Fredonia holds off late push by Gators
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FREDONIA -- Friday night at the Orange Bowl was the perfect start to Homecoming weekend for the Fredonia faithful.
The Hillbillies defeated Allegany-Limestone/Hinsdale 39-30 in a Class C South game.
Fredonia (3-1, 2-1) wasted no time giving the Homecoming crowd a reason to cheer. Markell Davis took the opening kick through a hole down the Fredonia sideline, all the way for a touchdown. Following the extra point, the Hillbillies led 7-0, only 13 seconds in.
"Markell is a very dangerous person in the open field. We know that he always gives us a shot," Fredonia head coach Greg Sherlock said. "The kids really got pumped for that. We all saw it. The energy that he brought for the team really carried us for most of the first half."
Special teams continued to benefit the Hillbillies in the opening quarter. After the Fredonia defense forced a three-and-out on the Gators' opening drive, a low snap on the punt was bobbled and dropped. The punter tried to improvise a pass to salvage the play, but it fell incomplete and the Hillbillies took over on downs.
Fredonia struggled to get anything going offensively, but because of the great field position, only 10 yards of progress on the drive put the Hillbillies in range for a field goal. Brayden Korzeniewski drilled the 31-yard kick off the right upright, but it fell through for a successful field goal. With 7:05 left in the opening quarter, the Hillbillies held a 10-0 lead. Neither team scored for the remainder of the first quarter.
Halfway through the second quarter, Fredonia extended its lead to three scores. Graham Putney caught a pass over the middle of the field and fought off the Gators defense for a touchdown. After another successful extra point, Fredonia held a 17-0 lead with less than six minutes left in the second quarter.
The Gators (2-2, 1-2) were handed their first significant scoring opportunity in the final minutes of the first half thanks to a Fredonia fumble. Less than 30 seconds remained in the half as the Gators lined up on third-and-goal from the 4-yard line, but a holding penalty backed the visitors up 10 yards with time ticking away.
Left with two more opportunities to score, a third-down pass to the corner of the end zone fell incomplete. But on fourth down, a lapse in coverage left Greg Peck open for a 14-yard touchdown reception as time expired. A 2-point conversion reception in the back right corner of the end zone put the Gators down just nine points at the break, 17-8.
With an opportunity to double up, the Gators entered into Fredonia territory after a completion on third and long, but the drive stalled from there and Fredonia forced a punt.
"They spend countless hours upon hours to break teams down," Sherlock said of his staff. "... They did a good job at halftime going over the mistakes we were making, and we weren't making a lot."
Fredonia added to its lead on the ensuing drive, chewing up more than half of the period in the process. With 3:33 left in the third quarter, the Hillbillies had a comfortable advantage again, 24-8. That score held through the end of the period.
The Hillbillies got the ball back a couple minutes into the fourth quarter and took a commanding lead. Korzeniewski broke free from the defense and reeled in a deep ball from Noah Palisin. Korzeniewski eluded the Gators defense on the way for a 50-yard touchdown. The score, along with his own extra point that followed, put Fredonia ahead 31-8, more than halfway through the final frame.
"I think I pulled the trigger too quickly. I take full responsibility for that, because that was on me," Sherlock said. "I told the coaches to start getting kids in, and I don't think they were ready."
Allegany-Limestone/Hinsdale answered with a touchdown and a 2-point conversion on the next drive. With 3:41 remaining, the game was suddenly back within reach, 31-16. The visitors recovered the ensuing onside kick and quickly marched down the field for another touchdown and 2-point conversion. With 2:16 left to play, the Fredonia lead was cut to just seven points, 31-24.
The kickoff that followed resulted in a battle for the ball, but the Hillbillies came away from the pile with possession. The Gators defense made a stand and forced a three-and-out, and a short punt immediately resulted in more danger for the Hillbillies. With 1:42 remaining, the Gators took possession near midfield, down seven points.
Following a penalty, the Gators were backed up in their own territory. It was then that the Hillbillies defense forced an errant throw, and Ayden Wronski sealed the victory with an interception with 1:03 left in the game. Lavonce Donaldson punctuated the win with a touchdown in the final minute.
The Gators scored on the final play of the game, but as the last second ticked off the home scoreboard, Fredonia had already claimed the victory.
Sherlock said after Friday's win that his team is "building confidence." After a few down years by Fredonia's standards, Sherlock said "we're doing something positive. We're moving in the right direction."
Up next, the Hillbillies travel to rival Southwestern/Frewsburg next week in another Class C South showdown on Friday night. The Gators host Falconer/Cassadaga Valley/Maple Grove at Hinsdale High School on Friday.