The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Canastota shows strong defense
During Section III Class C quarterfinals against Thousand Islands, the Raiders only gave up 7points.
CANASTOTA, N.Y. » Throughout the regular season, the Canastota defense has taken a backseat to a high-powered offense.
This was not the case during Friday night’s Section III Class C quarterfinal against Thousand Islands.
After allowing a touchdown and trailing the visitors 7-0 at the end of the first quarter, the Raiders smothered the Vikings for the final three quarters of play. Canastota’s defense collected a pair of interceptions, a fumble, and a handful of sacks en route to a 14-7 victory.
Ben Marshall and Andrew Marshall each made their way into the end zone in the second quarter of play to give the stingy Canastota defense all the scoring it needed to hold on for the win.
With the win, Canastota, the No. 3 seed in Class C bracket, will face the winner of Skaneateles and Little Falls next weekend in semifinal action.
The first scoring opportunity of the game belonged to Canastota as the Raiders opened the
game with a drive deep into Thousand Islands territory. The Viking defense held however, forcing a fourth-and-goal. On fourth down, coach Tom Congden decided to go for it, but Ben Marshall’s pass to Erick Marsh fell incomplete in the end zone as the Raiders failed to put any points on the board.
After the two teams traded three-and-outs, the Vikings began their next possession on their own 4-yard line with 4:37 to go in the first quarter. Connor Spies gouged the Canastota defense with a 55yard run on first down to bring Thousand Islands into Raider territory. On the very next play, Spies ripped off another big first down run to put the Vikings deep in Canastota territory. The Raiders appeared as if they would prevent the visitors from scoring, but a defensive pass interference call on a third-down-and-long play gave the Vikings a first down. The visitors took advantage of the penalty, scoring four plays later on an Eric Wiley sneak into the end zone. With the touchdown, Thousand Islands carried a 7-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Canastota responded with a 13 play, ground and pound scoring drive featuring 12 running plays and capped by a 7-yard Ben Marshall touchdown run to level the score at 7-7 early in the second quarter.
From that point on, the Raider defense took over.
“We kind of woke up a little bit,” Congden said. “I think that kind of lit a fire under us after they scored. We finally started playing defense, our brand of football.”
The next time the Vikings touched the ball on offense, they were forced to punt following a sequence that included a Doug Simmons’ tackle for a loss, a Daquan Brooks sack, and a Simmons’ sack.
“It changes us from floating by to freaks of nature,” Simmons said of playing in tight ball games. “We stayed in there mentally, came together as a unit. This is by far the best offensive line we’ve had to face.”
Following the Viking punt, Canastota turned to its running game once again. Nick Cafarella, Sam DiGeorge, Nick Weber and Ben Marshall all got touches as the Raiders bruised their way down the field with tough running. Ben Marshall seemingly gave Canastota the lead with two minutes left to go in the second half, but his score was called back on a holding penalty. Still, the Raiders were able to overcome the flag, and rallied to a fourth-and-goal with one second left in the half.
Congden decided to go for it again on fourth down, and this time, the gamble paid off as Andrew Marshall fought his way through a tangle of blockers and defenders to give Canastota a 14-7 lead it would not relinquish.
The Raider defense closed out the game with a fumble recovery, forced punt, Darien Fox interception, forced punt, forced punt, fourth down stop, Mike Bigos interception, and fourth down stop.
The Vikings had the ball with a 1:30 left in regulation and a chance to tie the game, but the drive never got off the ground as Simmons, Brandon Otts, and Andrew Marshall took turns chasing Viking quarterback Derek Wiley from the pocket and forcing him into rushed throws.
“Heart and desire,” Congden said of his stalwarts on defense. “There’s no give up in them. They keep on going and going and going.”