Running Wild

Chester Prevails Over Sullivan West In Non-League Ground War As Senior Saxon Smith Runs For Six TD’s; Westies’ Running Attack Shows Moxie But Hambletonians Get  Defensive Stops In Key Red Zone Stands

Chester 42, Sullivan West 28

By RICHARD A. ROSS

rross@sportsinsightsny.com

Ground War: Chester and Sullivan West look to evince supremacy over each other in their non-league clash.. (Clockwise) Sullivan West's Tom Mootz opens the game's scoring with a 62-yard TD jaunt. Chester's elusive senior Saxon Smith takes off on one of his six TD's on the night and 331 yards of rushing prowess. Nina Verderber holds the flag as Allie Ellmauer sings the National Anthem, a prelude to an emotional tenth anniversary of 9/11. Chester's cheerleaders brought their smiles and spirit. Chester defenders come down hard on Sullivan West quarterback E.J. Franskevicz who had a big night of rushing with 120 yards on 18 carries. Franskivicz carries the ball with blockers at the ready. Smith: gone again into the night.. The impressive senior often broke tackles to keep his surge going. Once in the secondary, he was gone like a cool breeze.

LAKE HUNTINGTON, NY—“Ground and pound”, a mantra used by New York Jets Coach Rex Ryan as the prescription for success over the course of his two –year tenure as Gang Green made it to consecutive AFC championship games, has long been the strategy of Chester as year in and year out it has marshaled a running game that opponents have been hard-pressed to stop.

It’s a new season now and gone are two cogs in Chester’s most recent Section Nine Class D title success in James Ognibene and Travis Mann. In small school football, losses of iconic athletes can present problems in subsequent years due to a limited talent pool.

But Chester’s system ably overseen by veteran Coach Ron Stover never loses a beat as personnel changes. Three Section Nine titles in the past five years attest to that fact. After alternating bragging rights with Eldred which won in 2005, 2007 and 2009, Chester continued its even-year dominance by besting Livingston Manor/Roscoe last year. It seems the Hambletonians are bent on claiming their first odd-year title this fall. Time will tell.

By and large, this year’s group is rife with experienced players including senior running back Saxon Smith whose able offensive efforts were overshadowed by Mann and Ognibene in 2010.

Now it’s Smith’s time to shine and with Anthony Ognibene calling the signals and handing it off to the speedster or at times passing it to him, Chester’s offense has looked monstrous in its first two games. Last week Smith was key in Chester’s 34-13 win over Class C O’Neill. Smith caught TD’s passes of 85, 32 and 20 yards and scored on an 85-yard kickoff return.

Sullivan West's Sawyer Erlwein goes airborne following a big run as Chester defenders finally bring him to a stop.

Sullivan West worked on its pass defense in anticipation of an air assault but it was on the ground that Smith did nearly all of his damage. By night’s end he would tally 331 rushing yards and score six TD’s including a 65-yard kickoff return that quickly gave his team a lead back after Sullivan West had tied it for the second time behind a 41-yard pass reception from Kitt Borowski.

Smith showed uncanny speed and the ability to break tackles. At times, it seemed as if he had been stopped only to see him spring free. Once into the secondary, he’d turn on the jets and easily outrun the Westie defensive backs who by night’s end had seen more than enough of the back of his number 20  jersey heading off into the night.

Running up big yardage used to be the calling card of Sullivan West as it was of the component schools prior to the merger. When Sullivan West coach Ron Bauer was at Delaware Valley, the Eagles’ running game was notorious sparked by the likes of Fred Ruilliano and Matt Buddenhagen in their day.

When Sullivan West changed to its spread offense a few years back under Buddenhagen’s tutelage as the offensive coordinator, the Westies went more to the air and as they spread defenses out using multiple wideouts, their running game excelled as well. But other teams quickly caught on and the spread is more the rule than the exception.

For the Bulldogs, a lack of variety in its offense has led to far less production evinced most prominently last year as they failed to make the playoffs.  Last week against Tri-Valley, the chains got moving in the second half against a tiring Bears squad leading to a 21-14 come-from-behind win. Prior to that the offense looked predictable and punchless.

Things looked good at the outset of this tilt as the Westies scored on their first drive behind a 62-yard breakaway jaunt by senior Thomas Mootz . Sawyer Erlwein’s PAT made it 7-0 with 8:54 remaining in the first quarter. Sullivan West’s defense held Chester on its first series.

The Dawgs were on the march again but with a fourth and one foot to go on the Chester 15 they incurred a penalty on a false start. An incomplete screen pass nixed the potential scoring threat and Chester took over on its 21. Ognibene carried it to the 16 on the first play and Smith ran 67 yards on the next snap to even the score at 7-7 with 2:35 as Chester added a PAT. Neither Erlwein or Chester kicker Andrew Lakis missed all night long.

Chester senior kicker Andrew Lakis was six-for-six on PAT's. He launched some booming punts and kickoffs as well.

Erlwein had a nice return out to the Westies’ 37 but this series faltered quickly as Chester returned the ensuing punt to its 42-yard line. Chester faced a third and six on the Dawgs’ 48 as the quarter ended in a seven-all tie.

The Dawgs forced a fourth and two by stopping Smith but he got the first down on his next carry. A 58-yard TD run by the speedy senior was called back on a block-in-the-back penalty. By night’s end Chester would have a pair of TD’s called back. Stover, who later maintained that his team has often been victimized by questionable calls north of the Orange County borderline fumed to no avail.

But just a few plays later Smith tore off a 62-yard jaunt to the end zone with 9:05 remaining to give Chester a 14-7 lead.

Lakis pinned the Dawgs on a touchback with a booming kickoff and the Dawgs went three and out.

Sullivan West’s defense profited from a pair of incomplete pass attempts and got the ball back on their own 35. Franskevicz completed a couple of passes to Erlwein but once again an offsides penalty led to a fourth and six, this time at the ten-yard line. An incomplete pass to Erlwein stymied the threat.  Chester took a 14-7 lead into the half.

In the third quarter  he teams took turns with the pigskin to no avail before Franskevicz hit Borowski with a 41-yard strike at 7:36 to even the score at 14.

The vociferous celebration was short-lived as Smith returned the ensuing kickoff 65 yards to the house to give Chester a 21-14 lead.

Sullivan West fumbled the ball back to Chester on the kickoff but its defense held sway denying Chester a chance to capitalize.

On its next series, the Westies’ ground game gained traction again and they overcame an illegal formation penalty as they capped off the drive with a 30-yard TD run by Mootz at 2:58 of the third quarter. The game was now tied for the third time as the scoreboard read 21-all.

Mootz was well on his way to a team-leading 158 yards on 14 carries.

Sullivan West senior QB E.J. Franksevicz takes the snap as Chester d-back Justin Delgado exerts a rush to quash the play.

Trying to avoid kicking the ball to Smith led to a short kickoff which gave the Rambletonians a short field at their own 40. The Westies forced a fourth and one but Chester senior Mike Pia toted it for the first down. Once again, Smith broke through, this time from the 22-yard line at 1:03 to give Chester the lead it would never again relinquish.

That said, Sullivan West nearly tied it up again as they drove to the four yard line as the quarter expired. Facing a fourth and goal at the four, the Bulldogs failed to score as the ball was fumbled and recovered by the Dawgs in the end zone. The officials ruling: down by contact. As it turns out, you can’t advance the ball on a fumble according to Sullivan West offensive coordinator Kurt Buddenhagen.

Chester took over at the one-yard line and proceeded to drive it 99 yards on ten plays capped off by a 22-yard TD by Smith with 6:17 to go in the game. Chester now led 35-21. His final TD gallop, a 79-yard breakaway with 2:53 remaining was the final dagger. Chester’s 42-21 lead was narrowed as Erlwein recovered a Chester fumble and ran it back 44 yards for the final score of the game with 1:31 to go.

Chester (2-0) claimed its second straight victory over a larger (Class C) school with the 42-28 triumph. Last year they beat SW 19-0 down in the Enchanted Forest. Next week the Hambos look to make it three straight as they host another C school, Tri-Valley.

Sullivan West will have its hands full with Ellenville in Lake Huntington under the lights.

In response to accolades about his heroics, Smith was subdued and modest. “I would never been able to do this without my lineman. I read their blocks but they did it for me,” he noted. Smith has never been timed in the 100 but by this writer’s observant eye who has watched innumerable track meets over the years, he could easily be a sectional contender were that his desire in the spring.

Stover called Smith “a special player.” But Stover’s postgame talk which affirmed his team’s able running game, was marked more strongly by his disappointment with the officiating. “I’m tired of the refs taking touchdowns away from us. It’s getting really old every time we come to Sullivan County.”

Stover noted that holding Sullivan West on the one-yard line and driving the ball 99 yards was a key milestone in the game.  “We have very few players and not a lot of depth but all of our kids have come through the system.”  Adding to his description of  his team’ s lack of depth, Stover referenced offensive lineman Nick Seabrook, out for the next three weeks with a separated shoulder. Seabrook should be back in time for Chester’s annual tilt with Eldred.

Bauer felt it was a hard-fought football game. He credited Smith’s running. “He’s a great back,” he noted.  “Penalties hurt us in the red zone and we didn’t tackle that well,” he added. Sullivan West fell to 1-1.

Stat line for Sullivan West:

Rushing: E.J. Franskevicz 18/120; Mootz 14/158 with two TD’s; Borowski 4/5 and Meola 3/8.

Passing: Franskevicz 4/19/114 with one TD and one Interception by Chester’s Justin Delgado.

Receiving: Erlwein 2/35; Borowski 2/66 with one TD; Meola 1/3.

Erlwein returned a fumble for a TD (44-yards). Erlwein’s running stats not provided yet.

Chester (Awaiting official stats)

Smith 331 yards rushing with six TD’s.

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