Impact Matchup: Pittsford takes down Camden-Frontier 28-6
(Camden-Frontier stats to be updated online)
PITTSFORD — It was all smiles and cheers from Pittsford's fans, players and coaches after winning just their second 8-player football game in school history. Their hard work to transition the Wildcats from 11-player football this summer has paid off with another major win; this time over SCAA rival Camden-Frontier.
For head coach Rob Wickham and the C-F varsity football team, the 6-28 loss moves them down to 1-1 on the season, but there's plenty of opportunities ahead for C-F to stay firmly in the discussion for a league title.
Both teams needed this win and the student sections and fan turnouts showed just how important this rivalry was to the two communities. Camden-Frontier and the Pittsford Wildcats have not played in a regular season battle since 2015 when C-F transitioned to 8-player football. The two teams have played 59 times over the decades, with the Wildcats holding a 39-18-2 record in that rivalry. It is an important game for both schools and fans were treated to a hard-hitting, physical football game on Sept. 1.
Both teams would not score in the first quarter. Pittsford would strike first in the opening of the second quarter with a Carden pass to Bryce Williams for a 30-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion was successful by Legend Gore. The Wildcats struck one more time in the second quarter with a Legend Gore 10-yard run. Pittsford came out with a long drive in the third quarter and added a Lane Lewis two yard touchdown run to the scoreboard. A pass to Anthony Governo converted the two point try.
Camden-Frontier finally struck pay dirt with a 10-yard touchdown pass from Mikey Roe. The Wildcats would close the game with another red zone drive that resulted in a Lane Lewis touchdown.
The Wildcats had 308 yards of total offense compared to Camden-Frontier's 143. The Wildcats completed five of their six passing attempts for 104 yards. C-F struggled in the passing game, converting on just three of their nine attempts for 20 yards. C-F had four total turnovers: two interceptions and two fumbles. The Wildcats lost one fumble during the game. The Wildcat defense came up big with three sacks.
Legend Gore led the way with 97 yards of rushing and a 19 yard reception. Lane Lewis added 67 yards on the ground. Carden had 60 yards rushing to go along with his 104 yards passing. Bryce Williams had two receptions for 63 yards. Lane Lewis hauled in two catches for 22 yards.
On defense, Legend Gore had 10 tackles. Lane Lewis had 7.5 tackles. Gavyn Carden had six tackles. Bryce Williams had 5.5 tackles. Ryan Evener had 3.5 tackles. Dyrk Hensely had 2.5 tackles. Gage Gore had two tackles. Patrick VanDusen had two tackles. Eli Labo had one tackle. Brady Hartman had one solo sack. Teagan Williams had 0.5 tackles. Conner Oeborn, Labo, Lewis and Gore all had 0.5 sacks.
For quarterback Gavyn Carden, he saw the team open up the offense and improve their efficiency, which allowed the Wildcats to put crucial points on the board whether in the form of touchdowns or two-point conversions.
"We had to throw the ball a lot more tonight and I think we did a lot better at that," said Carden. "We came out here ready to play and to hit and that's what it's all about."
For Lane Lewis, the running back and linebacker was quick to point out the success of his teammates in the SCAA win. While Lewis believes the team has a lot of work to do, he thinks they are in a good position to compete with the next big opponents on their schedule.
We stuck it out...It helps to have good teammates," said Lewis. "We practiced a lot of line blocking. I think we got a lot of work to do but I think we will compete."
Coach Burger saw how much the win meant for the kids on his team and the fans from the community. Coach Burger hopes the team is able to build off of their win in the next matchups on the horizon.
"I'm really proud of our kids for playing hard," said Burger. "You got to give a lot of credit to Camden. They played hard and are well coached. We made some timely plays that we hadn't done in a couple weeks. We are going to enjoy this win and we got a lot of things to work on. "
Coach Burger emphasized the team penalties and emotional mistakes made on the field in the game. Burger believes the team needs to work to be mentally tougher and learn how to better handle success. The team will have one week to prepare for what will likely be their biggest matchup of the regular season. The Wildcats host Adrian Lenawee Christian, the current defending 8-player D1 state champions. The conference matchup could be the deciding factor of who has the early path to a league title.
Coach wants to work on penalties. Mentally tougher and learning how to handle success. Practicing on labor day to get ready for tough matchup. "They are a tremendous team and we are going to have our hands full," said coach Burger.
Lenawee Christian is 2-0 to start the year. The Cougars defeated Toledo Christian 34-26 in week two and defeated Genesee 51-0 in week one. The game could prove to be the biggest impact matchup next week in Hillsdale County. Kickoff is currently scheduled for 7 p.m. on Sept. 9.
Rob Wickham and the Camden-Frontier football team looks to regroup for their home game against Climax-Scotts on Sept. 9. The C-F varsity football team looks to get revenge for their ugly loss to the Panthers in 2021. Climax-Scotts defeated a strong Concord team in week one and took down Bellevue in week two.
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Impact Matchup: Pittsford takes down Camden-Frontier 28-6
