MINEVILLE — Weeks removed from a 33-14 victory off Ticonderoga, Moriah stood facing them again in the Section VII Class D Football Championship.
It was a repeat of sorts as the Vikings won 31-14 over the Sentinels, but it didn’t start that way.
“I think this time, Ti came and played with intensity,” Moriah head coach Casey Nephew said. “After the first game, I think after playing and beating them, I don’t know if we didn’t think they would come out with the play with that intensity. They came out and played hard and brought it.
“Ti made some adjustments, which we expected, but they just brought it in the first half. We made a few adjustments at halftime, which I think helped us.”
At the half, it was tied 8-8 as neither team could grab momentum in the first half. It felt, however, as if only time was slowing Moriah down.
It seemed the second half would belong to the Vikings, which it did.
“We’re able to just, you know, talk, figure out our flaws over halftime and come out with more energy than we went into the game with and executed,” Moriah running back Jaydin Hughes said.
“We just didn’t want this to be our last game and end our season on a bad note. We wanted to keep playing for (at least) two more weeks. We had to bring the energy to do that.”
Hughes was one of a handful of Vikings who did just that.
He scored on back-to-back drives to start the third quarter. His scores of three and six yards surrounded a Sentinel fumble on their first possession of the second half.
Mason Feeley, who was picked as defensive player of the game for Moriah, credited the adjustments made at halftime, which slowed down Ticonderoga.
“In the first half, we weren’t fighting to the outside,” he said. “We started pushing it to the outside, extending the run and making the tackles. Getting tackled and stripping the ball and hitting hard, they don’t want it after a while. They don’t want to get hit that many times for four quarters.”
Feeley also formed a two-headed attack with Hughes. While Hughes cut outside for extra yards, Feeley took the ball right up the gut to mix it up.
“I just thought they weren’t playing it for the two running backs,” Feely said. “You know, we haven’t run with the fullback much this year or up the middle, and I don’t think they’re ready for it. Jaydin runs the ball great. Once you get two people on the ball, there’s no stopping us.”
After building a 24-8 lead, the game was all but over. Moriah added one more score in the fourth quarter, an Austin Mandy four-yard plunge.
Ti added a late score by quarterback Jackson Dorsett connecting with Rowen Bechtold for 49 yards to finalize the score.
Dorsett finished 7-11 for 87 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 57 yards. Trevor Blanchard added 60 yards on the ground as Blaek Peters rushed for 45 yards and a touchdown.
It’s been a season of learning for Moriah, which started off the year 0-2 with a combined score of 69-0. After a 41-6 loss at Peru on Oct. 4, the Vikings won three of their next four to currently stand 4-5 overall.
“It’s a good group of kids. They work hard,” Nephew said.
“We were fairly inexperienced coming in with only a handful of kids playing good minutes in last year’s team. and so, it took us a little while to get going, but the guys have kept working hard, and they show up to practice every day and give it their all. And, you know, they make mistakes, but they do a good job trying to learn from them, and, you know, learning the game of football, which is good.”
They leaned on the rushing attack that finished with 281 yards on the ground as Hughes accounted for 195. He quickly didn’t take credit for the yards the team gained.
“The credit is to my O-line,” Hughes said. “Those guys set the blocks and I just follow. I couldn’t get it done without the work they do. It’s a team effort.”
Up next for Moriah will be the winner of the Section II championship between Greenwich and Cambridge/Salem, which will be decided Friday.
Greenwich defeated the Vikings in the first game of the season 34-0, but the confidence of Moriah is high and they want a rematch.
“We were a young group coming into the season and didn’t really have it all pieced together, but we’re starting to piece it together piece by piece,” Feeley said. “And I think Greenwich is gonna have something coming for them if we run into them down the road.”
Nephew said the plan for the week is to scout both teams before focusing on the winner next week. The initial plan is to let the kids rest and recover to be as healthy as possible for the state playoffs.
Feeley seemed determined when looking at the next weeks of football.
“We’re improving, coming back every week to practice, carrying the energy and working harder,” he said. “And, you know, if you’re not practicing until you puke (then) you’re not practicing.”
—
Moriah 31, Ticonderoga 14
MCS 8 0 16 7 – 31
TCS 0 8 0 6 – 14
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
M- McGinness 40 pass from Kazlo (Mandy pass from Kazlo) 4:30
Second Quarter
T- Peters 2 run (Lender pass from Dorsett) 4:11
Third Quarter
M- Hughes 3 run (Mandy pass from Kazlo) 6:46
M- Hughes 6 run (Hughes run) 3:26
Fourth Quarter
M- Mandy 4 run (Spring kick) 1:55
T- Bechtold 49 pass from Dorsett (run failed) :50
Individual Statistics
T — Dorsett 8-57,Blanchard 8-60, Frazier 3-9, Peters 10-45, TD, Drinkwine 1-5. TOTALS: 30-176, TD
M- Hughes 27-195, 2 TD, Feeley 10-53, Mandy 3-9, TD. Kazlo 4-24. TOTALS: 44-281. 2 TD
Passing
T- Dorsett 7-11-0-87, TD
M- Kazlo 4-6 -1-55, TD
Receiving
T- Drinkwine 1-20, Blanchard 3-14, Frazier 1-2, Peters 1-2, Bechtold 1-49, TD. TOTALS: 7-87, TD
M- McGinness 2-44, TD. Hughes 2-11. TOTALS: 4-55, TD
Interceptions
T- Davis