Dunkirk quarterback Noah Sikes had two touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown on Thursday in a loss to Cheektowaga. OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen.

One very solid half of play on Thursday was not enough to earn Dunkirk its first win of the season.

The Marauders dropped to 0-7 on the season with a 42-21 loss to Cheektowaga on Thursday night on Karl Hoeppner Field at Dunkirk High School.

The Marauders (0-7, 0-6 Class B2) scored the game’s first touchdown on a 24-yard pass from quarterback Noah Sikes to wide receiver Jareese Gaines for a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.

After Cheektowaga (4-3, 3-2 Class B2) scored a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter to claim the lead 12-7, Dunkirk jumped back on top with a 1-yard touchdown run by Sikes to cap off a 74-yard drive. After a two-point conversion pass from Sikes to Gaines, Dunkirk led 15-12 and took that advantage into halftime.

“Our first half was probably our best half of the year,” said Dunkirk head coach Mark Benton. “We definitely made some strides. I’m happy with the progress I saw tonight.”

Cheektowaga came out of halftime and scored quickly to regain the lead, 18-15. The Warriors outscored Dunkirk 22-0 in the third quarter, including a fumble recovery on a punt to set up a touchdown and a blocked field goal returned the length of the field for a touchdown. After Dunkirk led at the conclusion of each of the first two quarters, Cheektowaga led 34-15 after the third period.

Dylan Bankoski scored Dunkirk’s first touchdown of the second half on a pass from Sikes with 7:20 left in the fourth quarter to cut the Cheektowaga to 34-21. But as Dunkirk tried to mount a comeback, the Warriors put the game away with a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown with just over four minutes remaining in the game to make the score 42-21.

“We played better than the score says. … Overall, we played really well. It was just a few big plays that turned the whole game in the second half,” said Benton.

Quanteer Neallard had 30 carries for 153 yards for Dunkirk. Sikes was 7-for-12 passing, including two touchdowns, in addition to his rushing touchdown.

Dunkirk now will be back in action next week against Fredonia at the Orange Bowl. The Hillbillies are 5-1 and travel to Chautauqua Lake tonight.