VESTAL –Vestal put together two quick touchdowns in the third quarter to open a two-touchdown lead, and rode those scores out to a 20-12 win over Norwich, Thursday night at Dick Hoover Stadium in Vestal.
Thad Zaparzynski rushed for 246 yards and one TD, and would have had even more yards if his 75-yard TD run to start the second half was not wiped away due to a penalty. Although the infraction kept Norwich within 7-6, Zaparzynski eventually scored on the drive rushing the ball in from 12 yards out. John Edwards’ point-after kick put the Golden Bears in front by eight.
Norwich was unable to capitalize on a failed onside-kick by Vestal on the ensuing possession punting the ball away. Zaparzynski ripped off a big first-down run, and a face-mask penalty on the Tornado defense added 15 more yards. Quarterbck Caleb Scepaniak hit Chris Bowe on a 19-yard first-down pass deep in Norwich territory, and Scepaniak’s one-yard sneak capped the drive.
“Their offensive line was quick off the ball and they found seams in our defense,” said Norwich coach John Martinson. “(Zaparsynski) did a great job running the ball.”
Norwich failed to sustain any offense in the first half, and its lone score came after Nick McCullough snagged a Scepaniak fumble, and returned it 35 yards to the Vestal one. Seth Thomsen’s one-yard TD sneak two plays later had Norwich on the board first.
Late in the third quarter, Norwich moved the ball swiftly down the field. Tyler Hoffman had a 15-yard first-down run, Thomsen hit Jon Foulds for an 14-yard completion, and a face mask penalty pushed Norwich deep into Vestal territory. Josh Favalaro’s 20-yard TD scamper drew Norwich within 20-12. Thomsen’s two-point pass attempt failed.
“It was a struggle on offense in the first hal, and we had a hard time finding a rhythm,” Martinson said. “Vestal did some similar things to Vestal, and put nine men in the box. In the second half, we started to get a rhythm, and if we had more time on the clock on the end, we could have driven for the tying score.”
Norwich’s defense stopped Vestal inside its own 10 yard line in the first half, and forced three straight punts in the second half after giving up back-to-back touchdowns. Norwich’s last possession started at its own five with just 2:15 left on the clock. Mackay Hotaling had a nice first-down run, and Thomsen hit Patrick Taylor on an 18-yard pass to the Vestal 31. Thomsen’s next pass was intercepted by Vestal’s Ryan Francik to end the drive.
“I was proud of our defense getting the ball back for us,” Martinson said. “We had to try and throw the ball at the end, and that really isn’t our style.”
Score by quarters
NHS 6 0 6 0–12
Vest. 7 0 13 0–20
Scoring Summary
N: Seth Thomsen 1 run (kick failed)
V: Caleb Sepaniak 18 pass to Nick Keeler (John Edwards kick)
