Announcement
Buckeye Dominates Wellington In PAC Stars Division Victory
9/29/2017 - By RICK NOLAND Gazette Assistant Sports Editor
YORK TWP. - The Wellington football program has just 31 players — the band has 24, counting twirlers and an electric guitar player — so the Dukes don’t have junior varsity or freshman teams.
Buckeye, however, got plenty of action for players in all three levels of its program in rolling to a 50-0 Patriot Athletic Conference Stars Division victory that could have been much worse.
The Bucks took a 41-0 halftime lead behind varsity quarterback Adam Fauver, then used backup Michael Knoll and all 5-foot-5, 107 pounds of freshman QB Brendan Miller in a second half that was played with a running clock.
“It was awesome,” said 6-foot, 212-pound senior right guard/inside linebacker Turner Mitchell. “We fired on all cylinders. We respect all our opponents and we give 100 percent on every play. We want to be the first Buckeye team in school history to win a playoff game, so we just keep going at it.”
The Bucks (6-0, 1-0) scored touchdowns the first five times they had the ball — the drives covered 8, 42, 34, 45 and 67 yards — and added an electrifying 49-yard punt return TD by Jonathon Neel late in the first half.
“We had great focus all the way throughout,” Neel said. “Even with the young guys coming in, they played hard. It was just a great team win all the way around.”
Try as he might to hold down the score — the Bucks didn’t attempt a pass in the second half and 10 players had rushing attempts on the night — a Greg Dennison-coached team scored 50 points for just the third time in his 24-year, 256-game career.
The Dukes (0-6, 0-1), who have only 24 players from 10th through 12th grade, finished with minus-31 yards rushing and 103 passing, 44 of that coming on a late-game completion.
The Bucks didn’t put up monster offensive numbers — 214 yards rushing, 84 passing — because they didn’t have to nor try to and because they repeatedly got the ball in great field position.
Collin Graham, Isaiah Williams and Logan Steppenback had interceptions for Buckeye, while A.J. Kirlough recorded a safety and 6-1, 223-pound third-string sophomore tailback Armando Nigh, who finished with 69 yards on 10 bruising carries, scored a TD when he recovered a Wellington fumble in the end zone from his linebacker spot.
Wellington opened the game by putting all its offensive linemen but the center near the sideline in an attempt to throw quick-hitting flare passes behind the line of scrimmage, but the Bucks weren’t fooled.
By the time the game ended, Buckeye had gotten sacks from Anthony Musarra, Austin Bir and Gage Williams, among others, and a fumble recovery from Taylor Salmonski to set up a Week 7 Stars Division showdown at undefeated Black River.
“It’s Buckeye vs. Black River,” Neel said. “It’s a big rivalry and we’re both undefeated. That’s going to make it even more fun.”
In addition to Nigh’s defensive TD and Neel’s punt return, the Bucks got 4- and 1-yard scores from starting tailback Dominic Monaco (6 carries, 56 yards), a 34-yard TD pass from Fauver (6-for-7, 84 yards) to tight end Logan Schulz, a 5-yard run by Bir and a scintillating 31-yarder from Justin Canedy, who broke two tackles and sidestepped another along the left sideline.
While the Bucks vow to continue taking things one game at a time, they have bigger goals than a fifth straight Stars Division title and undefeated regular season.
“Ever since we’ve been growing up, we’ve heard that Buckeye’s never won a playoff game,” Neel said. “It’s an ongoing thought. It’s not a matter of wanting to get into the playoffs. It’s that we want to win a playoff game.”
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