as the running clock drained, the Warriors rejoiced as their destiny had been manifested. Still undefeated, Salamanca was headed back to Highmark Stadium, eager to defend their spot atop Section VI.
“That was kind of what we were looking for all year. We didn’t make a ton of mistakes,” said Bartoszeck. “We just challenged (our team) this week up in the trenches. We’ve always been able to hit some stuff up top, and it’s going to help you win any game, but what we did in between the tackle box was just awesome.”
Isaac ended with four passing touchdowns, connecting on seven of his 10 attempts and accumulating 241 yards through the air. On the ground, he tallied 44 yards and another score, however, Peters led the rushing game with 132 yards on 15 carries and two touchdowns. Holleran was targeted three times for 111 receiving yards and a score, also coming away with three unassisted tackles and an interception in the fourth quarter.
Awaiting the Warriors at Highmark Stadium will be a familiar face in Portville. Meeting way back on Friday, Sept. 13, the Panthers proved to be the closest matchup of the year with Salamanca winning by just five points. That game will take place on Thursday at 6 p.m.
“We’re confident but we kind of go into each game with a model of business mode. We’re going to practice at a certain level and stay as consistent as possible all game, all year, every practice,” said Bartoszeck. “We’re going to try to hit certain levels, that way we don’t get too high or too low. Bad things are going to happen and Portville is tough. It’s going to be one of those games and we just have to be ready for it.”
