ONEONTA, NY – For the first time in 665 days, the Hartwick football team took the field in a game that counted. And they made it count in the win column, scoring three touchdowns and a defensive two-point conversion for a 23-14 win over visiting Alvernia. The Hawks are now 1-0 on the season, while the Golden Wolves drop to 0-2.
Hartwick had a game plan all day, and their modus operandi was to feed running back Davien Kuinlan (Bethpage, NY/Plainedge) the ball. Kuinlan had eight carries for 58 yards on the opening drive, punching in a five-yard score just 5:33 into the game. After a successful Kevin Roberts (Montgomery, NY/Valley Central) point after attempt, 'Wick led 7-0 early on.
The Hawks' defense forced a three-and-out on the opening Alvernia drive, and the Hawks looked poised to roll on into the endzone again when the offense took the field. They marched from their own 21 into Golden Wolves territory but ended up turning the ball over on downs at the Alvernia 35.
After the teams traded punts a few times to begin the second quarter, Bryan Grimes (Albany, NY/Colonie) gave Hartwick excellent field position midway through the period. On the first play of an Alvernia drive, Grimes picked off quarterback Nick Rosahac's pass over the middle at the Alvernia 47 and returned it 22 yards to the 25 yardline. It appeared the Hawks squandered that field position when a Roberts 35-yard field goal attempt was blocked, but the Golden Wolves were flagged for illegal motion, giving 'Wick a first down. They took full advantage of their second chance, as Kuinlan rumbled in again (this time from two yards out) and Roberts knocked it through for the point after. Hartwick led 14-0 with 5:25 remaining in the half.
The Hawks nearly extended their lead out to 17-0 by the half, as they regained possession on their own 30 with 3:16 to go before the break. They ended up with a 34-yard field goal attempt with less than a second remaining, but Nick Andrade's (Shelton, CT/Shelton) try went wide left.
An excellent Ryan Long punt that was downed at the one yard line to end Alvernia's opening drive of the second half set them up with good field position when their offense came out next, as they began at their own 46. They used a few Malcolm Carey carries to creep closer, and then Rosahac lofted one over the Hartwick defense to a wide open Joseph Perkins for a 32-yard touchdown pass with 2:48 remaining in the third quarter. It was not all good news for the Golden Wolves, however, as Long's point after try was blocked by Jeremy Gerdvil (East Northport, NY/Northport) and right into the hands of Owen Lawler (Enfield, CT/Enfield) who took it to the house for a defensive two-point conversion. Instead of a one-possession game, 'Wick maintained their two-possession lead at 16-6.
The Hawks started their next drive from their own 33 and extended their lead even further on a 12-play, 67-yard drive that ate up 6:54 of game clock. Justin LoBasso (honesdale, PA/Honesdale) was the point-scorer this time, catching a Kyle Szokoli (Greenlawn, NY/Elwood John H. Glenn) pass over the middle, breaking a tackle, and motoring on in for the 28-yard score and a 23-6 lead after Roberts' PAT.
Alvernia made it interesting a couple drives later, cutting through the Hartwick defense on an eight-play, 75-yard drive that took just 3:47. They started off with a 17-yard connection between Rosahac and Scurlook, and then Rosahac kept it himself for a 25-yard gain down to the Hartwick 33. The Golden Wolves eventually found themselves at the Hartwick 10, where Carey finished the job on a ten-yard touchdown run. Rosahac would then find Perkins over the middle for a two-point conversion to make the score 23-14.
That was the end of the day's scoring, as a futile Alvernia effort on their final drive ended with Rosahac picked off by Michael Lombardi (Wantagh, NY/Wantagh) in the endzone with zeroes on the clock.
Kuinlan carried the ball 38 times on the day, gaining 147 yards to go with his two touchdowns. Szokoli completed nine of his 16 passes for 114 yards and one touchdown, and also ran the ball six times for 36 yards. Justice Mansfield-Beaulieu (Hartford, CT/Bloomfield) led the Hawks' receiving corps with two catches for 48 yards, while LoBasso had two snags for 33 yards including his score.
Defensively, Gerdvil put up a career high ten tackles, including one sack, while Grimes had seven tackles to go with his pick. Charles Virella (Staten Island, NY/Port Richmond) matched Grimes' output with seven stops of his own. Three other Hawks had sacks on the day, as Jack Colbath (Monroe, NY/Monroe Woodbury) dropped Rosahac for a five-yard loss and Tyler Norman (Hyde Park, NY/Franklin Delano Roosevelt) and Ryan Carmody (Susquehanna, PA/Susquehanna Community) combined for an eight-yard sack.
As a team, the Hawks' offensive unit outgained Alvernia 309-243, including 195 to 103 on the ground. They had a healthy time of possession advantage as well, at 37:28 to 22:32.
'Wick will look to stay undefeated next week, as they travel to the Bay State for a 4 p.m. kickoff at Curry.
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