Four consecutive touchdowns to begin the game carried the Fayetteville-Manlius Hornets to a 61-42 win over Rome Free Academy.
From one end of the Hornet sideline to the other and then to the players on the field, there was a constant flow of energy throughout the whole game and it started as they continued to convert their early drives into points.
Fayetteville-Manlius possessed a 34-7 lead after the first quarter, which would end up carrying them through some of the struggles that they would end up experiencing as the game played out.
The second quarter was a bump in the road for the Hornets, as both the offense and defense would struggle. After the big offensive quarter, the F-M’s offense would have trouble staying on the field, which led to a fatigued defense. As a result, the Hornets were outscored 13-0 in the quarter.
But it wasn’t enough for Rome Free Academy to withstand F-M’s early lead. The Hornets made sure of that.
F-M’s running game continued to be dominant and supported the defense. Running backs Eric Coley and James Rettinger got it done on both sides of the ball and were big parts of the eye-opening first quarter.
Soon after Coley rushed for the first touchdown of the game, Rettinger made his mark on the game with his defense. As Rome Free Academy was driving down the field and was near the end zone, Rettinger read the play, intercepted the ball, and then sprinted 68 yards into the end zone for his first of two touchdowns of the game.
Coley’s touchdown was his first score of a game that raised a bar that was already pretty high. When all was said and done, the senior had accounted for 7 touchdowns and 292 yards.
Quarterback Henry Josephson of F-M also had a good game. Aside from his touchdown the pass to Ben Welling, did what a quarterback does and put the team on his shoulders, even when he wasn’t on the field. Josephson continuously made sure that the sideline was engaged throughout the game.
Eric Coley and his teammates secured the victory over Rome Free Academy in the first home game of the season, marking the 100th win of Coach Paul Muench’s career.
Great read Joe