NEW BERLIN – The Blackhawks scored 22 points in the first quarter while the Storm of Unadilla Valley tacked on one touchdown. UV made the game interesting in the second, tying it at 22-22 but the two scores Oxford in the third proved to help the visiting team come out with the 36-28 victory last Friday.

Xavier Cruz recorded all five of the Blackhawks’ touchdowns in the game, finishing with 330 of Oxford’s 363 yards.

Cruz’s scoring runs were for 30, 60, 7, 46 and 13 yards from the line of scrimmage with three coming in the opening stanza.

It wasn’t all the offensive effort by Cruz that helped Oxford claim the win for the visiting team.

The Blackhawks’ Brad Beckwith kicked an onside kick and recovered the fumble from his attempt to give his team good field position following the UV turnover. He also picked up another fumble recovery in the game after blocking a punt.

In the second quarter, the Storm’s offensive push came from quarterback Blaine Rifanburg with a 43 yard touchdown run and two converted two-point conversion. His teammate Mitch Merlo added a seven yard run for six points to tie the game before the intermission.

As there was no scoring in the final 12 minutes of play, the outcome of the game came down to the third quarter.

The stanza opened with Cruz running for his 46 yard score, giving Oxford back the lead but only for five minutes.

The Storm’s Kyler Buts ran into the endzone from eight yards away to once again tied the game at 28-28.

With just :52 seconds left in the third, Cruz capped his big day off with a 13 yarder to score his fifth touchdown and the final points of the contest went to Oxford.

Rifanburg finished with 21 carries for 99 yards on the ground while throwing nine completion in 15 attempts for 92 to yards to lead the Unadilla Valley offense. Buts added 86 yards in 12 rushes and caught five passes for 41 yards. Merlo took eight handoffs for 16 yards.

Oxford’s quarterback CJ Smith ran for 22 yards on the ground with his number called 11 times. Smith also attempted seven passes, completing two for 11 yards with one interception.

The Storm will be looking for their first win of the season when they host Newfield on Friday at 7 p.m. The Blackhawks have an off week and are preparing for Elmira Notre Dame in the opening round of the Section IV 8-man playoffs. That game is scheduled for Friday, October 26 in Elmira at 7 p.m.

Oxford 36, Unadilla Valley 28