ILION, N.Y. — On a crisp autumn Friday night perfect for a game of football, the CVA Thunder defeated the Little Falls Mounties 42-7 at Diss Athletic Complex in Ilion.
Little Falls chose to start the game on offense, but it was the CVA defense that held strong. A muffed punt by the Mounties put the Thunder on the Little Falls 21, and the home team wasted no time taking advantage. On their first play on offense, senior running back Cal Jacquays burst down the sideline for a 21-yard rushing touchdown. A successful extra point attempt by Zack Bushardt made the score 7-0 with 8:11 remaining in the first quarter.
CVA held the seven-point lead throughout the first quarter, but a fumbled snap by the offense set Little Falls up with a golden scoring opportunity to begin the second quarter. Starting at the Thunder 16, the shortened Mountie drive was finished with a five-yard touchdown plunge by Kyle Sylstra. Josh Dingle added the extra point to tie the game at seven.
After the Sylstra touchdown, the Mounties pinned the Thunder on their own 15 with the ensuing kickoff. With 85 yards to go, CVA worked its way to midfield when Jacquays struck again, this time bolting 50 yards into the endzone for his second score of the game to make it 13-7 (the extra point missed). As Little Falls got the ball back on their own 26-yard line. Austin Cruz pulled in two passes from quarterback Colton Morrone on 3rd and 11 to keep the drive alive, but ultimately stalled, resulting in a punt that put the Thunder back on their own 15 once again.
Facing another lengthy field to score and with 3:46 to do it, this time it was CVA quarterback Brayden Voorhees who did the damage. On the second play of the drive, his quarterback keeper run got his team to midfield. Voorhees’ legs then finished the drive, as his 49-yard run down the left sideline resulted in the Thunder’s third touchdown of the first half. He then hit Brody Vogel with a pass in the end zone to complete the two-point conversion, making the score 21-7.
Down 14 with 2:13 remaining in the half, the Mountie offense was stopped in their own end after a third-down sack by Bushardt forced them into another punt. With half of a field to go, no timeouts, and 1:39 remaining, Jacquays started the drive with a 16-yard run. The next play, Voorhees connected with a wide-open Kolton Moncur-Hoke on a 34-yard touchdown pass, giving the Thunder a 28-7 lead going into halftime.
The momentum CVA took into halftime continued as they received the opening kickoff of the second half. Starting at their own 29, Jacquays picked up yardage in chunks as the Thunder found themselves in Mounties territory again. Voorhees finished yet another CVA drive with a 17-yard touchdown run to give his team a 35-7 lead (Bushardt’s extra point was good).
Protecting a 35-point lead, the Thunder defense continued to keep the Mounties’ offense at bay. After stopping the Little Falls ensuing drive, CVA got the ball back on their own 23. The Mounties’ defense forced the Thunder into a 3rd and 11 at their own 22, but Voorhees connected with Vogel on a 30-yard pass to keep the drive alive.
The next play, Jacquays found the endzone for the third time of the night. He took the ball at the Little Falls 48, found an opening in the middle, and then rocketed down the sideline and across the goal line for the Thunder’s sixth touchdown of the game. Neither team would score for the rest of the game as the Class B Thunder defeated the Class C Mounties 42-7.
CVA will hit the road for their next game as they face the New Hartford Spartans on September 26. The Mounties will return home for their next contest as they host the rival Dolgeville Blue Devils on September 26.