Local Sports

Early mistakes sink Dunkirk against Olean

DUNKIRK -- Field position can make a huge difference. Dunkirk was on the wrong side of that battle all throughout Friday's contest with the Olean Huskies at Dunkirk High School.

Time and time again, the Huskies began with the ball deep in Dunkirk territory thanks to miscues by the Marauders. The hole Dunkirk dug itself was too much to overcome, as the Huskies handed the Marauders their fifth loss of the season, 41-18, in a Class B2 football gameat Dunkirk High School's Karl Hoeppner Athletic Field.

It was a brutal start for Dunkirk (1-5, 1-5), featuring a bad snap, multiple fumbles, and a costly penalty. Before the opening period was over, the Marauders trailed 20-0. By halftime, Olean (2-4, 2-3) led 27-0.

"If you take the turnovers away, this game is a back-and-forth battle. You can't win games when you have four turnovers in the first half," said Dunkirk head coach Edwin Gomez.

It all began with a three-and-out on the opening possession by Dunkirk, which was compounded by a poor snap on the punt that rolled back to punter Timmy Warrior. He was forced to fall on the ball, and Olean began its first possession at Dunkirk's 8-yard line.

Two plays later, the Huskies took a 6-0 lead on a quarterback keeper by Dom Myers, not even two minutes into the contest. The next drive was not any better for Dunkirk, as Warrior fumbled on the first play. Olean took over at Dunkirk's 19-yard line.

The Marauders forced a fourth down, but Olean converted with a 15-yard scramble on 4th-and-13, but later in the drive, an incompletion on 4th-and-goal led to a turnover on downs.

Dunkirk's third drive mirrored its second, as the first play resulted in another Marauders fumble. Olean began its third consecutive drive in the red zone at Dunkirk's 16-yard line. After two carries led to a first down, Myers found the end zone again on a quarterback keeper from five yards out. With 4:25 left in the first period, Olean led 12-0.

The Marauders lost five yards on three plays on their next drive and punted the ball back to the Huskies two minutes later. Olean had a big return on the punt, plus a personal foul on kick-catch interference that put the Huskies in the red zone to begin a drive for the fourth time in the opening quarter. For the third time, Myers made it pay off with an 11-yard touchdown run. A two-point conversion on a broken play put the visitors ahead 20-0 with 2:10 left in the opening period.

Dunkirk did not have a first down until more than 10 minutes bled off the clock, and the first real highlight for the Marauders came over three minutes into the second quarter on an interception by Jordan Thomas Smith.

But even after Dunkirk's big play on defense, the Marauders offense responded by turning it over on downs and handing Olean the ball in the red zone for the fourth time in the first half. Two plays later, a 2-yard touchdown run put the Huskies up four scores, 27-0, with 5:19 to go.

Dunkirk drove into Olean territory in the final minute of the half, but turned the ball over on downs with six seconds left to enter the break without a point.

Things went from bad to worse with just a few seconds remaining in the third quarter, as Olean's Colby Booth jumped a screen pass deep in Dunkirk territory and returned it five yards for the score. The pick-six and the extra point that followed put the Huskies ahead 34-0 entering the fourth quarter.

Even though they faced a sizable deficit, the Marauders showed fight in the final period. Dunkirk finally found the end zone with 7:24 remaining, as Thomas Smith darted across the middle of the field and reeled in a 20-yard touchdown pass from Xzavier Boland. His reception marked Dunkirk's first points of the season aside from the team's lone victory over Lackawanna, 22-20, on Sept. 19.

The Marauders connected for another touchdown on the following drive, as Octavies Texidor broke free for a 50-yard touchdown on a deep ball from Boland down the middle of the field. The two fourth-quarter touchdown passes from Boland were the first two touchdowns of his varsity football career. He joined the team late this year after not playing the sport for the past four years.

Myers responded for a long touchdown run to increase Olean's lead to 41-12 with four minutes remaining, but all it did was give Dunkirk a chance for the most memorable touchdown in a 29-point game a team could ever imagine.

Warrior fielded the kickoff, and after a few steps, turned to Thomas Smith and threw the ball back across the field. In true "Music City Miracle" fashion, Thomas Smith eluded the Huskies coverage and returned it down the Dunkirk side of the field, taking it more than 80 yards to the house. While the play was worked on in practice earlier this season, Warrior and Thomas Smith made the decision on the fly, and it paid off. Dunkirk still trailed 41-18, but it gave the Marauders optimism moving forward in the season.

"Momentum shifts and then you start thinking this is doable, this is where we're at. We just need them to buy into that before our backs are against the wall," Gomez said.

The game ended prematurely with 2:17 left on the clock, as Warrior collided with a teammate attempting to block a punt. Paramedics took Warrior off the field on a stretcher. He was conscious and moving his fingers as he was put on a backboard.

Up next, the Marauders host East Aurora-Holland next Friday in Dunkirk's homecoming contest. Olean hosts Cheektowaga next Friday.