John D'Onofrio
Greater Niagara Newspapers
PENLETON — It took Dorian Polk less than 10 seconds to prove his worth to the Lockport football program for the last half decade.
Polk took his first hand-off as a Lions’ starting tailback, sliced up the middle, cut right and raced 74 yards for a touchdown in Lockport’s 33-20 victory at Starpoint in the non-league football opener for both schools.
The third game of the annual rivalry series (LHS leads 2-1) was never in doubt as the Lions’ hogs up front dominated in the tenches, helping to build leads on the ground of 20-6 at halftime and 33-6 after three quarters.
A fleet-footed senior running back, Polk was the back-up for many years to the school’s all-time leading rusher, David Fluellen, who graduated last year (and saw ESPN prime-time action for Toledo in Friday’s 42-2 loss to Arizona).
Saturday’s 181-yard, tri-touchdown performance was an important one for Polk in his first opportunity to showcase his talents as a starter.
“It was excellent. It feels great. I was the back-up for one of the best running backs in the entire state and those are some big shoes to fill, but today I feel like I can fill those shoes perfectly,” Polk said.
“Our offensive line kept their blocks today.”
It started with a thunderclap under gray skies at Shirley Tudor Stadium. Lions sophomore Kyle Few blasted the kickoff into the upper stratosphere and in the endzone for a touchback. Few’s powerful kickoffs and punts — many into a brisk wind — would keep the Spartans hemmed deep into their own zone on drive starts for most of the day
The Lions’ defense held on downs, then Polk went the distance. Few’s extra point made it 7-0 LHS with 8:03 left in the first quarter.
The Spartans bounced right back when Tyler Robinson (156 yards, 1 TD) raced 73 yards for a touchdown. Starpoint’s two-point conversion run attempt fell short and the Lions led 7-6 after one.
The visiting Lions (1-0 overall, 0-0 Class AA North) scored 26 straight points after that to pull away convincingly. James Renford plowed in from 19 yards out, then with just 17.1 seconds left in the second, Polk dove in from a yard out. Few’s extra point made it 20-6 LHS at the half.
With the hogs up front opening huge holes, the Lions marched down the field to open the second half on a seven-play, 39-yard drive that was capped by senior Javeon Tomlinson’s 10-yard TD run to make it 26-6.
After holding the garnet and gray on a three-and-out, the Lions marched 60 yards on seven plays, capped by Polk’s 28-yard TD run around the left side. Few’s second PAT made it 33-6.
“They beat us up front,” Said Spartans head coach Al Cavagnaro. “I don’t think they were any faster or any quicker, but their offensive and defensive line manhandled us. We knew the game would be won in the trenches and they handled us. But I love the way we didn’t quit. I have yet to see this team quit in 25 years.”
The Spartans (0-1 overall, 0-0 Class A North) responded by driving 68-yards on 16 plays. Quarterback Brandon Wehrmeyer hit Brent Thurston for a 24-yard scoring pass, then Wehrmeyer kept it on a two-point conversion run and the LHS lead was cut to 33-14.
The hosts held Lockport on a three-and-out, then took it in again to round out the scoring, going 52 yards on 10 plays, capped by Cory Regnet’s seven-yard run up the middle.
Senior Ben Dalaudiere paced the Lions defense with 17 tackles. Renford had a dozen stops and senior Tom DiCarlo (3 rushes, 27 yards) added four stops.
In the junior varsity game Saturday morning in Lockport, James Chambers ran it in from 30 yards out with about a minute left in the game to lift LHS over Starpoint, 23-16.
Contact Union-Sun & Journal sports editor John D’Onofrio at 439-9222 ext. 6247.
