by TYLER HATHAWAY
PENFIELD, N.Y– In a matchup of the defending Section V Class A and Class B champions, Penfield (5-1) used 19 unanswered points after trailing 7-0 early to defeat previously unbeaten Webster Schroeder 25-14 on Tuesday night.
“I think overall it’s a great team win,” said Patriots head coach Cody Foster. “We came off of a loss last week and they (his players) definitely responded. They wanted to come out here, play our game, and have fun.”
It’s a good feeling for a Penfield team that fell both times in its matchups against the eventual NYS Class B champion Warriors a season ago.
“We lost to them twice last year,” said quarterback Sophia Puccia. “They were close games. It means a lot because they’re state champions. It’s just a great win, it builds our confidence moving forward into May.”
Puccia tossed three touchdowns for the Patriots, with Meghan Quigley catching two and Jaycee Sullivan on the receiving end of the other. Two of Penfield’s four touchdowns came on fourth down, including a run by Adriana Ferraro that capped off a nearly eight-minute drive to start the second half and give the Patriots a two-score lead. All told, Penfield was 4-of-6 on fourth down Tuesday night.
“We get in our huddle, say we’re gonna take a deep breath, and then we get all the line, and we just focus on running that play,” Puccia said of her team’s mindset on fourth down. “Because if we run that play right, we get our first down.”
“As a coach, I trust my players,” Foster explained. “So in the big moments, I talk to our quarterback, talk to our offense, and I want to know what they want to run, and I give ownership to them. We have a good playbook. We know what plays we like on certain downs. They make the call, and they make the plays.”
Entering the contest, Webster Schroeder’s offense was averaging nearly 50 points per game. But after an opening drive touchdown, Penfield got stops on five of the Warriors’ final six drives including two fourth down denials and an interception.
“They’re a great team, they’re a great offense,” Foster said of Webster Schroeder. “We knew coming into this week they have the best quarterback in the section when it comes to throwing the ball. We knew they were going to put the ball in the air, so we did our best just to put the girls in the spots they needed to be, whether it was the middle of the field or the outside thirds. Overall, it was just our girls watching film and getting practice reps in.”
The three-time defending Section V Class A champions are off to a 5-1 (or better) start for the third season in a row.
“We go into practice every day working harder, making more things happen,” said Puccia. “We go into every game with the mentality that we need to win, and we’re going to win.”
For Webster Schroeder (4-1), Emma Roscoe had a passing and rushing touchdown. McKenzie Brown had a touchdown catch.
Penfield will travel on the road to face Webster Thomas on Thursday.
“These girls, they’re going to ride this moment,” said Foster. “We have a 24 hour rule, so we talk about the game whether we win or lose, we flush it, and we move on to the next opponent. So we’re gonna enjoy this win, then we’re gonna move right onto Webster Thomas and take it one game at a time.”
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