Sweet Home thrashes Grand Island, 42-14

Story and photos by Larry Austin
Grand Island Dispatch, October 13, 2006

Above, Viking Matt McKenna absorbs a hit from Sweet Home’s Marcus Johnson during the loss to the Panthers.

Any hopes of Grand Island making the Section VI Class A football play-offs at Ralph Wilson Stadium were dashed Saturday when the Vikings were rocked 42-14 by Sweet Home.

GI turned the ball over five times, once for a touchdown, and couldn’t find a way to stop the Panthers’ offense.

“The last four games we put 40 on the board, so I don’t know what else to say. I told the kids that’s a pretty good accomplishment,” said Sweet Home head coach John Faller. The Panthers profited from the return of Allen Douglas from injury, who had a fumble recovery and interception. Teammate Eric Lawrence had an interception return for a touchdown.

“Being able to score both ways really puts the pressure on the other team’s defense,” Faller said. “And we have confidence right now in being able to score against whatever they’re going to give us, either run or pass.”

Already missing starting quarterback Matt Klock, the Vikings lost Mike Scappechio, Jason Voltz, and Mike Davis to injury in the game.

“It’s kind of like re-injuries. But we’ve been banged up for the last three or four weeks trying to get by, and when you play a good, physical football team and when you’re banged up, that’s going to happen to you,” GI coach Dean Santorio said.

Santorio wouldn’t use injuries as an excuse for Saturday’s result.

“We didn’t come to play. We feel that, obviously, we didn’t play our best football, but good teams make you look like that sometimes,” he said. “They’re a better football team. If you go man by man, they’re better than we are. We didn’t play well enough to stay in the ballgame.”

Trainers Ryan Trask, left, and Tara Tutwiler help Mike Davis off the field. Mike Scappechio and Jason Voltz were also injured, adding to the Vikings’ lengthy injury list.

Joel Tillman scored on a run from about an inch away from the goal line to put Sweet Home up 7-0 on the first drive of the game. Later in the half, Alex Webb of GI fumbled the ball away at the Sweet Home 13, recovered by Douglas, to end a potentially game-tying drive.

Two plays later, Sweet Home quarterback Ian Goree hit Glenroy Carr for a 70-yard touchdown pass with 31 seconds left in the quarter. The extra point was wide left.

“We’ve done it too many times this year. You’re against a good football team. It’s 7-0. You’re down to the 15-yard line, you’ve got to put it in. Now you’re in a ballgame. Instead we fumble and two plays later, 70-yard pass and it’s 13-0 that quick,” Santorio said.

Douglas intercepted a Joe Oliverio pass that was deflected by Lawrence. Goree then hit Lawrence over the middle for a 32-yard touchdown pass with 3:42 left in the half. Goree kept the ball for a 2-point conversion that built a 21-0 lead.

Grand Island scored with 1:05 before the half when Oliverio connected with Phil Wendt on a 25-yard scoring pass. Wendt’s extra point kick hit the right upright, and GI went into the halftime trailing 21-6.

Marcus Johnson scored on a 5-yard touchdown run to open the second half for the Panthers. Two minutes later, Lawrence intercepted Oliverio and took it to the endzone for a 35-6 lead, thereby ending any doubt about the outcome of the game.

“If you score early in that third quarter, you’re back in the game,” Santorio said. “We just didn’t play for four quarters. We moved the ball pretty well at times, but we didn’t do it consistently enough, and defensively we didn’t stop them.”

Goree scored later on a 1-yard run and Grand Island’s Darryl Caldwell scored on an 11-yard touchdown run for the Vikings. Oliverio’s pass to Zack Tondera closed the scoring with a 2-point conversion after the Caldwell TD.

Alex Neutz had two interceptions for the Vikings. Santorio said the Vikes were hoping to beat Sweet Home and Williamsville East to close out the division schedule and possibly make the playoffs. Now, they’re hoping to qualify for a post-season consolation bowl game given to the third and fourth place teams in the division.

“I told our kids I hope they don’t plan and hanging their hats up and acting like it doesn’t matter anymore,” Santorio said. “I said we expect to go 4-0 down the stretch and win the bowl games, which I think we’re more than capable of. We need to get healthy and you’ve got to play more consistent.”

GI hosts Lockport at 2 p.m. Saturday in their annual Homecoming game.

Grand Island’s Alex Neutz returns an interception to midfield, his first of two on the day against Sweet Home.