By HUNTER O. LYLE
lyleoleanstar@gmail.com
SALAMANCA, NY – Sometimes, when things aren’t working, you have to stop what you’re doing and try another approach.
After two quarters of what head coach Chad Bartoszek described as “not Salamanca Warrior football,” that is exactly what the Warriors had to do and ultimately, their mid-game pivot paid off. After responding with staunch defense and an air raid offense, the Salamanca football team emerged with a shutout second half and sizable win, beating Falconer/CV/Maple Grove 28-8.
Through three weeks of the season, the Warriors had managed to stack double-digit points onto the scoreboard through every first half thus far. However, against the Herd, they hit a wall, one partially self constructed.
On their first two snaps of the night, Salamanca failed to push the needle, being hit behind the line of scrimmage in rapid succession that set them back five yards. Although they would recover with a seven-yard reception from Dominick Hill, producing a fourth-and-short, a false start penalty erased their would-be first down thereafter.
Their second drive wasn’t much better. Following a five yard rush from Conner Seeley and a 14-yard catch from Camron Bowser, Salamanca was beginning to build steam. However, their third play of the possession would run afoul, with the ball slipping out of Jesse Hill’s hands on an unforced fumble which gave Falconer positioning around midfield.
“I’ll chalk that up to coaching,” said Bartoszek, whose team was shut out in the first quarter for the first time all season. “We have to do better. It’s our responsibility to do better.”
Although the Warriors had been able to hang their hat on defense thus far, forcing the Herd’s offense to leave the field on back-to-back occasions, the tide began to turn thereafter.
Recovering the fumble and starting the second quarter on their own 48-yard-line, Falconer’s smash-mouth ground game began to find footholds. Getting a few yards here and a few more there with their running back trio of Taylor Jones, Jaxon Kraft and Patrick Braily, the Herd started to migrate downfield. Seven plays after crossing midfield, a four-yard scramble from Jones would put the first points on the board before Falconer added to them with a successful 2-point pass to Grant Zahm.
At first, it seemed as if the Warriors were still in their rut. With their run game still searching for answers, a rebuttal looked doubtful and after two quick plays, Salamanca faced a third-and-long once again. But then came a spark in the form of a 33-yard catch and run from Seeley.
Quickly channeling their offense into the air, the Warriors began leaning on quarterback Payton Bradley’s arm as he connected with several receivers to begin marching downfield. A successful target to Waylon Dowdy garnered 22 yards and an inaugural trip to the goalline before another throw, this time to Bowser, one snap later found Salamanca’s first points of the night. With just under two minutes left in the break, they had tied the game up at 8-8 and found new life.
With the pressure off them and finally churning out production, the Warriors began to thrive. Sticking with what worked, they continually sent receivers downrange for Bradley to hunt down. On both of Salamanca’s opening drives, he would find large swaths of yards at a time, first connecting with Bowser for a 60 yard gain – Bradley eventually broke the plane with a one-yard run – before finding Dowdy for a 55-yard touchdown the next time on the field.
“We just trusted the concept, trusted the route concept. That touchdown to Waylon (Dowdy), he threw before Waylon broke and he put it up there. Waylon hadn’t even broke yet and (Bradley) was getting pressured,” said Bartoszek. “He trusted the route and we worked on it this week and we executed.”
Meanwhile, their defense managed to corral the Herd. Forcing three consecutive turnovers, including back-to-back interceptions from Seeley and Bradley, Salamanca kept Falconer’s offense frustrated and off the field. As Falconer searched for answers while the Warriors kept their foot on the pedal, time worked against them and ultimately, they would leave the field without a solution.
“The defense, once again, had a very sound gameplan. What I mean by that, is that it’s hard to replicate what (Falconer) does. It’s a lot easier to replicate spread teams that throw a lot. (Falconer) was running counter gains so it was very hard to replicate. The gameplan that was in place was meant to squeeze that internally and force them out and I give our defense a lot of credit.”
Bradley finished the night with an even 200 passing yards, throwing for two touchdowns on 10-for-14 passing. His main targets on the night, Bowser and Dowdy, recorded 93 and 33 receiving yards while each coming away with a score. Seeley ended the night with 33 receiving yards and 48 rushing yards.
For a team that entered the season with significant voids and an air of uncertainty, the Warriors now find themselves with an unblemished record at the midway point. However, while they realize their success, they also know what awaits them.
“You have to walk a fine line between being very, very satisfied with where we’re at and striving to match your goals for the year, striving to get into the playoffs, striving to play championship level football,” said Bartoszek. “We’re 4-0 and we’re proud of where we’re at. This is a tough league. These teams are all really difficult to deal with so each week we have to be better and better. Frankly, the back half of our season is as difficult as it gets.”
