Football

Backup QB Geiger leads Yellowjackets to gritty win over Devil-Cats

Improving LMR puts up a devil of a fight in league opener

By RICHARD A. ROSS

ROSCOE, NY - Despite being polar opposites in the Class D standings, winless Livingston Manor/Roscoe (LMR) and defending Class D champion Eldred added another hard-fought, tough football game to their history of epic battles in their first league game of the season.

An earlier non-league game resulted in a 40-0 Eldred win. Last year, the Devil-Cats gave Eldred two of its toughest games, both of which Eldred was fortunate to win.

Consequently, this year’s league match up on Friday the 13th had Eldred coach Frank Kean hoping that he could escape from Roscoe’s house of horrors with a league win, given that his star quarterback, Nick McCormick, was sidelined with a bruised shoulder, aggravated in his stellar heyday against Tri-Valley last week.

McCormick is the team’s epicenter. He is a scoring threat with his deft passing and propensity to take off on long runs, and the team’s brain trust on the field as he calls all plays.

McCormick has been getting daily therapy and is expected to return for next week’s critical league matchup with arch rival Chester. Eldred looks to defend its Division V crown against the Hambletonians, who demolished them earlier this season in a non-league tilt.

With McCormick out, Kean inserted senior backup Steven Geiger. Though he lacks McCormick’s electric throwing capacity, Geiger did a good job of calling the signals on the plays sent in from the sidelines, and handing the ball off to his blue-collar running backs, Kevin Prunka and Hilton Johnson.

The two accounted for nearly 250 yards on the ground, with Prunka’s relentless assault of 27 carries for 196 yards and Johnson’s 20 carries for 48. Johnson’s blocking was key in Prunka’s success.

But for all of Eldred’s ground gain, most of it was between the 20s. LMR held Eldred scoreless for the first quarter with an improving defense that bent, but wouldn’t break, for the first 12 minutes.

LMR received to start the game and had one drive that took them deep into Eldred territory before it faltered.

Eldred began its first scoring drive late in the first quarter from its own 40, and moved the chains with good running from Prunka. As the second quarter began, Eldred had a first-and-goal at the eight, but a Prunka touchdown was called back on a holding penalty. Undaunted, the Yellowjackets kept on their ground game and, with 11:26 remaining, Prunka galloped four yards for the score. Phillip Talley’s PAT gave the Yellowjackets a 7-0 lead.

LMR continued to move on Eldred. Marshaling the heavy-duty running of fullback Kelly Lackey, coupled with passes from quarterback Tyler Schmidt to receiver Seth Darbee, LMR moved the chains but failed to sustain most of its early drives.

The two teams went back and forth on their next possessions as each team’s defense stiffened in the hard-hitting fray.

Eldred got good field position on a fine punt return by Tom Compasso to the LMR 32. Johnson barreled forward for five more, and Eldred’s running attack ground out the tough yards, seemingly enroute to another easy score. But LMR toughened, forcing a fourth-and-goal at the six.

The Devil-Cats needed one more stop to possibly change the game’s momentum, but Prunka came around the left end on a sweep behind the blocking of Nick Simonelli and Johnson. With Talley’s PAT, the Yellowjackets led 14-0 with 24 seconds to go in the half.

Schmidt returned the kickoff to the 45, but time expired on an incomplete pass to Darbee.

Eldred’s opening second-half drive was furthered by an unnecessary roughness penalty assessed against the Devil-Cats for a late hit. LMR coaches Kevin Clifford and Fred Ahart protested vehemently, to no avail. Two plays later, Prunka galloped 53 yards for his third touchdown with 9:28 to go in the third quarter. Eldred took a 20-0 lead. LMR was flagged again on the PAT for roughing the kicker, but the shortened attempt failed.

Fired up by the previous series, LMR took out its frustration on Eldred’s defense. Beginning a drive on their own 34, LMR went airborne as Schmidt found Darbee down the left side for a hefty gain. Eldred responded by dumping Mike Miesner back for a 13-yard loss. Lackey ripped off a six-yard run and Schmidt hit Darbee for a first down at the 15. Another pass to Darbee netted another first down before Lackey rumbled in from the one with 3:26 to go in the third quarter and put the Devil-Cats on the board. The two-point conversion failed and Eldred’s lead was cut to 20-6.

Eldred answered back with a big return by Prunka. A series of penalties had officials marking off yards, first one way and then the other.

In a dazzling run, Prunka headed around the end and then deftly cut back to the middle. With a first down at the four, Eldred encountered a tough goal-line defense by the Devil-Cats. After an incomplete pass to Kojo Williams, Geiger found Sean Colley on a 12-yard slant pass underneath for the touchdown with just 24 seconds remaining in the third quarter. The two-point conversion pass was incomplete and Eldred took a commanding 26-6 lead.

LMR added another touchdown in the fourth quarter on a workman-like drive that began late in the third quarter from its own 18-yard line. A Schmidt completion to Justin Mendez got the Devil-Cats out to the 44. Again the officials marked off yardage one way against LMR for offsides, and then in the opposite direction for a personal foul.

Lackey rumbled to the Eldred 34 and then Schmidt torched Eldred’s defense by completing another pass to Darbee at the 12. Schmidt’s final completion to Darbee resulted in a five-yard TD for the game’s final score as Eldred (6-1, 1-0 Class D) held on for the 26-12 win over the Devil-Cats (0-7, 0-1 Class D). LMR’s final drive was cut short by an interception by Compasso.

Ahart was pleased with his team’s progress. “We played better and we’re improving,” he noted. “We’re trying to get to the next step.”

Ahart pointed to Schmidt’s passing and Darbee’s receptions as positives. “We were able to move the ball on Eldred and they are a very good team. Defensively, we need to step up more.”

Kean admitted his concern about playing without McCormick. “He normally controls everything out there. Steve Geiger did a heck of a job filling in for Nick and I was very impressed with the running of Kevin Prunka and Hilton Johnson.” Kean pointed out that Johnson’s blocking was instrumental in Prunka’s success.

Stat line:

Eldred rushing: Prunka, 27 carries for 126 yards; Johnson, 20-for-48.

LMR rushing: Lackey 19 carries for 51 yards.

Eldred passing: Geiger, 1-for-3 for 12-yards.

LMR passing: Schmidt, 9-of-19 for 142 yards and one TD.

LMR receiving: Darbee, 7 catches for 110 yards; Justin Mendez, 2 catches for 32 yards.