Football

Orange crush

Walton demolishes Sullivan West in season opener

By RICHARD A. ROSS

WALTON, NY - It may be a new season, but as far as the first week for Sullivan West football goes, it’s the same old story: take on a team from Section Four and get whipped senseless. The good news for the Bulldogs is that these early season thrashings seem to strengthen them for the later season division games, which are the standard that the team is ultimately judged by.

With three consecutive Section Nine titles under their belts, the Bulldogs are still a feared foe in Class C, but that title run is about to be tested by the likes of Tri-Valley, Millbrook and Pine Plains.

Usually it’s Delhi that’s responsible for Sullivan West’s first-week woes, but this year it was Walton, a team that handily beat the Bulldogs 26-6 in week two last year, despite the loss of its quarterback Pat O’Brien, who suffered a broken leg in the fray.

O’Brien, now a senior, was healthy and ready for the rematch on September 1, as were the rest of the Warriors donned in orange and black, who swarmed in pre-game warm-ups in front of a sideline signs that said, “We will crush you,” a reference to the popular soft drink Orange Crush.

But there was nothing soft about Walton. They hit hard and scored often.

O’Brien completed three of eight passes for 94 yards. He threw for one touchdown and had one pass intercepted, but Walton’s mainstay was its ground assault.

Fullback Richard Fletcher gave Sullivan West fits last year with his lumbering runs. This year, he did it again and had ample help from a backfield that ran over the Bulldogs at will on their way to 300 yards of rushing on 31 carries, and a lopsided 62-16 victory fueled by six rushing touchdowns.

Sullivan West came into the game expecting to reverse the opening day miasma of past years. “We hold nothing back. No regrets,” they shouted on the sideline prior to the game.

Sadly, neither part of their mantra bore out.

With the addition of assistant coach Matt Buddenhagen, who took Class A Cornwall to the state championship game they nearly won in 2006, Sullivan West has gotten a great football mind and motivator into its fold. But Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the efforts to implement a new offense with some of Buddenhagen’s wrinkles haven’t gelled yet in the short time since he’s been on board.

Following this year’s debacle, which was worse than last year’s opening day disastrous 58-13 hammering by Delhi, head coach Ron Bauer accepted responsibility for the team’s inadequate defense against what could be this year’s Class D state champion, noting that concentrating on the offense at the expense of the defense clearly hurt the Bulldogs’ capacity to slow down the raging Warriors.

Walton used trap blocks at will to spring running backs like Casey Killian (eight carries for 89 yards and a TD), Fletcher (10 carries for 52 yards and a multitude of two-point conversion runs), and Logan Wood (two carries for 43 yards and two TDs).

Bauer, however, would not assume responsibility for the Bulldogs’ inefficient blocking, dropped passes and poor punting that gave Walton great field position and the offensive flameout, which accounted for only 113 yards (63 on the ground and 74 in the air) that afforded Walton the lion’s share of possession. The Warriors were also aided and abetted by four Sullivan West fumbles (the Bulldogs recovered one) and an interception.

Succinctly put, Walton scored at will, starting with its first possession that began on its own 34 and benefited by two quick Sullivan West penalties. Fletcher’s runs got Walton within striking distance where O’Brien tossed a 17-yard pass to Killian for the game’s first score only six minutes into the game. Fletcher added his first two-point gallop and Walton led 8-0.

Sullivan West’s offense stalled as quarterback Jim Moloney was thrown back and then overthrew a pass, leading to a short punt that gave the Warriors far less turf to travel on. Already hobbled by a sore ankle from the Port Jervis scrimmage, Moloney seemed to be carrying the ball more often than necessary, given his vital role in the season, which looms in the weeks to come.

With 10 minutes gone by, Killian rumbled four yards in for the second score, and another Fletcher PAT made it 16-0 by the end of the first quarter.

But that was just a preview of coming attractions. Walton added a heftier dose of bitter medicine for the Dawgs in the second quarter, with 22 more points that included a 26-yard run by Logan Wood. Artie Norden broke up the PAT pass attempt, but Walton now had a 22-0 lead.

Sullivan West looked to get a momentum change as Dan Figueroa got a nice return on the kickoff and the Bulldogs got the ball to the one where Moloney took it in on a keeper. Figueroa carried in the conversion and the score stood at 22-8 with 9:07 gone by in the second quarter.

Figueroa’s speed and Will Schlott’s tough running resolve were positive signs for the Bulldogs.

But 20 seconds later, a 17-yard run by Wood made it 28-8. Fletcher punctuated that with another dive to make it 30-8. The second quarter’s final score came on a six-yard run by Bryant Mead with only 15 seconds remaining in the half. Killian ran in the conversion, and Walton led 36-8 at halftime.

Could it get worse for Sullivan West?

Unfortunately, the answer was yes.

The 22 points in the second quarter were followed by 24 more in the third quarter. Sullivan West received, but the second half was ominously ushered in by another fumble by the embattled Moloney. It was recovered by Cody Reed at the Bulldogs’ 26. A six-yard run shortly thereafter by Anthony Mead made it 44-8. Fletcher’s PAT made it 46-8.

A subsequent fumble by Dan Figueroa was picked up by Fletcher and carried 52 yards for a TD to make it 52-8. Robbie Rigas scored the Warriors’ final TD with 2:30 to go in the third quarter to make it 60-8. Anthony Mead took in the two-point conversion run.

Sullivan West was able to add a second score on a one-yard dive by Will Schlott in the fourth quarter.

Walton will travel to Tri-Valley on October 6 for its only other non-league game. Tri-Valley scouted this game, as it has both teams on its schedule. Clearly, Sullivan West is the more interesting of the two for the Bears. The two teams vied for the title last year, with the Bulldogs winning the Class C crown for the second straight year by beating Tri-Valley.

Walton Coach James Hoover noted that many of his players from last year returned this year, although Walton’s numbers are somewhat down. Walton will take on division rival Deposit next week. Last year, Walton defeated Delhi in the regular season, and lost to them 34-0 in the title game. The loss of O’Brien was huge for Walton, but with his return this year, the Warriors look to be a daunting foe for anyone in Class D.

One area of improvement for Walton will be in reducing its penalties. The Warriors racked up 14 that cost them 101 yards. Sullivan West had only three for a total loss of 25 yards.

Sullivan West will host Red Hook on September 7 at home under the lights. Red Hook was smoked by Cornwall in its season opener.

The Bulldogs can expect a rigorous practice week with balanced time given to work on both sides of the ball.

Visit riverreportersports.com for an album of game photos.