Clymer/Sherman/Panama’s Tate Catanese (14) sprints toward the end zone for a first-half touchdown during Saturday’s Class D football game against Randolph at Clymer Central School. PJ Photo by Scott Kindberg
CLIMBER — A pass from Clymer/Sherman/Panama quarterback Tate Catanese deflected off the line of scrimmage near the midpoint of the third quarter Saturday afternoon and seemed destined to fall into the welcoming arms of a Randolph defender.
And then it wasn’t.
Carter Brink had a different idea.
A Wolfpack player saw the ball in the air, ran to the expected landing spot and launched the ball high, preventing a nearly certain turnover.
Three plays later, Catanese and Brink completed a 30-yard touchdown pass, one of many highlights in the Wolfpack’s 48-0 win over the Cardinals in a Class D game at Clymer Central School.
Cardinals’ Kevin McElwain (9) tries to avoid a tackle by Wolfpack’s Carter Brink. PJ photo by Scott Kindberg
Catanese completed 8 of 13 passes for 176 yards and three touchdowns and ran six times for 67 yards and three more touchdowns. Yes, the senior playmaker also ran for six touchdowns in addition to a two-point conversion run.
Number 14 had a good day.
“I think he’s great out of the pocket, but I think his best strength is playing on the move,” Wolfpack head coach Ty Harper said. “When he’s improvising, you can’t teach him. He’s just naturally very talented. We wouldn’t be surprised if he does something crazy.”
A week after a 24-3 loss to defending Class C champion Haverly of Section V in their nonleague season opener, Clymer/Sherman/Panama let the rest of Section VI Class D know they were tough to beat as the Wolfpack scored four touchdowns in the first quarter — a 52-yard pass and catch from Catanese to Alex Barmore and runs of 1, 1 and 55 yards by Catanese — and by the end of the quarter. By halftime, the host team’s lead had grown to 34-0 when Catanese connected with Collin Ryan on a 15-yard screen over the middle for the fifth point of the half.
The game continued much the same after the break, with Catanese scrambling to his right to get a long ball to Brink for a 30-yard score and Sawyer Whitney scoring on a 10-yard touchdown run in the third period.
Clymer/Sherman/Panama’s Bryce Hinsdale (1) avoids a tackle by Randolph’s Dom Clark. PJ photo by Scott Kindberg
Winning by a score of 48-0 going into the final period (Bryce Hinsdale made four of his six point-after kicks on the day), Clymer/Sherman/Panama cruised through the rest of the match with ease.
The win gave Coach Harper confidence he made the right decision to open the non-league season with a game against Waverly, noting that the offensive line, comprised of Andrew Spiethman, Blaine Lemaiche, Colten Rose, Matt Ledlecke and tight end Barmore, played much better against the rival Cardinals, who finished 0-2 overall and 0-1 in the division.
“Those kids were out there as a team for the first time (against Waverly),” Harper said. “It’s good to be thrown into the fire like that. They played great today. I thought we controlled the line of scrimmage well. They did a great job in pass protection. We’ve got to keep working to get better, but it was certainly encouraging.”
Additionally, the win proved to Coach Harper the toughness of Brink, who was injured during the opening kickoff against Waverly and was unable to return.
“Carter is the poster child for this program,” Harper said, “I can’t say enough good things about him because he’s so unselfish. He’s a great competitor.”
Cardinals’ Alex Garland intercepts a pass. PJ Photo by Scott Kindberg
The Clymer/Sherman/Panama offense was too much for Randolph coach Brent Brown, as the Cardinals lost 332-86 despite holding a nearly 3-to-1 advantage in time of possession.
“At the line, they dominated us,” he said. “Offensively, we couldn’t do anything. … They’re a good team.”
Notes: Hinsdale (four receptions, 76 yards), Barmore (two catches, 55 yards), Brink (one reception, 30 yards) and Ryan (one catch, 15 yards) led the C/S/P offense. … The Wolfpack defense was led by Ryan (eight tackles, one sack), Rhoades (five tackles, one sack), Travis Owens (five tackles, two for loss) and Carson Pinzock (seven tackles). … At Randolph, Kevin McElwain rushed for 44 yards and Alex Garland had an interception. … Clymer/Sherman/Panama plays Gowanda/Pine Valley on Friday, while Randolph plays East Aurora/Holland in a new home game.
Randolph 0 0 0 0 — 0
27 7 14 0 — 48 games
C/S/P — Barmore 52 pass from Catanese (kick failed).
C/S/P — Catanese 1 Run (Catanese Run)
C/S/P — Catanese 1 run Hinsdale kick)
C/S/P — Catanese 55 runs (kick failed)
C/S/P — Pass from Catanese, Ryan 15 (Hinsdale kick).
C/S/P — Blink 30 pass from Catanese (Hinsdale kick).
C/S/P — Whitney 10 run (Hinsdale kick).
