Published: October 09, 2008 10:25 am         

CCS football suffers first loss; face must win Fri.

By ERIC AHLQVIST
Cooperstown Crier

After suffering its first loss of the season in the Homecoming Game Friday night, the Cooperstown football team faces a mustwin game Friday night at Frankfort- Schuyler.

The Redskins, 4-1, are in a three-way tie for first place in the Center State Conference East division along with F-S and Herkimer. CCS head coach Steve Pugliese said a loss this Friday would end his team’s hopes for a division title and put a postseason berth in doubt as well.

``This will be our championship game,’’ Pugliese said of the Frankfort game. ``From watching tapes, I think we’re a better defensive team than them, and they’re a better offensive team. It will probably come down to which team wants it more.’’

Cooperstown lost a 28-14 decision to Adirondack last Friday, a game they trailed throughout. The Wildcats took advantage of a poor opening kickoff and drove 50 yards for a touchdown on their first possession.

Adirondack, which has won three games in a row after an 0-2 start, converted two fourth down tries and scored on a 13-yard touchdown pass to Scott Hughes midway through the first quarter. Cooperstown’s R.J. Alton ran 33-yards on the Redskins’ first play from scrimmage, but the drive stalled when quarterback Tyler Hoke was sacked on third down.

The Redskins tied the score in the second quarter, driving 19 yards after Tanner Niedzialkowski recovered a muffed punt. On fourth and five from the 14-yard line, Hoke hooked up with Brad Ashford on a 14-yard scoring pass over the middle.

Adirondack answered with a 60-yard touchdown drive, capped by a 19-yard run by senior Scott Dunlap.

Dunlap, Adirondack’s all-time leading rusher, injured his foot on the first play of the third quarter, but the Wildcats still managed a 75-yard scoring drive without him, capped by a oneyard touchdown run by Matt Pfendler.

The Redskins’ Chad Parshall return the ensuing kickoff to the Cooperstown 40-yard line, and on the first play from scrimmage Hoke recovered his own fumble and ran 50-yards to the Adirondack 10-yard line on a broken play. Two plays later, he hit Ashford for the second time, looping a pass just over a defender’s hands to Ashford in the corner of the end zone.

Cooperstown’s defense stopped Adirondack on its next possession, and Parshall got a hand on the ensuing punt, giving Cooperstown a first down at the 50-yard line.

But the Redskins failed to even gain a single first down, and Adirondack drove 80 yards for a touchdown on its next possession to put the game away.

``We’ve got to execute our offense more effectively,’’ Pugliese said. ``Against Adirondack, we got beat on the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. We can win Friday, but we’ve got to play a better brand of football.’’

Cooperstown concludes its regular season on Saturday, Oct. 18 when they host Little Falls at 2 p.m.