Salamanca's Captain Crunch
By Mark Adair, Football Weekly
Salamanca led 28-0 at the half and beat Medina 50-7 in the Class C semi-finals.
“I don’t think anyone was expecting that type of win,” Salamanca coach Chad Bartoszek said. “We just put it together and had a perfect night.”
The Warriors scored three TDs in the second quarter to pull away. “We hit on all phases of the game,” Bartoszek said. “We stuffed the run game on defense. We were able to get a few deep balls on offense. Everything worked.”
After a few drives of feeling each other out, Salamanca put on a drive to take the lead. QB Maddox Isaac hit Cory Holleran with a 19-yard scoring pass and the Warriors led 7-0.The Warriors exploded in the 2nd quarter. Isaac hit Holleran again, this time with a 69-yard TD pass and Salamanca led 14-0.On the next possession, Salamanca stopped Medina on downs near mid field and drove for another TD. Isaac ended the drive when he snuck in for a 1-yard TD and a 21-0 lead.
Isaac then tossed a short pass to RB Xavier Peters who ran 65 yards for a TD and a 28-0 lead.
At halftime, Bartoszek talked to his players. “We were chasing our best game,” he said. “We wanted to keep the pedal down. We wanted to keep them from scoring.”
While they didn’t get the shutout, the defense held Medina to 95 yards of offense. In addition to his two TD receptions, Holleran made 7 tackles (4 solo) recovered a fumble and intercepted a pass.
“Medina was the 2nd-leading team in points in all of WNY,” Bartoszek said. “Stopping their run game was something we spent a lot of time on. Our defensive line was so physical up front. They really controlled the game.”
Salamanca is now10-0 - the first time they have been undefeated in more than two decades. Salamanca will now play Portville at the Stadium for the Class C championship at 6pm Thursday.
“Last year was the first time we had been there in 22 years,” Bartoszek said. “We were just excited to be there. This time, we have more expectations.”
Salamanca beat Portville 24-19 earlier this season. “It was our closest game,” Bartoszek said. “Portville fought through a tough schedule and got some big wins. I want our kids to enjoy the moment but we’re expecting a tough game against Portville.”
Incredibly, despite the 10-0 record, the Warriors have actually been improving as the season has unfolded.
“We’re definitely firing on all cylinders,” Bartoszek said. “From here on out, every game is going to be a challenge but we are definitely playing well. ”One player who has been playing well is senior captain Zach Trietley, who starts at MLB. “He prides himself on being a middle linebacker,” Bartoszek said. “He plays the position with a little bit of anger. He has some huge hits this year, the kind that just fire up the whole team.”
Trietley is the undisputed leader of the Warriors defense. “He is the mentality of our defense,” Bartoszek said. “He sets the tone. He doesn’t do it by talking. He just plays at a high level and he’s so intense.”
Trietley is 7th in WNY with 123 tackles this season, including 75 solo shots. He has also recorded 4 QB sack sand recovered a fumble.
“He’s also missed 8 full quarters this season,” Bartoszek said, “because we were pulling our starters because we were up so much.”
Trietley (6-0, 190) also starts at FB on offense. “He’s got the body type and the frame to handle him-self against defensive linemen,” Bartoszek said. “We also use him to get out in front of our run game. He doesn’t get many touches but he is unselfish. He’s a great blocker and he is willing to help other kids succeed.”
Trietley doesn’t have enormous offensive numbers. He has carried the ball just 10 times this season this season for 44 yards. He has also caught 7 passes for 83 yards and 2 TDs.
“He’s good at reading what the defense is giving us and adjusting the blocks,” Bartoszek said. “He’s a huge part of our offense.”
Trietley can also surprise opponents with a sudden big play, as evidenced in the Warriors win over Medina at the Stadium in 2023.
“He is deceptively fast,” Bartoszek said. “At the Stadium last year, he took a little swing pass and went 60-yards for a TD.”
Trietley also excels off the football field. He has an academic average in the high-90s, is a member of the National Honor Society, and is ranked in the top-10 of his class academically. He is taking a course schedule with AP Economics & Government and college level Calculus, “He also volunteers in the community,” Bartoszek said,“ He works with younger kids in our school. There are multiple times he went down to mentor younger students.”
Trietley, a team captain, also helps younger players. “We had a new kid in our program,” Bartoszek said. “He is a 7th grader and was really struggling. Zach went down and gave the kid a pep talk. He’s always willing to help. He’s a great role model for our younger players.” Trietley is the consummate team captain, Bartoszek said. “He likes to go down and talk with elementary and middle school kids,” Bartoszek said. “He helps our modified players. He’s engaged with the district and the community.”
Trietley says that being 10-0 isn’t good enough. “It’s definitely a goal to be undefeated at the end of the year,” Trietley said, “but we need to take it game by game. Making it back to Section finals was a big goal but we want to keep winning.” Trietley says he has not stopped thinking about losing in the NYS semifinals in 2023. He is very open about wanting to play in the Syracuse Dome for the NYS title.“ It’s been on my mind the whole year,” he said. “Ever since we lost last year. It would be an amazing place to play. The way we are playing right now it’s a possibility.”
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