Knowing your team is much better than your opponent, even before the opening kickoff, can be a double-edged sword for a coaching staff; especially when you're playing for the New York State Class D Championship.
Pat Slater, Brent Brown, Nate Armella, Gerald Carlson and Kevin Hind had the better team going into their championship game Saturday afternoon in the Carrier Dome in Syracuse against the Moriah Vikings. That didn't make their coaching job any easier. Keeping their charges focused and ready to execute became the major challenge as they prepped for the biggest game of the year for the Randolph Cardinals. If they could do that, they would win easily (no pressure there, huh?). If they let the Cardinals team go into the Carrier Dome with overconfidence and lack of focus, they could have been on the wrong end of a major upset.
No worries, thanks to the leadership of veteran players like Matt Hettenbaugh, Ryan Beach, Brandon Durnell, Matt Lundsten and Tyler Mendell (Mendell returning from what looked like a season ending knee injury last week led that group). The Cardinals were focused and determined, hit hard and often and won the "ship".
Moriah gave it a good shot early, fueled by adrenaline and hope, but Randolph played harder and never let up and late in the second quarter when Randolph went up by three touchdowns Moriah appeared to give up. After a costly turn-over in the second quarter by the Vikings, Cardinals senior quarterback Mike Maycock hit Eric Bruder with a 15 yard touchdown pass to put Randolph up 27-0 at the half. The writing on the wall was large, and easy to read...bold white and red letters that spelled out a state championship for the Class D powerhouse Cardinals. Moriah cheered briefly after a bone crunching hit put on Hettenbaugh after a long run, but to the Vikings dismay, Hettenbaugh popped right up and headed back to the huddle. Randolph had no interest in giving up even small victories in this game.
Fittingly both the offense and defense were similarly impressive in this victory. The offense was led by Mike Maycock who scored a rushing touchdown and threw for another, Hettenbaugh ran for one touchdown and gained 111 yards, Alan Lockwood ran for a touchdown and racked up 92 yards, Travis Terry and Matt Lundsten also added a touchdown each for the Cardinal offense. On defense, the story was the same, Hettenbaugh led the team with 10 tackles, and the Cardinal defense held the Vikings to 125 yards of total offense.
NYSPHSAA awards presented to players included Tyler Durnell-Sportsmanship Award, Matt Hettenbaugh-Most Valuble Defensive Back, Ben Fluent-Most Valuable Offensive Lineman, Alan Lockwood-Most Valuable Offensive Back and Mike Maycock-Most Valuable Player.
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TAGS
Randolph, highschool, football, Moriah, State champions, NYSPHAA |
