by Steve Bradley
The Hoosick Falls Central Panthers opened their season last Sunday in the Syracuse Carrier Dome against the Owego Indians. In opening day fashion, the Panthers had their ups and downs, their dominating moments and moments of lackluster play. Individual players had their great plays and plays that weren’t so great. They won the game going away, which put a 1 in the W column, and that is what counts most at the end of the season.
[private]Before the time on the clock started, the Panthers received a five yard penalty. They hadn’t even kicked off yet. With the five yards marked off, the Indians returned the kickoff to the 19 yard line. The Indians could only gain 8 yards against the aggressive Panther defense, and they punted.
Panthers offense started off with a bang when they took over at their own 43 yard line. Quarterback Garrett Wright took the first shotgun snap of the season, turned the ball in his hands to get the laces, looked to his left and let fly a perfect, on the money, pass to Alex Mendez, who was racing down the sideline. Mendez caught the ball in stride and continued untouched into the end zone for the 57 yard score. One play, HF 7 – Owego 0.
The Panthers kicked off, and on Owego’s second offensive play Wright intercepted the ball at the HF 49 yard line. The Panthers ground the ball down to the 5, gaining all but 8 yards of the drive on the ground, with Colby Davendonis getting into the end zone. The Panthers took a 14 – 0 lead.
Owego scored on their next possession, using a five yard reception, that turned into 51 yards after the catch, to move the ball upfield. The Indians scored with a one yard dive to take the score to 14 – 7.
It was this stretch, from late in the first through the second quarter, that Hoosick Falls played poorly. Maybe the team thought this was going to be easy so they slacked a bit. Quarterback Wright threw four interceptions in the quarter. The defense, now spending most of their time on the field, began to yield yards.
With Owego having the extra opportunities, they tacked another 7 points on the board before the half, scoring on a three yard dive after an interception return brought the ball to the Panther 23. Three plays later, the score was tied at 14 all.
The halftime break came just in time. The Panthers staggered into the locker room and regrouped. When the teams returned to the field and the tie score; it was a new game.
In the second half, a different Panther team came out to play. The Panthers took the second half kickoff and pushed Owego backwards down the field, resulting in a score, topped off with a seven yard Wright run and a 21 – 14 lead. A couple of series later, after some big rushes to move down the field, Austin Pitt got into the end zone on a two yard to give the Panthers a 28 – 14 lead.
But the Indians, a Class B school, would not give up. Scoring on a nice 58 yard pass play, they put themselves right back in the game at 28 – 21.
From that point on, it was all Panthers.
Wright threw three passes in the second half, two for TDs and another for a 36 yard gain. Remington Hickey was the recipient of a 36 yard TD toss, and Mendez caught the other, a 37 yard TD. Colby Davendonis added a three yard run to cap the scoring.
In the second half the Panthers outgained the Indians 306 – 177. The Max Preps Players of the Game were Colby Davendonis on offense and Alex Hull on the defense.
Pitt (90 yards) and Davendonis (144 yards) ran wild on the ground and should make a formidable pair of running backs for the season. Wright played well in three quarters and hit pinpoint passes for big plays. He was 7 of 18 for 192 yards, with three TDs, gained 47 yards on the ground and rushed for a TD. Considering those interceptions as aberrations, Wright should be a solid performer, as he was last season.
The defense looked like it will be solid with a little more playing together time under their belts. Evan Hand recorded 12 tackles to lead the defense. The kicking game looks very good, with senior Damon Dubois doing a great job. Dubois hit all his extra points Sunday, and several of his kickoffs were touchbacks. Making your opponent start from the 20 almost every time is a very big deal. Having a kicker who is capable of putting three points on the board with long field goals is a luxury.
The Panthers will be in the hunt for their sixth consecutive Section II title, a feat which has never been accomplished by any team. They will also be looking to extend their 50 game Section II winning streak.
This Saturday evening, September 13, at 7 pm, the Panthers will host (0 – 1) Lake George on the HFCS field. All remaining regular season games will be held on Fridays at 7 pm. September 19 will be away at Tamarac; September 26 will be home against Broadalbin-Perth; October 3 will be home against Corinth. October 10 will be an away game against Greenwich, and the regular season will conclude away in Granville on October 17. The regional game is scheduled to be an away game this year.[/private]