The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
WITH A BANG
Oneida starts the new football season with a shutout win over Cortland
ONEIDA, N.Y. » The high school football season is back.
After an unusual season last year, we are finally getting football back in the fall. And we kick things off with Oneida taking on Cortland. While last year wasn’t as successful as they envisioned, Oneida fancied making a splash with a brand-new start. And they did just that in their first game of the new season. Oneida made the trip to Cortland and took home a huge win. And not just a win, Oneida pitched a shutout against Cortland, taking home an impressive 29-0 victory.
“It’s great. You never know what’s going to happen in week one,” Oneida head coach Jason Fuller said. “You don’t know what your opponent has, and you don’t know what you have. We came out and played tough. We made mistakes but not anything we can’t work on. And any time you lay up a goose egg, it’s a great feeling.
The first half was pretty slow-paced for both companies. No one was able to get out and create any ground. But after some big breakout runs from HB Braedon Williams and QB Bryson Carinci, the Blue and Orange were able to break the seal with a touchdown run from Williams.
But that would be all the scoring for Oneida in the first quarter. It wasn’t until the second quarter where they started to pull away.
The Blue and Orange proceeded to power the ball on the ground. With the combined might of both Williams and Carinci, Oneida commanded the game’s tempo and never let Cortland flip the script. Williams secured another Oneida TD, and then Oneida converted on a two-point conversion to bring the score to 14-0.
Cortland was unable to respond to that drive. The Purple Tigers felt like they were in a slump the whole game. Being taken out of the game mentally is never the formula for success.
Despite owning a 14-0 lead heading into the half, Carinci threw a beautiful pass to Ryan Wuest. After another two-point conversion, Oneida went into halftime with a score of 22-0.
The Blue and Orange had a grasp on Cortland. Any time Cortland made a great play, Oneida was always there to respond. After an ok first quarter, Oneida made the second great and looked to continue the success of the first half.
But both squads came out of their debriefs with some mixed results. After some stop-and-start drives that went nowhere, Oneida and Cortland traded turnovers. Thankfully for Oneida, Cortland was not able to capitalize on their opportunities.
The head coach for Oneida, Jason Fuller, spoke about how his team can grow from their errors in the game.
“All the mistakes we made tonight are fixable. And right now, we aren’t at 100%. We have kids missing that can help us moving forward. We are a young team, and the guys that have the experience need to step up as leaders.”
The second half was not as compelling as the first. Oneida continued to showcase a strong defense, but without the considerable scoring production.
But as the final whistle approached,
Oneida squeezed in another score employing a Carinci rush.
The Blue and Orange played an exceptional initial contest. For such a green team, they showcased a solid defense with an elite rush offense potential.
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