Throughout a tough September slate, the West Genesee football team got a good look at two different Section III Class AA title contenders, and could not do much against either of them.
During Friday night’s game against Corcoran, the Wildcats were held without an offensive touchdown, and it led to a 20-7 defeat to the Cougars.
WG went into the game still unbeaten in the Class AA-1 division, and were at home, which also helped. But Corcoran arrived in Camillus as a confident team, having gone to Alibrandi Stadium the week before and stunned defending Class AA champion CBA 50-21, the Brothers’ most lopsided defeat in five years.
They also dealt with an early kickoff, moved up an hour from its original 6 p.m. start because of concerns over an incident involving parents running onto the field at the JV game between WG and Corcoran the night before.
From the outset, WG’s attack kept finding silver-and-maroon jerseys and could not get past them, leading to numerous empty possessions.
Yet it was the Wildcats’ defense that managed the first big play of the night, forcing a Corcoran fumble on a handoff near its end zone that Sean Hagadorn recovered in the end zone for the touchdown. It was set up by Will Northrop’s 73-yard punt that rolled dead at the two-yard line.
Colin BeVard’s extra point gave WG a 7-0 advantage, but it didn’t last long. Later in the first quarter, the Cougars moved to the Wildcats’ goal line, and quarterback Martia Rufus sneaked in on a one-yard run, the conversion by Kaeland Walker forging a 7-7 tie.
And that’s where it would stay for the rest of the half as the two defenses took over. And deep into the third quarter, it was still 7-7 when the Cougars made the game’s biggest play.
With the ball at midfield, Rufus went deep and found John Elliott, the Corcoran recevier going the rest of the way for the touchdown that put Corcoran ahead for good.
Try as it could, the Wildcats simply could not move much, held to 120 passing yards and 33 rushing yards, which made every possession an exercise in frustration.
With the score still 14-7 in the fourth quarter, WG put together its best drive of the night, taking 13 plays and six-plus minutes off the clock before reaching Corcoran’s nine-yard line.
Once more, though, the Cougars slowed things down, and on fourth down Taevonce Eure and Damon Gilstrap sacked Dashon Turner, forcing a turnover on downs.
Right to the end, WG stayed within reach, only to have Corcoran’s Kaelend Walker put a punt on the Wildcats’ one-yard line. Trying to force a big play, Turner got intercepted, and Jonathan Martin returned it 25 yards for a TD.
With a 2-2 overall mark, the Wildcats are home again next Friday to face 0-4 Rome Free Academy, who lost 51-20 to CBA in this week’s action.
