’Jacks fall in return to action
TUPPER LAKE — After not being able to play last week due to a lack of players, the Tupper Lake football team was back on its home field Saturday afternoon for the annual homecoming game. And despite another loss, the Lumberjacks at least came out of the game with all their players intact.
Tupper Lake fell 42-0 to Potsdam and sunk to 0-3 overall for the season. Potsdam improved to 3-1 with the victory.
Tupper Lake was forced to miss its game last week due to numerous injuries, including concussions, a broken thumb, bruised ribs and an ankle injury. NYSPHSAA requires at least 16 players, and the Lumberjacks could only suit up 15 healthy players.
But this week saw the return of the team, with coach Dennis Klossner utilizing 17 players for the game with a few of the injuries healed and at least one player returned after being suspended.
The Lumberjacks played in solid black under a blazing, unseasonably hot sun, while the Sandstoners proved to be unstoppable. After a week off, the Lumberjacks looked a little rusty, with Potsdam putting 26 points on the board in the first quarter.
The Sandstoners moved the ball effectively down the field, and were on fire in the red zone, scoring three two-point conversions, while the defense capitalized on a solid punt to the Tupper end zone and forced a safety.
But the second quarter saw Tupper Lake get its groove back a bit. The Sandstoners drove the ball down to first-and-goal from the 8 midway through the second quarter, and through a combination of false starts and solid defense, Potsdam was pushed back to the Tupper Lake 18. Potsdam then had to punt when Tupper Lake senior Ryeleigh Shore came up with a huge sack at the 32.
In the second half, the Lumberjacks were able to move the ball more effectively, and put together a series of first downs that culminated in a missed field goal.
“We were able to control the ball for most of the third quarter,” Klossner said. “We slowed them down a little bit. The line did better with our pass blocking, so we were looking at building off our quarterback Noah Cordes. Passes were good, we just weren’t hanging on to them.”
While Cordes ended up 7 for 14, recently returned player Kyler teRiele showed a good sense for the linebacker position, collecting eight tackles on the day in his first time playing the position.
“We’re starting to be more aggressive,” Klossner said. “We started out a little slow. Our D-line was doing their best to try and take out the blocks or cut them down so the linebacker could take care of their running back.
“I was happy with the way we started to make contact with them as the game went on.”
Klossner said the Lumberjacks were rested up after a week off, and even more pleased that none of the players suffered any injuries in the game.
The Lumberjacks next play at Gouverneur on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.