Football

Eldred delivers a payback punch

By RICHARD A. ROSS

ELDRED, NY — It took all of 11 seconds for the 2005 Yellowjackets to send a message to Hancock and anyone else watching Class D football this year. This team means business. That’s how long it took the Yellowjackets to put up their first points of the year and they did it with their defense.

A booming kick by Eldred’s Mike Prunka, a hard hit by linebacker Hilton Johnson and a heads-up fumble recovery by Nick Simonelli in the end zone gave Eldred a 6-0 lead over the Hancock Wildcats. That play set the tone for a dominating win by the Yellowjackets over a team that beat them 14-7 in last year’s opener.

It was indeed payback time as Eldred unveiled a monstrous running attack and a stifling defense against last year’s Section 4 Class D champs. Eldred added to its lead with a six-yard first-quarter run by Patrick Kean. Eldred’s defense loomed large with quickness and hard-hitting tackling, which kept Hancock’s offense flustered and faltering all night long. Johnson continued to be a factor on defense, recording a sack and later another key hit that stopped a Hancock drive on the Eldred goal line. Jeremy DeForge recovered that fumble and Eldred reloaded its offense for another assault.

The Yellowjackets took an 18-0 lead into halftime, after Kean scored his second TD of the night on a one-yard plunge. Eldred did show early season flaws by incurring a number of holding penalties that cost them big yardage. Coach Frank Kean let his team know at halftime, in no uncertain terms, how he felt about the penalties. He vowed to work out the kinks in the coming week before Eldred takes on Webutuck at home.

Eldred began the second half by recovering its own onside kick. Jonathan Counts looked supreme, racking up 139 yards on 22 carries. Counts, who assumes the lion’s share of the running duties with Kean, will take over where Kyle Schneider left off last year.

Eldred’s one defensive lapse came early in the third quarter as defenders took a poor angle on kickoff returner Aaron Gorshack, who took the ball 87 yards for Hancock’s first and only TD of the night. The Wildcats ran in the two-point conversion and the score stood briefly at 18-8.

Furious at their foul up, Eldred responded with a 47-yard kickoff return by Counts to the Hancock 32. A few plays later, Mike Prunka scored on a two-yard dive. Eldred got its next score by George ‘Bubba’ Fountain on a two-yard run. Additional touchdowns were recorded by quarterback Nick McCormick on a three-yard-option run, Kevin Prunka on a seven-yard run and Nick Proscia in a fumble recovery.

When the dust settled, Eldred had made a statement with its 54-8 win.

McCormick was four-for-seven in his passing for 77 yards and carried the ball 9 times for 44 yards. Kean had 10 touches for 59 yards on the ground. Johnson led the defense with six tackles and one assist.

“Our line beat them on the line of scrimmage,” Kean noted. “We came out prepared and ran the ball well,” he said.

“It feels good to get this win,” Kean said, but stressed the importance of getting right back to work if Eldred is going to make a serious run at the Class D title this year. Eldred racked up over 300 yards of rushing that began with a pre-game touching moment as the team ceremoniously replaced the Eldred football team hat of avid fan Rich Ranne followed by the National Anthem by Tara Contrera. The night ended with a sense of pride and gratitude as Eldred’s team gathered at midfield to give thanks in a moment of prayer before celebrating noisily with the crowd.