Amherst's road win over Cheektowaga not an upset
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter

Amherst Central's Cordell Freeman stiff-arms Cheektowaga's Eric Morganstern during the Tigers' impressive 22-12 road win last Friday. Freeman rushed 19 times for 158 yards and a touchdown. Amherst is 2-1 overall. Photo by Joe Eberle

High school football fans might think Amherst Central's 22-12 league win at Cheektowaga last Friday was an upset but Tigers' coach Rob Gross nor his players thought so.

"The important thing is that the players didn't believe that and neither did the coaches," said Gross. "The kids played with a lot of pride and did what was necessary to win the game. I'm extremely proud of the team."

It's the second straight week Amherst has won on the road against a ranked opponent. Coming into Friday's game, Cheektowaga was ranked ninth among large schools. They beat Akron, who at the time was the No. 10 small school, 40-15, in Week Two.

Amherst set the tone early, scoring on their opening series, a 13-play, 87-yard drive capped off by a 17-yard touchdown pass from Cordell Freeman to Matt Krajna. The drive chewed up six-and-a-half minutes off the clock. Freeman ran in the two-point conversion.

"It's the second game in a row where we scored on the opening drive," said Gross. "It sets the tone but it's also a situation of time of possession and momentum."

The score stayed 8-0 until the Tigers' first offensive series of the third quarter when sophomore Bert Smith ran 47 yards off tackle.

"He came through clean," said Gross. "It was blocked properly and he's so quick that when he hit the hole he was gone."

A Freeman pass to Krajna on the two-point conversion put Amherst ahead 16-0.

Cheektowaga made it interesting with a 38-yard pass from Rafael Butler to Randy Hawkins in the third quarter and a 13-yard run by Eric Morganstern in the fourth. The Warriors could not convert a two-point conversion attempt on their first touchdown. The extra point on the second touchdown was blocked.

Instead of letting the defense try to hold Cheektowaga the rest of the game, the Tigers' offense responded with a 9-play, 65-yard drive ending with a 40-yard Freeman run, putting Amherst ahead 22-12 with five minutes remaining.

"He got the blocking up front to give him the initial five or six yards and then it was a great individual effort with some down-field blocking to get into the end zone," said Gross.

The score was a huge momentum shifter as Cheektowaga had trailed only 16-12.

"To come right back and go two-thirds of the field, it put them down 10 with five minutes to go in the game," said Gross. "It was a good job of the players stepping up and putting together a drive when we needed one. It would be very easy to go three and out, punt, and hope the defense holds them and they moved the chains and turned it into a touchdown drive. I was extremely happy that we played not to lose. We took over and played to win."

Smith intercepted a Butler pass at midfield on the second play of what would be Cheektowaga's last offensive series. The Amherst offense then converted four first downs and ran out the clock.

Amherst finished with 341 rushing yards. Freeman had 19 carries for 158 yards and a score. Andre Hakeem rushed 22 times for 113 yards and caught an interception on defense. Smith added five carries for 70 yards and a touchdown.

Gross also lauded the play of the offensive line - D.J. Filer, Sebastian Manunta, Scott Boyer, Andrew Gruber, Pete Caffarelli and tight ends Casey Rich and Viron Hale.

The Amherst defense caused three turnovers (two interceptions, fumble recovery on first-and-goal in second quarter), improving their turnover ratio on the season to plus-9.

Chris Brunetto led the Amherst tacklers with nine. Nick Borek added seven tackles.

Amherst (2-1, 1-1), a Class A team, hosts a non-league game at 7 p.m. Thursday with Class AA Williamsville North.

"We just need to go out and play the way we're capable of playing, with desire and attitude like they have been, execute plays in all phases of the game, and limit mistakes," said Gross.

e-mail: pnagy@beenews.com