Friday night the host Irondequoit Eagles and the visiting Victor Blue Devil football teams battled not only each other but also a severe weather front that was passing through the region.
With the Blue Devils up 7-0 and in possession of the ball with a 4th-and-1 situation on the Eagles’ 35, lightning flashing through and above the trees surrounding the south end of the football field quickly prompted game officials to get everybody off the field and out of the stands.
One hour and twenty minutes later both teams were back at it, with Victor picking up where they left off, scoring twice more in the second quarter to lead 19-7 at the half and once more in the third quarter to gain a 26-7 road victory.
Brothers Mike and Tommy Wagner led the Blue Devil offense. Mike, a sophomore splitting time at QB with senior Pat Metzger, scampered for three touchdowns while running for 136 yards on 14 carries. Tommy, a senior, scored once while running for 113 yards on 21 carries. Still, it was the Victor defense led by seniors Ethan Venosa and Brett Nasello, along with juniors Kyle Collins and Ben Klei, that anchored Victor’s second win in the second week of the season.
Venosa was the main man on defense, netting six tackles and two sacks while Klei, with five tackles and two sacks, Nasello, with six tackles and two key pass-defensive plays, and Cousins, with five tackles, also had major contributions.
It was a big win for the Blue Devils, but no matter who you talked to after the game, there wasn’t a person who didn’t talk about several lapses in Blue Devil tenacity during the game.
“We came out in the beginning and we were going really hard, but once we got that break, it kind of messed with our heads a little bit,” Venosa said. “Once we got through halftime, and with our coaches talking to us, we picked it up a bit and made some big plays in the second half.”
Victor head coach Geoff Mandile made it a point to mention how that lack of game-long tenacity would reflect in this coming week’s practice.
“It was a strange game,” Mandile stated with a wry smile post-game. “We came out really well and scored on our first drive. Held them on defense and then the lightning came. After the break, I feel that we didn’t handle that too well. We kind of came out flat. That’s nothing you can prepare for, but then we came out strong in the third quarter and, again, just coasted to the win. There is plenty of stuff to improve on and I am sure that we will have (the players’) attention this week.”
Friday night the host Irondequoit Eagles and the visiting Victor Blue Devil football teams battled not only each other but also a severe weather front that was passing through the region.
With the Blue Devils up 7-0 and in possession of the ball with a 4th-and-1 situation on the Eagles’ 35, lightning flashing through and above the trees surrounding the south end of the football field quickly prompted game officials to get everybody off the field and out of the stands.
One hour and twenty minutes later both teams were back at it, with Victor picking up where they left off, scoring twice more in the second quarter to lead 19-7 at the half and once more in the third quarter to gain a 26-7 road victory.
Brothers Mike and Tommy Wagner led the Blue Devil offense. Mike, a sophomore splitting time at QB with senior Pat Metzger, scampered for three touchdowns while running for 136 yards on 14 carries. Tommy, a senior, scored once while running for 113 yards on 21 carries. Still, it was the Victor defense led by seniors Ethan Venosa and Brett Nasello, along with juniors Kyle Collins and Ben Klei, that anchored Victor’s second win in the second week of the season.
Venosa was the main man on defense, netting six tackles and two sacks while Klei, with five tackles and two sacks, Nasello, with six tackles and two key pass-defensive plays, and Cousins, with five tackles, also had major contributions.
It was a big win for the Blue Devils, but no matter who you talked to after the game, there wasn’t a person who didn’t talk about several lapses in Blue Devil tenacity during the game.
“We came out in the beginning and we were going really hard, but once we got that break, it kind of messed with our heads a little bit,” Venosa said. “Once we got through halftime, and with our coaches talking to us, we picked it up a bit and made some big plays in the second half.”
Victor head coach Geoff Mandile made it a point to mention how that lack of game-long tenacity would reflect in this coming week’s practice.
“It was a strange game,” Mandile stated with a wry smile post-game. “We came out really well and scored on our first drive. Held them on defense and then the lightning came. After the break, I feel that we didn’t handle that too well. We kind of came out flat. That’s nothing you can prepare for, but then we came out strong in the third quarter and, again, just coasted to the win. There is plenty of stuff to improve on and I am sure that we will have (the players’) attention this week.”
Mandile, for the most part, thought his defense came to play, though.
“Our defense did have a good game,” the second-year coach said. “Again, like last week though, we had a one-series break-down that we have to learn to make a play on and make key stops. I think it’s more that we were in position but are just missing the tackles. Overall though, our defense has been playing well.”
Nasello liked what he saw of the Blue Devil offensive line.
“Our offensive line did their job, knew their assignments and got it done,” he said. “For the most part we played with discipline. I mean, there is always room for improvement, but tonight we got the job done.”
Victor moves on to host Canandaigua Friday night while Irondequoit travels to face Honeoye Falls-Lima the same night.
