By HUNTER O. LYLE
lyleoleanstar@gmail.com
SALAMANCA, NY – A win is a win. But a blowout win in front of your home crowd is a much better way to open a postseason. That’s what the Salamanca football team achieved after obliterating Cleveland Hills 49-12 in the Section VI Class C quarterfinals.
Through the eight weeks of the regular season, the Warriors have dominated. Averaging 39 points a game and winning by a margin of 25.8, Salamanca amassed not only a perfect 8-0 record, but also claimed the top spot in both Section VI and the state of New York. With that being said, they are far from resting on their laurels.
“There is no looking back. I did a little reflecting last week but I think that after we got through the hump mid-season and we realized what we had in front of us and the talent we were playing with, it really was looking forward to now,” said Salamanca head coach Chad Bartoszek. “We were 0-0, second season, whatever you want to call it because it’s the truth. If we lost tonight, the season is a waste. You lose next week, there’s a lot of disappointed football players. I don’t think they’d remember 8-0 but they’d remember losing here.”
Coming into the postseason, the Warriors faced the seventh seeded Golden Eagles, a rematch of the same game a year prior. In the meeting last postseason, Salamanca swept the Cleveland Hills off the field in a 22-point win. Unfortunately for the Golden Eagles, they would soon see history doubling down.
Getting the ball to start the half, Salamanca took off running, literally. Through the first three snaps, Xavier Peters – who entered the game with 815 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns – carried the Warriors downfield with successive double-digit gains. Just three minutes after the initial kick, Salamanca sat just four yards away from the endzone, a distance cleared by Quinten Brown for the first score of the night.
Whether it be to the constant drizzle, nerves or something in between, the Golden Eagles stumbled out of the gates. Along with a general inability to punch a hole through the Warriors front line, two wild snaps forced Cleveland Hills into a fourth-and-long situation and an inevitable punt.
While the Golden Eagles would search for a way to kick start their offense, Salamanca continued to relentlessly find ways into the endzone. Throughout the first half, the Warriors would score on each and every one of their drives.
The flood gates opened with a 62-yard touchdown run from quarterback Maddox Isaac to put the Warriors up 14-0. Then, on the ensuing onside kick, Salamanca recovered the ball before Brown and Peters combined for 37 yards and the third Warriors score. Forcing a three-and-out, Salamanca put themselves up by 28 with one final score to close out the first quarter, this time coming in the air via a 22-yard reception from Payton Bradley.
“Obviously, we have a lot of places we can go with the ball and the speed in which Maddox (Isaac) is playing with right now is helping in all areas,” said Bartoszek. “We can run our running backs and our receivers but at any moment he can pull it and he had two long ones today. What we’re looking for in consistency and that’s what we’ll reflect on.”
All the while Salamanca ran up the score, the Golden Eagles found nothing but a brick wall. Their main weapon of attack, running back Douglas Hunt, was continuously dragged to the ground as he desperately clawed at every yard possible. Nothing seemed to work and nothing would come easily from a team facing the surging defending champions. By the time halftime rolled around, the Warriors sat atop a 42-0 advantage.
If the Golden Eagles had mustered any confidence during the break, it was immediately robbed from them. On their first drive of the second half, Cleveland Hills got off two snaps before a fumble gave way to the Warrior’s sixth score of the night. Even during the Golden Eagles’ best drive of the contest, going from their own 11-yard-line to Salamanca’s 33, mistakes and miscues reamerged to pacify their momentum.
It wasn’t until late in the fourth, when facing the Salamanca second squad and a running clock, did the Golden Eagles find a way into the endzone. Holding the Warriors to their first scoreless drive, Cleveland Hills turned around and drove in six points, evading a shutout, albeit, after missing the extra point. They would score one more time, a short run with 50 second remaining, but still couldn’t soothe the sting of a deflating loss to end their season. For the Warriors, however, their ninth win of the season came with a bang and a ticket to the semifinals.
Peters led the way with 149 yards of the Warriors 417 yards, adding another touchdown to his resume while tallying a sack and a tackle. Brown had two rushing touchdowns in the win with 61 yards, also collecting 24 yards through the air. Isaac threw for 62 yards on 4-for-9 completion, also running in two scores by himself. Zach Trietley recorded a team-high nine unassisted tackles, followed by Cory Holleran with six.
“I enjoyed the way we played. There’s something about the playoff atmosphere. Once you’re here, at least in my brain, everything flips over,” said Bartoszek. “Every rep is valuable and every possession we were working on something. We’re putting all of our years of hard work together and it was another great start. I’m proud of them and it was a really good night for us.”
Next, Salamanca will see another familiar face in Medina, a rematch of the Section VI Class C finals from a year ago. That game will be played at home next Friday at 7 p.m.
“We went up and scouted (Medina) last night and their running back (Christian Moss) is a dude. He’s going to be as tough a running back as we’ve seen,” said Bartoszek. “We are up for an absolute dog fight in the middle. They counter, they’re strong, they’re tough, they’re physical. We have to be ready to fight.”
