After 10 consecutive scoreless quarters, the Dunkirk Marauders finally got the touchdown they needed. Jarise Gaines made a spectacular catch on pass interference in double coverage in the corner of the end zone to give Dunkirk a third-quarter lead against Olean College. Husky dog.
“He’s one of our leaders. He’s our guy. When we needed an inspiration, he stepped up.” Dunkirk head coach Edwin Gomez said. “We had momentum.”
After that, it was up to the Marauders to maintain the lead for the final quarter and a half.
That didn’t happen.
Dunkirk committed three turnovers in the fourth quarter, had a penalty called back for a touchdown, and lost 14-0 to Class B3 Olean on Friday at Karl Hepner Field, ending the season with a 14-0 loss. It remained a victory.
“You can’t turn the ball over.” said Gomez. “It sucks. These kids were mentally pushed. That’s what they wanted. It’s tough to take the wind out of your sails.”
The first half of Friday’s game between the Marauders (0-4, 0-4) and Huskies (3-1, 3-1) was summed up by the first play from scrimmage.
Dunkirk’s Aiden Martucci made an interception following Laurin McCracken’s kickoff. Unfortunately for Dunkirk, Martucci fumbled the ball on the return. The ball was grabbed, passed back and forth between both teams, and in the end, nothing happened. Orian retrieved the ball within a few steps of where the play started.
Martucci nearly made up for the fumble by forcing a fumble of his own on the next play, but Olean recovered the ball again and continued the attack. The Huskies turned the ball over on downs, but Dunkirk had a fumble on the first play from scrimmage, which Orlean quickly recovered.
Both teams struggled to maintain possession, but both defenses remained unfazed through the first two periods. The game went into halftime scoreless thanks to the Marauders’ defense keeping the area between the goals with two minutes remaining.
Dunkirk was outscored 125-14 through three games entering Friday’s contest, but its defense kept Orleans off the scoreboard for most of the night, leaving the door open for Gaines’ heroics to give his team the lead. I made it. His spectacular catch ignited the sideline and gave hope to the home crowd.
That hope slowly faded as the game progressed.
Orian scored a 3-yard rushing touchdown on Manoa Miketis on the first play of the fourth quarter, cutting Dunkirk’s lead to just one point. The extra point attempt failed and Dunkirk briefly held the lead. However, on the ensuing drive, quarterback Gabe Valentine tried to force a throw to Gaines along the Dunkirk sideline, and the pass was intercepted.
Olean, which took over the game at the Dunkirk 40, immediately entered the red zone after a 34-yard scramble by quarterback Joe Mesto. He then drove into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown and added a two-point conversion to put Orleans ahead 14-7 with less than three minutes to go in the fourth quarter.
Dunkirk’s lead quickly disappeared, but there was still plenty of time before the Marauders fought back. In fact, that time only provided more room for heartbreak.
Following Olean’s go-ahead touchdown, Kingston Hall returned the kickoff across midfield. He followed up his big return with an even bigger run, running down the field en route to the Dunkirk touchdown that allowed him to tie the game with the extra point. Instead, Hall’s touchdown was canceled due to an illegal block on a back penalty against the Marauders. The drive then ended with a fumble at the Olean 19-yard line.
Still, Dunkirk had another chance after the defense forced a punt. Dunkirk, retreating to its own territory, managed to convert on fourth down to keep the drive alive even though Gaines completed the catch while falling to the turf. But on the next play, Valentine threw an uncontested interception over the middle of the field, giving Dunkirk its third turnover of the fourth quarter. Orlean got one more first down and took a knee with seconds left to earn his third win of the season, handing Dunkirk their first four-game losing streak of the year.
“If we can get some turnovers, if we can get some blocks in the back, we’ll probably get two touchdowns. I’m sure this run will at least tie the game.” Gomez said. “It’s tough. After a bad loss like that last time, it’s going to be a tough job to bounce back and get our kids’ heads in the right place.”
The Marauders then travel to face Albion on Thursday. Orlean host Maryvale next Friday.
Olean 0 0 0 14 — 14
Dunkirk 0 0 7 0 — 7
Dan Gaines, 20 passes from Valentine (McCracken kick)
Ole Miketis 3 runs (kick failure)
Ole ~ Mesto 3 runs (Mestran)
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