Salamanca beats Falconer/CV/MG, claims league three-peat

By SPENCER BATES, Sports Editor

For the first time since 2001, the Salamanca football team has staked its claim as the best team in its league for three consecutive years.

This year, the Warriors did so after adding another win to their undefeated record, a 48-21 romp over Falconer/Cassadaga Valley/Maple Grove on enemy territory in Section 6 Class C South play.

“We want to do things at such a high level, and we have the ability to do it,” Salamanca coach Chad Bartoszek said. “We're striving for as perfect as we can get. We know we're not going to get there, we're going to have bumps in the road, but these guys have just set the bar very high over the last couple years. … I just gotta enjoy it.”

However, F/CV/MG did not make for an easy opponent for the Warriors to clinch a league title (and top playoff seed) against. On the game’s opening kickoff, the Herd surprised the Warriors with an onside kick, one the hosts recovered. The Herd ended up with the first possession of the game and eventually turned it into the first score, getting the home crowd in full voice.

GAME PHOTOS

“Falconer brought it,” Bartoszek said. “Those kids were running hard, and they were tough up front. For the injuries they had, they were running their system pretty darn good. I know they're going through some stuff right now, but it was tough to get a gauge on where that ball was going, defensively.”

But despite suffering the initial blow, Salamanca was far from out of it. All that New York State’s No. 1 ranked Class C team needed to get going was a spark. Quarterback Maddox Isaac was happy to oblige.

On the Warriors’ second snap from scrimmage, Isaac (168 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns, one passing touchdown) tore off a 67-yard touchdown run, cutting from one side of the field to another and while it may have been exactly what Bartoszek had warned him not to do, he won’t have too much complaining after getting his team on the scoreboard.

“That counter game today was just there,” Bartoszek said. “We were moving some flow one way and taking (Maddox) the other way. He’s added a physicality to his running style. It used to be all speed. Now you see, he's finishing runs and he's running with a purpose. … I think he wanted this game, and I think he deserves that. He's been our quarterback for four years now.”

Another Warrior who has been unafraid of showing off his ability to run this year has been Xavier Peters, who added another three rushing touchdowns and 100 yards to his season-resumé against the Herd. Quinten Brown, making his return from injury, also found the end zone via the ground game. Fullback Zach Trietley scored the Warriors’ lone passing touchdown on the night off a brilliantly timed screen pass in the second quarter.

But the win wasn’t a complete blowout for the Warriors. The Herd managed to score three times, one a one-yard punch in from Taylor Jones that opened the scoring and twice more off 42 and 44-yard rushes from Charlie Reichenbach.

While still giving credit to the way the hosts ran Friday, Bartoszek acknowledged there were some things his team could have done on the defensive side of the football to close up those gaps.

“When you face a team like that, there's a ton of gap responsibility,” Bartoszek said. “They're not stretching things out, they're not trying to open up, they're going to hit that hole, and you better have it filled. If you do have it filled, they're going to bump it out to the next one. To beat a team like that, you've got to stuff those interior holes. Their trap game was hitting us pretty good. … That's why this game carried into the fourth and we had to keep our guys in because if we would have wholesale subbed at any point, they would have busted it open.”

Now the Warriors will prepare for their first non-league matchup of the season next week where they will face run-dominant Randolph, winners of four straight, on the road once more before returning home to close out the regular season against league newcomer Eden/North Collins.

AT FALCONER

Salamanca 6 22 14 6 — 48

Falconer/CV/MG 7 0 14 0 — 21

First Quarter

Falconcer/CV/MG - Taylor Jones 1 run; Rider Carlson extra-point good, 7-0

Salamanca - Maddox Isaac 67 run; two-point attempt no good, 7-6

Second Quarter

Salamanca - Isaac 1 run; two-point attempt good, 14-7

Salamanca - Xavier Peters 3 run; Easton Chudy extra-point good, 21-7

Salamanca - Zach Trietley 14 pass from Isaac; Chudy extra-point good, 28-7

Third Quarter

Falconcer/CV/MG - Charlie Reichenbach 42 run; Carlson extra-point good, 28-14