Offensive fireworks and sparkling special team plays gave the spotlight away to a late defensive stop in Baldwinsville’s 47-42 Class AA football win over Henniger Friday night at Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium.
The Bees stopped a late Black Knights drive with under two minutes left, when Henniger looked poised to score the game’s final points but gave the ball over on downs in B’ville territory.
“It’s hard to believe,” Bees coach Carl Sanfilippo said. “I don’t think either team played defense for three quarters. The kids came through when they had to.”
The Black Knights’ final drive started inside its own five-yard line. Four first downs later, Henninger was inside the Bees 50, and hopeful. But despair soon took over when a 4th-and-11 pass fell incomplete.
“We were concerned,” Sanfilippo said of the Black Knights final push.
Prior to that last defensive stand, the game was a back and forth shootout. B’ville led 21-12 after one quarter, 28-20 at halftime and 47-36 after three periods.
Again, Tyler Rouse lived up to his billing. The senior rushed 32 times for 278 yards, gaining 43 yards in the final frame, which impressed Sanfilippo.
“Tyler’s a great back,” San Filippo said. “He’s worked as hard as any player I’ve ever had, and if shows. He’s physical, strong and he can last four quarters.”
Rouse scored three touchdowns. There was a 52 yard scamper just 39 seconds into the game, a 32-yard punt return midway through the second stanza and a three-yard third-quarter rumble.
Bees defensive back/wide reciever Shay Sargeant scored on both offense and defense. He caught a 19-yard pass from quarterback Josh Demoski in the first quarter, and then intercepted a Henninger pass and returned it 65 yards to give the hosts 21-12 lead late in the period.
Gage Blasi relieved Demoski under center in the second half. His biggest contribution was a 24-yard scoring strike to a leaping Joe Stanard, who again proved his worth on both sides of the ball. Stanard is tied with Eric Anthony for solo tackles, each of them with six through two games.
Four minutes after that sensational pitch-and-catch the Bees got another big play. Fullback Cole Burchill burst through the Henniger line and ran 73 yards to pay dirt.
Burchill’s touchdown proved to be B’ville’s last. And it proved just enough to hold off the game Black Knights.
“We talked about character and playing hard, and our kids did that,” Henniger coach Dave Kline said. “They fought through to the end.”
Henniger running back Riquelle Othman led the Black Knights offensively. He had 65 and 73-yard scoring runs the first two times he touched the ball, and finished with 194 yards on just 10 carries.
B’ville returns to action next Friday. The Bees host Fayetteville-Manlius at 7 p.m. in a game that will be televised by Time Warner Cable Sports.
It’s a big contest for early control in the Class AA-1 division. F-M, like B’ville, is 2-0, having routed Central Square in its Aug. 31 opener before battling past defending Class AA champion West Genesee 14-13 on Saturday afternoon.
