Whitesboro, Kyle Meier run past New Hartford: Section 3 top players, games from Friday

Section 3 football, Week Four: Friday's top players, performers

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More:Section 3 football scores for the 2022 season

Section 3 football, Week Four: Top Friday games

Whitesboro 38, New Hartford 19

The New Hartford student section reached a fever pitch on fourth down.

With Whitesboro already ahead 7-0, the Spartans needed this fourth-and-10 stop.

Warrior QB Kyle Meier took the snap and lofted it into the back of the end for junior Brayden Czternastek.

Czternastek extended and caught it to build the lead to 13-0.

The Warriors improved to 4-1 and 4-0 in league play when it defeated the Spartans 38-19 and gained the upper hand in Class A play.

“I’m happy with their mental focus and their maturity,” Whitesboro coach Curtis Schmidt said. “The chemistry is good, and I’m just really happy with the team and how they are gelling.”

The building buzz became a roar at kickoff. The two teams renewed a bitter rivalry, with playoff implications on the line this time.

NH opened with the ball and passed twice on the opening drive before punting. Spartan coach Jim Kramer said he wanted the group to not rely on star running back Alex Collver as much.

Meier went right to work devouring the Spartan defense and ended with a 27-yard scamper into the end zone.

Throughout the game, Meier and Schmidt discussed how the junior QB, who leads Section III in rush yards, could enhance his play. Schmidt said these conversations are easy due to their shared love of the game.

“Kyle is a special quarterback, and he makes my job easier,” Schmidt said. “Sometimes, you just got to put the ball in your best players hands and let him go win it.”

Schmidt continued to let Meier do just that. Meier rushed for his second TD of the day early in the second.

While Whitesboro’s sideline and student section grinned and chanted, New Hartford grew exasperated. It committed multiple mistakes, such as back-to-back false starts. Kramer walked onto the field to speak to his team

“I said ‘take a deep breath gentleman.’ Let’s focus on what we do and do well,” Kramer said. “We’ve played in some big games, but the moment got a little too big for us and it showed.”

Two plays after the consecutive penalties, QB Dominic Ambrose completed a deep pass to running back Cole Raux for 66 yards. The Spartans scored a few plays later.

The comeback never came to fruition, though, as the Warriors scored on their next drive and took a 26-7 lead into the locker room after Sparta failed to score three times from the WB 12.

“That was a mentality situation,” Kramer said. “I wanted to go into halftime getting a touchdown to switch up the momentum a little bit, but we struggled in some areas tonight.”

Kramer added they grappled with Whitesboro’s physicality.

NH’s defense improved in the second half and held Meier to just one TD, but his one TD was on a perfect throw and catch to junior Tony Dorozynski in the third.

Schmidt said Dorozynski ranks as one of the many weapons the Warriors maintain besides Meier.

One of which is Memphis Ferguson. The sophomore received more carries than usually and was quiet for much before a 23-yard run early in the fourth.

“We got a lot of depth, and that helps us out a lot too when we know we can go to other players,” Schmidt said. “In years past, we had to ride the same guy over and over again.”

The Warriors return home for a massive Class A showdown with undefeated Fayetteville-Manlius, while the Spartans travel north to Carthage.

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Section 3 football: Top players, games from Friday Sept. 30 2022