| BataviasBest.org
Friday, October 3, 2014
Following a week full of close contests and comeback victories, the GR League is tighter than ever with more than four teams having a realistic shot at the League Title. The big game this week features an Attica team who will go into their matchup with Elba showcasing an undefeated record, while Alexander, Oakfield, and Notre Dame will all be battling it out for second place. Rounding out the schedule for Week 5, Pembroke and Holley will face-off as both sides will go into this week desperate for their first victory.
Beginning the weekend on Friday night, will be a huge league matchup between two of the three second place teams (Alexander and Oakfield) with each squad facing a different challenge going into the game. While Alexander is looking to keep the ball rolling following a blowout victory over the Holley Hawks this past Friday, Oakfield is hoping to rebound coming off of a heartbreaking loss after falling to the Elba Lancers by a score of 7-6 on Saturday afternoon.
In their game against the Hawks, several players stepped up for Alexander, but none more than Senior Sam Browne. Finishing the day with two scores of 50 yards or more, Browne put on a clinic both offensively and on special teams while leading his team to victory.
“It was surreal,” said Browne about his 85-yard punt return early in the first quarter. “Being given the opportunity to provide my team with confidence and pump them up just 5 plays into the game was awesome.”
This week, Browne and the Trojans are up against an even bigger task, as the Oakfield Hornets will present a much more talented group than their Week 4 opponent. In order to move past OA with a victory, Senior running back Tristan Aldinger believes the Trojans must stick to their game plan and continue to progress by working hard in practice.
“Just putting the work in this week,” said Aldinger when speaking on what it will take to win this Friday. “Making sure we all stay focused and do our 1/11.”
As far as their head coach is concerned, Alexander’s Tim Sawyer agrees with Aldinger that his team’s focus will be absolutely vital this week.
“We always try to keep the immediate game in front of us,” said Sawyer. “Our motto is ‘the biggest game is the next game.'”
Along with the strong mentality which will be needed to overcome such a difficult opponent, Aldinger also believes the Trojan defense will be key to their success against the Hornets.
“We know that we can always count on our defense,” he said. “That’s what has been keeping us in some of the close games.”
Lined up against Alexander’s strong defensive front on Friday will be the Hornets’ high-powered offense, who took a step back versus a tough Elba team last week. Scoring just one touchdown during their Week 4 loss, Oakfield will need to adjust in hurry if they hope to keep up with the Trojans.
Despite the sub-par offensive performance against Elba, however, OA’s Zac Tacy believed there was something positive to take away from the game.
“Defensively we had a great game,” he said. “It really gave the crowd a good game to watch. They (Elba) were a good team and I think we competed pretty well.”
Tacy remained positive when I asked him about the mood in the locker room.
“We’re all excited,” he said. “We have been working hard in practice all week, it’s our home field, and with it being our Senior Rec Night, we are looking forward to playing hard and having a great game.”
Also communicating with Tacy’s teammate Devon Schroeder this past week, he too seemed in good spirits and confident that his team would bounce back.
“Everyone is excited for this week,” said Schroeder. “We have kept our heads up from last week and are ready to go.”
Along with having confidence that his team will bounce back this week, Schroeder also seemed to have their formula for success figured out.
“We are going to have to play as a team,” said Schroeder. “Like we did the week prior, we need to maintain our mental toughness throughout the game.”
Unable to maintain that mental edge for all 48 minutes on Saturday, the Hornets’ head coach Brian Palone believes his group will be ready to bring it for the duration this week.
“The players and coaches are working hard this week after a tough loss,” said Palone. ” Everyone was upset by it but it’s part of the game. I was very happy the way we battled the whole game and we will be ready to do it again this week. We need to continue to play as a team.”
All in all, the Alexander-Oakfield game presents one of the most exciting match ups we have had in the GR League all season long. With a win meaning so much to either side, it is certain to be a dogfight until the end on Friday night.
Following the lone Friday game will be three Saturday match ups, each involving equally as exciting story lines.
CORRECTION: Due to a scheduling error on the Section V Website I have made a mistake and the Elba-Attica game is indeed scheduled for Friday night at Attica High School.
To begin the list of high-profile Saturday games, Attica will face-off with Elba in a contest which will decide the GR’s first place team after 5 weeks. If Attica is to win, they will move to 5-0 and be at least two games ahead of any team in their rear view mirror. However, if Elba is to overcome the bruising Blue Devils, each team will hold a 4-1 record, with the Lancers holding the head-to-head tiebreaker (as far as I know).
When I had a chance to speak with Elba head coach Mike Cintorino this week, I asked him about his team’s performance last week and whether or not it will have a carry-over effect going into the home stretch.
“Well I think our team came together after that win,” he said. “We learned for the first time how to win a close game. We have had trouble in the past putting close ones away and the guys did a great job with that last week. Like any week, though, whether it’s a win or a loss, we had to get back to work on Monday.”
Beginning the week, the Lancers put the wheels in motion to start their preparation for Attica, who will present them with their toughest test yet.
John Hochmuth, the Elba tight end who sealed the deal against Oakfield in Week 4 with a late interception, is likely to play a major role once again this week, as he did versus the Hornets in Week 4. Hochmuth, a 6’2″-6’3″ (or perhaps taller) receiving tight end, put on a show against OA, as he not only clinched the game on defense, but also had a 10 reception day on offense.
Catching ball after ball all over the football field last week, it seemed as if Hochmuth could not be contained for extended periods of time by the Oakfield defense. This week, I don’t see him being afforded the same opportunities, however, as Attica’s coaching staff, after seeing the film, will surely make adjustments to slow down the previously unstoppable force.
In concurrence with my assumption, the Elba tight end also believes the Blue Devils’ coaches will have something in store for him. When I asked what he has done this week to help his chance of having another great game, he had plenty to say.
“I am just working hard in practice and making sure I do the best I can,” he said. “I’m sure the Attica coaches have set up a good game plan against us and it should be a good battle. We are preparing for this game just like any other week.”
Along with the respect Hochmuth has shown the Blue Devils through his statements to me, teammate Andrew Gottler also understands the quality of the Lancers’ Week 5 opponent.
“Every game counts and this one is no different,” said Gottler. “A win against a team of Attica’s caliber would be stellar for us all-around. Not just in the standings, but for our team’s morale and mentality as well. We need to have it on both sides of the ball this week, but our offense needs to capitalize on opportunities that we are given. We need to put points on the board and be efficient if we hope to win.”
Attempting to prevent Elba’s offense from finding success will be Rob Cusmano and his coaching staff, who have done an excellent job limiting opponents thus far during 2014.
Attica has allowed under 15 points in each of their first four games, while also creating turnovers at a high rate. When I asked Cusmano how pumped his group was for a chance to extend their first-place lead in the league to two games, he admitted they had shown some excitement.
“We are very excited,” said Cusmano. “We are working very hard this week and so far we have had a good week of practice. If we hang onto the ball against Elba and force turnovers on defense we will be happy.”
Happy – something Attica fans have been getting used to being the past few weeks. However, presented with their toughest test so far this season, the Blue Devils will have to mount up this week and put forth their greatest effort yet in order to walk away with a win against the Lancers, who will be ready for them.
In another of Saturday’s high profile contests, Pembroke will go up against Holley as both teams search for their first win of the season.
Coming into this week, Pembroke has shown flashes of brilliance throughout several of their performances this year. Unable to finish however, the Dragons find themselves at 0-4 in search of a complete game this week.
While communicating with Pembroke head coach Dick Diminuco this past Wednesday, I was able to get his thoughts on last week’s loss, as well as the Dragons’ upcoming game with the Hawks.
“We have approached this week as any other week – try to fix our mistakes, point out the good things we did, and try to build on 
that,” Diminuco said. “We need to work on the basics and keep working on them. I felt that, for the most part, our kids played hard (against ND). Jack Thomas and Dakota Swimline really played well. Notre Dame is very well-coached, but not to take anything away from them, we made our bed with turnovers and breakdowns. I give credit to their coaches and players for always playing hard and being in the right places.”
Along with Diminuco, starting running back Cal Neurohr also shared his thoughts on this week’s game.
“This week is very important,” Neurohr said. “It will help our team morale and it will show everyone a little bit of Dragon Pride that we know we still have in us. We just need to keep our heads high and not give up.”
Facing a few tough challenges in the early going, Pembroke seems ready to grab their first win. As far as Holley is concerned, the Hawks have also endured a tough road during the first four weeks and hope to put together a much more sound performance this week against the Dragons.
The third and final game this Saturday features the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the CG Finney Falcons in a non-league matchup. Notre Dame came through with a big comeback victory a week ago, and hope to build on their hot-streak that they have going. Winning each of their past two games, ND has forced their way into the League Title conversation and seem to be there to stay.
I recently asked Notre Dame wide receiver Josh Johnson what he thought it would take for his team to keep winning games, and continue to improve their spot in the standings.
“By working hard each day at practice and not starting to get cocky,” he said. “Huge game this week and a lot to prove. We have to keep moving forward in a positive way. Our offense began to click late last week and we capitalized in crucial situations. We won the turnover battle and limited our mistakes and we need to do that again this week.”
On the Finney side, following victories over two GR opponents already this season (Alexander & Holley) the Falcons will look to get their third straight against the Irish on Saturday afternoon. Tune in for the Game Preview, which will include a scouting report on the Falcons, later tonight.
To wrap things up, I must say that I believe we are in for one heck of a week in the GR. When the dust settles after Week 5, expect plenty of movement in the standings as well as a few breakout performances to take place amongst several teams around the area. The best part about GR Football is you never know what’s going to happen and I expect more drama this week.
Other articles you may like:
Tim Sawyer pushing his Trojans to be great; Alexander off to 2-2 start
Our Week 4 MVP Sam Browne gives us an inside look at his last season in Alexander Green and Gold
