When West Genesee decided to move the kickoff of its football season opener against visiting Central Square back one hour in order for the thermometer to dip below 90 degrees and the sun to set, it did so in the hopes that players and spectators would find it more comfortable.
It proved a wise decision – but it didn’t mean that the Wildcats were in any mood to cool down, at least when it came to putting points on the board.
Following a sluggish start, WG turned up its pressure and, with plenty of big plays through the air and on the ground, easily put away the Red Hawks 43-14.
More than a week had passed since the Wildcats took what looked to be a major hit when Duane Rolfe, projected to be the starting tailback, suffered a knee injury. But that gave WG’s coaches plenty of time to work Joey Vetter and other backs into a new rotation, and it was ready by the time Central Square arrived.
The later kickoff didn’t mean immediate success for either side, as they played through a 0-0 first quarter, but all of that started to change just 49 seconds into the second period.
Working from the Red Hawks’ 40-yard line, Dashon Turner dropped back, threw deep and found Colin BeVard, who powered his way to the end zone for WG’s first points of the season.
Nick Meyers threw a 25-yard scoring pass to Mitch Vincintini to cut the lead to 7-6, but less than a minute later, Turner answered, again finding BeVard deep as the touchdown covered 70 yards.
Quickly, Central Square turned it over and, a minute after BeVard’s second TD, Vetter found the end zone from 15 yards out to make it 21-6.
Unfazed, the Red Hawks delivered a big play of its own 26 seconds later when, pinned back at his five-yard line, Myers found Dante Rogers in stride for a 95-yard scoring pass that, combined with a two-point conversion, made it 21-14.
But instead of the Red Hawks flying back into the picture, WG pushed them back out, using up most of the rest of the first-half clock on a clutch scoring drive that Vetter finished off with a two-yard plunge.
Armed with that 28-14 halftime lead and the momentum from that late score, WG’s defense made the proper adjustments and, throughout the second half, shut down anything Central Square tried.
No more points were needed, but the Wildcats added two more touchdowns anyway, Liam Kotas capping off the first drive of the second half with a two-yard TD run, the two-point conversion making it 36-14. Then, to cap it off, James Kerr, one of the backs seeing more time in Rolfe’s absence, broke free for a 63-yard TD run in the fourth quarter.
WG figures to get a tougher test next Friday when it ventures to Baldwinsville for a 6:30 kickoff at Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium.
The Bees, always known for its dominant ground attack and physical play, opened with a 30-8 romp over Auburn where Cameron Skipworth ran for 283 yards and two touchdowns and the defense did not give up any points until the fourth quarter, when the game was well in hand.
