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9-06-2007 By ERIC AHLQVIST Editor Van Dee scored on touchdown runs of 30 and 55 yards on consecutive offensive plays in the fourth quarter to seal a 34-14 victory for M-E, which outscored Cooperstown 13-0 in the final period. "They physically wore us down in the second half," said Cooperstown football coach Steve Pugliese. "They were bigger and stronger than us, and we had a lot of young kids playing both offense and defense and it took its toll." It won't get any easier for the Redskins next week, as they travel to play Adirondack at 2 p.m. Adirondack defeated Ithaca, an AA school, by 20 points on Saturday. "Our schedule is brutal, and Adirondack is a big, physical team," Pugliese said. "We're going to have our hands full." VanDee opened the scoring in Saturday's game, running 20 yards for a score and a 7-0 lead. The score remained that way until the first play of the second quarter, when Cooperstown's sophomore quarterback Tyler Hoke connected with Brad Ashford on a 56- yard touchdown pass. Tyler Combs' extra point tied the score at 7-7. Hoke was hit as he threw the pass to Ashford, a 6'2" junior end who made the catch despite getting interfered with and scored after fending off a facemask penalty as well. Ashford caught another pass for 12 yards, the only two completions on the day for Hoke, who was intercepted twice. "I thought we did some things really well, and the coaching staff was pleased as a whole," Pugliese said. "There are things which we can and will work on, but the guys played hard and that's all you can ask." Sophomore Luke Folts was another bright spot for Cooperstown, rushing for a teamhigh 64 yards on seven carries, including a 10-yard touchdown run which tied the score at 14 with 4:32 remaining in the third quarter. After Van Dee had given Morrisville a 14-7 lead with an 11-yard touchdown run, Cooperstown linebacker Andrew Auriemma intercepted a pass on the 26-yard line to give Cooperstown good field position. Tanner Niedzialkowski ran 16 yards to the 10-yard line, and Folts scored on the next play. Folts also recovered a fumble on a lateral and had a long kickoff return in the game. "Luke is all heart and he gives you everything on every down," said Pugliese, who also had words of praise for linemen Jed Rowley and Robert Busse. Rowley had a sack and two other tackles for losses in the game. After traveling to Adirondack Saturday, Cooperstown will host Delhi at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 15. |
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