Joey Payeur
Mike Cuzzolino is in the market for a little short-term amnesia.
“I’m trying to forget that game,” the Muskie football team’s head coach said after watching his squad get pounded 38-3 by the host Daniel McIntyre Maroons during a key Andy Currie Division showdown Friday.
“We had a tough week of practice,” he noted.
“Lots of kids were away so I don’t think we were as prepared as we should’ve been,” he admitted.
On the Maroons’ second play from scrimmage, quarterback Kevin Ebron found Daniel Sousa behind coverage down the right sideline for a 39-yard touchdown strike to make it 7-0.
Cole Kowalski, named the division’s defensive player-of-the-week last Thursday after his interception return for a touchdown and five tackles against the Maples Marauders, tried to create a spark for the black-and-gold by getting his first of two muffed punt recoveries later in the quarter.
But after a penalty knocked Fort High out of the red zone, a field goal try by Cam Lidkea was blocked.
On the very next play, Sousa took a hand-off and found a seam in the Muskie defence that he ripped to shreds en route to a 62-yard scoring run.
“We were beaten a lot on outside runs and they managed to connect a few passes on us deep in the corners,” noted Cuzzolino.
The second quarter was a festival of turnovers as the two teams combined to cough up the ball five times.
Muskie quarterback Brandon Whitecrow threw his first of four interceptions in the game while the black-and-gold turned the ball over twice more on downs—the first following a poor snap on a punt attempt.
The Maroons also turned the ball over on downs and muffed another punt.
But nobody could capitalize until the final minute of the half, when Dom Merano gained the left corner on the Muskie defence and outran his pursuers on a 35-yard dash for a 21-0 lead.
The frustration for the Muskies boiled over during the quarter. Linebacker Cody Bell was ejected after getting tangled up with Maroons’ receiver Adrean Dianelo, with Bell winding up on top of Dianelo in the tussle.
Bell faces an automatic one-game suspension from the WHSFL, although Cuzzolino said he will appeal.
“The commissioner made the ruling without reviewing the film,” Cuzzolino stressed.
“[Bell] tried to get up and [Dianelo] was holding onto him.
“I don’t know how you can make a ruling on something without looking at the film,” he added.
After a 21-yard Sousa field goal made it 24-0 early in the third quarter, Kowalski again left his mark with his second interception in two games, which he ran back to the Maroons’ 47.
That ecstasy quickly turned to agony, though, as Riley Peters stepped in front of Whitecrow’s pass on the next play for an easy interception at the Daniel McIntyre 25.
On the subsequent drive, Ebron sent a screen pass to Merano, who sprinted by several Fort High defenders along the right sideline for a 57-yard touchdown and a 31-0 advantage.
Following the ensuing kick-off, Whitecrow made another ill-fated decision to throw off his back foot, as was the case on his two earlier interceptions.
The result was Ishaka Jordan securing another pick and dashing 58 yards to the end zone.
“Brandon played hurt and wasn’t able to set up properly, which led to some costly turnovers, including a pick-six,” noted Cuzzolino.
“We weren’t able to run the ball outside effectively and they blitzed a ton off the edge, which really allowed them to get to Brandon,” he added.
The Muskies finally got on the board thanks to a 16-yard field goal by Lidkea in the dying seconds.
Lidkea’s kick was set up by a vicious hit laid on Merano as he was taking a hand-off that caused the ball to pop into the air.
It then was grabbed by Gavin Richardson and brought back 26 yards to the Maroons’ 15.
Besides Bell, Fort High also lost defensive lineman Matt Cheetham, who dislocated his shoulder and is expected to miss “a considerable amount of time,” according to Cuzzolino.
The Muskies’ focus now shifts to this Friday for its annual Homecoming game, with the College Lorette Collegiate Scorpions (2-2) providing the opposition.
Kick-off is now slated for 2 p.m. (not 3 p.m. as previously reported).
Lorette has lost two-straight after starting the season 2-0, including a 34-6 blow out to the first-place Elmwood Giants (5-0) this past Friday.
It’s a vital game for both teams as the Scorpions are in a four-way tie for fifth place.
The Muskies (1-3) can get right back into the playoff picture with a win, which would give Fort High the tie-breaker advantage should the two teams finish the season with identical records.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve won Homecoming [2008],” noted Cuzzolino.
“Hopefully, the boys take this loss and re-dedicate themselves and take pride in this team,” he added.
“The sky’s the limit for this team,” Cuzzolino stressed.
“They just need to realize it and come to practice every day, work hard, and things will start going our way.”
