OBSERVER Photo by Aaron Lundmark Fredonia/Brocton cornerback Dom Gullo looks on before the snap during Friday’s game in the Orange Bowl against Tonawanda.

At last, home sweet home.

It’s been almost two years in the making, but the Fredonia/Brocton Hillbillies football team finally made its return to the sacred Orange Bowl, and did it in heroic fashion. The Hillbillies defeated the Tonawanda Warriors, 22-0, in Class B3 football action.

“Except for the penalties, the giveaways and the turnovers, we played well,” said Fredonia/Brocton head coach Greg Sherlock. “But there are still some things we have to go over and change.”

The Orange Bowl was rocking behind the Fredonia/Brocton defense all night, as quickly out of the gate the Hillbillies’ defense let Tonawanda know they were there by forcing a three-and-out. The Hillbillies fed off of the atmosphere from the crowd early and often.

“The defense played really, really well,” said Sherlock. “And when they get a lead, they get even better. They were lights out.”

After a couple drives from both teams were filled with penalties and punting, Tonawanda was finally able to sustain a drive late in the first quarter. The Warriors marched all the way down to the Fredonia/Brocton 25-yard line and went for it on fourth and one. Hillbillies’ Jake Skinner was there to blow up the play and get the Hillbillies the ball back.

“We changed some things that we didn’t do during the week and they didn’t work,” said Sherlock. “That’s on me, but we were able to hold them.”

After the Skinner tackle for loss, Fredonia/Brocton took the field on offense, and established the running game and, of course, Joell Colon.

The Hillbillies sustained a 14-play drive that chewed up almost seven minutes of the clock that ended with a 5-yard touchdown run by Colon around the outside, making it 7-0.

“They brought a lot of guys to the line of scrimmage and we talked about how they blitz,” said Sherlock. “We had to pick up those blitzing backers — and our backs and our line did a good job of that.”

Tonawanda would get the ball back and make a big play through the air, but after that, the Hillbillie defense shut the door just before half. The Hillbillies would take to the air to move down the field with little time left, and quarterback Trey Swartz found receiver Ka’Rim Levens for a big gain, but he fumbled with Tonawanda taking possession to end the half.

“We made mistakes just like anybody else,” said Sherlock. “There are times when we look sloppy — and times where we look really good.”

At the start of the second half, the Hillbillies went right back to Colon, as he busted off a big 40 yard run into Warrior territory. Swartz would find Dalton Gardner on fourth and eight, but he was just short of the line-to-gain, giving the ball to Tonawanda deep in their own territory.

With Tonawanda’s backs against the wall, the Hillbillie defense stepped up again.

Again it was Skinner, who made three consecutive tackles for loss, with the third one being in the endzone for a safety, making it 9-0 ‘Billies.

“Overall, I’m happy,” said Sherlock. “We got out of here with a win and our defense pitched a shutout.”

With Fredonia/Brocton getting the ball back after the free kick, Swartz found Skinner over the middle for a big gain, putting them back into Tonawanda territory. From there, Colon would punch it in from a yard out — his second touchdown of the night — extending the Hillbillie lead to 16-0.

The next Fredonia drive, Swartz would connect with Parker Rivera for a big gain and then find tight end Nate Shuart for a 5-yard touchdown, capping the Hillbillies lead at 22-0.

The Fredonia/Brocton defense continued to shut the door the rest of the way. As the clock ran down to zero, the students surrounded the field to celebrate the Hillbillies first win back at the Orange Bowl.

With that, it’s going to set up the match we’ve been waiting for all season — Dunkirk and Fredonia/Brocton.

“To these guys it’s going to mean a lot,” said Sherlock. “To me, it’s another game. Most of my family graduated from Dunkirk, so I’m sure there will be a little back-and-forth at home this week.”

Fredonia/Brocton is now 6-0 in their first season in Class B3, but then again, so is Dunkirk.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun for the kids,” said Sherlock. “I don’t remember the last time both Dunkirk and Fredonia played the last game of the season undefeated. It’ll be fun for the kids and the community.”

With a win over Dunkirk, the Hillbillies would win the Class B3 regular season title outright. But for now, the focus is all on Friday night.

NOTES: Joell Colon finished the game with 29 carries for 217 yards and 2 TDs. … Trey Swartz went 8-15 passing for 127 yards and one TD through the air.