HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: CORNING STOPPED ON LAST MINUTE TWO-POINT TRY, FALLS TO M-E IN INSTANT CLASSIC (24 PHOTOS) (2023-09-23)
By Brian FeesSouthern Tier Sports ReportCORNING — Down a point with under a minute to go there was no hesitation from the Corning Hawks as they went for two points and the win.
A stop by Maine-Endwell helped them win their 25th straight game, and dropped Corning to 0-3 on the year, as the Spartans held on for a 43-42 victory.
“I saw some fight in our kids tonight,” Corning coach Mike Johnston Jr. said. “In the end it was a no-brainer. I turned around and said one or two and they said you know, we play to win.”
On the two-point try the timing was off as Corning quarterback handed to Brendan Jardin-Reed, and 6-foot-, 6-inch, 278-pound Tanner Burlingame was waiting in the backfield to wrap him up to seal the Spartans win.
“That’s 11 guys out there focusing on I have to do my job,” Maine-Endwell senior Adam DeSantis said. “If I do my job, this team does their job together, and Tanner Burlingame obviously stepped up and had a huge play there to shut that down.”
Maine-Endwell coach Matt Gallagher knows that sometimes you just are in the right place.
“Couple ties we missed some tackles because they made some great moves and a lot of misdirection,” Gallagher said. “Then sometimes you’re in the right place at the right time and that might be one of those times, but definitely we’ll take it.”
Corning put themselves in position to go for the win as they converted a 4th and 14 and a 3rd and 18 on the drive.
Facing a 4th and 14 at their own 35 the Hawks pulled a little misdirection, faking a handoff, then James Freeman got the ball and bounced outside to run 52 yards. On the third down play at the Maine-Endwell 21 it was Corning quarterback Harpster hitting Jardin-Reed for the touchdown.
“I am one of those people, I like to keep what I do close to my hand,” Johnston Jr. said. “I don’t like showing things in the regular season. But, I’ like, tonight, I’ve got to give my kids a chance to win. It was a pull out all stops and do what we needed to do to give ourselves a chance.”
The game was a contrast in styles. Corning ran long drives, taking time off the clock, while the Spartans were scoring on quick strikes throughout the game.
In the opening quarter it was 14-7 Corning with the Hawks running 21 plays compared to just two for the Spartans. Overall for the game the Hawks had more than double as many plays on offense as they ran 55 plays compared to 26 for the Spartans.
“That’s a great team,” DeSantis said of Corning. “That’s a great AA football team and I couldn’t be more proud of our guys. That was a straight dog fight, no doubt about it. I’m impressed with that Corning team, and I’m really impressed with our boys too. We really strong together 44 players and one heartbeat tonight.”
Corning started out the game with a 13-play, 80-yard drive that ate up more than seven minutes with Brody Wolfe capping things off with a 19-yard score at 4:51. Ian Harpster hit Jack Bierman on the two-point try and it was 8-0 Hawks.
Maine-Endwell’s night didn’t start well on offense. After a penalty pushed them back, they fumbled on their first play and Mike Lutton of Corning recovered. Wolfe found the end zone again at 2:21 of the first quarter. The two-point try failed and it was 14-0 Hawks.
It took the Spartans just one play on their next drive to get on the board as Vinnie Mancini took the hand-off and bounced outside and raced 60 yards for the score. Jack Hennessy hit the extra point and just 15 seconds after Corning scored the Spartans were on the board.
Corning got good field position on their next drive and moved the ball inside the Maine-Endwell 35. But, a Spartans stop on fourth down gave the ball back to their offense.
Mancini got the ball on the second play of the next drive and was gone again on a 61-yard run at 9:59. Hennessy hit the kick and it was 14-all. Maine-Endwell had run a total of four plays to this point, but had two scores in that time.
Mancini had five carries for 154 yards in the game, but he cramped up in the second half, and missed the fourth quarter, leading to teammates taking on a bigger role in the offense.
"He’s a game-changer. He did that last year for us and he’s doing it again," Gallagher said. "But we had other guys that grinded things out that were able to step in there and get going. We know we can count on those guys just as much."
Corning took the lead back late in the half as they moved the ball 55 yards, keyed by a 13-yard James Freeman run and a 25-yard pass from Harpster to Bierman. AJ Thomas capped the drive at 2:04 of the half with a one-yard run. The two-point try failed and it was 20-14.
The Spartans fumbled on their net drive and Corning wasted no time capitalizing as Freeman ran in from 20 yards out on the first play and with 1:30 left in the half it was 26-14.
It took Maine-Endwell just 31 seconds to answer as Austyn Nyschot hit Landon Rollo on a 46-yard pass and then Mancini ran in from 23 yards out. Hennessy hit the kick to make it 26-21.
The Spartans took the lead to start the second half as Mancini scored his fourth touchdown in the game, taking the opening kick back 78 yards for the score. Hennessy hit the kick to put Maine-Endwell up 28-26.
Corning answered back with an 11-play drive, as Drew Siglin hit a 22-yard field goal with 6:53 left in the third to put the Hawks up 29-28.
Again the quick strike Spartans needed just four plays as Nyschot hit Rollo again on a 43-yard touchdown this time with 5:01 left in the quarter. Hennessy hit the extra point to put the Spartans up 35-29.
The Spartans held the lead into the fourth when Wolfe scored his third on the night, a nine-yard run with 6:47 left and Siglin hit the extra point as the Hawks went up 36-35. The drive started with a 50-yard pass form Harpster to Freeman moved the Hawks into the Spartans’ red zone.
Maine-Endwell came right back, going 60-yards, with Jaden Branch scoring from five yards. Out and then Rollo running in the two-point try with 4:23 left in the half.
That set up the final drive by Hawks and the touchdown, and subsequent two-point stop by the Spartans.
Corning falls to 0-3 on the year, all three losses to state-ranked teams. They fell in the opener to Cicero North Syracuse on the road, then dropped a tight game to state-ranked Christian Brothers Academy last week. The Spartans, the top ranked Class B team in the state, and defending state champs, won their 25th straight.
“You can see they are hurting, because we are losing,” Johnston Jr. said. “But, I see the fight in them, and I know we are going to turn this thing around.”
For Maine-Endwell the game showed them what they can do in big moments, and it can only help the going forward.
“It’s great to have one of those four quarter fights that you really have to grind through,” DeSantis said. “Conditioning test, but more than anything physical it was a mental test. We got out there and realized we could come together as one team and fight through a hard game.”
Corning quarterback Ian Harpster was 8-for-13 passing for 196 yards and two scores in the game.
“Ian Harpster has been unbelievable for us,” Johnston Jr. said. “He’s probably thrown it more than any quarterback I’ve ever had in the first three games. But, you’ve got to be able to mix it up a little bit against good teams. And, we showed that. You aren’t going to be able to just run the ball on them all the time.We did some good things. And we were missing both tight ends for the first half we were missing one, and for the second half we were missing both of them.”
Freeman ran 18 times for 125 yards and had four grabs for 128 yards in the game. He also had two big punts in the second half, one 44 yards and one 46 yards to change the field position and help out the Hawks defense.
Thomas ran for 78 yards on 19 carries and Wolfe ran for 39 yards on 12 carries with two scores and he caught a touchdown. He also had eight tackles and a fumble recovery on defense. Clayton Smith ran for 11 yards.
Jardin-Reed had two grabs for 34 yards and a score and Bierman had a catch.
Mancini had the five carries for 154 yards and Branch ran for 57 yards, while Nyschot ran for 21 and Rollo ran for 17. Nyschot threw for 115 yards on 3-of-5 passing and Rollo had all three catches for 115 yards.
For Corning the offense has been clicking all season, and they racked up 42y yards in the game, with Maine-Endwell gaining 368 yards on the ground.
For Maine-Endwell the game was an opportunity for a number of guys to step up in big moments.
“It’s huge, it really is, because of how tough they are, how physical they are, how athletic they are,” Gallagher said. “Our guys just happened to step up when they needed to. Responding over and over again. I think that’s a big thing.
“His staff does a great job of preparing their kids. That offense is tough and we totally understand that, but we’re super proud of our guys. That’s a good team we just beat.”
The Hawks have scored 82 points their past two games combined, but they have given up 140 points through three games. While the three games are against three of the best teams in the state, Johnston Jr. knows they have to make more plays on that side of the ball.
“I know we are giving up 40-plus points a game,” Johnston Jr. said. “Now, granted we are playing against some pretty good teams. But, we are giving up too many big plays right now and it’s not ok. We have got to do a better job.”
The Hawks did force three turnovers on defense, recovering three fumbles. And, offensively Corning hasn’t turned the ball over in their past two games.
“That’s huge,” Johnston Jr. said. “The first game of the year we had two huge turnovers and the first was a scoop and score. The last two games we have preached the ball is the program and we preach it every single day. Taking care of the ball, we let you borrow it for one play and you bring it back. Our kids buy into that, that’s the difference between winning and losing. Keep doing that and shore up the other parts of the game.”
Corning plays its first division game of the season at 7 p.m. Friday at Binghamton, while Maine-Endwell is at Union-Endicott at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 30.
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MAINE-ENDWELL 43, CORNING 42M-E: 7 14 14 8 — 43
Corning: 14 12 3 13 — 42
FIRST QUARTERC: Brody Wolfe 19-yard run (Ian Harpster to Jack Bierman), 4:51
C: Wolfe 3-yard run (Try failed), 2:21
M: Vinnie Mancini 60-yard run (Jack Hennessy kick), 2:06
SECOND QUARTERM: Mancini 61-yard run (Hennessy kick), 9:59
C: AJ Thomas 1 yard run (Try failed), 2:04
C: Freeman 20 yard run (Try failed), 1:30
M: Mancini 23-yard run (Hennessy kick), :59
THIRD QUARTERM: Mancini 78-yard kick return (Hennessy kick), 11:43
C: Drew Siglin 22-yard field goal, 6:53
M: Landon Rollo 43 yards from Austyn Nyschot (Hennessy kick), 5:01
FOURTH QUARTERC: Wolfe 9 yards from Harpster (Siglin kick), 6:47
M: Jaden Branch 5 yard run (Rollo two-point run), 4:23
C: Brenden Jardin-Reed 21 yards from Harpster (2 point try failed), :50
CORNING
RUSHINGBrody Wolfe 12-39-2; AJ Thomas 19-78; Clayton Smith 2-11; Harpster 1-(-7); James Freeman 18-125
PASSINGHarpster 8-13-196-2
RECEIVINGFreeman 4-128; Wolfe 1-9-1; Jardin Reed 2-34-1; Bierman 1-25
MAINE-ENDWELL
RUSHINGMancini 5-154; Landon Rollo 2-17; Jaden Branch 9-57-1; Austyn Nyschot 2-21; Kessiah White 2-3; Tyler Mathews 1-7
PASSINGNyschot 3-5-115
RECEIVINGRollo 3-115-1
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PHOTOS BY BRIAN FEES
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