Football

Tri-Valley 34, Eldred 27

Tri-Valley Bears’ comeback sparks win over Eldred

By RICHARD A. ROSS

	TRR photo by Richard A. Ross Eldred’s Jonathan Counts (34) bursts through for a big fourth quarter gain against Tri-Valley. Tri-Valley’s Ted Degraw (24) reaches out to trip up Counts who was eventually tackled by safety Dan Walter (21). Counts ran for 156 yards on 14 carries including a 34-yard touchdown run. (Click for larger image)

GRAHAMSVILLE, NY — High drama, seesawing leads and a Tri-Valley defensive lineman’s serious injury marked the day as Tri-Valley overcame a two-touchdown deficit and surged ahead of Eldred on a gorgeous October 11 afternoon.

In a case of déja vu for the Yellowjackets, the Bears won for the second straight year despite a powerful Eldred running attack. Last year, Kyle Schneider rushed 159 yards and Vinny Reilly ran 90, but the Bears’ red zone defense nullified their statistics with a 21-6 victory.

This year, Eldred gained even more yardage. Jonathan Counts had 159 yards on 14 carries and Vinny Reilly had 149 yards on 19 carries. But it wasn’t enough. The difference in the game was defense. Eldred got out to an early lead on a Jonathan Counts 34-yard touchdown run. After Tri-Valley answered back with a run by Alan Coombe, Vinny Reilly blocked the extra point kick and Eldred led 7-6. Eldred scored the next two touchdowns.

The first one came on a six-yard pass from Nick McCormick to Reilly. Reilly added another touchdown in the second quarter on a six-yard run. Eldred’s 20-6 lead slimmed down to 20-18 by halftime as Tri-Valley scored twice, missing the conversion attempts on both touchdowns. A fumble by Eldred’s quarterback Nick McCormick on the Eldred 38-yard line set up the first of the two scores.

After Tri-Valley failed to make the necessary fourth down yardage on an incomplete pass, a pass interference call gave the Bears a first down plus the penalty yardage. Tri-Valley was successful in running the ball on Eldred and tallied the second score before halftime with a 12-yard pass from quarterback Joe Garigliano to Adam Whiteman.

In the early third quarter, Coombe’s second touchdown of the day and two-point conversion gave Tri-Valley a 26-20 lead. On its next possession, Eldred regained the lead on a series of runs and a completed pass to Kyle Jasper. Reilly broke free for a 43-yard score. Taylor Diguid’s extra point kicks gave the Yellowjackets a 27-26 lead with only nine minutes remaining in the game. Eldred held Tri-Valley on its next possession and the Bears were forced to punt.

Eldred was able to get the ball to midfield, but at fourth down with five yards to go, Coach Kean elected to punt with the hope that his defense could hold Tri-Valley. The long kick resulted in a touchback and Tri-Valley proceeded to march the length of the field using more than five minutes of the clock. They scored on an around run by Josh Smith and got the two-point conversion with a run by Coombe.

Eldred was actually in a position to win the game. After a fine kickoff return by Jonathan Counts and a completed pass to Kyle Jasper, the Yellowjackets were at Tri-Valley’s 25-yard line with three minutes remaining. A long Reilly run was called back on offsetting penalties. Tri-Valley was called for holding but Eldred was penalized for having six men on the line. Another play was called back on a holding penalty and Eldred simply ran out of time.

Alan Coombe led the Bears with 149 yards on 22 carries. He had touchdown runs of eight and four yards.

Eldred (1-4, 1-1 Class D) will play a critical game next Saturday against Livingston Manor (2-3, 1-0 Class D). With a win, the Wildcats could be closer to a ticket to the championship game at Dietz Stadium. For Manor, a win over Eldred would keep them undefeated in Class D. Tri-Valley (5-1) will face Sullivan West (2-3) in a non-league game.