BY PAUL LIOTTI
CLARENCE — All year long the state has been looking to a time when Alexander would meet Clymer-Sherman-Panama.
The top two Class D teams in the state — ranked No. 1 and No. 2 all year by the New York State Sportswriters Association — finally had a chance meet on Saturday afternoon, and when the dust settled, the Trojans of Alexander had met their match, dropping a 29-6 loss to CSP on a blustery wind-swept field in Clarence in the Far West Regional.
“It was a good matchup today and they are a good football team,” Alexander coach Tim Alexander said. “They are heavy with seniors and it showed. They are number 1 in the state and they showed why today.”
The Wolfpack (11-0/No. 1 NYSSWA) dominated the game from the opening kickoff, controlling all phases of the contest. No matter what the Trojans tried to run offensively, CSP had an answer, stuffing play after play for little or no gain.
Which was something new for the Trojans, who finished the season as Section V’s second-leading scoring team (40.4 points per game) and the stingiest defensive scoring team (6.7 points allowed per game).
Alexander (10-1/No. 2 NYSSWA) blew through the regular season and Sectionals using a comination of speed and strength but against the Wolfpack it met its match.
“Where we have made a living on our speed and strength overcoming size and bulk, today we ran into a team that was our equal and better in the trenches and in the box and that’s how it played out today,” Sawyer said. They are built a lot like us. We have been outsized most of the year, but never overmatched. They are fast and strong. They got off the ball well and you can what happened.”
And the conditions didn’t help. With a steady wind blowing out of the south – at times gusting to well over 30 mph – it made it difficult for Alexander to get its passing game on track to offset the Wolfpack’s game plan to load the box and stuff the run.
“Conditions were tough today with the 40 mph wind…we couldn’t throw the ball to get them out of the box and they kept us bottled up,” said Sawyer, whose quarterbacks tossed almost as many interceptions (three) as they did completions (four).
All told, CSP held Alexander to just 189 total yards of offense, of which 86 came on the last play of the game when junior Ty Woods ripped off a scamper down the sideline as the final horn sounded to avoid the shutout.
CSP opened the scoring with :25 left in the first quarter when Derek Ecklund scored on a four-yard run. Gerrit Hinsdale completed the conversion pass to Chance Meeder and it was 8-0.
That 8-0 score held up until midway through the third stanza when Hinsdale hit Cameron Barmore from four yards out. Ecklund ran in the conversion and it was 16-0 with 5:29 left in the quarter. CSP added two scores in the final period in bang-bang fashion. Michael Beaton capped a six-play 64 yard drive with a one-yard run. On the first play of the next drive, Dylan Busch threw his third interception of the afternoon which the Wolfpack converted into an eight-yard touchdown run two plays later by John Swabik to go up 29-0.
“We had a great week of preparation, but when you get to the final eight in the state and you run into very good teams,” Sawyer said. “This was a tough game.”
No matter what the Trojans tried to do, the Wolfpack had an answer, especially on the ground. Alexander ran the ball 37 times in the game, and only 10 of them went for more than three yards.
“They controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and made for some tough sledding,” Sawyer said.
While the season ended earlier than the Trojans had hoped for, it doesn’t diminish the fact that Alexander has put itself on the local Class D map. Since the start of the 2016 season, the Trojans have amassed a 29-3 record and secured two sectional titles (2016 and 2018) while playing for a third (last year).
“(Our program) is getting better and better. We built a youth program six or seven years ago, have some great coaches, great support in our schools and in the community, and it’s starting to pay off. We are 29-3 over the last three seasons, and while we didn’t want the game to end like it did today, we’re in very good shape,” Sawyer said.
Statistically, Woods let the Trojans with 116 yards on seven carries and the lone score. Terrez Smith finished with 20 yards on 10 totes and Chris McClinic was held to 11 yards on 10 carries. Busch finished the day with three completions in 11 attempts and the three interceptions, while Woods completed his only pass for nine yards.
Senior middle linebacker Jake Jenson finished the game with 13 total tackles,
Alex | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | |||
CSP | 8 | 0 | 8 | 13 | 29 | ||
Scoring | |||||||
CSP | Derek Ecklund 4 run (Chance Meeder from Gerrit Hinsdale) | ||||||
CSP | Cameron Barmore 4 pass from Gerrit Hinsdale (Derek Ecklund run) | ||||||
CSP | Michael Beatman 1 run (kick failed) | ||||||
CSP | John Swabik 8 run (Garrett McClelland kick) | ||||||
Alex | Ty Woods 86 run (no kick) | ||||||
Rushing | |||||||
Alex | Ty Woods 7-116, Terrez Smith 10-20, Chris McClinic 10-11, Hayden Walton 3-8, Jay Morrison 3-3, Dylan Busch 4-(-10) | ||||||
Passing | |||||||
Alex | Dylan Busch 3-11-0-3-32, Ty Woods 1-1-9-0-9 | ||||||
Receiving | |||||||
Alex | Ty Woods 1-10, Dylan Busch 1-9, Chris McClinic 2-2 |
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