Dunkirk fails against East Aurora / Holland | News, Sports, Jobs

OBSERVER Photo by Scott Reagle Dunkirk’s Teddy Roberts crosses the goal line for a touchdown during the second quarter of Saturday’s Class B South soccer match against East Aurora / Holland at Karl Hoeppner Field in Dunkirk.

Inches.

That’s how far Dunkirk was from their second win of the season on Saturday night.

Javi DeJesus was stopped on a stealthy quarterback inside the 1-yard line as time ticked on as East Aurora / Holland claimed their first win of the season 29-26 in Class action B South on a windy night at Karl Hoeppner Field.

“Being so close… it’s so frustrating. It was our bread and butter the whole game, “ said Dunkirk head coach (1-4, 1-4) Mark Benton. “If I see the movie and they legitimately arrested us, then OK… but I don’t think they did.”

“They fought really hard all year, but things were going badly on our end,” East Aurora / Holland head coach (1-5, 1-4) said John Swiniuch. “The word for the week was ‘finish’. They are done. It was the ultimate end of a game and a week.

WATCH Photo by Scott Reagle Quanteer Neallard of Dunkirk passes an East Aurora / Holland defender en route to a third quarter touchdown during Saturday’s Class B South soccer match at Karl Hoeppner Field in Dunkirk.

The fact that Dunkirk was even in a position to win late was a moral victory.

Playing their third game in eight days due to quarantines and COVID-19 postponements, the Marauders fell behind 29-20 with 7:17 remaining as Bryce Clothier made his way into the end zone on a run of hit from 20 meters. Clothier added the 2 point conversion run as the Blue Devils looked to seal the win.

“We are not a physically strong team” Benton said. “When you finish three days of training and playing – I know the section is trying to incorporate these games – but I really think they need to take a long look at safety.”

The Marauders covered 70 yards in under two minutes, thanks to a 33-yard rush from Quanteer Neallard. On the first and 10th of the 15-yard line, DeJesus crossed the middle of the East Aurora / Holland defense for a score of 29-26 after the failed conversion.

The Blue Devils took over with 5:12 left, but a false start on the second down put them behind the sticks and they opted to go into a stiff breeze on fourth and sixth of the 50-yard line. The punt only scored 13 yards.

WATCH Photo by Scott Reagle Jordan Bautista of Dunkirk recovers a fumble in the third quarter during Saturday’s class B South soccer match against East Aurora / Holland at Karl Hoeppner Field in Dunkirk.

Taking over with 2:39 remaining, DeJesus had a first down with an 8-yard run on the third and 3 from the 44-yard line. A 13-yard screen pass from DeJesus to Neallard took him first and 10 from the 35-yard line before Neallard took off for 22 yards. A face mask at the end of the game made him the first and goal of the 7-yard line.

“One minute we were down nine with five minutes left and the next thing you know, we have a chance to win it. “ Benton said. “It was almost surreal.”

Neallard – who finished with 24 carries for 196 yards – picked up 4 yards on the first down and DeJesus picked up 2 more on the second down before Benton passed his final time out with 9 seconds remaining.

“He’s just a junior. He’s so strong, “ Benton said of Neallard. “Sometimes we stuck for him and other times we didn’t.”

Dunkirk chose to go with the quarterback to squeeze inside the 1-yard line because DeJesus had picked up 55 yards in his first 11 runs of the night. But he was pushed back from inside the East Aurora / Holland defense during his last postponement of the game, sending the Blue Devils to victory.

OBSERVE Photo by Scott Reagle Scott Korzenski of Dunkirk tackles East Aurora / Holland quarterback Maxwell Frier during Saturday’s Class B South soccer match at Karl Hoeppner Field in Dunkirk.

“We worked really hard all week just to play a strong defensive tackle position in the middle of the defense,” said Swiniuch. “They passed.”

Dunkirk led 6-0 midway through the first quarter on Teddy Roberts’ 2-yard touchdown run, but East Aurora / Holland quarterback Maxwell Frier scored on a 15-yard goalie and Clothier – who finished with 91 yards in 17 carries – added a 3-yard touchdown run with 20 seconds left in the quarter to give the guests a 14-6 lead.

“We rely on him and lean on him when we need yards. He’s been running like this all year round. Swiniuch said of Clothier. “He’s a tough runner and he gets the tough yards. That’s why he’s one of our focal points on offense.

Roberts’ second 2-yard touchdown of the night tied the game after DeJesus’s 2-point conversion run, but a 17-yard touchdown by Frier – who finished with 112 yards on 15 carries – helped the Blue Devils to take a 21-14 lead at half-time.

“He’s our team leader. He was our second year captain last year. You have seen this evening why he is the team leader ”, Swiniuch said of Frier. “He’s a great runner. … Between him and Bryce tonight, they were able to find seams and gaps. The effort and the heart were there.

Neallard scored from 6 yards with 5:11 left in the third quarter, but a failed 2 point conversion kept East Aurora / Holland a 1 point lead until Clothier gave the Blue Devils a lead of two points at the halfway point. fourth trimester.

It turned out to be fair enough in the end.

Aurora East / Holland 14 7 0 8 – 29

Dunkirk 6 8 6 6 – 26

Dun – Roberts 2 run (fun failed)

EA / H – Frier 15 run (clothier’s kick)

EA / H – Clothier 3 run (Clothier kick)

Dun – Roberts 2 race (DeJesus race)

Course EA / H – Frier 17 (clothier’s kick)

Dun – Neallard 6 run

EA / H – Piste Clothier 20 (Piste Clothier)

Dun – DeJesus 15 run

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