EFL Communications – August 7, 2011
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WATERTOWN, N.Y. – The visiting Syracuse Shock used a dominant first half to defeat the Watertown Red & Black 55-0, in Empire Football League action Saturday night from the Alex T. Duffy Fairgrounds. Shock running back Justyn Hardwick led Syracuse with a league-best 213 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Another stifling performance by the Syracuse defense caused five turnovers and tallied their third consecutive shutout. The Shock are off to a 4-0 start on the season as the Red & Black fell to 1-3 on the year. The game streamed live by Steve Weed Productions housed a nice crowd representing both teams, as the Watertown fans stayed until the final second.
In the first half the Shock scored on their fifth offensive play as Hardwick scooted up the middle for the eight yard touchdown run, giving the Shock an early 7-0 edge with 11:43 in the first quarter. After both teams exchanged fumbles, Syracuse put together another quick scoring drive, breaking through in seven plays this time. Shock quarterback Cedric Stevens hit tight end Nick Layou with a well timed play action pass from eight yards out. With a 14-0 lead the Watertown defense held Syracuse out of the end zone until Stevens threw his second touchdown of the evening hitting receiver Tyrone Burke for a 22 yard score. Burke ran a corner route, bobbled the ball for a moment then secured the ball and got his feet in bounds to give Syracuse a 21-0 lead with 6:19 remaining in the half. On the ensuing Watertown possession, a quiet Dewayne Gordon struck once again for the Shock, picking off newly inserted quarterback Jory Tanner and taking it back 42 yards for the score. Syracuse went into the half maintaining a 28-0 lead, as they coasted to their fourth victory of the season.
“Like I’ve said before Dewayne (Gordon) can score at any moment… offense, defense, special teams, he can strike at anytime,” Syracuse head coach Ken Anderson said. Gordon extended his touchdown streak to four games and leads the EFL in scoring with eight touchdowns. In response to Hardwick’s big game Anderson noted, “It starts up front, we’re huge and athletic and they created some big gaps for Justyn (Hardwick). He’s a flat out a beast, he’s 200 plus pounds, runs downhill and is a 4.4 runner, so you have to be one heck of athlete to bring him down, with a couple other guys as well.”
Syracuse used a balanced attack in the first half, calling 16 pass plays to 15 runs, 12 of those going to Hardwick. The Shock continued to pound Hardwick throughout the second half as he capped off their first drive of the third quarter with a five yard touchdown run. The Syracuse back dominated the drive breaking through the Watertown defense for a 38 yard run to set up the score. Prior to the fifth Syracuse touchdown, Watertown had their best scoring opportunity of the evening. Returner Anthony Noel took the second half kickoff and returned it to the Syracuse 34 yard line. Watertown converted on third and nine moving the ball inside the red zone. The Red & Black were unable to push through however, as a 37 yard Brian Williams field goal attempt came up about five yards short.
“Our game plan is the same each week, we try to shut teams out and that’s how our defense is built,” Anderson discussed. “Offensively, we look to pass to set up the run and with our two backs we put the game in their hands and when they are at their best it’s pretty tough to shut us down.”
Following the Hardwick touchdown Watertown’s continued to show fervor putting together an eight play drive, including three first downs. The tandem of Watertown quarterback Tanner and receiver Lucas Meyer was the main source of offense on the drive. The duo hooked up on a 35 yard pitch and catch to set the Red & Black up at the Shock 12 yard line. However, two plays later on a miscommunication between Tanner and his receiver, Shock corner Geremy Barnwell plucked the lofted ball heading for the back corner of the end zone out of the air. Barnwell pretended to take a knee before he broke down the Shock sideline with a six-man escort as he flew 109 yards for the second defensive touchdown of the night. The long touchdown return gave Syracuse a secure 42-0 lead heading into the fourth quarter, tacking on two more in the final frame for the 55-0 victory. On the Shock final score of the game, a five yard run by Morris Sledge, the Watertown defense broke through to block Syracuse kicker Zack Grulich’s PAT attempt. The failed try snapped Grulich’s streak of 27 straight successful PAT attempts.
Shock head coach Ken Anderson believes his defensive front was the key to Syracuse’s third straight shutout. “We were able to get a pretty good pass rush all night and relied on our corners and the result was two pick sixes.” Anderson is extremely confident in his secondary which allows more defenders to attack the quarterback. “I think we have the best corners in the league, with a pretty scary pass rush that allows them to take chances.”
Knowing that his team wasn’t looking past Watertown to their anticipated matchup with undefeated Albany, “It’s going to be a pretty intense battle of the unbeatens…we played them a couple times last year and they were close games. It should be a barn burner.”
Shock quarterback Cedric Stevens finished the game going 8-for-19 for 168 yards and two touchdowns. Stevens added a touchdown on the ground midway through the fourth quarter. His Watertown counterpart didn’t fare so well, completing just four of his 12 attempts for 70 yards. Tanner also turned the ball over four times, being intercepted three times and fumbling once as he tried to avoid heavy Syracuse pressure all night. The Shock defense registered three sacks on the night. Meyer caught three balls for 65 yards for the Red & Black.
Syracuse: 14 14 14 14 - 55
Watertown: 0 0 0 0 - 0
SCORING SUMMARY:
FIRST QUARTER
Syr. – Hardwick 8 yard run (Grulich kick), 11:43
Syr. – Layou 8 yard pass from Stevens (Grulich kick), 8:32
SECOND QUARTER
Syr. – Burke 22 yard pass from Stevens (Grulich kick), 6:55
Syr. – Gordon 42 yard interception return (Grulick kick), 5:19
THIRD QUARTER
Syr. – Hardwick 5 yard run (Grulich kick), 5:52
Syr. – Barnwell 105 yard interception return (Grulich kick), 0:29
FOURTH QUARTER:
Syr. – Stevens 1 yard run (Grulich kick), 8:27
Syr. – Sledge 5 yard run (Grulich kick blocked), 3:11
IN OTHER ACTION AROUND THE EFL:
PLATTSBURGH 22, GLENS FALLS 0– Plattsburgh scored 14 first quarter points in a span of three minutes and that would be all they would need to defeat the Glens Falls Greenjackets 22-0 at the Plattsburgh High School Athletic Complex. North Stars quarterback Ken Stay found tight end Trevor St. Claire on eight yard out route, scoring the first points of the game. Following a Glens Falls three-and-out, Plattsburgh recovered a punt off the back of a Greenjacket lineman at the 18 yard line, setting them up inside the red zone. One play later running back Zach Blocker took the ball down the left side and broke away for the touchdown. Glens Falls dominated time of possession, running 52 plays opposed to Plattsburgh’s 29, but was unable to get on the scoreboard. Penalties and turnovers were the achilles heal for the Greenjackets, with a 15 yard personal foul penalty stalling one drive and a Harry Roscoe interception nullifying another. Stay went 7-for-10 for 104 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. Glens Falls running back Zorry Williams led all rushers with 71 yards on 15 carries. Plattsburgh fullback Elija Parks had four carries for 20 yards and a touchdown. Glens Falls hosts Watertown next week as the Greenjackets hope to snap their two-game skid. Plattsburgh will earn a forfeit victory over Vermont and get a week of rest riding a four-game winning streak (including the Vermont forfeit).
ALBANY 36, ELMIRA 0– On an evening with steady rain the Albany Metro Mallers remained undefeated by shutting out the Elmira Evolution 36-0 at Bleecker Stadium. Albany would score all 36 of their points in the first half, pulling off the gas pedal in the second half on a night with difficult playing conditions. Albany moved to 5-0 on the season while Elmira fell to 0-4. Albany will travel to Syracuse for a much anticipated matchup against the Shock next weekend. Elmira will face Montreal as the Evolution will seek their first win of the season.
MONTREAL 15, AMSTERDAM 0– Saturday evening marked the night a pesky, tough, undermanned Montreal Voyageurs squad got into the win column (besides a forfeit victory). For weeks Montreal has been playing opponents tough, facing travel setbacks and sometimes only suiting up 18 guys, but an inspired defensive effort propelled the Voyageurs to the 15-0 victory at Lynch Middle School. With the win Montreal improved to 2-3 on the year as Amsterdam fell to the same record of 2-3. The Zephyrs will enjoy their bye week next Saturday while the Voyageurs will look for a two-game winning streak against the Elmira Evolution.
WEEK SIX SCHEDULE:
Albany at Syracuse – 7 p.m., Sunnycrest Field at Henninger High School
Watertown at Glens Falls – 7:30 p.m., East Field
Montreal at Elmira – TBA
Plattsburgh forfeit victory over Vermont
Amsterdam - Bye
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WATERTOWN, N.Y. – The visiting Syracuse Shock used a dominant first half to defeat the Watertown Red & Black 55-0, in Empire Football League action Saturday night from the Alex T. Duffy Fairgrounds. Shock running back Justyn Hardwick led Syracuse with a league-best 213 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Another stifling performance by the Syracuse defense caused five turnovers and tallied their third consecutive shutout. The Shock are off to a 4-0 start on the season as the Red & Black fell to 1-3 on the year. The game streamed live by Steve Weed Productions housed a nice crowd representing both teams, as the Watertown fans stayed until the final second. In the first half the Shock scored on their fifth offensive play as Hardwick scooted up the middle for the eight yard touchdown run, giving the Shock an early 7-0 edge with 11:43 in the first quarter. After both teams exchanged fumbles, Syracuse put together another quick scoring drive, breaking through in seven plays this time. Shock quarterback Cedric Stevens hit tight end Nick Layou with a well timed play action pass from eight yards out. With a 14-0 lead the Watertown defense held Syracuse out of the end zone until Stevens threw his second touchdown of the evening hitting receiver Tyrone Burke for a 22 yard score. Burke ran a corner route, bobbled the ball for a moment then secured the ball and got his feet in bounds to give Syracuse a 21-0 lead with 6:19 remaining in the half. On the ensuing Watertown possession, a quiet Dewayne Gordon struck once again for the Shock, picking off newly inserted quarterback Jory Tanner and taking it back 42 yards for the score. Syracuse went into the half maintaining a 28-0 lead, as they coasted to their fourth victory of the season.
“Like I’ve said before Dewayne (Gordon) can score at any moment… offense, defense, special teams, he can strike at anytime,” Syracuse head coach Ken Anderson said. Gordon extended his touchdown streak to four games and leads the EFL in scoring with eight touchdowns. In response to Hardwick’s big game Anderson noted, “It starts up front, we’re huge and athletic and they created some big gaps for Justyn (Hardwick). He’s a flat out a beast, he’s 200 plus pounds, runs downhill and is a 4.4 runner, so you have to be one heck of athlete to bring him down, with a couple other guys as well.”
Syracuse used a balanced attack in the first half, calling 16 pass plays to 15 runs, 12 of those going to Hardwick. The Shock continued to pound Hardwick throughout the second half as he capped off their first drive of the third quarter with a five yard touchdown run. The Syracuse back dominated the drive breaking through the Watertown defense for a 38 yard run to set up the score. Prior to the fifth Syracuse touchdown, Watertown had their best scoring opportunity of the evening. Returner Anthony Noel took the second half kickoff and returned it to the Syracuse 34 yard line. Watertown converted on third and nine moving the ball inside the red zone. The Red & Black were unable to push through however, as a 37 yard Brian Williams field goal attempt came up about five yards short.
“Our game plan is the same each week, we try to shut teams out and that’s how our defense is built,” Anderson discussed. “Offensively, we look to pass to set up the run and with our two backs we put the game in their hands and when they are at their best it’s pretty tough to shut us down.”
Following the Hardwick touchdown Watertown’s continued to show fervor putting together an eight play drive, including three first downs. The tandem of Watertown quarterback Tanner and receiver Lucas Meyer was the main source of offense on the drive. The duo hooked up on a 35 yard pitch and catch to set the Red & Black up at the Shock 12 yard line. However, two plays later on a miscommunication between Tanner and his receiver, Shock corner Geremy Barnwell plucked the lofted ball heading for the back corner of the end zone out of the air. Barnwell pretended to take a knee before he broke down the Shock sideline with a six-man escort as he flew 109 yards for the second defensive touchdown of the night. The long touchdown return gave Syracuse a secure 42-0 lead heading into the fourth quarter, tacking on two more in the final frame for the 55-0 victory. On the Shock final score of the game, a five yard run by Morris Sledge, the Watertown defense broke through to block Syracuse kicker Zack Grulich’s PAT attempt. The failed try snapped Grulich’s streak of 27 straight successful PAT attempts.
Shock head coach Ken Anderson believes his defensive front was the key to Syracuse’s third straight shutout. “We were able to get a pretty good pass rush all night and relied on our corners and the result was two pick sixes.” Anderson is extremely confident in his secondary which allows more defenders to attack the quarterback. “I think we have the best corners in the league, with a pretty scary pass rush that allows them to take chances.”
Knowing that his team wasn’t looking past Watertown to their anticipated matchup with undefeated Albany, “It’s going to be a pretty intense battle of the unbeatens…we played them a couple times last year and they were close games. It should be a barn burner.”
Shock quarterback Cedric Stevens finished the game going 8-for-19 for 168 yards and two touchdowns. Stevens added a touchdown on the ground midway through the fourth quarter. His Watertown counterpart didn’t fare so well, completing just four of his 12 attempts for 70 yards. Tanner also turned the ball over four times, being intercepted three times and fumbling once as he tried to avoid heavy Syracuse pressure all night. The Shock defense registered three sacks on the night. Meyer caught three balls for 65 yards for the Red & Black.
Syracuse: 14 14 14 14 - 55
Watertown: 0 0 0 0 - 0
SCORING SUMMARY:
FIRST QUARTER
Syr. – Hardwick 8 yard run (Grulich kick), 11:43
Syr. – Layou 8 yard pass from Stevens (Grulich kick), 8:32
SECOND QUARTER
Syr. – Burke 22 yard pass from Stevens (Grulich kick), 6:55
Syr. – Gordon 42 yard interception return (Grulick kick), 5:19
THIRD QUARTER
Syr. – Hardwick 5 yard run (Grulich kick), 5:52
Syr. – Barnwell 105 yard interception return (Grulich kick), 0:29
FOURTH QUARTER:
Syr. – Stevens 1 yard run (Grulich kick), 8:27
Syr. – Sledge 5 yard run (Grulich kick blocked), 3:11
IN OTHER ACTION AROUND THE EFL:
PLATTSBURGH 22, GLENS FALLS 0– Plattsburgh scored 14 first quarter points in a span of three minutes and that would be all they would need to defeat the Glens Falls Greenjackets 22-0 at the Plattsburgh High School Athletic Complex. North Stars quarterback Ken Stay found tight end Trevor St. Claire on eight yard out route, scoring the first points of the game. Following a Glens Falls three-and-out, Plattsburgh recovered a punt off the back of a Greenjacket lineman at the 18 yard line, setting them up inside the red zone. One play later running back Zach Blocker took the ball down the left side and broke away for the touchdown. Glens Falls dominated time of possession, running 52 plays opposed to Plattsburgh’s 29, but was unable to get on the scoreboard. Penalties and turnovers were the achilles heal for the Greenjackets, with a 15 yard personal foul penalty stalling one drive and a Harry Roscoe interception nullifying another. Stay went 7-for-10 for 104 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. Glens Falls running back Zorry Williams led all rushers with 71 yards on 15 carries. Plattsburgh fullback Elija Parks had four carries for 20 yards and a touchdown. Glens Falls hosts Watertown next week as the Greenjackets hope to snap their two-game skid. Plattsburgh will earn a forfeit victory over Vermont and get a week of rest riding a four-game winning streak (including the Vermont forfeit).
ALBANY 36, ELMIRA 0– On an evening with steady rain the Albany Metro Mallers remained undefeated by shutting out the Elmira Evolution 36-0 at Bleecker Stadium. Albany would score all 36 of their points in the first half, pulling off the gas pedal in the second half on a night with difficult playing conditions. Albany moved to 5-0 on the season while Elmira fell to 0-4. Albany will travel to Syracuse for a much anticipated matchup against the Shock next weekend. Elmira will face Montreal as the Evolution will seek their first win of the season.
MONTREAL 15, AMSTERDAM 0– Saturday evening marked the night a pesky, tough, undermanned Montreal Voyageurs squad got into the win column (besides a forfeit victory). For weeks Montreal has been playing opponents tough, facing travel setbacks and sometimes only suiting up 18 guys, but an inspired defensive effort propelled the Voyageurs to the 15-0 victory at Lynch Middle School. With the win Montreal improved to 2-3 on the year as Amsterdam fell to the same record of 2-3. The Zephyrs will enjoy their bye week next Saturday while the Voyageurs will look for a two-game winning streak against the Elmira Evolution.
WEEK SIX SCHEDULE:
Albany at Syracuse – 7 p.m., Sunnycrest Field at Henninger High School
Watertown at Glens Falls – 7:30 p.m., East Field
Montreal at Elmira – TBA
Plattsburgh forfeit victory over Vermont
Amsterdam - Bye
