Sunday, July 24, 2005
Stars deliver beating , Red and Black loses in EFL exhibition; Trailblazers fall
First published: Sunday, July 24, 2005 PLATTSBURGH - The Watertown Red and Black defense fell victim to three touchdown passes by Lake City's Eddie Castine in a 27-12 loss to the Stars (4-1 overall, 3-0 Empire Football League) in an EFL exhibition game Saturday at Melissa Penfield Park.
Stars' receiver Chris Verkey torched the Watertown secondary, catching two passes for 85 yards. Both of Verkey's receptions were touchdowns.
Wide receiver Rod Gleisner reeled in an 82-yard touchdown pass from Doug Black to highlight Watertown's offensive effort. Vince Williams gained 56 yards on 12 carries, including a 4-yard touchdown run. Watertown (3-2, 3-0) failed to convert point-after attempts on both touchdowns it scored.
Black completed five of 19 passing attempts for 103 yards and also allowed an interception.
The outmanned Trailblazers struggled again offensively and lost six players to injury, falling to the Orange County Bulldogs at Smith-Clove Park in an EFL regular-season game at Monroe.
St. Lawrence Valley (2-2) lost defensive end Joule Robinson and linebacker Ricky Delaney to ankle injuries. Trailblazers head coach Mike Britton said center John Sneed, who recovered quickly from a broken fibula, broke the same leg and is probably done for the year.
On the field, Britton said he team struggled to matchup against a Bulldog squad that was similar to the Albany Metro Mallers, who were last week's opponent.
"Once again, we were beat by athleticism," Britton said. "It's hard to compete against them, and it's hard to build a program against that type of talent."
The Bulldogs (4-0) built the lead from the start as quarterback Dave Post threw three touchdown passes in the first half. Orange County charged out to a 44-0 lead at halftime and didn't look back.
In the third quarter, Orange County's Demetrius Mason intercepted quarterback Dave Currier and returned the ball 52 yards for a touchdown, essentially capping the victory.
Currier completed only four passes and was intercepted twice. Ernie Miller rushed 17 times for 56 yards for the Trailblazers.
St. Lawrence Valley hosts Montreal on Saturday at Sandstoner Park. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m.
