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ALMEDIA – Trailing 14-0 late in the first quarter, Jake Shotwell of Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech got loose and appeared to be on the cusp of a long kickoff returns, instead being tripped up just shy of the goal line at the Bucktail 2-yard line and settling for a 76-yard return to put the Rams were on the doorstep of cutting the Bucks’ lead in half.
But CMVT wasn’t able to put it into the end zone as Bucktail’s defense tightened up and stopped the Rams on the next four plays, resulting in a combined loss of three yards and giving Bucktail the ball at their own five.
Although the Bucks didn’t go 95 yards for a touchdown, they scored on more of their possessions than than on those they did not, and that that sequence was a microcosm of CMVT’s struggles as Bucktail topped the Rams 50-8.
“Everyone did their jobs this week,” said Bucktail coach Jared Hurlbert. “We really emphasized a lot of formation recognition and understanding what CMVT wants to do and where they want to put the football. They played hard to the football and played with a chip on their shoulder because they felt like they were a better team than the scores have shown before this.”
The win marked the first time Bucktail scored 50 points since 2015, and its first mercy rule win since 2015 as well.
Despite CMVT’s offensive struggles, it was a close game for the first half, and could have been closer if just a few things had gone differently for the Rams. After receiving the opening kickoff, the Rams picked up 33 yards and a pair of first downs, converting on a fourth down and a third down, before being stopped on another fourth down at the Bucktail 30.
“That first series, we were picking up four or five yards a clip and then they just started doing a better job blowing through the inside gaps on us and we were tight and trying to block down and we didn’t execute the proper blocking technique when the linebackers blitzed,” said CMVT coach Mark Varner.
The Rams then had the Bucks backed up and in a third-and-14, only to give up a 28-yard run to Zachary Pick, who would then haul in a 51-yard pass for a touchdown two plays later that put the Bucks up 8-0 after a two-point conversion.
“We had them pinned back and had them at the line of scrimmage on the third down play, he almost went down and be broke through the arm tackle, got a big gain and that’s about how the day went,” said Varner. “We just didn’t finish off tackles. We’re young and we’re going to continue to work at it but you’ve got to give them credit, they have the size.”
On the Rams’ next drive, a short punt gave Bucktail the ball at the Rams’ 23 to start their next drive, and the Bucks needed just three plays to score again on a one-yard touchdown run by quarterback Dylan Cross, who ran for two touchdowns in addition to his touchdown pass earlier.
Later in the second quarter after the Bucks had stopped CMVT from the Bucks’ 2-yard line, Bucktail took over at their own 34 following another four-and-out by CMVT, and proceeded to go 66 yards in just six plays to take a 22-0 lead on a Gage Sutliff 26-yard touchdown run, the first of what would be three touchdown runs for him on the afternoon to go along with 114 yards.
“We didn’t do a great job tackling today. A couple of times we were there and we arm tackled, and you’re not going to arm tackle Gage Sutliff. He’s too big and strong,” said Varner. “It’s not an X’s and O’s thing, we just need to execute better. It comes down to who is blocking and tackling better.”
On CMVT’s ensuing drive, the Rams were able to put together their only score of the game, but it came at a cost, as after a 13-yard gain for a first down, quarterback Kaleb Sitler sustained what appeared to be a leg injury while he was being tackled on the play. He left and did not return and his status is to be decided according to Varner. His replacement, sophomore Chase Koncsler, ran it in the end zone from 19 yards out on the next play to pull the Rams within 22-8 heading into the half after Shotwell ran in the two-point conversion.
But Bucktail quickly extended that lead in the second half as the Bucks scored on their first four second half possessions. Two of those were the result of CMVT fumbles that were recovered by the Bucks, who used their strong second half to finish the game with 377 rushing yards, while holding the Rams to only 79 total yards.
Sutliff, who became the Bucks’ all-time leading rusher in the 2000s with his performance on Saturday, scored his second touchdown to cap an 11-play drive on Bucktail’s first second half possession after receiving the second half kickoff.
After a CMVT punt, Conner Mason his the hole and accelerated for a 49-yard touchdown run to put the Bucks up 34-8 late in the third. CMVT then lost back-to-back fumbles and Bucktail capitalized on both, with Sutliff taking it in from 15 to cap a nine-play drive early in the fourth, and Cross picking up his second touchdown run with a 34-yard pickup midway through the fourth to put it into a running clock.
Bucktail 50, Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech 8
Bucktail (1-3) 14 8 12 16 – 50
Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech (0-3) 0 8 0 0 – 8
First quarter
4:23 – (B) Zachary Pick 51-yard pass from Dylan Cross (Sutliff run), 5-72, 1:58
:27 – (B) Dylan Cross 1-yard run (run failed), 3-23, :30
Second quarter
3:43 – (B) Gage Sutliff 26-yard run (Cross run), 6-66, 2:53
:13 – (VT) Chase Koncsler 19-yard run (Shotwell run), 7-59, 3:30
Third quarter
6:41 – (B) Gage Sutliff 10-yard run (run failed), 11-50, 5:19
3:30 – (B) Conner Mason 49-yard run (run failed), 2-63, :33
Fourth quarter
11:37 – (B) Gage Sutliff 15-yard run (Risley run), 9-71, 3:33
6:04 – (B) Dylan Cross 34-yard run (Pettingill run), 3-30, 2:32
Statistics
B VT
First downs 20 9
Rushes-net yards 40-377 40-74
Passing yardage 80 5
Passing 3-7-1-0 1-4-0-0
Fumbles-lost 1-0 4-2
Penalties-yards 14-127 3-35
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Bucktail: Gage Sutliff (15-114-3), Dylan Cross (10-120-2), Conner Mason (8-94-1), Tanner Pettingill (4-6), Zachary Pick (2-37), Braylon Fantaski (1-1); CMVT: Jake Shotwell (26-43), Chase Koncsler (4-28), Dante DiAgostino (4-6),Kaleb Sitler (4-12), Shane Tomlinson (1-(-1)), TEAM (1-(-14))
PASSING: Bucktail: Dylan Cross (3-7-80-1-0); CMVT: Kaleb Sitler (0-3-0-0-0), Chase Koncsler (1-1-5-0-0)
RECEIVING: Bucktail: Zachary Pick (3-80-1); CMVT: Shane Tomlinson (1-5)
