Leading the way was Maddox Isaac.

That was only appropriate.

He’d been showing the way all evening anyway.

The junior quarterback rushed for two touchdowns and passed for another as the Warriors rolled to a 41-8 Class C South victory over Fredonia.

Salamanca’s Payton Bradley hauls in a touchdown pass from Jaxson Ross during Friday’s Class C South game against Fredonia. P-J photo by Tim Frank

The win improved Salamanca, the state’s 17th-ranked Class C school, to 4-1 overall and 4-0 in the division heading into next Saturday’s nonleague showdown with Clymer/Sherman/Panama, the second-ranked team in Class D. The injury-depleted Hillbillies, who were missing a half-dozen starters, fell to 1-4 overall and 0-4 in the division.

“It was a game where we needed (Isaac),” Warriors head coach Chad Bartoszek said. “We were down a couple of our receivers tonight and we needed playmakers. (Fredonia) is big upfront, they’re physical and they’re tough. It’s hard to get the run game going when you’re facing that, (but Isaac) makes plays.”

The Warriors scored touchdowns on their first three first-half possessions — Isaac’s 42-yard run and Jaxson Ross’ 15-yard pass to Payton Bradley in the first quarter, and Ross’ 2-yard run in the second period.

Armed with a 20-0 advantage at the break, the hosts tacked on two more TDs in the third period — the first on Isaac’s 51-yard pass to Cory Holleran and the second on Isaac’s 15-yard run to the pylon.

“I was proud of the quick pass-game stuff,” Bartsozek said. “Once (Isaac) starts to figure that out, it’s a dynamic combination.”

Fredonia averted the shutout when Luca Gullo raced 82 yards down the sideline for the TD on the first play of the fourth quarter and Markel Davis, who was called up from the junior varsity on Wednesday, added the two-point conversion. Salamanca answered right back, however, when Joshua Auman found paydirt from 46 yards with just over 10 minutes remaining.

Unofficially, Gullo finished with 157 yards on the ground on 19 carries, while Davis, a sophomore, chipped in 59 yards on 13 trips.

Despite the setback — the Hillbillies’ fourth in a row — head coach Greg Sherlock was proud of the effort his short-handed team displayed, especially along the defensive line.

“Our defensive line was amazing,” said Sherlock of a group that included Bryce Bacher, Owen Rush, Simon Price, Colin Crowell and Tyler Kuzdale. “They just totally dominated upfront. There was little (Salamanca) could do unless they went outside. They could not run from end to end, but we’re young on the outside and they have to get more disciplined.”

Fredonia will be back in action next Friday when it entertains Chautauqua Lake/Westfield/Brocton.

“I think the future is bright,” Sherlock said. “I’m not giving up on this year. These guys aren’t. They certainly want to win. We want to go out these next three games and win, and maybe have a game or two (in the postseason). We’ve become young all of a sudden, very young. There’s a lot to learn.

“I know we’re going to take our lumps, but we expect to come out and compete.”

Bartoszek, meanwhile, is looking forward to the challenge against C/S/P.

“I’m very excited to have the opportunity to play them,” he said. “We’ve played Franklinville/Ellicottville (a 25-15 loss) and (FE) is going to be right up there in the Ds and now we get C/S/P. We’ve been following them a little bit since 7-on-7s (during the summer), so our kids our pumped up a little bit.”

Fredonia 0 0 0 8 — 8

Salamanca 14 6 15 6 — 41

Sal–Isaac 42 run (Holleran pass from Isaac)

Sal–Bradley 15 pass from Ross (pass fail)

Sal–Ross 2 run (pass fail)

Sal–Holleran 51 pass from Isaac (Auman run)

Sal–Isaac 15 run (Ross kick)

Fre–Gullo 82 run (Davis run)

Sal–Auman 46 run (kick fail)