Though the gap between Westhill and Solvay on the football field has narrowed, it’s still present, and the Warriors still carry the advantage.
In a tense battle Friday night, Westhill held off the Bearcats, 17-15, bouncing back from a season-opening 26-0 shutout loss to Cortland, and watching Solvay fall to 0-2.
But the Bearcats are not alone in these early-season struggles. West Genesee is also 0-2, following a trip to Corcoran Friday night that resulted in a 45-6 defeat to the Cougars.
Having fallen 42-20 to Marcellus in its Sept. 4 opener, Solvay was desperate not to have its other Class B West division neighbors get the best of them, too, and would keep things in doubt with Westhill right to the end.
Westhill waited until its sixth quarter of the season to get its first points, Silvino Argentieri doing the honors with a 25-yard field goal. But that followed Solvay getting on the board with Mike Yaizzo’s one-yard TD pass to Jake Dippold.
That, along with a four-yard scoring run from Dustin Harris, helped Solvay go to halftime possessing a 13-10 lead, though Zavian Barrett’s nine-yard TD pass to Jesse Chester finally gave the Warriors a touchdown in 2015.
Defenses ruled during a scoreless third quarter, but in the final period the Warriors drove to the Bearcats’ 27, from where Barrett went to the end zone – and found Chester again for the go-ahead touchdown.
Solvay would get a safety, but were otherwise shut out in the second half, and will have to wait until 2-0, defending Section III Class B champion Homer visits “The Pit” next Friday to try and reach the win column.
West Genesee also plays its home opener against an undefeated team (Nottingham) next Friday, trying to find a turnaround after defeats to Central Square and Corcoran where it has allowed 91 points.
Emotions were high at Corcoran after word got out that girls basketball coach Jim Marsh, the winner of more games (493) than any other Section III coach, was battling liver cancer and had to miss this season.
Perhaps feeding off of those emotions, the Cougars took over after WG seized an early 6-0 lead on Dashon Turner’s 30-yard TD pass to Marcus Hudgins. Corcoran scored 24 unanswered points in the second quarter, and pulled further away from there.
