CATO - In terms of playoff seeding and league records, the game was meaningless. The Weedsport and Cato-Meridian football teams had already watched their incredible seasons end in Section III quarterfinal games on Saturday at about the same time. So what better way to finalize the campaigns of the two best area teams than against each other?
Chet Susslin / The Citizen
Cato-Meridian senior Ethan Holt slips the tackle of Weedsport senior Jordan Stott in the Blue Devils' 34-14 victory over the Warriors on Thursday afternoon. Holt rushed for 187 yards in his final game at Cato-Meridian.
Cato-Meridian senior Ethan Holt slips the tackle of Weedsport senior Jordan Stott in the Blue Devils' 34-14 victory over the Warriors on Thursday afternoon. Holt rushed for 187 yards in his final game at Cato-Meridian.
It wasn't the game that Warriors coach Jason Trousdale had probably envisioned when he called Blue Devils coach CJ Hannon to set up the matchup after his first-round playoff loss, but Cato-Meridian (7-2) emerged as the better team in the 34-14 win on Thursday against a battered and bruised Warriors club.
“We played very well,” Hannon said. “It was nice to play that well against a team as good as Weedsport and we needed to play that well. I honestly think this was as good as we could have ended the season, not in the playoffs.”
With just a few days to prepare, the Blue Devils looked like they should still be playing in the postseason as they racked up a 28-0 halftime lead. Turnovers were prevalent, as each team had five, but most weren't game-changers. The game lasted nearly 3 hours, with many stoppages due to injuries - mostly on Weedsport players. Brian Quigley and Jake DeChick were two starters banged up during the game.
“I talked to CJ earlier in the week and he said that he was the one with the banged up players,” Trousdale said. “It didn't look like it - we were down to 14 players by the end of the night. I'm not taking anything away from Cato though, they did a good job on us tonight.”
Ethan Holt helped the Blue Devils strike first, on a 6-yard touchdown run just 1:14 into the game. Weedsport gave Cato-Meridian a short field several times to aid the Blue Devils offense. In the second quarter, Preston Dennison scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak and shortly afterwards, the senior connected with Dillon Caswell on a 34-yard pass to give his team a 21-point lead.
Dennison concluded his senior season with 28 yards on the ground and 91 through the air, while Caswell wrapped his up with 65 yards on five catches and two defensive interceptions to lead the group.
With 24.9 seconds left in the half, Holt took a Tucker Beardsley interception back the other way 25 yards for a defensive score. Cato-Meridian kicker Mike Davison connected on four of five extra-point attempts.
“We didn't play as well in the second half as we did in the first, but we made enough plays to get the win,” Hannon said.
On its second drive in the third quarter, Weedsport (5-4) finally got on the scoreboard courtesy of a 65-yard pass from Abe Jordan to Jared Ekross. Jordan came in under center for the second half, replacing Beardsley, and went 7-for-14 for 235 yards, two interceptions and a touchdown.
Matt Seager bolted in for a 1-yard score late in the fourth quarter for the Warriors other score.
“We made it a little bit of a game in the second half,” Trousdale said. “I was a little ticked off at our guys at halftime, but I think in the second half, they picked up the intensity a little bit and played good football.”
The game also featured two of the area's best running backs in Weedsport's Craig Mietz and Cato-Meridian's Holt and neither disappointed. While Mietz gained just 65 yards on the ground, he racked up 157 receiving yards.
Holt bulldozed for 183 rushing yards on 32 carries.
“Ethan was once again Ethan,” Hannon said. “He was outstanding. He just does so many things for us offensively and defensively.”
The Blue Devils will lose a dozen players, all of them key, while the Warriors return a good core of their group.
The good news for Cato-Meridian is that even though they will lose Holt, Joe Giuffrida and Nick LaLone will make up a strong backfield. And even though the Warriors return a good group, Trousdale wants more from them in the offseason.
“For us to be as successful as the Weedsport teams of the early 2000s, these kids need to buy more into the weightlifting after the season,” Trousdale. “There needs to be more numbers if this team is going to get back to the sectional finals.”
Cato-Meridian 34,
Weedsport 14
W-port 0 0 8 6-14
C-M 7 21 0 6-34
First quarter
C-M - Holt 6 run (Davison kick)
Second quarter
C-M - Dennison 1 run (Davison kick)
C-M - Caswell 34 pass from Dennison (Davison kick)
C-M - Holt 25 interception return (Davison kick)
Third quarter
W - Ekross 65 pass from Jordan (Mietz pass from Jordan)
Fourth quarter
C-M - Rothenburg 9 pass from Dennison (kick missed)
W - Seager 1 run (pass failed)
Blue Devils 34
Warriors 14
“We played very well,” Hannon said. “It was nice to play that well against a team as good as Weedsport and we needed to play that well. I honestly think this was as good as we could have ended the season, not in the playoffs.”
With just a few days to prepare, the Blue Devils looked like they should still be playing in the postseason as they racked up a 28-0 halftime lead. Turnovers were prevalent, as each team had five, but most weren't game-changers. The game lasted nearly 3 hours, with many stoppages due to injuries - mostly on Weedsport players. Brian Quigley and Jake DeChick were two starters banged up during the game.
“I talked to CJ earlier in the week and he said that he was the one with the banged up players,” Trousdale said. “It didn't look like it - we were down to 14 players by the end of the night. I'm not taking anything away from Cato though, they did a good job on us tonight.”
Ethan Holt helped the Blue Devils strike first, on a 6-yard touchdown run just 1:14 into the game. Weedsport gave Cato-Meridian a short field several times to aid the Blue Devils offense. In the second quarter, Preston Dennison scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak and shortly afterwards, the senior connected with Dillon Caswell on a 34-yard pass to give his team a 21-point lead.
Dennison concluded his senior season with 28 yards on the ground and 91 through the air, while Caswell wrapped his up with 65 yards on five catches and two defensive interceptions to lead the group.
With 24.9 seconds left in the half, Holt took a Tucker Beardsley interception back the other way 25 yards for a defensive score. Cato-Meridian kicker Mike Davison connected on four of five extra-point attempts.
“We didn't play as well in the second half as we did in the first, but we made enough plays to get the win,” Hannon said.
On its second drive in the third quarter, Weedsport (5-4) finally got on the scoreboard courtesy of a 65-yard pass from Abe Jordan to Jared Ekross. Jordan came in under center for the second half, replacing Beardsley, and went 7-for-14 for 235 yards, two interceptions and a touchdown.
Matt Seager bolted in for a 1-yard score late in the fourth quarter for the Warriors other score.
“We made it a little bit of a game in the second half,” Trousdale said. “I was a little ticked off at our guys at halftime, but I think in the second half, they picked up the intensity a little bit and played good football.”
The game also featured two of the area's best running backs in Weedsport's Craig Mietz and Cato-Meridian's Holt and neither disappointed. While Mietz gained just 65 yards on the ground, he racked up 157 receiving yards.
Holt bulldozed for 183 rushing yards on 32 carries.
“Ethan was once again Ethan,” Hannon said. “He was outstanding. He just does so many things for us offensively and defensively.”
The Blue Devils will lose a dozen players, all of them key, while the Warriors return a good core of their group.
The good news for Cato-Meridian is that even though they will lose Holt, Joe Giuffrida and Nick LaLone will make up a strong backfield. And even though the Warriors return a good group, Trousdale wants more from them in the offseason.
“For us to be as successful as the Weedsport teams of the early 2000s, these kids need to buy more into the weightlifting after the season,” Trousdale. “There needs to be more numbers if this team is going to get back to the sectional finals.”
Cato-Meridian 34,
Weedsport 14
W-port 0 0 8 6-14
C-M 7 21 0 6-34
First quarter
C-M - Holt 6 run (Davison kick)
Second quarter
C-M - Dennison 1 run (Davison kick)
C-M - Caswell 34 pass from Dennison (Davison kick)
C-M - Holt 25 interception return (Davison kick)
Third quarter
W - Ekross 65 pass from Jordan (Mietz pass from Jordan)
Fourth quarter
C-M - Rothenburg 9 pass from Dennison (kick missed)
W - Seager 1 run (pass failed)
Blue Devils 34
Warriors 14
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