By SPENCER BATES
SALAMANCA — It had been a long time since the Salamanca football team had allowed 49 or more points in a regular season game.
In fact, it had been a streak of four years, five months and 17 days that was officially snapped by a Southwestern/Frewsburg team equipped with, statistically, the most potent offense in all of Western New York.
Last season, Salamanca went into Trojan territory and held them to just three points — just one stop on their undefeated run to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Final. This year, Southwestern, newly merged with Frewsburg, returned the favor by handing Salamanca a 49-7 loss at Veterans Memorial Park.
There was nothing subtle about the way the Trojans approached the game either, as they scored four touchdowns in rapid succession after having lost a fumble on their first play of the game. A 69-yard rushing touchdown from quarterback Trent Lewis was followed up by a 62-yard receiving touchdown from Roger Markham on the second and third plays of the game, respectively, for Southwestern. A third quick score came courtesy of defensive lineman Branden Francis on a scoop-and-score and the Trojans added a fourth first-quarter score with a 26-yard rushing touchdown from Bradyn Fuller.
“The beginning of that game was just the exact opposite of what we wanted,” Bartoszek said. “We said from the beginning, ‘we’re not hiding from the fact that they’re outscoring everybody.’ They have the highest point differential in Western New York right now. They’re loaded up for a reason. But having said all that, we just can’t give up monster plays. You can’t give them the ball back. We had some windows offensively, but we just didn’t have enough opportunity for success. We just didn’t have the environment for any sort of success and the result is what it is.”
Meanwhile, for the second game running, Salamanca was unable to generate any substantial offense until the second half, when Xazavier Escobar returned a kickoff for a 99-yard score.
A lot of the strife the Warriors faced offensively came from the fact the line of scrimmage was firmly in the control of their opposition. The run game was all but stuffed by the Trojans, which forced quarterback Payton Bradley, who finished 8-for-16 passing with 66 yards, to become reliant on the air attack.
“You got to create stress on the defense, then you take your shot,” Bartoszek said. “When you’re not getting first downs, or you’re not moving the ball, they’re just sitting back and letting you take some underneath stuff. We’re the type of team that has to get over top once in a while. We never stressed out the defense.”
Salamanca’s Conner Seeley (28) carries the ball. Seeley finished with 27 rushing yards against Southwestern. (Spencer Bates)
Southwestern matched Salamanca’s lone touchdown in the second half and was able to coast over the finish line for its sixth consecutive win. Granted, the Warriors were able to snap the Trojans’ three-game shutout streak.
According to Bartoszek, there is a lot his team will be able to take away from the lopsided defeat. For instance, it will truly test the mettle of this group of players.
“When you’re involved in a game like this, it challenges everything,” Bartoszek said. “The message is: Your culture is what it is at its worst. Who we are right now, it’s who we are as a program. It’s great to win, trust me, I’d rather be winning. But these are the football moments that teach you a lot about life. I still think we got a pretty good season ahead of us. That team right there is doing this to everybody, and I think we match up better with most of the rest of the league. So, we’re still motivated. We just ran into a juggernaut.”
Salamanca has a short week on its hands, but that’s just fine in the eyes of Bartoszek, who noted that it means he and his staff will be able to turn the page on this loss rather quickly.
“Last year, the worst part of our season came on the last play of the game, and the season was over,” Bartoszek said. “The good thing is we get to wake up tomorrow and go to work and get ready for Fredonia. We’ll be right back here, battling back. It was a tough loss. We ran into a very good team. … So, as a coaching staff, it’s a great challenge.”
The Warriors will host the Fredonia Hillbillies on Thursday, Oct. 16 for their penultimate game of the regular season. Kick off for the game is slated for 7 p.m.
AT SALAMANCA
Salamanca: 0 0 7 0 — 7
Southwestern/Frewsburg: 28 14 7 0 — 49
First Quarter:
Southwestern/Frewsburg — Lewis 69 run; extra-point good, 7-0
Southwestern/Frewsburg — R. Markham 62 pass from Lewis; extra-point good, 14-0
Southwestern/Frewsburg — Francis 30 fumble recovery; extra-point good, 21-0
Southwestern/Frewsburg — Fuller 26 run; extra-point good, 28-0
Second Quarter:
Southwestern/Frewsburg — R. Markham 34 pass from Lewis; extra-point good, 35-0
Southwestern/Frewsburg — Sirianni 25 pass from Lewis; extra-point good, 42-0
Third Quarter:
Southwestern/Frewsburg — Eckert 1 run; extra-point good, 49-0
Salamanca — Escobar 99 kick return; extra-point good, 49-7
——
Team Statistics:
Salamanca:
First Downs: 6
Rushes-Yards: 23-76
Passing Yards: 66
Comp-Att.-Int.: 8-16-1
Total Offense: 142
Fumbles-Lost: 2-1
Penalties-Yards: 4-35
Punts-Avg.: 2-33.5
Total Plays: 41
——
Southwestern/Frewsburg:
First Downs: 9
Rushes-Yards: 22-254
Passing Yards: 151
Comp-Att.-Int.: 7-8-0
Total Offense: 405
Fumbles-Lost: 1-1
Penalties-Yards: 7-55
Punts-Avg.: 1-44.0
Total Plays: 31
