Big defensive plays jumpstart Warriors, surge to 27-3 win over Trojans

By SPENCER BATES, Sports Editor

JAMESTOWN — Faced with its second big test in as many weeks, the Salamanca football team was able to make the correct adjustments and power its way past Southwestern, 27-3, in a Section 6 Class C South matchup on Friday night.

However, the Warriors were put on their heels early as Southwestern brought the game’s initial kickoff all the way down to Salamanca’s 10-yard line. This is where the Warriors defense needed to make its first big stand of the night.

After suffering the early punch, Salamanca was able to force the Trojans to settle for a field goal on their opening drive. It was a victory for Salamanca, but still a result that had the Southwestern faithful in full force.

Then, it was time for Salamanca’s offense to take the field. Unfortunately for the Warriors, their initial drive was only sustained for four plays after quarterback Maddox Isaac fumbled the ball after what would have been a first-down run.

GAME PHOTOS

Salamanca had their backs against the wall as the Trojans threatened again after taking over just inside the 50-yard line. But once again, the Salamanca defense was able to come up with a stop, forcing another field goal attempt out of the hosts, which failed to split the uprights.

The first quarter came to a close with the Trojans leading 3-0 after another empty possession, and Salamanca was in need of a shift in momentum.

Enter Cory Holleran.

Southwestern had marched its way into the redzone, but all it took was one play in which Holleran expertly read the design and snagged a pass out of the air. With nothing but open air in front of him, he brought the interception back 90 yards for a touchdown.

“He’s someone in our secondary that’s got a lot of freedom with our coverages,” Salamanca coach Chad Bartoszek said of his defensive leader. “He’s like a quarterback on the defense. He made an adjustment there, (on a play) they got us on twice earlier in the game. He’s just a player. He’s got a knack for the ball. There’s just kids who have it, and he just does so much for us. He’s a leader. He’s really taking to that role.”

But it wasn’t just Holleran coming up big on the defensive side of the ball. Xavier Peters recorded two sacks on the night and Zach Trietley was hitting anything that came his way as he racked up 11 tackles, 10 unassisted.

Last week after the Warriors’ narrow win over Portville/Cuba-Rushford, Bartoszek made it a point that his team needed to tidy up some areas on defense. And while it did suffer some initial setbacks against Southwestern, the defense made the correct adjustments and stifled just about anything that came its way in the second half.

“(Southwestern has) real capable backs in line, they were hitting our holes that it just wasn’t enough,” Bartoszek said. “Our back-end guys were making the tackles. Once you shore up those gaps and they got to bounce it, we’ve got the team speed and the toughness to do that. You know, we’re not going to play a perfect game, but we can make up for some of those imperfections with speed and toughness and physicality.”

Holleran’s pick six was the only touchdown in the first half, but after the break the Warriors offense looked fresh and returned the second-half kickoff all the way down to the Trojans’ 24-yard line. The set-up led to a 20-yard touchdown catch from Trietley.

Payton Bradley was the next beneficiary of a methodical drive from Salamanca, reeling in a 10-yard catch in the corner of the endzone. The Warriors added one final score in the fourth quarter, a three-yard touchdown run from Isaac (84 passing yards, 78 rushing yards), which put the game out of reach for the Trojans, who had to replace starting quarterback Owen Hayes after he picked up an injury and took a number of hard hits in the third quarter.

After the win was secured, Bartoszek said that while he won’t fully be able to relax, he will be able to breathe a little after running the gauntlet of fellow C South contenders P/C-R and Southwestern in back-to-back weeks. He also noted that he was unable to recall the last time one of his teams won at Southwestern, something he is taking some pride in after a tough start to the season. However, he is cautious about getting too far ahead of himself because he knows there’s a good chance Salamanca crosses paths with Southwestern once more before the year is up.

“That was some Warrior football right there,” Bartoszek said. “I hope it came off like that from the outside looking in. I felt like we were all over the place on defense. I think that can wear you down, and then when you put a couple touchdowns on the board, it’s tough to hang. The problem is Southwestern, they’re a really good team, a really good program. They’re going to battle their way through the conference, and we might see them again, and it’s going to be just like that first half again. It always is.”

Southwestern 3 0 0 0 — 3

Salamanca 0 6 14 7 — 27

First Quarter

Southwestern — Kole Lyon 25 field goal good, 3-0

Second Quarter

Salamanca — Cory Holleran 90 int.; two point attempt no good, 6-3

Third Quarter

Salamanca — Zach Trietley 20 pass from Maddox Isaac; Easton Chudy extra-point good, 13-3

Salamanca — Payton Bradley 10 pass from Isaac; Chudy extra-point good, 20-3

Fourth Quarter

Salamanca — Isaac 3 run; Chudy extra-point good, 27-3

Team Statistics