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LITTLE FALLS, N.Y. —
LITTLE FALLS 44, HOLLAND PATENT 27
There would be no last-minute heartbreak in Little Falls Saturday.
The Mounties thrilled the hometown crowd with their first win of the season, a 44-27 victory over Holland Patent’s Golden Knights that featured a five-touchdown day for senior quarterback Mike Battisti.
For the third week in a row, the Mounties (1-2, 1-1 C East) drove for a touchdown in the final minute of the first half, taking a 22-21 lead this time on Battisti’s third touchdown pass of the game, a 16-yarder to Cody Dillon at the back of the end zone with 32 seconds on the clock. Holland Patent had gone up 21-14 just 50 seconds earlier on the third of four touchdown runs by Matt Curtis.
“That really is something we work on all the time in practice,” Little Falls coach Bryan Shepardson said of his team’s two-minute drill, “and it fits right in at the end of the half.”
Just as he did in Frankfort eight days earlier, Jesse Talbot sparked the the Mounties’ end-of-the-half scoring drive with a long kickoff return. The Mounties took possession at the Holland Patent 45 and Battisti led them down the field in three plays, hitting on passes of 20 and nine yards to Will Robinson, who had caught his first two touchdowns, before spotting an open Dillon in the end zone for the touchdown. Tyler McLean ran in the conversion for the lead.
The Mounties’ defense caught up to their offense in the second half and Little Falls took control of the game which had gone back-and-forth in the first half. Battisti threw his fourth touchdown pass to Dillon, a 27-yarder, to put the Mounties up 30-21 entering the fourth quarter then added a 60-yard touchdown run in the final period. The long run put him over 100 yards on a day that saw him finish with 123 yards on eight carries and 222 yards on 12-for-18 passing.
McLean’s six-yard touchdown run capped the Mounties’ scoring.
Curtis had a big day for winless Holland Patent (0-3, 0-3 C East), running for 248 yards on 30 carries. He scored touchdowns 85 seconds apart in the second quarter when the Golden Knights recovered a loose ball on a kickoff that Little Falls left on the ground.
Curtis was help more in check in the second half and the Mounties finished the day with six takeaways, including two interceptions and a fumble recovery by Battisti.
LITTLE FALLS 44, HOLLAND PATENT 27
There would be no last-minute heartbreak in Little Falls Saturday.
The Mounties thrilled the hometown crowd with their first win of the season, a 44-27 victory over Holland Patent’s Golden Knights that featured a five-touchdown day for senior quarterback Mike Battisti.
For the third week in a row, the Mounties (1-2, 1-1 C East) drove for a touchdown in the final minute of the first half, taking a 22-21 lead this time on Battisti’s third touchdown pass of the game, a 16-yarder to Cody Dillon at the back of the end zone with 32 seconds on the clock. Holland Patent had gone up 21-14 just 50 seconds earlier on the third of four touchdown runs by Matt Curtis.
“That really is something we work on all the time in practice,” Little Falls coach Bryan Shepardson said of his team’s two-minute drill, “and it fits right in at the end of the half.”
Just as he did in Frankfort eight days earlier, Jesse Talbot sparked the the Mounties’ end-of-the-half scoring drive with a long kickoff return. The Mounties took possession at the Holland Patent 45 and Battisti led them down the field in three plays, hitting on passes of 20 and nine yards to Will Robinson, who had caught his first two touchdowns, before spotting an open Dillon in the end zone for the touchdown. Tyler McLean ran in the conversion for the lead.
The Mounties’ defense caught up to their offense in the second half and Little Falls took control of the game which had gone back-and-forth in the first half. Battisti threw his fourth touchdown pass to Dillon, a 27-yarder, to put the Mounties up 30-21 entering the fourth quarter then added a 60-yard touchdown run in the final period. The long run put him over 100 yards on a day that saw him finish with 123 yards on eight carries and 222 yards on 12-for-18 passing.
McLean’s six-yard touchdown run capped the Mounties’ scoring.
Curtis had a big day for winless Holland Patent (0-3, 0-3 C East), running for 248 yards on 30 carries. He scored touchdowns 85 seconds apart in the second quarter when the Golden Knights recovered a loose ball on a kickoff that Little Falls left on the ground.
Curtis was help more in check in the second half and the Mounties finished the day with six takeaways, including two interceptions and a fumble recovery by Battisti.
“We played more like I think we can play defensively in the second half,” Shepardson said.
For the second week in a row, Little Falls limited a team to six points in the second half. The defense helped the Mounties come back from a 24-0 deficit and force overtime against Frankfort-Schuyler in a game they eventually lost in overtime.
“It’s nice (to get a win) because the kids played all the way through,” Shepardson said. “We made mistakes but they didn’t get us down. We played through them.”
Robinson caught six passes for 141 yards. He made a diving catch across the goal line for a 30 yard touchdown, then slipped around a defender at the 30 on his way to a 46-yard score, both in the first quarter.
LITTLE FALLS MOUNTIES 44, HOLLAND PATENT GOLDEN KNIGHTS 27
Holland Patent 7 14 0 6 — 27
Little Falls 14 8 8 14 — 44
First Quarter
HP — Matt Curtis 5 run (Cameron Williams kick), 7:45.
LF — Will Robinson 30 pass from Mike Battisti (run failed), 3:33.
LF — Robinson 46 pass from Battisti (Cody Dillon pass from Battisti), :03.
Second Quarter
HP — Curtis 18 run (kick blocked), 2:47.
HP — Curtis 20 run (Curtis run), 1:22.
LF — Dillon 16 pass from Battisti (Tyler McLean run), :32.
Third Quarter
LF — Dillon 27 pass from Battisti (Battisti run), 2:27.
Fourth Quarter
HP — Curtis 23 run (run failed), 10:12.
LF — Battisti 60 run (Robinson pass from Brian Ewanyk), 9:58.
LF — McLean 6 run (kick blocked), 5:56.
Records — Holland Patent 0-3, 0-3 C East; Little Falls 1-2, 1-1 C East.
