Section 9 Class D Football Championship

Yellowjackets defeat Chester for Class D title

Eldred follows the yellow brick road to a storybook ending

By RICHARD A. ROSS

KINGSTON, NY — To the deafening chants of the crowd roaring, “Eldred, Eldred,” jubilant players hoisted their coach Frank Kean onto their shoulders as they released their pent-up emotions in an effusion of smiles and tears. This epic scene followed Eldred’s 27-14 Section 9 Class D title win over Chester on November 4.

Big tackle John Adams wept openly. The weight of his coach on his shoulders was nothing compared to the burden he had just set down, the unrelenting, multi-year urge to deliver this championship to the small town that wanted it so badly. After 36 years, Eldred was finally crowned the Class D champion, and all of the years of disappointment vanished in the blink of an eye.

After beating Chester 19-14 a week ago to claim the league title, many wondered if Eldred players would become complacent having won their first-ever title. But there was no doubt in the hearts and minds of this team and their coaches who knew that it was now or never.

Playing an inspired brand of football that had its share of heroic moments, Eldred overcame yet another Chester comeback wrought by two stellar plays that yielded the Hambletonians 14 points. The Yellowjackets also hung tough after an injury to their own quarterback Nick McCormick in the midst of a 14-all deadlock to find a way to win.

After McCormick went down with an injured ankle in the third quarter, the team rallied behind the unflagging spirit of its seniors. McCormick had already passed for one touchdown and run for another, and his absence from the game could have been the turning point. This would be the true acid test of Eldred’s resolve.

Mike Prunka stepped in to call the signals, and in one storied moment just shortly after McCormick’s exit, Jonathan Counts took the ball on a third and seven from the Chester 32 and raced 25 yards to the seven-yard line. After being tackled, he jumped up and screamed, “My game, my game!”

Counts’ outburst was an expression of a warrior’s undying commitment to deliver a victory, and his spirit was echoed in the actions of his teammates. McCormick returned to the game, and Patrick Kean proceeded to score the game’s go-ahead touchdown on a one-yard dive. Eldred never gave the lead back for the remaining 11 minutes. Kean followed up with a key interception of a Vandermark pass as Eldred’s defense thwarted Chester’s attempt to close the gap. Later in the quarter, Prunka intercepted a pass as well, which set up a drive for Eldred’s final touchdown scored by Counts.

It was a storybook ending to a season of destiny, not unlike The Wizard of Oz. In both instances, the quest to find what was lacking was discovered already within those who wandered in search of the answers.

Like Dorothy, the Tin Man, The Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion, Eldred’s dreams of finding its way home as champions, discovering their heart, peace of mind and courage finally came true over the rainbow at Dietz Stadium. Led by their coaching wizards, they stuck together, stayed the course and staved off the threats that were meant to deter them along the way.

The dream comes to life

The game itself was yet another classic; the third in the series between Chester and Eldred this year. Chester won the first 30-22, but Eldred bested Chester last week, in part due to the fine defensive scheme drawn up by coach John LiGreci. On both sides of the ball, Eldred had some new wrinkles this week.

Chester won the toss and elected to defer. Eldred went three out to no one’s surprise, and Chester went right to running standout Mike Schmidlein, who got them moving. A pass over the middle to Darren Mann took the ball to the Eldred 45. Schmidlein got nine more on an option, and the Hambletonians looked to be rolling. But Eldred held fast. A bad snap to punter Joe Salthouse gave Eldred the ball at the Chester 43.

Chester stuffed a few runs, but the drive was kept alive by McCormick’s passing. He hit Kean for a critical first and goal and then found Prunka in the right-hand corner of the end zone. Prunka’ point after touchdown (PAT) made it 7-0 with 44 seconds left in the first quarter.

Eldred seemed to have Chester contained on the next series. Through a combination of incomplete passes and penalties, Chester faced a fourth and 25 and then gambled on a fake. As Eldred brought nine players to try and block the kick, Salthouse found wide-open end Kevin Jones, who raced upfield and got the first down. A few plays later, Schmidlein took it in from the two. A failed two-point conversion preserved Eldred’s 7-6 lead.

Eldred committed a number of costly penalties over the course of the game, including two on their next series, but they held Chester again. A McCormick keeper and a nifty 20-yard pass to J.T Vogt got the ball to the Chester 37. Soon Eldred was knocking at the door again, and despite a penalty for 12 men on the field, McCormick rolled right on an option play and took it in from the eight-yard line with four seconds left in the half. Prunka’s PAT made it a 14-6 lead at halftime.

After receiving the ball in good field position, Chester unleashed Schmidlein on a fourth and one for a 55-yard touchdown gallop. He followed that with a two-point conversion run that tied the game at 14-all with 9:37 left in the third quarter.

Heads-up play by Walter Kreidell recovered a short kick, but Eldred went three and out. Vandermark, who was hurried by Eldred’s blitz, threw three incomplete passes on the next series. With 6:50 to go in the third quarter, McCormick went down after a player landed on the ankle he had injured during a training run earlier this week. Eldred complicated the issue by committing a couple of penalties on fair-catch calls by Schmidlein, but Eldred’s defense kept Chester at bay again.

Counts’ historic run, his battle cry and Kean’s touchdown followed suit. The clock read 11:17 left in the game and Eldred had a 21-14 lead. Chester got great field position on a short kick and were close to tying the game when Ruddie Montalvo caught a pass deep in Eldred territory. He was flagged for interference and the play was called back.

Eldred ended up with the ball at the 40, but couldn’t sustain the drive. Prunka leaped into the air over Montalvo and pulled down a Vandermark pass. A Chester facemask call advanced the ball further. Counts tore off a 12-yard run and then another 6-yard run. He fumbled on the next carry, but Vogt recovered it for an Eldred first down at the 21.

Counts scored again from the 15. Prunka’s PAT was blocked, but Eldred had done the deed with a lead of 27-14.

Counts carried the ball 28 times for 165 yards and was deemed the game’s offensive Most Valuable Player. Schmidlein received the Defensive Player of the Game plaque. He also carried the ball 20 times for 120 yards.

After the game, McCormick noted that pain was the last thing on his mind. “We were extremely confident but this game could have gone either way,” he said.

Adams struggled to speak through his emotions, “We did it with our hearts. We’re a team,” he said. Tackle George Fountain summed it up saying, “I waited for this my whole life. I hit hard all game and all year and it finally happened.”

Patrick Kean was nearly speechless. “This is unbelievable,” he said.

His dad couldn’t have been prouder of his team and his son. “Just think, Patrick scored the game-winning touchdown and made a key interception. I remember him as a seven-year-old with his helmet on crooked and now it comes to this,” Kean said. The emotion was overwhelming.

In his closing remarks, Kean said, “If there’s a Cloud Nine, I’m on Cloud Eleven. I told the boys before the game, once the game starts you’re making it history; when it’s over, you’re a part of history.” Kean encouraged those teams who haven’t won to be persistent. “There is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.”

Somewhere over the rainbow, Eldred players, their parents, fans and community returned to their close- knit hamlet to discover that there’s no place like home.