JV football ‘Cats get back on track with blow-out win

by Dillon Cooper

The Wildcats were at it again, this time taking on rival Waldron. The ‘Cats would look perfect in the first quarter and it would seem like nothing could go wrong. No interceptions, no fumbles, running and blocking hard, and all in all a team that was mentally prepared to play Pittsford football! The Pittsford Wildcats would beat up on the Waldron Spartans and win this game in front of the hometown fans with an impressive 39-6 blow out.

This year, when you heard the word blow-out and JV Pittsford Wildcats in the same sentence, it usually meant an embarrassing loss for the team in blue. This time it was a whole different twist to the story, this time having P-ford on top.

The game would start on a seemingly cool afternoon. It had been much warmer than it had been in the previous days leading up to the big event on this Thursday evening. There seemed to be something special in the air. Not because of the abnormally warm weather, but because of the attitude of the Wildcats. There was also a larger than normal turnout to the game, which sparked some excitement, and the Wildcats’ mental toughness thickened like fog in the spring. Knowing that they couldn’t let this turnout of fans down two times in a row, the Wildcats were certain to put on a show!

Pittsford would win the toss and elect to defer to the second half. The ‘Cats would kick the ball deep and the Spartans would start their drive in their own territory. The Blue men’s defense would stiffen leaving the Spartans to pass on a 3rd and long. Freshman safety Jordan Castle would come up with the INT and return it about ten yards before being tripped up. The ‘Cats seemed to have all the momentum in the world as they would drive the ball down easily and score. The Wildcats would go for the PAT but a faulty snap changed the original play, which was to kick the ball. But now it was to throw for an extra two points or just run it in; either way, the Wildcats wouldn’t succeed. After the failed PAT the scoreboard read a hopeful 6-0 lead for the Wildcats.

The ‘Cats would line up for the kickoff and kick this one deep, only the football went out of bounds at the Spartans’ two yard line. This would mean that the Spartans would start their drive not from the two but from their own thirty-five yard line. Pittsford’s defense would stiffen and then when Waldron decided to pass the ball again, this time it would be intercepted by freshman linebacker Blake Toner, who ran it all the way back for a Wildcat touchdown! P-ford found themselves up by 12. Pittsford elected to kick a PAT and the conversion was good. The Wildcats huddled up on the sidelines but before they could break the huddle there was some dirty laundry on the field. The head referee concluded that there was only six men on the line and there was suppose to be seven, so in perspective the ‘Cats would have to re-kick for the extra point that they just earned. Good thing for the Spartans that Pittsford had to re-kick because the ball would hang a left and miss so the scoring change was ignored.

The men in blue would kickoff, again, this time there was an even longer kick than before and the Spartans had a tough time finding a handle on the ball. By the time that a return man picked up the ball there were a pack of Wildcats dragging him down. The ball had come loose and the Wildcats recovered it in their own end zone--touchdown! The Wildcats would convert their first PAT of the night to put them up 19-0 over the gloomy Spartans. Pittsford would continue to stick it to the Spartans until halftime, the ‘Cats would lead their rival by a score of 39-6. The score would stay that way the entire second half, as both teams failed to move the pigskin across the white chalk of the goal line. “We could have done better by scoring more and not fumbling the ball or getting so many penalties,” sophomore Nick Kik said. “I really wanted to win this game,” added freshman Matt Timberman. “I was proud of our team’s effort; we could have done better but it’s good to win against Waldron,” expressed assistant coach Mr. Hodos.The ‘Cats will be playing their last home game of the season as they take on another old rival, the Camden-Frontier Redskins. If the Wildcats continue their winning ways they will finish above .500 (5-4), which would be a decent record to end the season with.