Sauquoit Valley runs a triple-option offense. The Indians didn’t throw a pass in Thursday’s first half. But it wasn’t Sauquoit Valley with the dynamic rushing attack when it matched up with Ogdensburg.

Before taking a knee to head to halftime, Ogdensburg had scored on all six of its drives. The Blue Devils rushed for 291 yards on 20 first-half runs before the knee. They controlled the game on the ground against a team that usually does just that.

“It wasn’t so much what they were good at, because they were just consistent,” said Austin Bullock, a Sauquoit Valley lineman, “but stuff we were weak at: containment on the outside and getting a rush on D.”

In the end, Section III’s Sauquoit Valley (0-1) had no chance to make up an early deficit and was blown out, 55-0, by Section X’s Ogdensburg (1-0) at the Carrier Dome’s Kickoff Classic. Ogdensburg showed why it was the two-time defending Class C champ in Section X. When the Blue Devils scored early and often, Sauquoit Valley found no way to answer. Ogdensburg kept pounding the rock to finish with 432 rushing yards. But in the end, being unable to stop the run cost Sauquoit Valley the game.

The Indians won the coin toss but deferred. That started a dominant sequence from Ogdensburg. After receiving the opening kickoff, the Blue Devils gashed the Indians’ defense. Wyatt Kirby rushed three times on the opening drive for 54 yards, including a 27-yard touchdown.

“(They) scored first,” said Indians’ running back Ethan Martin. “(We) put our heads down and that’s how it was.”

Sauquoit Valley’s answer was quiet. Ethan Martin lost a fumble and back came the Blue Devils, scoring again. Ogdensburg sent a loopy kick about 30 yards and beat the Indians to the ball to recover it, an onside kick, if not the usual variety. Following the fumble and the recovered kickoff, Sauquoit Valley had dug itself far too big a hole for a team that showed an unwillingness to throw the football.

Ogdensburg scored a third touchdown, then the Indians were forced to punt. The Blue Devils scored for the fourth time, and Sauquoit Valley punted again. The Indians had yet to record a first down at that point and trailed by four scores. The Section X side scored twice more in the half, and both of those scores were followed by Sauquoit Valley failures to convert on fourth down.

At the end of the first half, it was 42-0 Ogdensburg.

“We’ve got to condition a lot more,” Martin said. “A lot of our defensive players were getting winded quick, kept switching out. Weren’t paying attention at all, (we) only had nine players on the field at once.”

The Indians came out of halftime finding more success than they had before the break. Martin had runs of 11, 10 and 18 yards to push Sauquoit Valley inside the opposing 10-yard line.

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After the game, Martin was named the Indians’ most valuable player from the game and received a plaque. He finished with 55 rushing yards and led Sauquoit Valley in carries. But in the few minutes after driving his team inside the 10, he couldn’t cash in. The Indians tried running four times, including a one-yard loss for Martin. None of the four plays gained more than a yard, and they turned the ball over on downs.

“We came out in the second half and started playing like we usually play,” Martins said. “We just had a good drive, but we couldn’t score.”

Bullock has been on the Sauquoit Valley varsity since his freshman year. A senior now, he’s never won game one of a season. Twice in those three seasons, the Indians finished with a winning record, including 6-3 last season. A season-opening loss is never ideal, but Sauquoit Valley may be more equipped to handle it than most.

“We’re used to it,” Bullock said, “and we’re ready to rock and roll.”

Published on August 30, 2018 at 7:46 pm

Contact Billy: wmheyen@syr.edu | @Wheyen3