Bartlett spreads the wealth in win over East Aurora
Bartlett went the equal opportunity route on offense Friday night in the Upstate Eight Valley Division opener, showcasing a cadre of tailbacks that could be mistaken for clones.
Four running backs scored touchdowns as the Hawks notched their first win of the season after routing host East Aurora 40-6.
Hurshel Ross III, Titus Ayomidele, Nolan Bernat and Jesse Mijes each tallied a rushing touchdown as Bartlett (1-2, 1-0) took command early and never allowed the Tomcats a chance to mount a threat.
East Aurora (0-3, 0-1) lost its starting quarterback early in the contest when Alfonso Dieppa was decked from behind on a late hit.
The play left a sour taste in East Aurora coach Kurt Becker’s mouth.
“My quarterback got knocked out of the game with a spear in the back after the play,” Becker said. “That should be an automatic ejection.
“I don’t care about Bartlett because if that’s the football they promote, then they are disgracing the game.”
Bartlett coach Tom Meaney said it was a physical game from start to finish.
“East Aurora is no slouch,” Meaney said. “They are a tough team and have some speed and skill.”
But so did Bartlett on this night. Especially in the rushing game.
“We’ve been telling our offensive line to block longer and we challenged the kids tonight to maintain their blocks,” Meaney said. “We’re thinking we were successful, but we’ll look at game film tomorrow.”
The game film will confirm that Bartlett’s running backs seemed like mirror images, using a fast, slashing running style to find holes in the East Aurora line to the tune of 316 yards rushing.
If not for 15 penalties for 125 yards, including one that nullified a 60-yard touchdown run by Ross, the Hawks may have climbed past the 400-yard mark on the ground for the night.
“We wanted to get all four of our running backs a chance to run the ball and score, and that’s what we did tonight,” said tailback Ayomidele (9 carries, 81 yards).
“We have a whole staple of running backs and we’re all good and we’re going to get our yards,” Ayomidele said.
That, they did. Ross (8 carries, 80 yards) got the tidal wave rolling with a 15-yard run to open the scoring on Bartlett’s first possession. Ross had 45 yards on the 55-yard scoring drive.
Ayomidele took his turn five minutes later in bouncing to the outside for a 45-yard touchdown scamper that closed the first quarter with the Hawks leading 14-0.
After Micheal Coleantonio halted an East Aurora drive by intercepting a Julian Ramos pass inside the Hawks’ 10-yard line, it was time for Bernat to show his speed.
Bernat (3 carries, 90 yards) blasted through the line for an 89-yard scamper before being pulled down at the Tomcat 1-yard line. The referee trying to keep pace on the play pulled up with a hamstring injury and had to leave the contest. Bernat rammed over from a yard out for 20-0 lead.
The Hawks changed things up by tallying through the air on the next possession, with quarterback Jordan Flint (6 of 13 for 82 yards) finding a slanting Bryce Petty for an 8-yard scoring strike.
East Aurora, falling in its 42nd straight game, broke through when Ramos hit Desmond Gant from 10 yards out early in the third quarter.
The Hawks tacked on two second-half scores when Flint found Gabriel Sheahan with a 37-yard touchdown pass and Mijes (6 carries, 64 yards) broke loose for a 45-yard scoring jaunt late in the game.
“East Aurora was driving on us early,” Meaney said. “But the kids decided to buckle down and we did a much better job from that point on.”
Bartlett’s defense held East Aurora to 158 total yards.