Salamanca defense comes up big as Warriors survive Wolfpack 21-14

aahill19
2 days ago
4 min read

By SPENCER BATES - batesoleanstar@gmail.com

SALAMANCA — There’s no one script that fits each and every game.

What a team may find is working, suddenly might be shut down. It is then up to that team to adjust, find a new groove and exploit that.

This was what the Salamanca football team had to do in order to collect a narrow 21-14 victory over C South newcomers Clymer/Sherman/Panama.

“(CSP) looked the part,” Salamanca coach Chad Bartoszek said. “Obviously, they’re historic. They’re well-coached. They know how to win. We would not have been in that game unless we played our best game up until now. Yes, they took away things. They made it hard on our offense. That’s frustrating, but we had to play a certain type of game, and this just happened to be a defensive, field-position game. And man, did they come through.”

What had the makings of an offensive shootout as the Warriors and Wolfpack traded touchdowns through the first and second quarters, quickly turned into a test of mettle for the Salamanca defense.

Quarterback Payton Bradley, who finished with 107 rushing yards and 45 passing yards, had the Warriors marching down the field, responding to each of the Wolfpack’s scores with methodical, ground-and-pound drives. Each eventually being capped off by scores from Bradley himself. He managed to conduct another scoring drive early in the second half — which he also scored, bringing his TD tally to three — that saw Salamanca jump ahead for the first time in the game. And while that is where the scoring would be capped on the night, Bartoszek still commended his man under center for the job he did on both sides of the ball.

“He’s a fantastic leader, and I’m so proud of him because he got to experience the Friday night lights as the head man,” Bartoszek said. “It’s not easy. The place is rocking. He’s playing a key safety spot. He’s playing quarterback. He’s got to run the whole thing. I’m probably yelling way too fast. But, man, he took us home in a big win.”

Unfortunately for Bradley and Bartoszek alike, CSP’s defensive line became a thorn in their side as it all but completely put a halt on the Salamanca run game and were able to get downhill in the blink of an eye to pressure Bradley on passing plays.

“They’re big, strong and fast, so trying to get to them was difficult,” Bartoszek said. “They bog you down. You got to make them pay in the passing game and we took two or three shots that didn’t work. That’s frustrating for an offensive coordinator, but I give them all the credit in the world. That was big time football.”

So, as the Salamanca offense found itself making less of an impact, that meant it was time for the defense and special teams to step up. The first real sights of how important those units wound up being came right before Salamanca’s eventual-game-winning drive as they forced a fumble from CSP on the first play after the hosts had just punted.

They managed to pull out a similar play later in the fourth quarter as another Salamanca punt took a wicked bounce, made contact with a CSP player and was covered up by the Warriors.

But the biggest defensive moment of the night came right at the very end of regulation. With time dwindling, the Wolfpack were marching down the field and had a fresh set of downs on the Warriors’ 13-yard line. With their backs against the wall, Salamanca managed to repel each of CSP’s attempts at a score, and with a drop on the goal line on fourth down, the Warriors were able to kneel out the win.

“Our defensive staff, these guys pour themselves into the film, and it all comes down to little inches,” Bartoszek said, crediting his staff. “That’s terrifying, as a D-coordinator. I think we’re going to see some good things up front, because their run game is something they relied on quite a bit and they didn’t go to it as much as they probably wanted to. We got the lead on them, forced them to be somewhat one-dimensional and then got the big turnover, obviously, that was key.”

The Salamanca faithful erupted with the final horn, cementing their team’s dramatic home-opening victory. The Warriors moved to 3-0 on the season with the win, something that Bartoszek knows he has his defense to thank for.

“You got to take your strengths and your weaknesses and you got to maximize that,” Bartoszek said. “But what happened today was that the game plan meshed well to our defense. They made adjustments. We started to take away those quick passing windows. We took away the run game for the most part. … We stopped their running back, who’s leading the league and leading the section in touches and yards. We should have put it away the drive before, that’s on the offense. But man, the defense came through.”

Salamanca will remain at home for its next game against Falconer/Cassadaga Valley/Maple Grove, set for Sept. 19 for 7 p.m.

AT SALAMANCA

Salamanca: 7 7 7 0 — 21

Clymer/Sherman/Panama: 14 0 0 0 — 14

First Quarter:

CSP — White 4 run; extra point attempt good, 7-0

Salamanca — Bradley 14 run; extra point attempt good, 7-7

CSP — White 1 run; extra point attempt good, 14-7

Second Quarter:

Salamanca — Bradley 2 run; extra point attempt good, 14-14

Third Quarter:

Salamanca — Bradley 4 run; extra point attempt good, 21-14