By Nate Beutel<br><a href="mailto:beuteln@gnnewspaper.com">E-mail Nate</a>
ELMA — Veteran Starpoint coach Al Cavagnaro slept easy last night after watching his team go toe-to-toe with one of Western New York’s best, Iroquois.
This evening’s rest might be different, though, as he may be tossing and turning over his decision to go for a 2-point conversion and a win in Friday’s Class A quarterfinal.
“I got a little greedy,” Cavagnaro admitted after watching his Spartans fail on the conversion attempt and fall 42-41 to the host Chiefs at Latimer Field. “I don’t regret going for it, but I’m sure I’ll be thinking about it for a while.”
The ending was fitting for a game that displayed offensive outbursts and poor defense from both teams. Iroquois star tailback Brandon Murie got the show rolling with a two-yard run less than five minutes in. Starpoint’s Brandon Bratek, the school’s all-time leading rusher, responded on the ensuing drive when he plunged in from a yard out. The 13-play scoring drive took almost six minutes off the clock and tied the game.
Then after recovering the first of two onside kicks, the Spartans marched down the field for a go-ahead touchdown. Josh Elizalde capped the 10-play drive with a one-yard TD surge. Murie and the Chiefs again responded, though, with a 62-yard drive that saw Murie score from three yards out. Starpoint would come right back with another clock-controlling drive that saw Elizalde score from a yard out and give his team a 21-13 lead.
Still, it wouldn’t be enough for a Starpoint halftime advantage because Iroquois immediately marched down the field and scored with less than a second remaining in the second quarter. Quarterback Aaron Huber (9-of-14, 109 yards, 2 TDs) found Dan Parker for a 15-yard slant that found the end zone. The two-point conversion pass was tipped but caught by Chiefs’ fullback Billy Desiderio to tie the game at 21.
Iroquois then began the third quarter with a bang as it scored twice and forced the lone Starpoint punt within the first 11 minutes of the period. Murie scored on a 13-yard sweep, while Huber and Parker hooked up for the second time, this time from 23 yards out. That put the Chiefs lead at 14 with one minute remaining in the third quarter.
But the Spartans would battle back, beginning with a 43-yard kick return from Brandon Kopp. Bratek (25 carries, 160 yards) then ran 37 yards for a touchdown on the very next play. On the Chiefs’ first possession of the fourth quarter, though, Murie would run to paydirt again. His seven-yard touchdown was his fourth of the game. He finished with 222 yards on 31 carries.
And just when you thought the Spartans had enough, they came right back with a 76-yard scoring drive that ended with Elizalde diving in from two yards out to close the gap to seven points with just over six minutes remaining.
With their defense struggling to contain Murie, the Spartans went for the onside kick and were successful. Ten plays later with only 49 seconds remaining, Bratek rushed in from five yards out to pull Starpoint within one. Cavagnaro decided to send his extra-point team out, but after an offsides penalty on the Chiefs, he changed his mind and decided to go for the lead on the road.
“I saw a chance to win it and not have to play defense anymore (in overtime),” Cavagnaro explained.
Even with the extra few feet, Bratek was unable to get past a swarming Iroquois defense and was stopped inches short of the goal-line. Another onside kick was attempted, but this time Iroquois was ready.
Then after Starpoint used its remaining two timeouts and the Chiefs took a delay of game, Iroquois decided to punt the ball away with six seconds left. The kick was fair caught at Starpoint’s 45-yard line, but an illegal formation penalty complicated the situation. With less than one second remaining, Starpoint declined the penalty and decided to take the opportunity to free kick the ball from 55 yards out. Senior Joe Scibilia, who was a solid 11-of-15 passing from 114 yards, booted the ball with all his might, but it was wide left and fell short.
“The kids played fantastic and I’m so proud of them,” Cavagnaro said. “It’s too bad it had to end like that.”
Iroquois will host the winner of today’s Grand Island vs. Cheektowaga game on Friday, while Starpoint will enter the Consolation Bowl playoffs next week.
