Football

Strike force

Reimer rushes for five TDs and throws for two more as Dawgs outscore explosive Millbrook in key league tilt

By RICHARD A. ROSS

LAKE HUNTINGTON, NY — Strike three.

For the third week in a row, Sullivan West quarterback Brad Reimer led a juggernaut offense to victory as Sullivan West downed Millbrook 56-35 in a possible preview of a Class C playoff game in late October. Reimer topped his two prior three-TD games with a high five, striking gold with scores of 23, 20, two, eight and 39 yards.

Throwing strikes is Reimer’s focus during baseball season. But following his stunning gridiron performance of carrying the ball 18 times for 152 yards, running for five TDs and tossing two more, Millbrook wishes that Reimer had been away on a previously planned baseball prospect camp at Miami of Ohio on September 19, rather than postponing it until December.

But the future college hurler opted instead to play football with his long-time teammates. His exceptional play helped secure a win over a daunting contender.

Millbrook hoped to bank on star Nick Finger, Section Nine’s leading rusher. Finger did his best, but playing with an injured shoulder prevented him from playing defense.

By night’s end, Finger was 23/149 with one TD, bringing his three-game total to an incredible 79/706 and seven TDs. With junior speedster Darnell Cummings, NYS’s small-school 100-meter track champion, the Blazers hoped to overpower the rabid Dawgs, who had already left Ellenville and Liberty in their wake with two league wins.

Cummings had two TDs and a pair of conversion runs as Millbrook answered a spate of Sullivan West scores. But unstoppable Sullivan West struck down Millbrook’s hopes for the upset.

Reimer’s 11 rushing touchdowns to date have created a huge buzz, but the rest of the team and coaching staff deserve the limelight, too. Great blocking, incisive play calling from Kurt Buddenhagen, line coaching by Norm Bauer and head coaching by Ron Bauer have stoked the team’s unquenchable desire to put last year’s loss to Tri-Valley in the past. Sullivan West is emerging as the top gun in Class C, although there is much work yet to do.

The win brought the Dawgs to 3-0 (3-0 OCIAA), while striking a blow against Millbrook, 2-1 (1-1 OCIAA). Blazers coach Sean Keenan had designed a defense to stop the Bulldogs’ jet sweep that unhinged Liberty in a game he scouted a week ago.

“We tried to take away the jet a little bit and I thought we handled it okay but he [Reimer] just dismantled us and that’s on me. We’ve got to tackle better but they are a very, very good football team,” said Keenan.

Millbrook’s explosive offense harried the Bulldogs’ defense, tallying five touchdowns as its backs, including junior fullback David Hollingsworth, torched the Dawgs for 220 yards on the ground.

“We played great offensively,” said Bulldog coach Ron Bauer, “but we need to get to work on our defense.”

Ryan Alsdorf called the final plays. Rei- mer’s rushing total put him at 54/417 in just three games and his 66 points to date lead Section Nine’s scorers.

Still to come are baseball prospect camps at Division II University of New Haven and Southern New Hampshire and the postponed trip to Miami of Ohio. Reimer threw well at the University of Connecticut and Division One Siena is highly interested as well.

For now, his football teammates are delighted to have him handling the pigskin instead of a baseball.

Visit riverreportersports.com for stats, more details and an album of pictures.

Game highlights

Millbrook received but the Dawgs struck first. Reimer and Nick Mootz runs set up a 10-yard TD pass from Reimer to Mike Schmidt. Score: 7-0 at 7:41. Artie Norden kicked eight for eight PATs, which are included in the rest of the scores.

After another stop, the Dawgs started on their own 16. A pass to Norden and Dan Figueroa’s 20-yard run preceded a Mootz 25-yard TD. Score: 14-0 at 2:06.

Finger ran strong and Blazers’ QB Peter Keenan completed a pass to tight end Matthew Buechele. Cummings ran for a 10-yard TD and Aiden Little hit the PAT. Score: 14-7 at 11:07 (2nd quarter).

Reimer returned it to Millbrook 40. A pass to Norden and a QB keeper led to a Reimer TD. Score: 21-7 at 9:37.

Bulldog Manolatti Rabii punted to the Millbrook 18 but Blazer backs marched to the Dawgs’ seven. Keenan hit Buechele. Score: 21-13 at 4:23. (Figueroa blocked the PAT.)

A pass to Schmidt and runs by Mootz set up a 23-yard TD jaunt by Reimer. Score: 28-13 at 2:35.

Cummings’ kickoff return is helped by a Bulldog tackle out of bounds. A Hollingsworth five-yard TD run followed. Score: 28-19 at 1:57. (PAT blocked.)

Norden returned the kickoff, had two receptions. Mootz got a key first down and Reimer scored on an eight-yard TD. Score: 35-19 at 29.3 seconds.

Second-half action: With fourth and nine at the Blazers’ 32, a screen pass to Figueroa moved the action to the 15. After a holding penalty, a big run by Figueroa on a reverse set up resulted in Reimer’s fourth rushing TD. Score: 42-19 at 6:21.

Millbrook answered with a long drive and a one-yard TD by Finger and a conversion run. Score: 42-27 at 4:56 (3rd quarter).

Mark Tesseyman fell on a squib kick at the Blazers’ 49. After a Chris Murphy first down, Reimer sprinted 39 yards for the TD. Score: 49-27 at 11:12 (4th quarter).

Hollingsworth’s return to midfield, a couple of Finger dashes and a slant pass to Buechele preceded Cummings nine-yard TD and conversion. Score: 49-35 at 9:14.

Gabe LaGrutta pounced on a Blazers’ squib kick. On a fourth and four at the 44, Buddenhagen called a direct snap to Mootz for a first down. Reimer threw a 37-yard TD pass to Figueroa at 7:34. Final score: 56-35.