Football

Class D champs blank shorthanded LMR

By RICHARD A. ROSS

CHESTER, NY— If you want to beat Chester, plan to score a ton of points and then try to limit their multi-weapon offense. The strength of this defending Class D champ rests with impressive running by Mike Schmidlein and on-target passing by Brian Vandermark.

When Livingston Manor/Roscoe (LMR) walked into this buzz saw without quarterback Lance Brookins—suspended from this game on a questionable call against Deposit—and interior linemen Lee Sanabria and Kelly Lackey, this uphill battle was mission impossible.

Schmidlein ran for two touchdowns and caught a pass for another on his way towards racking up 209 yards on 20 carries. Vandermark completed six-for-seven passes for 228 yards and three TDs. Chester held LMR to 10 yards of rushing in the first half. Steve Pasichnyk scored on a one-yard TD after hauling in a 39-yard pass from Vandermark.

LMR will reload, with all of its players, to host rival Eldred in the first of their two matchups on September 16. “We’ll be a different team with those guys in the mix,” said LMR co-coach Kevin Clifford.

Chester (2-0) will have a greater challenge as they travel to Class C Tri-Valley (1-1).

Tri-Valley’s defense did an admirable job against juggernaut Delhi before being worn down in the second half. That game was Tri-Valley’s preparation for Chester, who will test the Bears’ defensive mettle in this crossover grid classic. It should also be interesting to see if Tri-Valley QB Joe Garigliano and running back Danny Knox can find seams in Chester’s daunting defense on September 17.