Friday night was the home opener at Dunkirk High School, and a familiar foe, the Albion Purple Eagles, were the visiting team. Gomez and his team ended the night the same way they did two years prior, by ringing the bell after a victory.

The only difference this time was the ease at which it came.

Dunkirk absolutely dominated Albion. The Marauders took their first lead of the game less than two minutes into play, even without starting with the ball, and never looked back. When it was all said and done, Dunkirk beat Albion 55-6 in a Class B2 game.

Dunkirk (1-1, 1-1) forced a three-and-out on the first Albion (0-2, 0-1) drive. The Marauders then blocked the punt and Jayden Kenner fell on the ball at the 14-yard line. Less than two minutes into the game, Dunkirk already found itself in the red zone.

Dunkirk’s Aries Cheverez (3) and Liam McQuiggan (5) celebrate after Cheverez scored his third touchdown of the game Friday against Albion. OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen

Following a false start penalty, the first play from scrimmage for the Marauders offense ended in a score. Anthony Piede took a handoff through the heart of the Albion defense and reached the ball across the goal line for a 19-yard touchdown and the game’s first points.

“The kids came out with the foot on the gas the entire time. That was our emphasis at practice this week, playing hard and playing with a purpose,” Gomez said. “… It showed in the game.”

A fumbled snap on the extra point turned into a two-point conversion as Aries Cheverez made something out of nothing to put his team ahead 8-0 with 10:15 left in the opening quarter.

Cheverez was far from finished.

On third down and long from the Albion 30, Cheverez read the quarterback’s eyes and picked off a pass near midfield. Just like the fumbled snap, once the ball got in his hands, Cheverez knew exactly what to do with it. He weaved through the Purple Eagles with ease on his way to the end zone.

Dunkirk’s Anthony Piede crosses the goal line for the Marauders’ first score in their 55-6 win over Albion in Class B2 football Friday night at Karl Hoeppner Field in Dunkirk. OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen

“It was exciting,” Cheverez said. “We were working as a team — the pick-six was a bonus. It’s a team sport.”

Following a successful extra point, Dunkirk led 15-0 with 7:35 left in the first quarter.

Early in the second quarter, Cheverez kept his impressive night going by leaping high over the middle of the field to pluck a pass from Hayven Smith out of the air. Just as he did the last time he reeled in a pass over the middle on third and long, Cheverez found the end zone, only this time, he was on offense when the play began. His 36-yard touchdown reception put Dunkirk ahead 21-0, not even two minutes into the second quarter.

“Aries is one of those kids that you love to have on your team,” Gomez said. “He’s not a real verbal leader, but when he does speak up, people listen. He leads by example. He shows up to practice and plays hard. He doesn’t take any plays off and the kids feed off his enthusiasm. … The energy is contagious.”

Dunkirk capitalized on a mental error from Albion on the ensuing kickoff. As the ball bounced near the Dunkirk sideline, Albion watched the ball rather than pick it up off the turf. Dunkirk’s coaching staff screamed to the Marauders on the field to pounce on the live ball, and they did.

One play after the unintentional onside kick was recovered, Liam McQuiggan took a short pass down the Albion sideline for a 30-yard touchdown. Dunkirk led 28-0 not even halfway through the second quarter.

The Marauders increased their lead to 34-0 with a 1-yard touchdown run by Javier Battle that was set up by an interception by defensive lineman Jayden Kenner. The 34-0 lead held through the halftime break.

Dunkirk added two more touchdowns in the third quarter, started by the third touchdown of the night by Cheverez. Yeriel Gutierrez ran in a touchdown for a 48-0 Dunkirk lead.

“We’re still building here. We’re young, and I want to put some of these young guys in a position to play,” Gomez said, noting many players lower on the depth chart saw action in the second half.

Albion got its one and only touchdown on the ensuing kickoff, as Dunkirk’s special teams unit blew an assignment and the Purple Eagles capitalized as Hunter Huscher took it back all the way for a touchdown.

The only scoring of the fourth quarter came on a touchdown pass by Hayven Smith, his fourth of the game. That mark tied the school record for passing touchdowns in a single game, first set by Frank Jagoda III in 2005.

“We’re a young team, but we’re not afraid to put up points,” Cheverez said.

Albion took issue with Dunkirk continuing to pass the ball with a substantial lead. In return, the Purple Eagles called a timeout, trailing 55-6, with 11 seconds left in the game in an attempt to score a touchdown on their final possession. Just as every other offensive possession for Albion did on Friday night, that charge was stopped by the Dunkirk defense. The special teams unit allowed the only points of the night as Dunkirk’s defense posted a shutout.

“Overall, the defense played very well,” Gomez said. “We were able to get in the backfield and disrupt their timing. … We were in their face quite a bit.”

Defeating Albion has become sort of a tradition for Dunkirk, as the Marauders beat the Purple Eagles for the third consecutive season under Gomez. Albion has represented Dunkirk’s first win of the season in all three seasons Gomez has been the head coach.

“This is definitely a confidence booster, but we’ve got to get back in the lab and keep pushing, get in the weight room and get bigger,” Cheverez said.

Up next, things become much more challenging for the Marauders, as they travel to Iroquois next Friday. Meanwhile, Albion hosts Lackawanna the same night.

“This was a good momentum builder going into next week,” Gomez said.

The seventh career victory for Gomez featured a more subdued celebration after the win than his first win did. Similarly, Gomez still waited patiently as dozens rang the bell to celebrate before he took his turn. This time, rather than throwing his arms up in the air with a loud roar as the bell echoed, he clapped calmly as he walked down the stairs back to his team awaiting him, huddled for one last message.

Gomez broke down the huddle in victory by stressing that the team is a family. Last night, that family was a happy one.