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Football
Highland 30, Sullivan West 22
Wavering intensity costs Bulldogs a trip to Dietz
By
RICHARD A. ROSS
HIGHLAND, NY — It was homecoming for Highland,
but the Sullivan West Bulldogs came in on October 25 primed to dampen
the Huskies’ enthusiasm and punch their own ticket to the
playoffs at Dietz Stadium.
Intentions are well and good, but you also have
to walk the walk. A combination of a powerful Highland offense and
early lapses by the Bulldogs defense quickly gave the Huskies a
12-0 first quarter lead.
In the second quarter, the Bulldogs roared back
to take a 14-12 lead and steal the momentum of the game as Sullivan
West played some of their best football of the season. Had they
maintained that intensity, they might be looking forward to a trip
to the playoffs, but football is a 48-minute endeavor.
Sullivan West won the toss, but a costly holding
penalty in their first series forced them to punt. Highland senior
fullback T.J. Rizzo took advantage of missed tackles and marched
75 yards in four plays to give the Huskies a 6-0 lead. The point
after kick was blocked.
On their second possession, the Bulldogs went three
and out again, giving the ball over to the Huskies at the Highland
25-yard line after a short punt return. After Rizzo was thrown for
a six-yard loss on first down, the Huskies brought out two other
key offensive weapons.
One was senior halfback Aaron Bennett, and the
other was split end Justin Oelgeschlager. Rizzo and Bennet both
had big runs that set up a pass from senior quarterback Liam Fay
to Oelgeschlager who beat Scott Peters in the left hand corner of
the end zone to give the Huskies a 12-0 lead with 18 seconds left
in the first quarter. The two-point conversion pass was knocked
down.
Bulldogs’ coach Ron Bauer was furious with
his team and exhorted them. “Play football. This is embarrassing,”
he said. The message registered.
On the next series, Sullivan West unveiled an effective
passing attack. On a third and 11 play, quarterback Joe Meyer hit
receiver John Kitson and gave the Bulldogs first and goal. Scott
Peters took the ball in, the point-after kick was good and the Bulldogs
trailed 12-7.
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“Give
me one moment in time.” The scoreboard registers Sullivan West
ahead 14-12 in the second quarter against Highland. The Bulldogs
roared back to take the lead after a two-touchdown deficit.
Unfortunately, as time moved on, so did Sullivan West’s chance
for a playoff berth. (Click for larger image)
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On the ensuing kickoff, Jim Erlwein recovered a
Highland fumble at the Highland 38-yard line. Meyer then connected
on a long pass to Andre Trujillo, giving the Bulldogs first and
goal at the two-yard line. Peters scored again and Meyer’s
point-after kick gave Sullivan West a 14-12 lead with 9:27 to go
in the first half.
Taking over at the Highland 24-yard line, Rizzo
got back to work and rumbled 16 yards for a first down. He had a
touchdown on the next play but it was called back on a clipping
penalty. Rizzo took the ball from Highland’s 47-yard line
all the way to the Bulldogs’ 23-yard line on his next carry
as Sullivan West’s defense once again gave up big plays. Tight
end Matt Radomski beat Scott Peters on a post pattern but caught
the ball out of the end zone. On the next play, Fay threw to him
again, and this time the tall tight end used his height advantage
to leap over Peters for the score. After Peters knocked down the
two-point conversion pass, Highland led 18-14 at the half.
Two key moments of the second half defined the
final outcome of the game. After holding Highland on its first possession
of the second half, Sullivan West was on the march. Using fullback
Steve Daley and Scott Peters, the Bulldogs picked up a pair of first
downs. At fourth down and inches on the Highland 32-yard line, it
appeared the Bulldogs had made the necessary first-down yardage,
but a poor spot by the officials showed the ball to be short. Highland
took over, but the Bulldogs’ defense held again. It was now
the fourth quarter and on the next Sullivan West series, an errant
halfback option pass by Scott Peters landed right in the hands of
Aaron Bennett. Several plays later, Bennett scored and Highland
led 24-14.
Another interception, this time by defensive end
Liam Fay, stalled Sullivan West’s attempted comeback. Bennett
broke free for a 77-yard run giving the Huskies a commanding 30-14
lead. Defensive pass interference by Highland set up a final Sullivan
West score on a touchdown pass to John Kitson from Joe Meyer. Peters
ran the ball in for the two-point conversion, making the score 30-22.
The onside kick was recovered by the Huskies who celebrated while
the somber Bulldogs gathered around their coaches.
“We’re going to start right after Thanksgiving,
lifting weights and getting ready for next season. We’re not going
to stop until we succeed. We needed to play 48 minutes of football
and we didn’t get it done. Good season, you improved a lot,” Bulldogs
coach Ron Bauer said.
Most of the team will be back next year and this
painful but powerful lesson will be worth remembering. Recognition
needs to be given to the cheerleaders for braving the cold and cheering
on their team.
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