By Steve Franklin
Sun Sports Correspondent
NEW BERLIN – Friday night proved a historic one for the Marauders’ football program.
Sherburne-Earlville entered the season finale against Unadilla Valley-Edmeston looking for it’s sixth win of the season, a feat not accomplished by the Marauders in 11-man football since 1987, when head coach Mike Jasper was in the midst of helping the Homer Trojans rattle off a school record 27-game win streak. Now Jasper’s heading another remarkable win streak – this time as coach, not as an all-state linebacker.
Senior running back Greg Duvall rushed for a career-high 146 yards and two scores, and the Marauders’ defense forced four turnovers to lead S-E past UV-E, 26-6 in a battle for the George Seiler Memorial Trophy given to the winner of the Marauders and Storm contest since 1991.
The victory marks Sherburne-Earlville’s fifth in a row – the school’s longest winning streak in more than a quarter of a century. “This team has accomplished things that haven’t been done in a long time around here,” Jasper told his kids after the game. “It’s been an honor to coach this team. I couldn’t be any prouder of this group.”
Things didn’t start out well for Sherburne-Earlville as Unadilla Valley-Edmeston strung together an impressive first-quarter drive to take an early lead. Playing the physical brand of football that head coach Stan Foulds and his 2010 Storm squad have grown accustomed to, UV-E utilized the speed of tailback Brett Gage and the power running of fullback Will Westbrook to march 52 yards for the game’s opening score. After a pair of long runs by Gage and a third down scamper by quarterback Brandon Miles to keep the drive alive, the Storm found paydirt on a two-yard plunge by Westbrook. The ensuing point after try was blocked by S-E linebacker Justin Coye, giving UV-E a 6-0 advantage.
It was a lead they’d hold for a mere 26 seconds.
On the ensuing kickoff, Marauders senior Manuel Moreno found a seam down the right side and raced 66 yards before Storm sophomore Kody Homann made a touchdown-saving tackle at the UV-E 19-yard line.
From there, Duvall needed just one play to give the lead back to S-E as he powered his way into the end zone from 19- yards out. Coye’s kick split the uprights and the Marauders were out front 7-6 with 1:26 left in the opening quarter.
Just before the half, the Marauders would get on the board again. Facing a fourth down, from the UV-E five-yard line, S-E was able to punch the ball in for the score as Duvall followed the lead blocks of Corey Musician, Austin Jasper and Cody Santiago and waltzed in for the score to give S-E a 14-6 halftime advantage.
UV-E had several scoring opportunities, but just couldn’t get on the scoreboard. Late in the third, the Storm had their best chance as Westbrook broke free on a bruising run. After carrying a plethora of S-E defenders down the field, Westbrook was headed inside the S-E 10-yard line, when Marauders’ senior linebackers Ryan Marango and Coye managed to rip the ball from the Storm fullback’s grasp. The ball was scooped up by fellow S-E senior linebacker Chris Santiago ending the Storm’s bid to tie the game.
From there, S-E would march 90 yards. Duvall rattled off 42 yards on the drive, before quarterback Ethan Johnson dashed into the end zone following a devastating lead block by Musician to put S-E up 20-6 with 8:50 to play.
S-E senior tailback Cody Williams put the final touches on the game with two minutes to play as he raced 26 yards for the final touchdown. It was Williams’ third touchdown run of 25 yards or more in 2010 on just six carries.
“After a tough start, we finished the season strong,” said Jasper, who led the Marauders to a perfect 5-0 record in October after a September in which S-E went 1-3. “That’s a testament to this group of kids’ work ethic and desire.”
The Marauders defense was once again terrific as Ethan Johnson, Randall Briggs, and Spencer Franklin each intercepted passes giving the S-E defense 17 interceptions for the season.
Duvall had his fourth straight 100-yard rushing performance and finished the season with 726 yards rushing despite starting just five games. Will Slentz added 62 yards on the ground for S-E.
The Storm was paced by Gage with 52 rushing yards and Westbrook with 49 yards. Junior signal caller Brandon Miles went 4-for-12 through the air for 54 yards, while Zack Ruffles added a 21-yard toss to a leaping Justin Hofer.
S-E’s season ends with a county-best 6-3 mark, while UV-E, which didn‘t win a game in 2008 and 2009, finished the season with a respectable 4-5 mark under Foulds in his first year as a varsity coach.
Team Summary
