Carthage romps in home opener

By AMANDA TAYLOR
JOHNSON NEWSPAPERS

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2012

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CARTHAGE — After their initial game was rescheduled Friday evening because of inclement weather, the Carthage Comets returned to their home field Saturday reinvigorated and ready to beat Class A National contender New Hartford. The 36-6 victory gave the Comets a 2-1 record and New Hartford fell to 0-3.

“We finished strong, really strong. ... the defense played really well,” said Carthage coach Sam Millich.

Carthage got on the board first with a safety after New Hartford took the opening kickoff. Carthage didn’t score again until the second quarter, the big play being a 40-yard run by Wayne Timpson into Spartans territory.

Millich said the Comets’ slow start could have been caused by “nerves from the home opener.”

The Comets scored again from one yard out to enter halftime with a 16-0 lead.

In the third quarter, New Hartford returned a turnover for a touchdown to cut into Carthage’s lead. But on the final play of the quarter, Timpson carried the ball in from 15 yards out for a touchdown and a 23-6 lead.

Timpson and receiver Dylan James added scores for the Comets for the final margin of victory.

Timpson finished with 157 yards. Bailey Wilkinson, making his first start at quarterback on the season, added the touchdown pass to James. Steven Elam also scored on a 12-yard run.

The Comets’ defense, led by linebacker Casey Boulio, held the Spartans to 159 total yards, including just 60 on the ground.

Carthage next plays away at Camden Sept. 21.

POTSDAM 35, MALONE 27

O’den Robertson rushed for 165 yards to lead the Potsdam football team to a 35-27 win over Malone Saturday, keeping the Sandstoners in a tie with Gouverneur for first place in the Northern Athletic Conference in Potsdam.

Robertson scored three touchdowns for Potsdam (3-0), which tallied 298 rushing yards while avenging two losses to the defending Section 10 Class A champion Huskies from last season.

The game was tied 14-14 in the second quarter when the Sandstoners scored three straight touchdowns to build a 35-14 lead heading into the final quarter.

Malone (2-1) rallied with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, on a 29-yard run by Mitch Gallagher and a 5-yard pass from Gallagher to Harvey Smith, to cut the deficit to eight points.

Gallagher finished with 125 yards rushing and 142 yards passing for the Huskies.

PHOENIX 28, THOUSAND ISLANDS 7

Avery Chisolm ran for 226 yards and two scores as the Firebirds defeated the visiting Vikings in a Class C interconference game at Phoenix.

Austin Furco ran for a score and passed for another for Phoenix (1-2).

Austin Bach scored on a 1-yard run in the first quarter for Thousand Islands (0-3). Bach ran for 75 yards and passed for another 37 for the Vikings

WESTMORELAND 33, BEAVER RIVER 6

Tim Harrison scored three touchdowns as the unbeaten Bulldogs (3-0, 2-0) raced to a 20-6 halftime lead and went on to beat the host Beavers in a Class D Central game at Beaver Falls.

Isaiah Riccio scored the lone Beaver River touchdown on a 5-yard run in the first quarter. Riccio also recorded 21 tackles on defense for Beaver River (0-3).

A-P-W 51, Adirondack 14

Quarterback Jarid Paninski threw six toucheown passes, including three to Aaron Marshall, as the Rebels rolled over the Wildcats in a Class C North game at Boonville.

Paninski threw 48 yards, 10 yards and 54 yards to Marshall, 22 and 27 yards to Jon Phoenix and 62 yards to Joe Carusone for touchdowns for Altmar-Parish-Williamstown (2-1), which scored in every quarter.

Joe Marks passed for a score and Coty Lutz ran 20 yards for another score for Adirondack (1-2, 0-2).

SANDY CREEK 39, SOUTH LEWIS 8

Friday night, Wyatt Bush ran for 209 yards on 14 carries and scored twice as the Comets beat the Falcons in a Class C Central game at Turin.

Jake Benedict recorded 10 tackles and a sack for Sandy Creek (2-1, 2-0), and Cameron Hall had an interception.