Salamanca climbed the ladder once again, answered preseason questions
By SPENCER BATES, Sports Editor
Salamanca saw an emotional 2023 season come to a heartbreaking end in the New York state semifinal.
The Warriors were shutout 42-0 by eventual state champion Waverly and with the result came the loss of a number of key pieces to the team due to graduation.
In turn, entering the 2024–25 season, the big question being posed for the Warriors was whether or not they would be able to recreate the success.
Spoiler alert: they did, and then some.
While the semifinalist Warriors of ‘23 found themselves with two losses before the regular season reached its end, this year, the only loss they ended up suffering came in the last possible game of the season, in the NYSPHSAA Final at the hands of Section 2 Class C champion Schuylerville.
But in order to get there, Salamanca needed to climb the mountain they were ever so close to the top of last season all over again. That journey began with and would not have been possible without players like Maddox Isaac, Cory Holleran, Zach Trietley, Warrick Kyler and Xavier Peters, among others.
Each had their fair share of moments in the sunshine, but did it all with the greater good of the team in mind. Isaac, through means of his legs or his arm, punished defenses with his tenacity and determination. Holleran and Peters were the harbingers of lightning strikes that shocked opposing defenses. Trietley and Kyler stood tall as imposing figures on the defensive side of the ball and shut down just about anything that dared come their way.
These leaders powered the Warriors through the regular season, Section 6 tournament, NYSPHSAA Far West Regional and Semifinal rounds without a single negative tally on their record.
And even when Salamanca’s memorable season did eventually reach its conclusion, there is something to be said about the camaraderie the team had for one another. Before they could retreat into their locker room following their loss in the final, something stopped the Warriors. They remained in front of its tunnel and waited for each and every last one of their teammates to join them before filing away. It was one final display of unity and a true testament, according to coach Chad Bartoszek, of the brotherhood that exists within the Warriors’ program.
“We have a saying: ‘look inside the huddle,’” Bartoszek said. “It’s got a lot of meaning. Right now is one of those moments, because it’s not going to be fun walking outside of our group. I wanted one more chance to just be with them, and everyone will look each other in the eye, look inside the huddle, because we’re the only group that knows what just happened and what we’ve put into that. It’s hard to go out in the outside world after a loss like that (and) start hearing the noise. That’s tough.”
And while leadership of the players was certainly one of the brightest aspects of Salamanca’s team this year, so too was the coaching.
After the Schuylerville result, Bartoszek spoke with the media and even made some playful remarks about what had just gone down on the field despite the negative outcome. Through doing so, he expressed how much this team and this year’s group of players mean to him and that while they may not have walked away with the gold plaque, they did leave the field with crucial life experiences.
“I love coaching this group,” Bartoszek said. “I love what we do (and that’s) hard to hear for them when they see everything that they’ve worked for has kind of been taken away from them. So many life lessons in football, this is the game of all games to teach you what you need to know and how to live your life. That was our message for that. I’m super proud of Salamanca, I’m super proud of our community. We don’t work any harder when we win than when we lose. (We) put as much effort into everything that just didn’t happen to go our way.”
And while the wounds might still be fresh, Bartoszek hopes his players will be able to, soon enough, walk with their heads held high because of all they achieved and not allow themselves to be bogged down by negatives.
“It’s a disappointment, really, for the kids right now,” Bartoszek said. “I know how hard they worked, and their dreams and everything have all kind of come crumbling down. But the sun will come up. You don’t get an opportunity like this very often. And on one hand, this one’s going to stay with us forever, but on the other hand, we were here.”
Now, on the back of two historic postseason runs, when asked the question regarding what comes next, Bartoszek replied with a light-hearted groan and a laugh.
“We gotta raise the bar again?”
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