Marlboro rolls to opening victory

Marlboro High scored 27 points in the first half and rolled to a 34-0 victory over Rondout Valley on Friday night as the teams opened the Section 9 spring football season.

The schools had not played in 16 months, since October/November of 2019. The 2020 fall campaign was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Elijah Williams ran for 69 yards, two touchdowns plus a 2-point conversion, and Ryan McDonald completed 16-of-25 passes for 163 yards and one TD in his debut as the Dukes’ starting quarterback in the triumph.

Marlboro jumped out to a 16-0 lead in the first quarter. The Dukes forced Rondout into a three-and-out on its first drive, then capitalized on a shanked punt to score on Williams’ 1-yard run.

Matt Drake intercepted a Gander pass in the end zone with three minutes left in the period. On the next play, Chris Thorne took McDonald’s pass, brushed off one defender and raced 80 yards for a TD.

In the second quarter, Will Logue scored on a 3-yard run and Williams rushed for the conversion for a 24-0 lead. Sam Lofaro kicked a 47-yard field goal just before the half.

Williams capped the scoring with a 2-yard burst as the third quarter ended.

Chinedu Okasi also had a first-half interception for Marlboro. The Duke defense was led by Trace Napoli (six tackles), Jake Ward (five tackles) and Alex Holmes (four tackles).

Rondout plays its first home game on its new turf field on Friday, March 19. Marlboro will have a Saturday night home game against Red Hook on March 20.