The visiting Pine Bush Bushmen spoiled Kingston’s annual festivities Friday night, scoring 27 unanswered points in the first half before holding off the Tigers, 34-20, in a Section 9 Class AA football game at Dietz Stadium.
Kingston fell to 0-3 in Section 9 Class AA and 2-5 overall, further damaging its postseason hopes. Pine Bush improved to 2-5 overall and 1-2 in Class AA play.
The Bushmen scored on their first four possessions, rolling up 338 yards of total offense in the first half. Pine Bush rushed for 225 yards on 31 carries and senior quarterback Ryan Curtin passed for 113 yards and two touchdowns before halftime.
Freshman Jace Robinson opened the scoring with a 4-yard touchdown run, giving Pine Bush a 7-0 lead.
The Bushmen extended their advantage to 14-0 when Ruben Simpson scored on a 12-yard run. A touchdown pass and conversion later in the second quarter made it 21-0, and Curtin followed with a touchdown pass to Noah Schorling to put Pine Bush ahead 27-0.
Kingston finally got on the board early in the second half after senior lineman Jeremy Reynoso recovered a Curtin fumble inside the Pine Bush 40.
Following a major penalty against Pine Bush, Kingston sophomore quarterback Cole Ferraro found junior wide receiver Carter Gaddis over the middle. Gaddis made a juggling catch and raced 25 yards for a touchdown, cutting the deficit to 27-6 with 7:04 left in the third quarter.
Pine Bush answered on its next possession after defensive back Triston Bernard intercepted Ferraro and returned the ball down the sideline to inside the Kingston 5-yard line. After a penalty pushed the Bushmen back, Robinson scored on a 9-yard run with 2:15 remaining in the third quarter to make it 34-6.
Ferraro completed 9 of 17 passes for 122 yards.
Kingston continued to battle. Senior running back Cruz Geuss broke loose for a 27-yard touchdown run with 11:01 remaining, and Ferraro connected with Antonio Perry for the two-point conversion to cut the margin to 34-14.
Pine Bush then put together an 11-play drive that ended with a missed 40-yard field goal. The Bushmen failed to score, but the possession consumed more than eight minutes and effectively drained much of Kingston’s remaining time.
The Tigers added another touchdown with 30 seconds left when Ferraro threw a 3-yard scoring pass to junior wide receiver Grey Boyd, making it 34-20.
Kingston’s final possession produced a strange finish, with Pine Bush using much of its second-team defense until the Tigers moved close to the end zone. Kingston also used two timeouts during the final minute, but could not complete the comeback.
Pine Bush will face Valley Central in a Section 9 Class AA challenge Saturday, Oct. 24. The Vikings enter with a 5-2 record after a 12-7 league victory over Monroe-Woodbury.
Kingston will look to rebound against Newburgh Free Academy, which is 5-2 following a 32-22 loss to Middletown.