MUSTANGS FLATTEN BEARCATS, 32 - 6
10/16/2009

UPDATE:  SKANEATELES GAME MOVED TO SATURDAY, 1:00 PM AT THE MARCELLUS STADIUM.  The Skaneateles field is not usable so the final game of the regular season for both teams will be played here.



With the Silver Cup hoisted high, the Mustang players paid another tribute to the late Jody Karla with a heartfelt shout before walking off the field victorious.  "JK" would have been proud of the boys this evening.  The home crowd sure was!

Yes, the Silver Cup is safely back in the Marcellus trophy case where it will spend its second year in a row!  This team put it there two years running for the first time in school history!

There was no doubt who was claiming the Silver on this Friday night as Marcellus flattened the Solvay Bearcats, 32-6, in a game that could have easily been a lot more lopsided.  Solvay played hard with a lot of energy and intensity -- they have some excellent athletes who worked til the final whistle -- but Solvay was just no match for a Marcellus team that dominated the line of scrimmage.  (One note, our best wishes go out to the Bearcat player who left in an ambulance after trying to tackle Ricky; the Solvay player gave 110% on the play and we wish him a speedy recovery.)




After an opening drive miscue inside the Solvay 5 yard line stopped a Mustang scoring attempt, fans held their collective breath to see how Marcellus responded.  Fortunately for the Mustangs, the Green Swarm showed up to play from the first series!  Marcellus' defense was awesome and gave the Mustang offense time to find its stride (which it did in the second quarter).  Sacks, turnovers, tackles for loss, collapsed pockets were what the defense served the Bearcats on series after series.  Every time the Solvay offense got a little momentum, the Green Swarm rose to the challenge and shut them down.  The defensive line dominated the trenches while the Mustang linebackers stuffed the run and cut off the edges.  In the secondary, Mustang defenders blanketed receivers and came up aggressively on run support.  It was a total team effort on defense and one of the best performances of the year so far.



When the offense got rolling, it was a runaway freight train.  Led by the dual threat RB Ricky Alfreds who had an awesome night both rushing and receiving.  Ricky runs with incredible power and he broke several long gainers that quickly turned the tide in the Mustangs' favor.  Kevin Daily added his bursts through the line and Jeff Ames even finished the rushing attack in the 4th quarter.  QB Will Fiacchi had another stellar night at the helm.  Despite the rain and some early drops by receivers, Fiacchi kept the aerial assault up and found plenty of space in the Bearcat secondary.  In addition to his arm, Fiacchi beat the Bearcats with his legs, turning in more than a few nice runs that kept drives alive.  Chaz Hayes and Dan Rudy had TD catches as did Ricky Alfreds. 



Special teams were indeed special on this Friday night.  The punt return team got things started with a blocked punt in the end zone that resulted in a touchdown -- Kevin Daily blocked the kick and Zach Wiley recovered it for six.  The special teams kudos continued with senior place kicker Brendan Carey tieing a school record with a 42 yard field goal.  Carey also had a 33 yard field goal and a couple extra points and even converted an onside kick to complete the kicker's trifecta. 


Brendan Carey had a career night kicking field goals of 42 yards (ties school record) and 33 yards as well as a successful onside kick!



It was a total team effort tonight by players who decided it was time to start that push toward a championship.  Defense was stiffling, offense was relentless and special teams changed the momentum.  Everyone can be proud of the outcome. 



But there is more to do.  There were mistakes tonight that we can't make in a playoff run -- we have to look at those and correct them.  But that's what great teams do ... they win  and then they see how they can be even better the next week.  We can be better -- a lot better -- and that is reason enough to work twice as hard this week.  One more regular season game.  One more chance to elevate our game to another level in preparation for the playoffs.  No let up.  No rest.  No coasting.  Intensify your commitment; intensify your practice; increase your focus.  Break down the game film and learn from it -- see what you can do to make more of an impact; talk about the mistakes, solve the problems and sharpen the skills this week.  We are on a ROLL.  Don't let up, not even for a day.  Keep pressing each other to be the best -- the playoffs are around the corner; we have places we want to go.  So let's get to it.

Congratulations on a big win tonight.  Dominating the Bearcats is a great feeling but we have bigger fish to fry.  Focus.  Finish.

GO MUSTANGS!














































































Great job, Mustangs!