by TYLER HATHAWAY
RUSHVILLE, NY– It’s only Week 1, but Marcus Whitman/Bloomfield looked like it was in midseason form.
The Wildcats scored on their first three drives and forced two turnovers on their way to a 34-0 win over Mynderse on Saturday night. Quarterback Landon Lucas threw for two touchdowns, the team ran for three more, and the defense prevented the Blue Devils’ offense from reaching the redzone.
“It feels amazing, just a great win overall,” said Lucas.
“The kids have worked hard and I’m glad that we got the result that we were looking for,” said head coach Sean Conley.
After forcing a turnover on downs at midfield to open the game, the Marcus Whitman/Bloomfield offense took over and immediately found success, leading up to senior back Gunner Vogel taking a handoff 21 yards for a touchdown. The Wildcat defense followed it up by forcing a fumble and setting the offense on the two-yard line, which led to an Adien Kelley touchdown carry.
“It’s very encouraging,” said Conley of his defense’s play Saturday. “Ross Freida [defensive coordinator] does a great job of running our defense and it showed.”
After forcing the Mynderse offense to punt, the Wildcats moved the ball down the field once again, and Lucas connected with wide receiver Eddie Heberle for a 28-yard touchdown right before the first quarter ended to make the score 20-0.
Lucas picked up his second touchdown pass late in the second quarter with two minutes to go until halftime, this time being a 20-yard pass to tight end Jake Snyder, bringing the score to 28-0.
“It was amazing,” Lucas said of how the offense played. “The chemistry between everyone was good and it was just a great game for us overall.”
VIEW MORE PHOTOS FROM STEVEN TWARDZIK.
“He put it right on the spot a couple of times,” said Conley of his quarterback.
Marcus Whitman/Bloomfield came out of the locker room in the second half and put together a five-minute drive that featured a heavy dosage of running back Jacob Bodine, who’s two-yard touchdown brought the game to its final score of 34-0.
Late in the fourth quarter, Lucas, who also is one of the team’s starting defensive backs in addition to quarterback, was still playing on defense. With just under two minutes left, he broke into the backfield and delivered a big hit for a tackle for loss.
“I’m just kind of all in all the time,” said the senior. “No brakes. The clock keeps running, we keep running.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less from him,” Conley said of Lucas’ energy. “He’s a great player, it’s not very surprising.”
“We just gotta keep working in practice,” said Lucas. “Keep doing the same thing as a team and worry about each week one week at a time.”
Marcus Whitman/Bloomfield (1-0) hosts Palmyra-Macedon on September 12th at 7:00 pm.
*Article has been updated.
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