Sunday, July 29, 2007

EFL Post Game Press Coverage July 29

Watertown Daily Times

 

R&B's Miller delivers victory

WATERTOWN 3-0: RB rushes for 100 yards

 

By MATT CORDOVA

TIMES SPORTSWRITER

Sunday, July 29, 2007

It took a long time for Ernie Miller to make up for a second-quarter miscue.

But that was the plan.

The Watertown Red and Black running back scored a touchdown, and gained 101 yards on 18 carries Saturday night during an Empire Football League game at the Alex T. Duffy Fairgrounds, as Watertown bested visiting Ottawa 28-13.

Then, at game's end, he delivered a "thank you" message to his offensive linemen.

In addition to earning the team's first 100-yard rushing performance of the season, Miller also showed he knows a lot about one of life's important virtues — responsibility. He knows who to place it upon, and when to take it himself.

"It's something I should always do, because they do such a great job. I was 3 or 4 yards downfield before anyone was even touched me," Miller said. "I think I got caught in the backfield once."

But he also took responsibility for running the wrong play in the second quarter, which led to an interception and an Ottawa touchdown in the second quarter.

In the second half, Ottawa had a lot of chances to stop Miller, they just couldn't. Miller ran 13 times after halftime as Watertown shoved the Deacon Demons all over the field, particularly at the line of scrimmage.

Two Watertown drives, both of which chewed up more than 12 minutes of game time, depleted an Ottawa squad that went to halftime with plenty of momentum.

Two fourth-down conversions, however, by quarterback Todd Kiechle sealed Ottawa's first EFL loss.

"We introduced Watertown to the offensive line tonight," Aaron Brown said. "We're the big uglies. But this team respects the linemen like we deserve."

Lester Cole caught a 31-yard touchdown, and Kiechle rushed 11 yards for a score to give the Red and Black (5-1 overall, 3-0 EFL) the early advantage. But three first half interceptions helped the Deacon Demons (2-1) fight back.

Dan Lariviere returned a pick 39 yards for a score with 19 seconds left in the second quarter. The play brought Ottawa to within 15-13, and Miller quickly looked at himself.

"The interception for a touchdown was my fault. I ran the wrong play," he admitted. "I took off running and Kiechle threw it to me, but I wasn't there. At halftime I was upset with myself, and said I'd make it up. I think I did. I hope I did."

Special teams — mainly punter Mike Dumaw — also helped Watertown subdue Ottawa during the first half. Forced to punt on the first possession, Dumaw dropped the snap, but ran 34 yards for a first down that set up Kiechle's TD jaunt.

In the second quarter, Dumaw threaded a pass between three defenders to Keith Jones for a 19-yard gain on a fake punt.

"We played the ball control game well," head coach George Ashcraft said. "It's what this offense is designed to do. I can't complain."

Sadly, injuries gave the Deacon Demons a break more than anything in the second half, as several of them were helped off the field by a trainer. The Deacon Demons' chances for a comeback weren't good, as they ran only eight plays for two yards after the break.

"They really pounded us down," Ottawa coach Jeff Pinck said. "That was the back-breaker."

Ottawa didn't get the ball in the fourth quarter until there was just over three minutes remaining in the game.

"The coaches said 'can you guys put a drive together?' Kiechle just said OK," Miller said. "Even when they lined up in the gaps we were running in, our guys blew them up. After 13 minutes, their defense just got exhausted."

NOTES : DB Truth Napier scored for Watertown on a 50-yard interception return with 1:42 to play. Brian Williams recorded another pick on Ottawa's next play. ... Kiechle added 68 rushing yards. ... WR Derek Manning caught a 32-yard TD for Ottawa. ... The Red and Black play at Vermont next week.

SCRANTON 28, ST. LAWRENCE VALLEY 7

The Eagles took a 14-0 halftime lead and beat the Trailblazers (0-3) in an EFL game at Scranton Memorial Stadium.

Quarterback Ted Wallingford threw a pair of second-quarter touchdowns passes for Scranton (1-2). Tim Pizzenza and Phil Ross scored in the fourth quarter for the Eagles.

St. Lawrence Valley's lone touchdown came in the third quarter on a 52-yard pass from quarterback Joe Hutchison to Buddy Compeau. Compeau caught all nine of Hutchison's completions for 101 yards. Hutchison was 9-for-14 in the air with one interception.

Ricky Delaney led the Trailblazers defense with 13 tackles, while Cheyenne Dashnaw finished with nine tackles.

Copyright 2007. Watertown Daily Times, Inc., Watertown, NY. All rights reserved.

07/29/2007

Eagles grab first win

STAFF REPORT

 

Ted Wallingford hit Louis Verdetto with a pair of second quarter touchdowns and Tim Pazienza ran for 80 yards and a score as the Scranton Eagles picked up their first win of the season, a 28-7 victory over the St. Lawrence Valley Trailblazers in a Empire Football League battle at Scranton Memorial Stadium.



After a scoreless first quarter, the Wallingford-Verdetto combination struck 54 seconds into the second as they connected on a 30-yard scoring pass. The extra point was missed and the Eagles took a 6-0 lead.

With 3:24 left in the first half, Wallingford found Verdetto on another 30-yard touchdown strike. Wallingford hit fellow Honesdale product Matt Williams with a two-point conversion and the Eagles led at halftime 14-0.

The Trailblazers scored on the first drive of the second half when Joseph Hutchinson found James Compeau on a 60-yard scoring strike to cut the Eagles lead in half.

The Eagles scored on the first play of the fourth quarter when Pazienza on a one yard run. Williams hauled in a Wallingford pass to give the Eagles a 22-7 lead.

Phil Ross completed the scoring for the Eagles as he bolted over from the one-yard line as time expired.

Offensively, Wallingford went 9-for-17 for 168 yards and a pair of scores. Verdetto, of Old Forge, had four receptions for 78 yards.

On the defensive side, veteran George Romiti led the Eagles with 14 tackles and Nick Parlanti added nine.

The Eagles (1-2) hit the road for three consecutive weeks as they travel to Montreal next Saturday as they battle the Chateauguay Titans. Scranton's next home game will be August 25 when they take on the Ottawa Deacon Demons at Scranton Memorial Stadium.

 

07/29/2007

Scranton Eagles post first win of season

STAFF REPORT

 

Ted Wallingford hit Louis Verdetto with a pair of second-quarter touchdowns and Tim Pazienza ran for 80 yards and a score as the Scranton Eagles picked up their first win of the season, a 28-7 victory over the St. Lawrence Valley Trailblazers in a Empire Football League battle at Scranton Memorial Stadium.

 

Wallingford went 9-for-17 for 168 yards and a pair of scores. Verdetto had four receptions for 78 yards.

On the defensive side, veteran George Romiti led the Eagles with 14 tackles.

 

Ice Storm rolls over Lake City

— COLCHESTER, Vt. "" It appears that the Vermont Ice Storm truly do have the Lake City Stars number.
Brad Ruderman tossed for three touchdown passes and the Ice Storm scored five times in the second quarter to knock off Lake City, 35-7, in Empire Football League action on Saturday.
The Stars drove the ball the length of the field and ate up a chunk of clock during their first possession in the first quarter, but came away empty handed.
On their second possession, Vermont marched to the Lake City 10-yard line and Ruderman hooked up with Austin Partain to give the Ice Storm a 7-0 lead.
The Stars, on their next play from scrimmage, fumbled the football deep in their own zone which set Vermont up on the five-yard line.
Ruderman then found Rob Joy in the corner of the end zone for a 2-yard touchdown pass and a 14-0 lead "" just 23 seconds after their first touchdown.
After holding the Star to a three-and-out, the Ice Storm were at it again, this time on the ground. Jason Young took a toss from Ruderman and went 24 yards for the touchdown.
Late in the second quarter, Ruderman tossed his third touchdown pass of the day, and his second to Joy, from 10 yards out.
Less than a minute later, Kevin Fournier intercepted Lake City's Matt Bezio and returned the ball 26 yards for the touchdown.
Vermont scored 35 points in the second quarter, but was held scoreless for the remainder of the contest.
Lake City avoided the shutout when Bezio connected with Kelly Gordon for a 21-yard touchdown in the third quarter
Brandon St. John was a standout out defense for Lake City with two interceptions while B.J. Godfrey also stoodout from his linebacking postion.
The Stars were again hindered by turnovers, as they threw four interceptions and one fumble.
Vermont's Zack Howe, Drew Gordon, Fournier and Donny LaFleur each finished with an interception.
The Ice Storm move to 3-0 in the EFL season while Lake City falls to 1-2. The Stars will travel to Ottawa next Saturday to take on the Deacon Demons.
Vermont 35, Lake City 7
Lake City 0   0 7 0        7
Vermont   0 35 0 0      35
Scoring summary
Second quarter
V- Partain 10 pass from Ruderman (Kemp kick), 2:39.
V- Joy 2 pass from Ruderman (Kemp kick), 3:02.
V- Young 24 run (Kemp kick), 5:21.
V- Joy 10 pass from Ruderman (Kemp kick), 12:42.
V- Fournier 26 interception return (Kemp kick), 13:24.
Third quarter
LC- Gordon 21 pass from Bezio (DeCamp kick).
Interceptions
LC- St. John 2.
V- Gordon, Fournier, Howe, LaFleur.
Sacks
V- Randall.

Copyright © 1999-2006 cnhi, inc.

Zephyrs drop road game to Titans

Published on Sunday, July 29, 2007

MONTREAL, Ont. — With just 21 players suited up after seven starters were turned back at the border, the Amsterdam Zephyrs were unable to keep up with Chateaugay, losing 34-18 Saturday in Empire Football League Play.

"We had very limited personnel, but these guys stuck together," Amsterdam coach Dom Ruggeri said. "I was really proud of them."

The Zephyrs (1-2) were already without seven defensive starters and lost two more at the border, along with five offensive starters. They were without 26 players overall. Ruggeri suited up to play defensive end and defensive coordinator Rodney Schur lined up on special teams.

Ken Shaffer passed for 209 yards and two touchdowns on a 16-for-38 night. He threw one interception along with passing touchdowns to both Evan DeGeorgio and Cedrick Pearlman. Shaffer also ran for a touchdown.

Chateauguay (1-2) led 20-6 at the half and Amsterdam was unable to muster the necessary comeback with a short-staffed sideline.

Amsterdam will travel to play St. Lawrence Valley next week.

Chateauguay 34, Amsterdam 18
Amsterdam 0 6 6 6 — 18
Chateauguay 6 14 0 14 — 34





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Saturday, July 28, 2007

EFL Pre Game Press Coverage July 28

Watertown Daily Times

PREVIEW: EMPIRE FOOTBALL LEAGUE

 

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Watertown Red and Black vs. Ottawa Deacon Demons

When, where: 7:30 p.m., today, Alex T. Duffy Fairgrounds

Head coaches: Watertown, George Ashcraft; Ottawa, Jeff Pinck.

Records: Watertown (4-1 overall, 2-0 EFL); Ottawa (2-0).

Last meeting: Watertown won, 26-12, on Sept. 16.

Notes: Watertown has been playing nearly perfect football during the regular season. The offense has posted 88 points, while the defense has yielded just nine points. ... The Deacon Demons are coming off a 49-0 decision over Scranton. ... Watertown LB Mike Dumaw did not practice this week. His status for tonight is unknown. ... Anthony Noel is expected to return to the running game, which, along with Ernie Miller and George Eason, should bolster Watertown's tough rushing attack. ... The Red and Black won't return to the Fairgrounds until Sept. 8 against Chateauguay.

St. Lawrence Valley Trailblazers vs. Scranton Eagles

When, where: 7:30 p.m., today, Scranton Memorial Stadium, Scranton, Pa.

Coaches: SLV, Mike Britton (offense), Jim Compeau (defense, special teams); Scranton, Michael Arcure.

2007 records: St. Lawrence Valley (0-2); Scranton (0-2).

Last meeting: Scranton won, 37-14, on Sept. 17, 2005.

NOTES: The Trailblazers are looking to rebound after a disappointing 44-0 loss to Watertown last week. The team's rushing offense continued to struggle, finishing with minus-9 yards on the ground. ... The Eagles were dealt a similar result against Ottawa, falling 49-0 in their EFL matchup last week. To make matters worse, Scranton lost starting quarterback Ted Wallingford to a shoulder injury. Wallingford is responsible for the team's lone touchdown this season. ... Despite showing better efficiency on the final drive, St. Lawrence Valley quarterback Dave Currier managed to throw for just 117 yards and two first-half interceptions. He'll have an opportunity to bolster his passing numbers against the Eagles, who have been outscored 93-9 in two games. ... Veteran George Romiti is guiding Scranton's defense this season. He's piled up 29 tackles, including 17 against Ottawa.

Copyright 2007. Watertown Daily Times, Inc., Watertown, NY. All rights reserved.

 

 

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07/28/2007

Eagles optimistic for matchup against St. Lawrence Valley

BY MARK COONS
STAFF WRITER

 

The Scranton Eagles, a team looking to right the ship after a pair of lopsided losses, host the St. Lawrence Valley Trailblazers in an Empire Football League matchup Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Scranton Memorial Stadium.


The Eagles (0-2), who lost 49-0 to Ottawa last weekend, received some good news this week when quarterback Ted Wallingford was cleared to play after suffering a severely bruised shoulder in the first half of last week's game.

"He had X-rays and an MRI on the shoulder and the doctor said he was OK to play," coach Mike Arcure said. "He's going to practice, but we're going to take it slow with him just to make sure he's all right."

The Eagles also added some defensive help this week as they signed lineman Dave Drake, a former standout at Lackawanna Trail.

"Dave is a big boy, about 6-1, 280 to 300 pounds," Arcure said. "I'm hoping to see some aggression out of him, which is something that we have been lacking this year."

Among the bright spots for the Eagles last week was the play of receiver Louis Verdetto and rookie kick returner Rob Solimini.

Verdetto, from Old Forge, caught five passes for 75 yards against Ottawa. On the season, Verdetto leads the team with 11 receptions for 137 yards.

"Lou is just a great all-around athlete." Arcure said. "He runs a 4.4 in the 40 yard dash. Ted and Lou seem to be on the same page on the field."

Solimini, a Bishop O'Hara product, helped get the Eagles solid field position with returns of 35 and 25 yards, while a third, a 90-yarder that put the Eagles near the goal line, was nullified by a penalty. Solimini is averaging 29.9 yards on his nine kickoff returns this season.

"Rob is like a little spark plug. He's small and fast, the other team has a hard time finding him," Arcure said. "We're trying to find ways to get him the ball offensively. He's been a nice little surprise for us."

St. Lawrence Valley (0-2, 1-3 overall) looks to do much of their damage offensively through the air. Quarterback Dave Currier has passed for 345 yards with a pair of touchdowns this season while receiver Joe Hutchinson has hauled in a team-high 13 receptions for 149 yards and a score.

"They picked up some players from Lake City and from Watertown, plus they lost to Ottawa by only a touchdown in the opening week," Arcure said. "We just aren't playing physical football. We need to start blocking and we need to get more physical."

Eagles' notes
Saturday is Big Brothers/Big Sisters Night, sponsored by the Eagles. A percentage of the night's gate receipts will be donated to that organization. ...The Eagles and Trailblazers have met only once, with the Eagles taking a 37-14 home decision in the ninth week of 2005.

Contact the writer:mcoons@timesshamrock.com

 

 

 http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?brd=2259

07/28/2007

Scranton Eagles seeking first win

STAFF REPORT

 

The Scranton Eagles, a team looking to right the ship after a pair of lopsided losses, host the St. Lawrence Valley Trailblazers in an Empire Football League matchup tonight at 7:30 at Scranton Memorial Stadium.

 

The Eagles (0-2), who lost 49-0 to Ottawa last weekend, received some good news this week when quarterback Ted Wallingford was cleared to play after suffering a bruised shoulder in last week's game.

"He had X-rays and an MRI on the shoulder and the doctor said he was OK to play," coach Mike Arcure said. "He's going to practice, but we're going to take it slow with him just to make sure he's all right."

The Eagles also added some defensive help this week as they signed lineman Dave Drake, a former standout at Lackawanna Trail.

Among the bright spots last week was the play of receiver Louis Verdetto and rookie kick returner Rob Solimini.

Verdetto, from Old Forge, caught five passes for 75 yards. On the season, Verdetto leads the team with 11 receptions for 137 yards.

Solimini, a Bishop O'Hara product, helped get the Eagles solid field position with returns of 35 and 25 yards.

, while a third, a 90-yarder that put the Eagles near the goal line, was nullified by a penalty. Solimini is averaging 29.9 yards on his nine kickoff returns this season.

"Rob is like a little spark plug. He's small and fast, the other team has a hard time finding him," Arcure said. "We're trying to find ways to get him the ball offensively. He's been a nice little surprise for us."

St. Lawrence Valley (0-2, 1-3 overall) looks to do much of their damage offensively through the air. Quarterback Dave Currier has passed for 345 yards with a pair of touchdowns this season while receiver Joe Hutchinson has hauled in a team-high 13 receptions for 149 yards and a score.

"They picked up some players from Lake City and from Watertown, plus they lost to Ottawa by only a touchdown in the opening week," Arcure said. "We just aren't playing physical football. We need to start blocking and we need to get more physical."

Eagles' notes

Saturday is Big Brothers/Big Sisters Night, sponsored by the Eagles. A percentage of the night's gate receipts will be donated to that organization. ...The Eagles and Trailblazers have met only once, with the Eagles taking a 37-14 home decision in the ninth week of 2005.

Contact the writer:mcoons@timesshamrock.com

 

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Lake City looking for thaw

By KEITH KANE
Staff Writer

PLATTSBURGH "" The Lake City Stars once owned the Vermont Ice Storm as they captured four consecutive victories against their foe from Vermont.
A year ago, however, the Ice Storm joined the Empire Football League and quickly became a thorn in the Stars side.
Vermont captured three victories against Lake City during the 2006 season, including a 34-14 playoff victory that sent the Stars home for the season.
Tonight, Lake City will be looking for some redemption.
The Stars travel to Colchester, Vt. to take on their Lake Champlain rivals for a 7:30 p.m. EFL contest.
"We had an excellent week of practice," Lake City head coach Pat Keleher said. "I don't have any complaints "" we had great attendance. I know the guys are excited to play Vermont.
"Last week did a lot for our confidence. This is the closest thing to a rivalry that we have in the EFL and we are awfully excited to go out there and play."
The Stars rebounded from a first week loss to Amsterdam with a 35-31 victory over Chateauguay last week in their home opener.
Matt Bezio threw for 232 yards and three touchdowns to lead Lake City's offensive attack. Matt St. Clair pulled in a pair of touchdowns to go with 74 yards receiving while Heath Geiser added 72 yards receiving and a touchdown. Brandon Keleher paced the rushing attack with 62 yards and two scores.
"My goal is to go in and have a balanced attack," Pat Keleher said. "I think we had that last week and had a pretty good offensive night. Again, if we give Brandon and Kyle (Nolan) an opportunity to run, they can run "" they are good backs."
Vermont moved to 2-0 last week as it handed Amsterdam a 26-14 loss.
Brad Ruderman finished with 309 yards on 23-of-38 passing and two touchdowns. Rob Joy (79 yards) and Austin Partain (73 yards) each had five catches in the game. Partain and Troy Canada each had a touchdown catch.
Ruderman sliced up the Stars' secondary a season ago, and so far this season Lake City has shown difficulty in stopping the pass.
"We have worked hard back there to straighten out our assignments," Pat Keleher said. "I am hoping we are more solid in knowing what we are doing and not blowing late leads. It wasn't like the Montreal receivers were better, but we just made mistakes in our coverages. It was more mental than physical.
"(Pairtain) is tough, but he isn't there only guy. We are going to be very cognisant as to where he is and how they are going to use Canada and Joy. They are very much like us in that sense "" they have a group of receivers that is very solid.
"My concern is not really that we will be able to move the ball, but us being able to stop them and stop Ruderman."
Lake City will welcome back Kelly Gordon to the receiving corps this week. Gordon had a slight hamstring pull and was held out of last week's contest.
Gordon has three touchdowns and 137 yards receiving so far this season on seven catches.
"We are hoping to get the running game going a little more," Pat Keleher said. "With a strong running game it gets the pressure off of Matt and opens the passing game up.
"Every minute that we have the ball then Vermont doesn't. Our offense can be the best defense, and can help our defense by not giving them good field position. If that happens, then I think we are OK. We can't have mistakes and give them short field.
"It's going to be a battle. They are a good team and there's no question we like to be the underdog. But I don't mind being the underdog."

Copyright © 1999-2006 cnhi, inc.

Zephyrs ready for shoot out with Titans

By BILL CAIN, The Leader-Herald

Published on Saturday, July 28, 2007

AMSTERDAM — Draw!

The Amsterdam Zephyrs are set for a shootout at Chateaugay tonight. The Zephyrs are without a large portion of their defense, so the onus is on the offense to keep up with another strong offense.

"The pressure of this week is solely on the offense," coach Dom Ruggeri said. "It's going to be a shootout and we have to outscore them. Thank God we've got an offense like we've got."

Ken Shaffer leads the Zephyrs offense and Ruggeri said he believes his wide receivers can take advantage of slower defensive ends to provide him with open targets throughout the game.

"We're going to attack their secondary," Ruggeri said. "That's where they're slow. Their corners don't have the speed to stay with our receivers. Depending on what kind of coverage they play, that'll dictate somewhat what we do on offense, but we're going to open it up a little bit."

The Chateaugay defense has a large line, Ruggeri said, and they are well-coached and disciplined. The speed of the Amsterdam skill players will be rivaled by the strength of Chateaugay's big eaters up front, he said.

"Our offense matches up well with their defense," Ruggeri said. "I think we have the edge with our speed. That could be our advantage, but I think their defensive line may be bigger than our offensive line, which could make it a wash."

The Amsterdam defense will be without several key players. Brian Thompson is out for the year after tearing his second bicep of the year. He tore the other one earlier in the season. Rick Hulett is also out with a shoulder injury in may be out until late in the season.

The Zephyrs are also missing middle linebacker Greg Woodard and outside linebackers Ricky Fish and Penta Thomas.

In light of the missing personnel and the likely ways Chateaugay will attack the defense, Ruggeri said he will go with a 3-4 defense, manning up at the corners, in an effort to take away the short passing game.

"It's going to be a tall task for our defense," he said. "We've got young guys in place who can step in, but they don't have the experience. They have the talent and I have confidence they can get the job done. It's just going to be baptism under fire for some of them."

Ruggeri said he young players will have to remain disciplined in the secondary against an offense that will throw about 70 percent of the time. Any slip-ups will be costly, he said, because Chateaugay's receivers will find the open spots.

The Zephyrs enter tonight's game with a 1-1 record after dropping last week's sloppy game to the Vermont Ice Storm, 26-14. Ruggeri said he thinks is eating at his players a little bit.

If they can rally around the belief that they should still be undefeated, he thinks they may be able to not only perform well enough to win this game with missing personnel, but turn in a few good weeks in a row and head to Vermont for a rematch that could decide league supremacy.

"Even though the guys are upset about blowing last week's game – they knew they were better than them – they're looking forward to winning this one and taking care of the next two," Ruggeri said. "The goal is to be 4-1 when we go up to Vermont and be playing for the league lead."





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Sunday, July 22, 2007

Ice Storm run past Amsterdam, 26-14



Ice Storm run past Amsterdam, 26-14

July 22, 2007
AMSTERDAM, N.Y. -- Brad Ruderman completed 23 of 38 passes for 309 yards and two touchdowns as the Vermont Ice Storm defeated the Amsterdam Zephyrs, 26-14, in an Empire Football League game Saturday night.

Vermont (5-0 overall, 2-0 Empire) built a 14-0 halftime lead when Aaron Pyer returned a fumble 25 yards for a touchdown and Ruderman passed to Zack Howe, who lateralled to Austain Patron for the score. Ruderman then connected with Troy Canada for a 22-yard touchdown to make it 20-0 in the third quarter.

After two Amsteradam touchdowns, Vermont's Jason Young closed the scoring in the fourth with a 5-yard TD run.

Partain finished with five catches for 73 yards and Rob Joy had five receptions for 79 yards.

Kevin Fournier led the Vermont defense with seven tackles and two sacks. Chris Coppins and Pyer added two tackles apiece.




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EFL Post Game Press Coverage July 22

Watertown Daily Times


JACOB HANNAH /
WATERTOWN DAILY TIMES

Watertown's Lester Cole just misses a catch as St. Lawrence Valley's James Compeau breaks up the play in Saturday's game.

Cole powers Red and Black

WATERTOWN DOMINATES: Wide receiver provides three touchdowns in romp of Trailblazers

 

By MATT CORDOVA

TIMES SPORTSWRITER

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Two games into the Empire Football League regular season, Lester Cole is already making boisterous statements.

And they're not all coming from his mouth.

The second-year wide receiver hauled in three touchdowns and racked up 128 yards Saturday night as the Watertown Red and Black dismantled St. Lawrence Valley 44-0 in a game at the Alex T. Duffy Fairgrounds.

Cole's ability to read the Trailblazers' defensive alignments led directly to scoring plays of 31 and 44 yards in the first half. From there, he simply relied on his legs, and they get him to the ball pretty quickly.

"They were bringing the safeties up, bringing nine in the box waiting for us to run the ball," said Cole, who has scored five touchdowns in two victories, "and there's not a corner in the league that can cover me in one-on-one coverage. I just had to let them know that."

Cole said he draws much of his motivation by watching his defensive teammates and trying to match their big plays. They provided plenty of highlights to emulate.

Watertown (4-1 overall, 2-0 EFL) held St. Lawrence Valley to negative-9 yards rushing, while quarterback David Currier completed 15 of 33 pass attempts for 117 yards. But five of those completions were on the Trailblazers' final drive of the game, which ended at the Watertown 1-yard line.

Truth Napier intercepted two passes for Watertown, and Carthage product Bryan Harris returned a pick 96 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

St. Lawrence Valley (0-2) threw a few trick plays at Watertown that fell just inches short of providing large gains. Plus, Currier and Watertown's Todd Kiechle each tossed two first-half interceptions. The Trailblazers, though, couldn't undo their damage.

Not until late in the fourth did Currier and Co. generate a consistent attack. By then, clearly, it was too late. Joe Hutchison paced the Trailblazers with five catches for 32 yards.

"The offense was sputtering," Trailblazers co-head coach Jim Compeau said. "We need to get some first downs and get the defense a break. They can't stay on the field for that amount of time."

Watertown has allowed only nine points thus far during the regular season.

"We're molded as one now. It starts off with communicating. Everybody here is on the same level. We've really made a jump since last year," Harris said.

In Anthony Noel's absence, Ernie Miller (13 carries, 74 yards) carried a bulk of the rushing load for Watertown. He was playing against his former teammates for just the second time since joining the Red and Black in 2006. He said last season that his relationship with SLV did not end well. On Saturday, he added that those feelings fueled his efforts as he powered for touchdown runs of 1 and 4 yards during a 20-point second quarter. His 20-yard jaunt keyed one drive that ended with him in the end zone.

"It was borderline anger playing against these guys," he said, "like controlled rage. The offensive line was awesome, and the way the defense keeps us on the field is phenomenal."

Stingy defensive play has been a staple for Watertown in recent seasons, but the team isn't shocked that the offense has jolted out 88 points over two contests. Because the Red and Black is three or four players deep at most positions, the team expects super efficiency.

"I've felt for the past couple years we should have (scored 40 points a game)," head coach George Ashcraft said. "Now it's happening. It's really because we have six great coaches for us doing a great job on both sides of the ball."

Leave it to Cole to loudly echo the coach's sentiments.

"It's a statement we want to stick to," he said. "We're going to put up as many points as possible, and not slow down for nobody."

Copyright 2007. Watertown Daily Times, Inc., Watertown, NY. All rights reserved.


 

07/22/2007

Scranton Eagles crushed by Ottawa

STAFF REPORT

 

OTTAWA — If it's possible, Saturday night's 49-0 Empire Football League loss at Ottawa was worse than the score indicated for the Scranton Eagles.


That's because not only did the Eagles get blown out at Minot Stadium, but promising quarterback Ted Wallingford left the game with a shoulder injury with 7:49 to play in the first half.

Ottawa scored in every quarter and the Eagles never got closer than the Ottawa 25.

Bright spots for the Eagles were kickoff return specialist Robert Solomini. The Bishop O'Hara product had two returns of 55 yards, another for 35 and a fourth for 25 yards. Lou Berdetto made five catches for 72 yards.

Defensively, George Romiti had nine solo tackles and eight assists. Nick Parlanti had six solo tackles and six assists for the Eagles (0-2).


Zephyrs fall short against Ice Storm

By MIKE ZUMMO, The Leader-Herald

Published on Sunday, July 22, 2007

The Leader-Herald/Mike Zummo
The Amsterdam Zephyrs' Cedrick Pearman hauls in a pass as the Vermont Ice Storm's Scott Dennis tries to make the tackle during Saturday's Empire Football League game.

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AMSTERDAM — Two bad snaps cost the Amsterdam Zephyrs 10 points.

The Zephyrs lost a chance for a second-quarter field goal and a bad snap led to the Vermont Ice Storm's first touchdown in a 26-14 Empire Football League victory over the Zephyrs Saturday at Lynch Field.

"We gave it to them," Zephyrs coach Dominic Ruggeri said.

Jason Majewski's high snap had already cost Alvaro Montes an opportunity to kick a 42-yard field goal in the second quarter, but it was a bad snap on a punt that did the most damage.

The snap got by Zephyrs punter Bryant Strozinsky and instead of falling on it, he picked it up and tried to punt the ball under duress. The ball hit the side of his foot and Vermont's Aaron Pyer grabbed the ball and returned it 15 yards for a touchdown giving the Ice Storm a 7-0 lead.

"If you make mistakes against good teams, it's going to bite you in the end," Ruggeri said. "We were sloppy."

Then things got worse as the Ice Storm (2-0) broke the Zephyrs' back at halftime. Quarterback Brad Ruderman hit Zach Howe on a first-and-15 and as the defense closed in on him, Howe lateraled the ball to Austin Partain who took it to the end zone for a 14-0 Vermont lead.

"It's like they fell asleep in the first half and they didn't play until the second half," Ruggeri said. "Take away the hook and ladder with one second to go and you take away the bad snap on the punt, we win the game."

The Zephyrs (1-1) were in position to stop the Ice Storm as the defense held on a third-and-inches play, but an offsides penalty on Amsterdam gave Vermont a first down.

"We sure didn't help ourselves," Ruggeri said. "We really hurt ourselves throughout the game. Stupid penalties keeping drives alive again. Giving them other opportunities to score and they were a good team by capitalizing."

The Zephyrs finally got themselves going in the second half, but not after giving up a score on Vermont's first offensive series.

Ruderman exploited the Zephyrs' defense in the middle of the field and hit Troy Canada for a 15-yard touchdown pass and a bad snap on the extra point gave Vermont a 20-0 lead.

"These guys are a very good football team," Ruggeri said. "They're tough all the way across the line. They've got a good quarterback, a good secondary and I knew it was going to be tough."

The Zephyrs responded with a 64-yard, eight-play drive that ended in a touchdown.

Shaffer connected with Evan DeGeorgio on a crucial fourth-and-two, and as he was falling out of bounds on second-and-goal, he hit Cedrick Pearman for a two-yard touchdown pass cutting the Vermont lead to 20-7.

"We didn't change anything," Ruggeri said. "We came out in the second half. They finally woke up and decided they wanted to play. We were flat in the first half. That's what I was afraid of. I knew if we made any kind of mistakes and fell behind, we were going to be in a big hole."

After holding the Ice Storm scoreless on the next drive, the offense engineered a 10-play drive that ended with Shaffer's second touchdown pass to Pearman — an 18-yard screen pass along the left sideline — that cut the Vermont lead to six points, 20-14.

But mistakes bit the Zephyrs on their next offensive drive as they attempted to take the lead. Eric Johnson caught what would have been a first down on a second-and-11, but was whistled for offensive pass interference costing Amsterdam the completion and 10 yards. Three plays later, the Zephyrs punted the ball away.

The Zephyrs got the ball to start the game and marched all the way to the Ice Storm's 3 yard-line before the drive stalled on an incomplete pass.

"I thought the offense in the second half started to exert themselves and play like they really could play," Ruggeri said. "In the first half, we were stagnant. You can't get inside the 10 and not score. You can't give opportunities away."

Vermont 26, Amsterdam 14
Vermont 0 14 6 6 — 26
Amsterdam 0 0 7 7 — 14

Second Quarter
V — Pyer 15 punt return (Beaulieu kick)
V — Ruderman 23 pass to Howe lateral to Partain (Beaulieu kick)

Third Quarter
V — Ruderman 15 pass to Canada (kick failed)
A — Shaffer 2 pass to Pearman (Montes kick)

Fourth Quarter
A — Shaffer 18 pass to Pearman (Montes kick)
V — Young 3 run (pass failed)


Storm topples Zephyrs

By MIKE COLLAR

Recorder Sports Staff

Jason Young scored on a three yard run with 1:48 left in the game to put icing on the cake and give the Vermont Ice Storm a 26-14 victory over the Amsterdam Zephyrs in Empire Football League play at Lynch Middle School field on Saturday night.

"We gave it (win) to them. We came out and played in the second half. We were very, very flat in the first half. These guys (Vermont) are a very tough team. They have a good quarterback and good secondary. We outplayed them. Our defense was tired toward the end," said Zephyrs head coach Dom Ruggeri.

Both teams had opportunities to produce scores early but walked away empty.

The Zephyrs' Alvaro Montes attempted a 41 yard field goal with 7:48 left in the first quarter and a bad snap put an end to that.

Eugene Maye picked off an Ice Storm pass and gave the Zephyrs first and 10 at the 16. Eventually, the Zephyrs were forced to punt. New punter Bryant Strozinsky tried to handle a bad snap from center. He got away a short kick. Aaron Pyer scooped up the loose ball and rambled 14 yards for a touchdown with 2:56 showing on the board and the Ice Storm went up, 7-0.

The Zephyrs failed to move the ball and Vermont took over on its 42. Quarterback Brad Ruderman showed why he was last year's EFL Northern Division MVP. He connected on passes to Matt Bombardier for 14 yards and Troy Canada for another five.

The Zephyrs helped with two offsides penalties.

Ruderman hit Canada again on an 11 yard pass. With time running out, Vermont used the old hook-and-ladder play. Ruderman passed to Zach Howe who lateralled to Austin Partain and he scampered 23 yards for a touchdown. The kick was good and Vermont led 14-0 at the halfway mark.

"At halftime, I was pretty angry. If you make mistakes against a good team, it will bite you. We hurt ourselves giving them opportunities," said Ruggeri.

It didn't take long for the Ice Storm to do more damage. Partain returned the opening kickoff 29 yards to the 49. Again, Ruderman went to work in the air and completed four passes including a 15 yard scoring aerial to Rob Joy who caught the ball in the middle of the end zone. The Ice Storm had a 20-0 advantage.

The Zephyrs finally reached the scoreboard. Quarterback Ken Schaefer hit Cedric Pearman for 25 yards, and his favorite receiver Evan DeGeorgio twice for 10 and 12 yards.

Schaefer connected with Pearman on a short two yard touchdown pass with 5:49 left and the Zephyrs cut the deficit to 20=7. On the play, Schaefer was scrambling to his left and going out of bounds when he spotted Pearman.

The Zephyrs got back into the game when they took possession on the 20 after a missed field goal by Vermont.

Schaefer hit Pearman for 17 yards and Josh Newborn for 11 and 14 yards. The culmination was an 18 yard touchdown pass to Pearman with 9:12 left in the game and the score read Ice Storm 20-14.

The Ice Storm put the game away when Young scored. Amsterdam had a final drive but couldn't get anything going.

"We're going up to Montreal a little light. We have to regroup this week. Rick Hulett hurt his shoulder and Bryant Strozinsky his tailbone and Brian Thompson is out for the year with an arm injury. This is a tough one to swallow," said Ruggeri.

The Zephyrs saw their EFL record even at 1-1 while the Ice Storm are 2-0.

 


Lake City gets first victory


The Lake City Stars’ defense gang-tackles Chateauguay Titan running back Denis Houle (25) during an Empire Football League contest at Melissa L. Penfield Park on Saturday. Lake City captured a 35-31 win over the Titans.
Rob Fountain / Staff Photo

By KEITH KANE
Staff Writer

PLATTSBURGH — The Lake City Stars showed just how good a team they can be during the first three quarters.
The fourth quarter, however, almost proved to be a nightmare.
Chateauguay scored 21 points in the fourth quarter, but Lake City was able to hold on for a 35-31 victory over the Titans at Melissa L. Penfield Park on Saturday.
"At the end of the game our youth really showed and we almost buckled under the pressure," Stars head coach Pat Keleher said. "The mistakes we were making were not due to lack of skill, they were mental mistakes. We were blowing coverages and sometimes (we) didn't know our assignments.
"The biggest thing at the end of the game was our mental mistakes."
After Chateauguay kicked a 28-yard field goal to open scoring, Lake City marched down the field 59 yards to take a 7-3 lead on Brandon Keleher's 1-yard touchdown.
The Titans took the lead back, however, at the end of the quarter when quarterback Zan Symonds got away from a couple of tacklers and found Treldon James open for a 46-yard touchdown pass.
It was all Stars in the second and third quarters.
Matt Bezio connected on a trio of touchdown passes — two coming in the third quarter — as the Stars took a 28-10 advantage.
Bezio first found Matt St. Clair on a 6-yard touchdown in the second quarter for a 14-10 lead.
The duo liked it so much that they decided to do it again to start the third quarter, this one of the 35-yard variety.
Bezio's third touchdown pass was to Heath Geiser, who caught a pass on an out route, managed to keep himself in bounds and took it the distance.
"I am very happy that we won," Pat Keleher said. "We played so much better as a team tonight then we did against Amsterdam last week.
"Montreal didn't show us anything that we weren't prepared for. We protected better and got Matt some time, and we has time he knows what to do with it. He over threw some guys in the first quarter, but I think the adrenaline was just pumping a little too hard.
"We ran the ball a lot better tonight, we did just enough to keep the defense honest and that really helped our passing game."
Kevin Wyeth took over for the Titans at quarterback in the fourth quarter, and thanks to a recovery on a touched ball on a punt, got Chateauguay within 11 when he found Marvin Joseph for an 8-yard score.
The Stars, however, quickly responded as Bezio hooked up with Chris Verkey for a 47-yard pass down to the four. Brandon Keleher took it the rest of the way on the next play for his second touchdown of the game.
Just 52 seconds later, a trick play by the Titans caught Lake City off guard, and Sean Kennedy found a wide open James for a 60-yard touchdown.
The Chateauguay defense held the Stars to a three-and-out on their next series and its offense went 65 yards for a Andrew Blevings 1-yard touchdown run.
Instead of going for two and getting the game within a field goal, the Titans decided to kick the extra point and were still down by four.
Chateauguay's onside kick was recovered by Lake City's Kellen Nolan, and the Stars ran out the final 1:40 to capture the win.
Bezio finished 11-for-23 for 232 yards and three touchdowns. St. Clair hauled in five passes for 74 yards and a pair of scores while Geiser pulled in three catches for 72 yards and a touchdown.
Brandon Keleher rushed for a game-high 62 yards for Lake City while Geiser added another 49 on the ground.
Symonds led Chateaugay with 125 yards through the air on 7-of-13 passing and a touchdown. Wyeth came in to connect on 6-of-12 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown.
James caught five passes for 153 yard and two touchdowns while Joseph pulled in six catches for 121 yard and a score.
Denis Houle paced the Titans' rushing attack with 45 yards.
"We did a lot of good things tonight," Pat Keleher said. "We just need to polish up our mental mistakes and get some things squared away in the secondary and I think we will be able to play with anyone.
"Now we'll just get back to work for Vermont next week."
The Stars will head to Vermont next Saturday to take on their rivals the Ice Storm for a 7:30 p.m. contest. The Ice Storm defeated Amsterdam 26-14 to improve to 2-0.

Lake City 35, Chateauguay 31
Chateauguay 10 0 0 21 — 31
Lake City 7 7 14 7 — 35
Scoring summary
First quarter
C- 28 FG by Blevings, 8:11.
LC- B. Keleher 1 run (Montanaro kick), 12:31.
C- James 46 pass from Symonds (Blevings kick), 14:32.
Second quarter
LC- M. St. Clair 6 pass from Bezio (Montanaro kick), 13:58.
Third quarter
LC- M. St. Clair 35 pass from Bezio (Montanaro kick), 3:05.
LC- Geiser 23 pass from Bezio (Montanaro kick), 12:02.
Fourth quarter
C- Joseph 8 pass from Wyeth (Blevings kick), 8:46.
LC- B. Keleher 4 yard (Montanaro kick), 10:00.
C- James 60 pass from Kennedy (Blevings kick), 10:52.
C- Blevings 1 run (Blevings kick), 13:39.
Individual statistics
Rushing
C- Houle 13-45; Blevings 4-11, TD; Symonds 4-22; Dottin 4-13. Totals: 25-91, TD.
LC- B. Keleher 16-62, 2 TD; Ky. Nolan 4-14; Geiser 5-49; Bezio 2-13; M. St. Clair 1-2. Totals: 28-140, 2 TD.
Passing
C- Symonds 7-13-0-125, TD; Wyeth 6-12-0-105, TD; Kennedy 1-1-0-60, TD. Totals: 14-26-0-290, 3 TD.
LC- Bezio 11-23-0-237, 3 TD. Sacks: 1-(-5). Totals: 11-23-0-232, 3 TD.
Receiving
C- James 5-153, 2 TD; Joseph 6-121, TD; Leduc 1-(-2); Houle 2-18. Totals: 14-290, 3 TD.
LC- Geiser 3-72, TD; M. St. Clair 5-74, 2 TD; B. Keleher 1-26; K. Lamoy 1-18; Verkey 1-47. Totals: 11-237, 3 TD.
Sacks
C- Abraham.

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Saturday, July 21, 2007

EFL Pre Game Press Coverage July 21

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Winners' circle: The undefeated Ottawa Deacon Demons will be aiming for their second win in as many Empire Football League games tonight, when they play host to Scranton Eagles at the Minto Sports Field at 7:30 p.m. The Demons won their season opener 20-13 win over the St. Lawrence Trail Blazers in Potsdam, New York. MVP Doug Watters, T.J. Williams and Kevin Coombs scored touchdowns for Ottawa. ... ......
 
Watertown Daily Times
PREVIEW: EMPIRE FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Saturday, July 21, 2007

St. Lawrence Valley Trailblazers vs. Watertown Red and Black

When, where: 7:30 p.m. today, Alex T. Duffy Fairgrounds, Watertown.

Coaches: SLV, Offense, Mike Britton; Defense, special teams, Jim Compeau; Watertown, George Ashcraft.

2007 records: St. Lawrence Valley (0-1); Watertown (1-0).

Last meeting: Watertown won 34-6 on July 29, 2006.

NOTES : Watertown opened the 2007 campaign in dominating fashion with a 44-9 win at Scranton last week. Quarterback Todd Kiechle completed 9 of 14 passes for 240 and three touchdowns. George Eason also added two rushing scores. ... The Trailblazers will be looking for their first win after a 20-13 loss to Ottawa in their opener. They will attempt to knock off the Red and Black without one of their coaches. Mike Britton is missing today's game to attend his daughter's wedding. ... In the Red and Black's 34-6 blowout victory over St. Lawrence Valley last year, former Trailblazer running back Ernie Miller contributed 12 carries, 93 yards and a touchdown. ... The St. Lawrence Valley defense placed plenty of pressure on Ottawa's two quarterbacks last week. They'll need to do the same to disrupt the elusive Kiechle, Watertown's starter. Trailblazers linebackers Ricky Delaney and Cheyenne Dashnaw combined for 18 tackles and three sacks.

Copyright 2007. Watertown Daily Times, Inc., Watertown, NY. All rights reserved.
Watertown Daily Times
Hot semipro rivalry recalled
MASSENA VS. WATERTOWN: Latest reincarnation slated for tonight

By MAX DELSIGNORE
TIMES SPORTSWRITER
Saturday, July 21, 2007

POTSDAM — The last time a semiprofessional football team from St. Lawrence County defeated the Watertown Red and Black was nearly 34 years ago.

When Canton's Joe Jubinville hears that he quarterbacked the Massena Warriors to a 20-2 win over Watertown on Aug. 25, 1973, one moment resonates in his mind with good reason.

"I remember throwing a touchdown pass to Johnny Morgan in that game," Jubinville said. "I remember it only because he reminds me every time I see him."

The glory days of the Massena franchise still exist in the anecdotes told by Jubinville, former Warriors head coach Tim Long, and many others affiliated with the team. Most of the community lived close to Massena's home turf, which was Alcoa Field. For matchups against Watertown, the raucous crowd escalated to almost 5,000 people.

"It was a really good rivalry and a really big draw back then," Jubinville said. "This was back before football was on (television) almost every night."

The Massena faithful weren't disappointed on that particular Saturday night in August. The Warriors scored their other two touchdowns on interception returns from Malone's Ed Boyea and George Hyde of Adams. The Red and Black mustered their only points on a blocked punt that was covered up in the end zone.

"That night, I knew we just didn't have a lot of things going for us," said Mike Britton, a former Watertown running back and current co-coach of the St. Lawrence Valley Trail Blazers, who play at Watertown tonight. "We knew we were running a version of the run-n-shoot offense, but it was more oriented to the run. ... We thought we were prepared for them. It was a big surprise for us."

Long said the Warriors were able to attract players from as far away as Amsterdam and Saranac Lake to play in the weekend games. After each game between Massena and Watertown, they shared food and drinks at their respective Italian-American Clubs.

But what former red and Black defensive end Steve Fisher vividly recalled was the volatile atmosphere at Massena.

"The fans were even hostile to our wives, sometimes even spitting on them," said Fisher, who is entering his 41st year as the head football coach at General Brown. "You could talk in a normal tone of voice on the field, but you couldn't hear yourself think in the stands," Long said.

Watertown was in the early stages of bringing the organization back to prominence during the 1970s. They returned to competitive action in 1969 after a nine-year hiatus. Unfortunately for the Warriors, they ceased operations following their 18th season in 1975.

The next St. Lawrence County franchise to arrive would be the Trailblazers in 2002. They've been unable to record a victory against the Red and Black in their six years of existence. Britton, who is Trailblazers' offensive head coach, isn't ready to designate the matchup as a true rivalry.

"Usually in rivalries, the teams play each other equally, with a lot of intensity, and I don't have that feeling at this time," Britton said. "We've had it happen in some of the games recently, but we haven't pulled off a win yet."

If St. Lawrence Valley is unable to upset Watertown today, they'll have another chance at Sandstoner Park in Potsdam next month. Coincidentally, the game will by played on Aug. 25 — exactly 34 years since the last victory.

"It's always one of the best games because Watertown always brings it," Trailblazers quarterback Dave Currier said. "It would be big to get a win against those guys because our momentum would rise."

Copyright 2007. Watertown Daily Times, Inc., Watertown, NY. All rights reserved.
 
Watertown Daily Times
Warriors remember Watertown rivalry

Saturday, July 21, 2007

But what former red and Black defensive end Steve Fisher vividly recalled was the volatile atmosphere at Massena.

"The fans were even hostile to our wives, sometimes even spitting on them," said Fisher, who is entering his 41st year as the head football coach at General Brown. "You could talk in a normal tone of voice on the field, but you couldn't hear yourself think in the stands," Long said.

Watertown was in the early stages of bringing the organization back to prominence during the 1970s.

They returned to competitive action in 1969 after a nine-year hiatus. Unfortunately for the Warriors, they ceased operations following their 18th season in 1975.

The next St. Lawrence County franchise to arrive would be the Trailblazers in 2002. They've been unable to record a victory against the Red and Black in their six years of existence.

Britton, who is Trailblazers' offensive head coach, isn't ready to designate the matchup as a true rivalry.

"Usually in rivalries, the teams play each other equally, with a lot of intensity, and I don't have that feeling at this time," Britton said. "We've had it happen in some of the games recently, but we haven't pulled off a win yet."

If St. Lawrence Valley is unable to upset Watertown today, they'll have another chance at Sandstoner Park in Potsdam next month. Coincidentally, the game will by played on Aug. 25 — exactly 34 years since the last victory.

"It's always one of the best games because Watertown always brings it," Trailblazers quarterback Dave Currier said. "It would be big to get a win against those guys because our momentum would rise."

Copyright 2007. Watertown Daily Times, Inc., Watertown, NY. All rights reserved.

Lake City in home opener tonight

Published July 21, 2007 12:30 am - Stars host Chateauguay, looking to rebound from mistake-prone effort in Amsterdam.
By KEITH KANE
Staff Writer
PLATTSBURGH "" It didn't exactly start out the way the Lake City Stars were hoping.
The Stars dropped their first Empire Football League contest of the season, 38-21, to Amsterdam last Saturday, in a game plagued by Lake City turnovers.
Tonight, the Stars have a chance to turn it all around.
The Chateauguay Titans come to town for a 7:30 p.m. contest and the home opener for Lake City.
"The guys are really excited to be playing at home," head coach Pat Keleher said. "We had a great practice on Thursday and we are hoping to get a really good crowd. We hope that people can come down and check us out "" I think they'll be surprised and they should be in for a good game.
"The team knows that they are on the road the next two weeks, so they are looking to play well and to get a W."
A week ago, the Stars hurt themselves with four turnovers, which allowed Amsterdam to score three times and eliminated a score of their own.
The young secondary was also without starting safety Kevin Fessette "" who will be back tonight "" and gave up a lot of yards through the air, including three touchdowns.
"Having Fessette back, as well as Kellen Nolan, in the secondary is only going to help us," Keleher said. "We also have Evan Murphy returning, which gives us a little more depth at the cornerback position.
"I think that we are a better team with Fessette back in the secondary. His leadership and ability alone makes us better. Getting the other guys back helps provide depth and experience, which makes us a better team."
Chateauguay put a scare into the Vermont Ice Storm last Saturday, as the Titans took a 13-0 lead into halftime as they went mostly through the air.
Vermont, however, rolled off 21 unanswered points to pull past Chateauguay for the 21-13 victory.
"They are a throw-oriented team," Keleher said of the Titans. "Against Vermont they threw the ball 30-plus times and ran 13, which is about a 3-1 pass-to-run ratio.
"They have some decent speed at the receiver position and the quarterback looks pretty good and experienced in the pocket, but it's hard to judge a team on film."
The Ice Storm had a difficult time completing passes down the field against Chateauguay, but in the second half had a much better time completing shorter passes to the outside.
"We worked hard in our running game this week "" working to get a push up front," Keleher said. "We have three good running backs, so we need to try to get some balance to our offense.
"If we are forced to throw the ball a lot, or we cannot run, then we are in for a long night. When we do throw, we will try to keep the ball underneath and to the outside of the field."
The Stars managed only 66 yards on the ground against the Zephyrs. They did have success, however, through the air as Matt Bezio connected on 13-of-23 for 170 yards and three scores.
The offensive line should receive a shot in the arm, as Ray Nelson has been cleared to play and Keith Bushey has returned to the team.
"Getting Bushey and Nelson back is going to be a big help to the offensive line," Keleher said. "Having them makes us seven deep and can hopefully keep the offensive line fresh."
Aside from limiting the turnovers tonight, Keleher believes the key will be being more solid in the secondary and get a little more pressure on their quarterback.
"I think the guys are looking forward to another game," Keleher said. "They realize that they made some mistakes against Amsterdam. They are looking for another crack and hopefully eliminating those mistakes.
"I am excited for tonight "" we look to be very evenly matched. It should be a good game."
kkane@pressrepublican.com
Copyright © 1999-2006 cnhi, inc.

Zephyrs to host Ice Storm

By MIKE ZUMMO, The Leader-Herald

Published on Saturday, July 21, 2007

The Leader-Herald/Mike Zummo

Amsterdam's Evan DeGeorgio looks up field after making a catch during last week's game against Lake City.

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AMSTERDAM — The Amsterdam Zephyrs are gaining momentum after last week's win over the Lake City Stars in their 2007 Empire Football League opener.

The victory that came after two preseason victories against tough opponents and the Zephyrs are heading into tonight's game against the Vermont Ice Storm with confidence.

"We've got a little bit of a swagger right now opening with two tough preseason wins and last week's win," Zephyrs coach Dominic Ruggeri said. "These guys are pretty confident and know they can play with anybody."

The Zephyrs built an early lead on the Lake City Stars last week, but had trouble maintaining discipline and several 15-yard penalties brought the Stars closer in what wound up a 38-21 game.

"I addressed that all week in practice and on the phone with those guys," Ruggeri said. "I told them we are too good to give them easy 15 yarders when all we have to do is walk away. They knew they got sucked into it."

Amsterdam quarterback Kenny Shaffer carved up the Stars' young defense last week for three touchdowns and the running backs accounted for nearly 50 yards, while Shaffer accounted for another 50 on scrambles and keepers.

"We made a few minor changes," Ruggeri said. "We were missing two starters on the o-line, but they did a nice job. Our coaches stressed the running game. We had 100 yards rushing and our goal is 150 per game."

Ruggeri stressed the running game in this week's practices and said he wants the offense to control the clock to take the load off Shaffer's throwing arm.

"We have to control the clock and we have to eliminate the stupid penalties," Ruggeri said. "If we do that, I'm pretty sure we'll handle the game pretty well."

The Zephyrs also need to control Vermont quarterback Brad Ruderman, who threw for 242 yards on 12 completions and three touchdown passes leading the Ice Storm to a 21-13 win over the Chateauguay Titans last week. Unlike last week, Ruggeri said he's been watching film on Vermont, which throws the football 70 percent of the time and runs to keep its opponents honest.

'They've got one heck of a passing game," Ruggeri said. "Three very good receivers. Their running game is very basic, but effective. They're big up front and that makes me a little nervous."

The Ice Storm showed its poise as it came back from a 13-point halftime deficit to beat the Titans 21-13 after Chateaguay dropped a potential touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.

"They're the type of team that doesn't get rattled," Ruggeri said. "They can be down 20 points and not get nervous."

Ruggeri went to his defensive coordinator to change up the defense in response to the Ice Storm's passing prowess and he wants his front line to continue to put pressure on Ruderman.

"The defense that I stress is pressure and disruption," Ruggeri said. "They're going to get penetration. [Lake City] had trouble stopping us and I don't think there are many teams that are going to be able to."

The Zephyrs will face Chateauguay on the road next week and will be missing seven starters, making tonight's contest all the more important.

"This is a huge game early in the year because we have Montreal next week on the road. That's why this game is so important. I told the guys that I'd rather be 2-0 than 1-1 and I want to keep the momentum going."

 

Key early game for Zephyrs

By MIKE COLLAR
Recorder Sports Staff
It's very early in the Empire Football League season, but Amsterdam Zephyrs head coach Dom Ruggeri knows the importance of tonight's game against the Vermont Ice Storm at Lynch Middle School field at 7:30 p.m.
Last week, Amsterdam turned away the Lake City Stars, 38-21, while Vermont rallied in the second half to knock off Chateauguay, 21-13.
Zephyrs quarterback Ken Schaefer made his debut a successful one, completing 15-of-24 passes for 219 yards. He also scored from the two yard line and picked up 46 yards on seven attempts.
"Kenny and the passing game is really starting to click. If he has time to throw, the receivers will have a big night," said Ruggeri.
Tight end Evan DeGeorgio experienced a big game with six receptions for 111 yards and one touchdown. Cedrick Pearman contributed three receptions for 62 yards and a touchdown and Eric Johnson hauled in five catches for 38 yards and a score.
"Not only is Evan capable of repeating that performance, Cedrick and Josh (Newborn) could have huge games at any time. This is the difference this year, the weapons are there. Eric is just 'Mr. Steady.' He will always make the big catch and knows how to find the first down marker. I would expect Vermont to double cover Evan and that means somebody else is single covered. That's good for us," said Ruggeri.
While the Zephyrs passing game was in high gear, there was some difficulty running against Lake City, gaining 101 yards on 24 carries.
Ruggeri hopes it will be a different story this time around.
"We have two tailbacks. Tarquan (Pearman) and Jorge (Rodriguez) are both very capable. Tarq is a game breaker with his speed and Jorge will grind it out for you. Right now, I'm not sure who Mike (offensive coordinator Finocchi) wants to start. It's his decision and I trust his judgment," said Ruggeri.
After grabbing a 21-7 lead in the first half, the game got sloppy on both sides with the yellow flag being thrown plenty of times. The Zephyrs had five personal fouls called and in the end was penalized 14 times for 120 yards.
"After reviewing the film, I must say they (Lake City) were a very dirty team, but my message to the players was simple. We can't afford stupid penalties and give the other team yardage without snapping the ball. This will cost you in the end,"Ruggeri said. "I was happy we won, but not happy with the penalties. We have a lot of momentum right now, but I told the guys we are 0-0. Every week is a new one. I can't let these guys look ahead."
The Zephyrs' defense rose to the occasion again as Rick Hulett had two solo and one assisted tackle and half a sack, Penta Thomas added three solo and one assisted tackle and Greg Woodard put together one solo and three assisted tackles plus half a sack.
Rich Johnson picked off two passes and Jeremiah Newborn got into the act with one.
"I have my work cut out for me with this team being so talented and deep. But Mike and Rodney (defensive coordinator Schur) are making it a lot easier for me. They are both doing a great job," said Ruggeri.
Vermont was down 13-0 at halftime to Chateauguay before scoring 21 second-half points to prevail.
Quarterback Brad Ruderman, last year's EFL North Division MVP, completed 12-of-33 passes for 242 yards and running back Jason Young picked up 77 yards on 12 carries. He also reached the end zone twice. Wide receiver Austin Partain caught five passes for 98 yards and one touchdown.
A year ago, Vermont finished 10-4 (8-2 in regular season) in the EFL North.
"We were able to run against Chateauguay. It was like two different games. I think the X's and O's came together. We had to move around certain defenses (in second half)," said Ice Storm head coach Doc Perez.
On the defensive side, Donny LeFleur and Adam Huizenga each had eight tackles while Del Randall and Kase Long contributed four tackles apiece.
"Vermont will come out throwing. Their quarterback is good and the receivers are fast. The pass-to-run ratio is probably 70/30. We have to play well in the secondary and we will be fine. I don't believe they can run on us," said Ruggeri.
The Ice Storm defense is solid and doesn't get rattled. Ruggeri wants to get the running game on track and maybe gain 150 yards or more. This would also control the clock more and take some of the pressure off Schaefer.
"This is a very pivotal game early in the year with us going to Montreal next week and missing about six starters that won't make the trip. This is round two of a 10-round fight. We won the first round and now we have to win the next one," said Ruggeri.
Each year teams change personnel in the hopes of improving their talent and Perez feels the Zephyrs did this in a big way.
"They (Zephyrs) beat Watertown in preseason and a good team in Lake City. I think they inherited the team to beat label. Whoever wins this game will have the inside track on our (East) division title. With only a week under our belt, Amsterdam is the team to look out for. I think it's a big game early. It's hard to game plan. You come out and get in a chess game," said Perez.
This will also mark the first-ever meeting between the teams.




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