Warriors Outlast Tigers 50-24

Leyton’s Warrior Football team hosted rival Bayard on Friday night, and a hard-hitting close contest turned into a convincing 50-to-24 win as the Warriors took control of the game in the second half.

The night started with a solemn remembrance on Patriot’s Day, with members of multiple area fire, police and veterans groups participating in a moment of silence commemorating the memories of all who were lost on September 11, 2001. After the ceremony, the game started and immediately the two teams were engaged in a battle.

The Tigers scored first when sophomore Trenton Marquez was able to reel in a one yard pass that was tipped by multiple Leyton defenders before Marquez was able to secure the catch for six points. Bayard was able to hold the Warriors scoreless through the first quarter, then Leyton broke through in the second quarter with their first touchdown, a four yard run to paydirt by junior Zack Henke. Bayard fired back with another score, but the Leyton offense took over for multiple scores, including a 21 touchdown run by junior quarterback Scout Gamble and a touchdown pass to Henke, giving Leyton a 26-to-12 halftime lead.

The Tigers did not go quietly, even though they traveled with a limited roster due to illness, and had a number of starters out for the game. Bayard started with an onside quick and recovered the ball with great field position, but were unable to convert on third down and kicked the ball away. Leyton broke out with big runs and a big touchdown pass by Gamble to increase their lead to 32-to-12. Again, the Bayard team fought back, driving down the field and scoring to narrow the lead to 32-to-18. Leyton misfired on their next possession, with a long Gamble pass being called back on a holding penalty, and the Tigers drove the ball again and scored on a short run to climb to within eight points at 32-to-24.

Leyton started with great field position after a failed Bayard onside kick attempt. The Warriors were unable to drive, but then held back the Tigers on their next possession to stop their momentum and get resettled.

Leyton drove again with runs by senior Dominick Russ and junior Kole Bush, and a big pass reception by junior Mason Reimers put the Warriors in scoring position. Henke then ran the ball from the five yard line, broke three tackles including pushing a Tiger defender away with a stiff arm, and crossed into the end zone to increase the Leyton lead to 38-to-24.

The Warrior defense stepped up on the Tiger’s next possession when Gamble leaped high and pulled down an interception. The Warriors drove the field again, converted on a fourth down and six, and capped the drive with a five yard pass from Gamble to sophomore Justin Ernest who was wide open in the end zone to make the score 44-to-24 in the fourth quarter.

Bayard tried to battle back, but junior Matthew Monheiser broke through the offensive line on fourth down for a big sack, and gave the ball back to Leyton. After driving into scoring position, Leyton scored its final touchdown when Head Coach Glen Lipska went deep into the playbook, and called an option play. Gamble and Russ took off around the left side while Reimers at wide receiver broke back to the right and went in between the two as Gamble tossed the pitch. The reverse play had the Tigers defense moving left, and they were unable to catch Reimers who hit the corner and galloped into the end zone for the final score of the game.

Lipska was pleased with the effort he saw on the field, and said, “The boys did a great job, never gave up and overcame adversity in the third quarter. We struggled a bit, but our defense stepped up at the right moments and our offense found some weak spots in their defense to score.”

After struggling early in the game, the defense was able to generate stops and shut down the passing attack. Lipska said, “Our defensive line started to put some pressure on the quarterback, causing them to get off their rhythm in the passing game and our defensive backs started to understand the routes and sets which helped the coverage.”

Leyton faces another challenge next on the road against Hyannis. Lipska said, “They will be a very physical team both on the defensive and offensive side of the ball. We need to utilize our team speed to make plays and need to create some turnovers on the defensive side and take care of the ball on the offense if we’re going to be successful.”