Adams JV vs. Groves H.S. Oct. 11, 2007

Highlander JV pound Groves 41-6

The Adams JV football team played a near-perfect game, and running back Marc Benacquisto put on a show neither he nor the Groves Falcons will soon forget, powering Adams to their seventh win of the season 41-6.

The Highlander offense had zero turnovers, after committing seven the week before, and the defense – especially the front line – had another dominating performance. And #25 Benacquisto ran for over 200 yards, slicing up the Groves defense like a sharp knife through an overripe tomato.

Groves threatened to score first on their opening possession of the game. After starting from their own 32-yard line, they used a mix of runs and passes to get down to the Highlanders 20-yard line. But on third down, the Falcons quarterback threw a wobbly pass that was intercepted by #7 Andy Morrissey and returned 20 yards to the 36.

On the first play of the second quarter, quarterback Tyler Martin veered right for 32 yards for a first down on the Groves 32. An illegal receiver downfield penalty wiped off a touchdown pass to Morrissey. Not to be deterred, the Highlanders simply backed up 5 yards and scored on the nex play when #42 Alec Prechtel took the handoff and ran around the right side for a 36-yard TD run. The point-after kick by #14 Marcus Dubois was good, and the Highlanders were up 7-0.

A great kickoff by young Chad Gierak pinned Groves on the 6, they punted back to the Highlanders with 8:18 left in the half and Adams had great field position on the Falcons 39. On first down, Benacquisto blasted 28 yards to the 19. On a well-executed mis-direction play, #22 TJ Trouba ran in for the touchdown. Dubois kick was good, and the Highlanders were up 14-0 with 7:08 remaining before halftime.

Another 3-and-out by Groves, and Adams was back on offense looking to score more. And it didn’t take long. After a 12-yard run by Trouba moved the ball to Groves’ 32, QB Martin showed some great moves and ran all the way for the touchdown. The PAT was blocked, but it took just 55 seconds for the Highlanders to stretch the lead to 20-0.

The only defensive breakdown by Adams occurred right before halftime. The Falcons caught the Highlander secondary napping and hit on a 38-yard touchdown pass with :17 left. The PAT failed, but the home team was on the board, and the half ended 20-6.

The defense did their job at the start of the third quarter, getting the ball back to the offense with great field position. On 2nd and 13, Benacquisto ran for 22. On the next play from the Groves 26, he showed his strength and kept his legs pumping for another 11 yards down to the 15. After a Falcons personal foul gave Adams a first and goal on the 7, Tyler Martin rolled right looking to pass, but kept the ball and ran for the TD. The PAT failed, but Adams lead grew to 26-6 at the 8:01 mark of the 3rd quarter.

Kudos to the defensive line of Tyler Kilpatrick, Mark Hermann, Trevor Sheldon and Mark Sicheneder. They shut down the Groves offense on the next possession, and pretty much all game. The offense took over on their own 34 and moved the ball to the Groves 43 yardline, facing a 3rd and 2. Who ya gonna call? Groves-buster Benacquisto of course! He took the handoff and ran down the right sideline for the TD. The run put him over the 100-yard mark for the game. The 2-point conversion was good, and Adams had the game in hand 34-6 with a little over 2 minutes left in the quarter.

The defense once again held the Falcons, but a running into the kicker penalty on the Highlanders gave them new life. The first play of the 4th quarter saw the Falcons rip off a 37 yard run that gave them a first down on the Adams 19. Facing 3rd and goal on the 1, Kilpatrick and Sichenader again came up big with the stop. On 4th down, #20 Gierak came up with a huge hit in the backfield, giving Adams the ball with 8:00 left in the game.

But the offense was pinned in the shadow of their own endzone. No problem, just give the ball to #25 and let him loose. Benacquisto had perhaps the best run all season, running down the sideline, breaking tackles (no surprise) and showing some breadaway speed (surprise!) to outrun chasing Falcons for a 90-yard touchdown. That run put him over 200 yard for the game. The PAT was good and the final score was 41-6.

The Highlander (7-1) close out the season Oct. 18 at home agains cross-town rival Rochester.