Announcement
Buckeye Rolls Columbia In PAC Cross-Division Victory
9/22/2017 - By DAN BROWN The Gazette
COLUMBIA TWP. - What started as a good old-fashioned game of can-you-top-this was ended by Buckeye’s football team in the second half.
A combination of offensive execution after key defensive stops gave way to a rout, as the Bucks walked away with a convincing 49-20 victory over Columbia in Patriot Athletic Conference cross-division play.
Leading 28-20 at halftime, Buckeye (5-0, 2-0) battled penalties and a pair of turnovers to score 21 unanswered points and lock up the victory.
“We just had to do what we do,” said Buckeye quarterback Adam Fauver, who finished with three touchdowns. “Coming in, we knew it was going to be a tough game, because we’re usually the two best teams in the conference. I just think we stuck with what was working. We’re in shape, we’re conditioned, so we knew we had to push through the pain in the first half.”
A scoring barrage featuring Raiders standout running back Brandon Coleman and Bucks wideout Justin Canedy slowed to screeching halt, as both teams dealt with miscues and the unusual midseason heat.
That’s when Fauver and Buckeye took over. The senior, who finished with 112 yards on 17 carries and another 102 yards through the air on 6-of-8 attempts, scored from 8 and 10 yards midway through the second half to all but ice the victory.
“It’s so nice for me, because I know the line takes pride in doing the job right,” he said. “I love letting them get some praise, too. They fought through everything in the first half, made some adjustments and fought hard the rest of the way.”
Two things made that possible for Fauver: Canedy setting the tone early and a defense that locked down the explosive Coleman.
After a Raiders touchdown on a fumble recovery in the end zone by Ben Alten, Canedy took the ensuing kickoff 86 yards untouched and followed with a 68-yard sprint on an end-around on his first offensive touch.
“I just saw the open field,” said the modest Canedy, who had 220 all-purpose yards. “The guys blocked great. I just saw the hole and went through it. Once I break open, I’m like, ‘100-meter dash right here.’”
From there, the Bucks used the state-qualifying sprinter as a decoy to open things for Fauver to.
But don’t forget about the defense, as Dom Kriz was dominant with a pair of sacks and fumble recovery in the second half. Combine that with interceptions from Pat Caniglia and Anthony Watkins and a fumble recovery from Jacob Doerge and the rout was on.
The Bucks also did a better job of containing Coleman, who left the game in the fourth quarter with a leg injury. Coleman had 188 yards on 26 carries, including a pair of scores, but had just 30 yards on six touches after halftime.
“I thought out guys came out in the third quarter and played great,” said Columbia coach Jason Ward, whose team fell to 3-2, 1-1.” Obviously, they’re a heckeva team. They’re well-coached, have lots of talent and we couldn’t stay with them. Sometimes you get beat by a better team, and that happened tonight.”
Despite two turnovers in the third quarter, Buckeye kept pressuring Raiders quarterback Jared Bycznski (3-for-9, 18 yards, 2 INTs), forcing four fumbles and recovering two.
“We talk all the time about how you respond to bad things is going to determine how successful you are,” Buckeye coach Greg Dennison said. “Some bad things happened to us there. We had a couple of penalties that hurt us, but we responded. We regrouped at halftime and played much better defensively in the second half.
“I’m so proud of the way our kids played. We competed, and that’s a really good win because they’re a really good team. Anytime you beat a team like that, you know you had to do a lot of things right.”
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