By SPENCER BATES
OLEAN — After last season, the Salamanca football team lost just shy of 4,000 yards of offense due to a number of key players graduating.
Maddox Isaac, Xavier Peters, Cory Holleran, Zach Trietley and Avery Brown were among the players that led the Warriors’ charge to the NYSPHSAA Class C Final in 2024. But the days of those stars are now in the past, and as head coach Chad Bartoszek admitted prior to the season, he needed to see some young players step up to fill those now-vacant leadership positions.
Luckily, after his team capped off a 19-13 non-league win over Olean to open the season, he is seeing that become a reality.
“(These guys) still have a Salamanca look to them, which I was very proud of,” Bartoszek said. “(Before the season) I was a little concerned about the amount of turnover on our roster. We started five sophomores today, we had some guys in different positions, and we still looked the part. … It’s not always going to be like it was. And I’m going to tell you right now, Olean is going to have a good year. They got a nice team, they had a good plan for us. I’m very, very happy that we got out of there with a win.”
The Warriors were led onto the field for the game’s opening possession by new quarterback Payton Bradley, and right away he found a groove. He marched Salamanca down the field methodically, pushing Olean deep into their own side of the field before handing off to running back Jesse Hill for the game’s and season’s first touchdown.
Bradley finished the game with 74 passing yards, 65 rushing yards and one passing touchdown, a performance worthy of his coach’s praise.
“For the most part, he was in control, which is step one with a young offense,” Bartoszek said. “That was my message to him, ‘you got to be a leader. It’s your first start at quarterback, but it’s not your first start. You played in big games. You played at the stadium, you played at the (JMA) Dome. You got to lead.’ He made some pretty darn good plays. He threw some balls that were just beautiful. We’ve just got to get in sync as a passing unit.”
Salamanca’s Payton Bradley (4) hands off to running back Jesse Hill (19). Bradley finished with 74 passing yards, 65 rushing yards and a passing touchdown against the Huskies. (Spencer Bates)
At the end of the first quarter, Bradley had his Warriors up by a score and knocking on the doorstep of the Olean endzone. One hand off to running back Conner Seeley and a made extra point later and the Warriors jumped ahead 13-0 after one play in the second frame.
But the Huskies were far from out of the contest. A veteran offense, led by the steady presence of Joe Mest under center showed its capability to string together a well-executed possession, tallying four first downs in five plays on the host’s first scoring drive of the night.
Mest had a great night in the pocket despite losing his top option at wide receiver, Austin Miles, to an injury early on. He threw for 156 yards and picked up 37 yards with his legs, but most importantly for head coach Phil Vecchio, he was able to take the reins completely when he needed to.
“He’s changing protections, he’s audibling, he’s making plays with his feet when he needs to make plays with his feet, and that’s something we talked about, … (he’s) got to be able to run with the ball. And he did that. I mean, he was fantastic tonight. I know 13 points isn’t enough for us, but I felt like we moved the ball alright. We just got bogged down in their red zone.”
The sides entered halftime with Salamanca leading 13-7, but after scoring so close to the break, Olean looked in prime position to catch their visitors.
However, the Warriors did well to manage the pressure, forcing a punt from the Huskies on their half-opening possession, and marching down the field thanks to quality yardage from their running backs.
The backfield was set to be a big question for Bartoszek this season with the losses of Isaac and Peters, who each seemed to break off a massive run at least once per game last season. Fortunately for him, Hill and Seeley stepped up in a big way on the night. Two guys that saw limited reps last season, the duo combined for over 100 yards against Olean.
“Jesse is a burner, there were two plays where he was a couple blocks away from really turning on one and going for six,” Bartoszek said. “And Conner is a tough kid for us. He’s a wrestler but he’s got speed too. … (We) get a little balance (with them). I love a two-back set right now, giving them each a blow, and then you mix in Payton. I’m happy with where we’re at. I just want to keep them healthy, keep them motivated.”
The Salamanca running backs got their team in position on their first drive of the half, and after establishing the run, Bradley caught the Olean defense out and dumped a short pass off to Seeley, which he took to the house from 17 yards out for his second score of the game.
The Warriors were up 19-7 after three quarters and that lead stood for a majority of the fourth. But the thing about Olean, according to Vecchio, is his team doesn’t know when to quit.
With time dwindling, Mest found Mykel Rivera, who made some big plays at receiver in the absence of Miles, for a 30-yard touchdown. Now with momentum, the Huskies were able to successfully pull off an onside kick, giving themselves a chance to go and swipe a win at the death. Unfortunately for the hosts, their hopes sputtered out as a fumble on a catch and run was recovered by the Salamanca, who, in turn, ran out the clock for the win.
The loss certainly stings for Vecchio, who admitted he saw some tears from his players after the fact. But for him, that’s a good sign. It means his players want to succeed and that they are not resigned to taking a loss easily.
“I saw guys battle,” Vecchio said. “The way (Salamanca) jumped out, they were super physical those first two drives. And I think we were able to match their physicality. Yeah, they punched us in the face, but it could have gone either way. … We had nothing to hang our heads about. We don’t like to lose any game, but it was a non-league game, so our real season starts week two at Maryvale.”
Olean’s Joe Mest (8) makes a pass to Austin Miles (10). Mest threw for 165 yards for the Huskies in their 19-13 loss to the Warriors. (Spencer Bates)
The reigning Class C Finalists are back to winning ways. Now, Salamanca will look to move to 2-0 with another road game on Sept. 12 against C South newcomers Springville. That game is set to begin at 7:05 p.m.
As for Olean, it will hit the road as well to face B2 leaguemates Maryvale on Sept. 12 at 7 p.m.
AT OLEAN
Olean: 0 7 0 6 — 13
Salamanca: 6 7 6 0 — 19
First Quarter:
Salamanca — Hill 3 run; two-point attempt no good, 6-0
Second Quarter:
Salamanca — Seeley 1 run; extra point good, 13-0
Olean — Hirliman 5 run; extra point attempt good, 13-7
Third Quarter:
Salamanca — Seeley 17 pass from Bradley; two-point attempt no good, 19-7
Fourth Quarter:
Olean — Rivera 30 pass from Mest; two-point attempt no good, 19-13
———
Team Statistics:
Olean
First Downs: 16
Rushes-Yards: 20-74
Passing Yards: 165
Comp-Att.-Int.: 16-29-0
Total Offense: 239
Fumbles-Lost: 1-1
Penalties-Yards: 7-58
Total Plays: 49
———
Salamanca
First Downs: 18
Rushes-Yards: 40-173
Passing Yards: 86
Comp-Att.-Int.: 7-13-0
Total Offense: 259
Fumbles-Lost: 0-0
Penalties-Yards: 5-43
Total Plays: 53
