10/24/05
Delhi football clinches playoff berth with 36-28 victory over Greene
Bulldogs to play Edison in C semi Saturday at U-E
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
By P.J. Harmer
Staff Writer
DELHI — Delhi football passed its first playoff test Saturday, even if it was only a practice exam.
Brenton Hood rushed for 155 yards on 27 carries, including a 71-yard touchdown run to start the second half, as Delhi earned Section Four’s second playoff berth from Division V with a 36-28 victory over Greene.
Saturday’s regular-season game at Dave Kelly Field had a postseason atmosphere as the winner earned an automatic berth into the Section Four Class C playoffs. Both teams seemed to know what was at stake as they combined for three touchdowns in the fi[an error occurred while processing this directive]nal 1 minute, 52 seconds.
During that span, Greene quarterback Kurt Spear threw touchdown passes to Zach Whitaker and Daniel Say — 4 and 74 yards, respectively — but Hood’s 1-yard TD run in between essentially sealed the victory for the Bulldogs. Spear hit Whitaker for the two-point conversion after Say’s touchdown to cap the scoring, and Greene failed to recover an onsides kick with 40 seconds left.
As a result, Delhi (7-1, 3-1) plays Division VI champion Thomas A. Edison (7-1, 5-0) at 1 p.m. Saturday at Union-Endicott. The game opens a Section Four Class C semifinal double-header, as Trumansburg (6-2) and Division V champion Sidney (7-1) follow at 4 p.m.
"It appears, possibly, we got feeling good three quarters early," said Delhi coach Dave Kelly, whose team led, 22-0, two seconds into the second quarter. "We didn’t really scare anyone in the fourth quarter. We got out of it. … I would have liked to have played a cleaner game with fewer mistakes and a little more offense in the second half."
Greene (5-3, 2-2) started its fourth-quarter comeback with a 14-play drive that covered 58 yards in 3:49. Spear, who finished 11 of 25 for 149 yards, hit Whitaker with a short TD pass to bring the Trojans within 30-20, but the conversion pass fell incomplete.
"At halftime, we talked about playing 48 minutes and you never know what will happen," Greene coach Tim Paske said. "If we take away the first quarter, it’s a different game. Delhi ran well on us and if you don’t stop the run, it will be a long day."
Delhi pounced on an onsides kick attempt by Greene, then handed off to Jason Wake on first down. Wake found a hole on the left side for a 42-yard gain that set up Delhi at the Trojans’ 1-yard line. Hood scored on the next play for a 36-20 lead with 1:42 to play.
Say scored three plays later, and the Trojans tried another onsides kick following Whitaker’s conversion catch. Delhi’s Milan Sova covered the ball with 40 seconds left, though, and Bulldogs QB Patrick O’Connell took two knees to run out the clock.
"Our two offensive plays in the second half were Hood’s long touchdown and Jason Wake’s long gain," Kelly said. "Take those two away and we lose. We didn’t move it much in the second half, other than that."
Delhi built its early lead off defense and a solid running game.
Greene fumbled the opening kickoff and the Bulldogs recovered at the 33-yard line. Four plays later, Nate Rockefeller scored on a 4-yard run for a 6-0 lead.
Wake intercepted Spear on the ensuing Greene possession, returning it 37 yards to the Trojans’ 23. Four plays later, O’Connell scored on a 14-yard run. Hood ran in the conversion for a 14-0 lead.
Delhi made it 22-0 with 11:58 to play in the second half, when Hood scored on a 1-yard run to cap an 11-play drive.
"I was thinking we have to keep it up," said junior Hood, who has 1,099 yards and 15 touchdowns this season. "If they get one break, their momentum goes up and it’s going to be harder to stop them."
Greene got its break with just under four minutes to play, when Alex Henry blocked Alex Fletcher’s punt attempt at the Delhi 18. Duano Sherman picked it up on the 3-yard line and ran it in, and Henry added the conversion run to make it 22-8.
Hood scored on an option-pitch left from the Delhi 29 on the first play of the second half, then added the conversion run for a 30-8 lead.
Say caught his first TD pass from Spear about five minutes later, a 23-yarder that cut it to 30-14.
DELHI 36, GREENE 28
Greene 0 8 6 14 — 28
Delhi 14 8 8 6 — 36
