2010 Chenango Forks Varsity Football
Game
11 vs General Brown
Blue Devils fall to
General Brown 21-20
Articles courtesy of the
Binghamton Press &
Sun-Bulletin, the Syracuse Post-Standard
and the Watertown Daily Times
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Chenango Forks loses heartbreaker in state quarters
Failed conversion spoils comeback
Kevin Stevens
EAST SYRACUSE -- Chenango Forks rallied
from a 15-point, fourth-quarter deficit Saturday only to
come up empty on a two-point conversion try with 15.1
seconds remaining, falling by 21-20 to General Brown in
a Class C state football quarterfinal.
A third-down pass of 21 yards from
reserve quarterback Zach Jeske to senior end Derek
Foster finished an eight-play, 56-yard scoring drive
that began after the Blue Devils' fielded General
Brown's lone punt of the afternoon with 2:26 remaining
at East Syracuse-Minoa High.
On the make-or-break two-point attempt,
the left side of General Brown's defense penetrated into
the backfield to thwart a rush to the right by fullback
Jimmy Miller.
A line-drive kickoff was fielded by the
Lions, quarterback Nick Frears took one final snap and
General Brown -- located in the Jefferson County village
of Dexter -- had earned the program's second state
semifinal berth. The first came in 2003.
Chenango Forks, the state's top-ranked
Class C squad, closed its season with a 10-1 record
despite a 196-yard, two-touchdown rushing effort by
Miller in his final high school game.
At the midway point of the contest, the
Blue Devils had a mere three first downs and trailed by
15-0. They were in jeopardy of dropping into a three-TD
hole when Nick Klusacek returned the second-half kickoff
36 yards to the Lions' 47 and in four plays advanced the
ball to Forks' 26-yard line.
But on a first-down pass play, Ryan
Lamond scooted between the football and its intended
receiver at about the 15 and raced 72 yards before being
tackled at General Brown's 13.
Three rushes moved the ball to the 3, an
offside penalty was good for half the distance, and
Miller carried it in to make it 15-6 with 4:08 of the
quarter elapsed.
A General Brown defender lunged low to
blow up an option play on the two-point try, and Forks
was whistled for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that
was assessed on the following kickoff.
Quarterback Casey LaNave limped off the
field following the conversion try, having aggravated a
knee he'd injured during a Tuesday physical education
class.
General Brown took the kickoff back to
Forks' 46-yard line and ran eight plays to reach the 6.
From there, Javier Primicias hopped into a clearing in
the right-center of the end zone and caught a pass from
Frears to make it 21-6 with four minutes remaining in
the third quarter.
Jeske -- recognized as Forks' MVP of the
game -- took over at quarterback to start Forks' next
drive at its 38 and handed to Miller 10 times on an
11-play drive that closed with Miller hurdling a
defender at the line of scrimmage and proceeding in for
a 4-yard TD on the third play of the fourth quarter.
Miller tacked on a two-point run and
Forks was within 21-14.
General Brown next drove 42 yards in 10
plays only to give up the football on a fourth-down
incompletion. The Blue Devils came back with another
heavy dose of Miller, running seven plays to the Lions'
27-yard line.
But on a first-down carry, Miller lost
the football when hit by a defender and General Brown
took possession at its 25 with 3:53 to play.
Forks permitted 7 yards on a first-down
rush and, after an incomplete pass, stopped Klusacek for
a 1-yard gain. On came Mark Allen for his team's first
punt of the day, which left Forks the ball at its 44
with 2:26 to play.
Seven consecutive rushes set up
third-and-4 from the 21, from which point Jeske lofted a
pass that Foster ran under to receive in the left side
of the end zone despite two defenders too close for
comfort.
"Jeske did a huge job of stepping up,
taking on the role of quarterback and leader of our
team," said Forks lineman and captain Jake DuBois. "I
give him a ton of credit for doing that, being able to
do what he's supposed to do. We've all worked so hard,
and that just showed it right there -- we just couldn't
come through at the end."
On the two-point try, the exchange from
Jeske to Miller was attempted in congestion to the right
side, and Miller was swarmed under near the line of
scrimmage.
"Well, we basically looked at the plays
that we used to get down there," Devils coach David
Hogan said of the two-point try. "It was like, 'Well,
let's pick one of them.' I think we picked the wrong
one."
General Brown coach Tom Frears, father of
the quarterback, lauded his team's effort.
"The two-point conversion Chenango Forks
went for is just another example of our kids digging
down deep," Frears said. "I think our conditioning has
paid off since Aug. 16 when we started. They dug deep
and came up with a play when we needed to."
General Brown's two second-quarter
touchdowns were passes of 6 and 20 yards from Nick
Frears to 6-foot-4, 220-pound Devin Tyler.
The first came 3:22 before halftime when
Tyler made the reception while falling backward fairly
well surrounded by three defenders. The second came on a
jump-ball situation against a smaller defender with 1:09
left in the half.
In the interim came Forks' second lost
fumble of the half.
The Blue Devils' had game-long
difficulties defending a versatile and unpredictable
General Brown offense equally comfortable passing or
running. Frears closed 15-for-23 for 148 yards and three
TDs, and the Lions' run game generated 162 yards.
"The threat that they could throw the
ball at any time and also give it up the middle at any
time," DuBois said of the Lions' effectiveness. "You had
to be ready for both and it was tough to cover both at
the same time."
Said Hogan: "They do such a good job of
mixing it up. They'll throw on first down,
second-and-short, you just don't know and so it's a
guessing game as to what they're going to be doing."
He added, "I think we had the (receivers)
covered about as well as they could be covered. He threw
it right where he needed to throw it and they made the
plays."
Lions thankful for stuffing
STATE CLASS C FOOTBALL: General
Brown preserves win after denying Chenango Forks'
late 2-point attempt
By JOHN DAY
Watertown Daily Times
EAST SYRACUSE The unimaginable
scenario was unfolding for General Brown.
After dominating the game for 31/2
quarters, the Lions had just surrendered a long
touchdown pass in the waning seconds of the fourth
quarter. Worse, Chenango Forks was lining up for a
two-point conversion that would give the Blue Devils
a great comeback win and abruptly end General
Brown's season.
But this General Brown outfit is not
your average quit-in-the-face of pressure type of
club. Instead of feeling sorry for themselves, the
Lions stuffed Chenango Forks fullback Jim Miller a
yard short of the goal line on the conversion run,
preserving General Brown's 21-20 state Class C
quarterfinal victory at East Syracuse-Minoa High
School.
General Brown (11-0) advances to only
its second state semifinal berth in school history.
The Lions, who fell to Caledonia-Mumford in the 2003
semifinals, take on Section 6 champion Fredonia
(10-1) at noon Saturday at Marina Auto Stadium in
Rochester.
Fredonia knocked off previously
unbeaten Section 5 champ Letchworth 18-13 Saturday
in Buffalo.
The Lions sensed that Miller,
Chenango Forks' 5-foot-7, 180-pound fullback who had
already run for 187 yards on 32 carries and two
scores, would get the ball on the conversion
off-tackle play. And they were ready.
Lineman Nick Cobb got penetration
down low, slowing Miller down. Linebacker Mark Allen
finished off the tackle by standing him up.
"I knew I had to go full speed across
the line and hit him before he got going,'' Cobb
said. "They ran the same play 20 times, so we had to
make that stop.''
Said Allen: "I just flew to the ball.
Nick did a great job of slowing the kid down and
allowing me to stop him.''
Frears said it was no surprise that
his kids recovered immediately from a 20-yard TD
pass from backup quarterback Zach Jeske to Derek
Foster, the team's only pass completion, with just
15.1 seconds left.
"This is such a close-knit group that
relies on each other,'' Frears said. "Our goal is
always to make the next play, and get ready for the
next game.''
After being dominated by Section 4
champion Chenango Forks (10-4) in last year's
regionals, 27-0, the Lions held the upper hand for
much of the game against the state's top-ranked
Class C team.
General Brown scored two
second-quarter touchdowns, both on spectacular
receptions by Devin Tyler, and led 15-0 at halftime.
The Lions ran 34 plays to just 19 for Chenango Forks
in the first half, outgained the Blue Devils 190-62
and kept the high-powered Forks offense on the bench
for prolonged periods.
"We couldn't have asked for better
execution of our game plan,'' Frears said. "But we
knew there was still a lot of football to play."
Tyler, General Brown's sensational
6-foot-4 senior receiver, made a pair of
highlight-reel catches.
On the first one, a 6-yard touchdown
pass from Nick Frears, Tyler tipped the ball to
himself between three defenders. Frears, named
General Brown's MVP, hit Ben Primicious for the
2-point conversion, which ended up being a huge
play.
On Tyler's second TD grab, a
20-yarder, he soared over two defenders and snatched
the ball out of the year. Nick Klusacek booted the
PAT and the Lions went to halftime with the
momentum.
"I can throw the ball almost anywhere
and Devin will catch it,'' said Nick Frears, who
finished 14-for-23 passing for 147 yards in the air.
Tyler said, "Nick just throws the
ball as high as he can knowing I can go up and get
it.''
The Lions, who also overcame two
first-half fumbles, took the second-half kickoff and
drove when Frears overthrew his receiver. Ryan
Lamond intercepted and returned it 75 yards. Miller
converted that into a 2-yard touchdown run, but the
Lions stuffed the 2-point run.
General Brown answered quickly as
Nick Frears hit Primicious for a 6-yard score.
However, Klusacek's PAT was no good, and General
Brown led 21-6.
Miller capped off the Blue Devils'
lone drive of the game with a 4-yard TD run and
converted a two-point conversion to make it 21-14
just a minute into the fourth quarter.
Devon Tanner forced a
Miller fumble and Allen recovered to
nullify another Forks' drive. But
the Lions were forced to punt for
the first time, and Forks drove 56
yards for the score before General
Brown's defense stood its ground on
the conversion.
"My heart was racing so much at the
end,'' Tanner said. "I knew they'd run to that right
side. But I've got a lot of faith in that group of
guys that they would not let us down.''
Chenango Forks coach Dave Hogan said
the call to run Miller was a no-brainer. "It's our
bread and butter, and if we can't get three yards,
we don't deserve to win,'' he said.
General Brown gets revenge, 21-20
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| 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | Tot | ||
| Chenango Forks | 0 | 0 | 6 | 14 | - | 20 |
| General Brown | 0 | 15 | 6 | 0 | - | 21 |
- GB - Devin Tyler 6y pass from Nick Frears (Javier Primicias Pass from Frears)
- GB - Tyler 20y pass from Frears (Nick Klusacek kick)
- CF - Jimmy Miller 1y run (run failed)
- GB - Primicias 6y pass from Frears (kick failed)
- CF - Miller 4y run (Miller run)
- CF - Derek Foster 21y pass from Zack Jeske (run failed)
TEAM STATISTICS
| GB | CF | |
| First Downs | 19 | 14 |
| Rushes-Yards | 37-162 | 45-227 |
| Passing Yards | 148 | 21 |
| Comp-Att-Int | 15-23-1 | 1-3-0 |
| Total Offense | 60-310 | 48-248 |
| Punts-Ave yards | 1-35.0 | 3-27.0 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 2-2 | 3-3 |
| Penalties-Yards | 3-22 | 3-35 |
| . |
|
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS General Brown rushing
Chenango Forks rushing
General Brown passing
Chenango Forks passing
General Brown receiving
Chenango Forks receiving:
Preview Article(s)
Chenango Forks football coaches review General orders
Blue Devils must guard against big plays
Kevin Stevens
Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin
Chenango Forks will look to extend its streak of state football quarterfinal victories to nine in an 11 a.m. Saturday contest against General Brown, Section 3's Class C champion from the Jefferson County village of Dexter.
East Syracuse-Minoa High will be the site of the game pitting the top-ranked Blue Devils against the fifth-ranked Lions, each 10-0. The winner advances to a Nov. 20 semifinal at Rochester's Marina Auto Stadium against either Section 5 champion Letchworth or Section 6 champ Fredonia.
A season ago in the first meeting of the two programs, each came in unbeaten but Forks emerged with a 27-0 win and a 381-81 advantage in rushing yards at Union-Endicott's Ty Cobb Stadium. That marked the final game as head coach for the Lions' Steve Fisher, winner of 251 high school games.
"They have a different head coach, but he's been in the system for 20 years and hasn't seemed to change anything," Forks coach David Hogan said of Tom Frears, father of senior quarterback Nick Frears.
General Brown is coming off a 66-36 win against Cayuga County foe Cato-Meridian for Section 3's title. In that game, the Lions' 44-point second-half spree was set in motion when they scored following C-M's unsuccessful onside kick attempt, and General Brown drove for another score after recovery of a squib on the ensuing kickoff.
Nick Frears completed 10 of 11 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed for two TDs.
"Last year, they were very large up front," Hogan said of the Lions. "This team doesn't seem to be as big, but they do return some key players."
Most significant notations on Forks' scouting-report notes are assigned to Devin Tyler, a sure-handed 6-foot-4 senior who shifts between tight end and wideout, and elusive running back Nick Klusacek (5-7, 170 pounds).
"They throw some play-action off the option and off the lead, they have a counter pass, and they will also drop back and throw," Hogan said. "Defensively, we can't give up the big play, which I suppose you can say any week. But against these guys, who'll throw that play-action pass to the big wideout, it's especially important."
Senior Jimmy Miller leads Forks with 1,070 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns. Teammates Casey LaNave, Ryan Lusht and Tyler Lusht are the next three on the rushing list, all with per-carry averages exceeding 7 yards. Miller, this season's fullback, ran for 155 yards (17 per rush) as a halfback last year against General Brown.
"Offensively, we have to secure the football and play a mentally sound game," Hogan said. "One of the last things we say to the kids is that the team that makes the fewest mistakes will have the best chance to win. Now, that's only accentuated come playoffs."
General Brown is a state-playoff participant for the fifth time in eight years.
Chenango Forks has advanced to the quarterfinal against Section 3 eight of the last nine years, and in the last six games the Blue Devils opponents have been held to seven or fewer points.
DAY OF RECKONINGBy JOHN DAY
Watertown Daily Times
Since that day almost a year ago when they walked off the Union-Endicott High School football field still stinging from a 27-0 loss to Chenango Forks in the state quarterfinals, the General Brown players started thinking about a possible rematch. That loss served as a motivational tool throughout winter workouts and carried over to the summer when the returning players hit the weight room with a vengeance after being physically dominated by the Blue Devils. "It hurt the way they beat us,'' General Brown senior fullback/linebacker Mark Allen said. "All of the guys that came back vowed we wouldn't let that happen again.'' Almost 12 months later, the Lions' wish has come true. After rolling through the regular season and blowing out three Section 3 Class C opponents en route to its fifth sectional title, General Brown is right back on the hot seat as it prepares for another clash with the Blue Devils from the Southern Tier. "We have all the respect in the world for Chenango Forks,'' General Brown first-year head coach Tom Frears said. "They are the class program of the Binghamton area year-in and year-out. Last year we might have been a little bit intimidated by their reputation. I don't think that will be the case this time.'' But the Lions should be careful what they wish for. Chenango Forks (10-0) has risen to the top of the state Class C ranks, taking over the No. 1 spot after defending state champion Jamestown Southwestern was beaten last weekend. And the Blue Devils have won eight consecutive quarterfinal matchups against Section 3 teams. Chenango Forks, which owns state Class B titles in 2003 and 2004, has captured Section 4 crowns in nine of the past 10 seasons, and are annually state title contenders no matter what the class. Going up against No. 1 is certainly a challenge. But the Lions, ranked fifth in the state, believe this year will be different. "We know more what to expect of them this year,'' said General Brown senior lineman Nick Cobb, who missed last year's game with an injury. "They pushed us around pretty good up front, and we didn't have an answer. And I don't think we expected them to be that fast, either.'' Frears said having played Ilion two weeks ago (a 62-6 sectional semifinal win) should help his club prepare for the Forks' powerful running game, which generated 380 yards in last week's 44-16 sectional title win over Sidney. "They run a modified Wing T like Ilion did,'' Frears said. "We got a lot of penetration in the Ilion game and took away their favorite play, the sweep. Chenango Forks will keep using that play as long as it works, so we've got to try to make them do something else and maybe even throw the ball, which they rarely do.'' The Lions were especially working on getting low and not allowing the Chenango Forks offensive line to stand them up in practice this week. General Brown's offense has moved the ball at will in its last three games, producing 186 points. Frears doesn't expect that to happen this week. "You're not going to just ram the ball down their throats like we have been doing,'' he said. "We found an offensive identity about mid-season, learning we could also throw the ball pretty well. Our offensive line play has allowed us to be very diversified and that makes it tough to stop us.'' Quarterback Nick Frears, who has passed for seven touchdowns the last three games, has been sacked just once this season. His offensive line takes a lot of pride in protecting their quarterback. "We've just lined up and blocked well the past three games,'' junior center Chadd Call said. "All of our backs run really hard, and Nick has been very accurate. But we know Chenango Forks will be a lot tougher than any team we've faced.'' Tom Frears said the Blue Devils employ a 5-2 defensive scheme with good size and quickness. "They fly to the ball and make it very difficult to get outside,'' he said. "Nick's play-action fakes will be very important in slowing them down.'' Last year, the Lions managed just more than 100 total yards. That won't do if they hope to reverse that outcome. "This is what we've worked hard for since that game,'' Call said. "Playing the No. 1 team doesn't happen very often. We just want to make the most of this opportunity.'' Class C: General Brown (10-0) vs. Chenango Forks (10-0) Post-game
Midweek
Article:
A learning experience for mighty Chenango Forks
Staff report Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin
General Brown closed the books on a fabulous decade of Chenango Forks football Saturday, holding off the Blue Devils, 21-20, in a Class C state quarterfinal game at East Syracuse-Minoa.
Forks closed the 2000's with 112 victories against 10 losses (.918 winning percentage), two state championships, six appearances in state finals and eight seasons with either one loss or a perfect record.
Jake DuBois, a three-year starter on the line, summed up the anguish of a stinging loss in his final game as follows: "It's tough, but it's life. You learn from everything."
The top-ranked Blue Devils' inability to develop a dependable kicking game contributed greatly to the loss.
With reserve quarterback Zach Jeske at quarterback, they drove 56 yards in eight plays for a touchdown with 15.1 seconds remaining to draw within 21-20. In no position to risk a kick attempt, Forks went for a two-point conversion-- but General Brown stuffed Jimmy Miller near the line of scrimmage to preserve the win.
Miller, who'd been shifted to full-time fullback early in the season when Lukas Aston went down with a knee injury, finished his season in exceptional fashion. He rushed 30 times -- 23 carries in the second half -- for 196 yards and two touchdowns.
"What did we run, maybe 4-5 (different) plays the second half? But we were moving the ball pretty well," Blue Devils coach David Hogan said. "Jimmy didn't complain about being tired, never would."
Said General Brown coach Tom Frears of Miller, who is 5-foot-7 and 180 pounds, "He's awful doggone good. I remember him from last year. He's a heck of a kid. He comes off the field, he's got tears in his eyes, he's emotional, he's an outstanding player. I have all the respect in the world for him."
Casey LaNave, Forks' starting quarterback, took to the sideline in the third quarter after aggravating a knee injury he'd sustained in physical education class early in the week.
As for LaNave's chances of playing at the time, Hogan said, "If you'd have asked him, probable. If you'd have asked me early on, I'd have said doubtful.
"But he came out, had it wrapped up and taped up pretty good. He said when he was running around that he wasn't experiencing any pain. Really, he was fine until he actually got hit in the knee. That's how he re-injured it.
"If you'd have seen him on Tuesday, you'd have thought there was no way he could play, he couldn't put any weight on the foot. In fact, he went in a wheelchair from phys ed class to the nurse's office. He improved a little bit each day with physical therapy.
"Not bad for not taking a snap all week, not bad at all."
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