By Mike Zummo
It came down to who was able to make the trick play.
A few plays after the Valley Central Vikings failed to convert on an option pass, the Washingtonville Wizards converted on one of their own.
“I’m proud of the guys,” Valley Central coach Andrew LaVallie said. “We had a pretty rough first half and they really turned it around in the second half, especially the offensive line and the defensive line. The end of that game, they got a play in and we didn’t get a play in.”
With the Vikings leading 14-13 in the fourth quarter, the Wizards opened the quarter by marching to the Valley Central 22-yard line, where the Vikings’ defense sacked quarterback Kai Bohunicky on their own 30 to take over with a chance to put the game away.
However, the Vikings went backward on their possession and the call came in for an option pass on third down and 13.
Randy Rosario took the ball as if to run and Bryce DeRonda was wide-open down the field. However, Rosario’s throw was high, turning what could have been a touchdown into merely an incomplete pass.
“He’s not a quarterback at the end of the day,” LaVallie said. “We practiced that a couple of times and he’s a playmaker. Any time you can get the ball into his hands, you know we have full confidence in him. You know Randy is going to do anything he can to help the team and he just overthrew it a little bit.”
The ensuing punt sent the ball to the Wizards’ 44-yard line. The Wizards marched to the Vikings’ 18-yard line, and the Vikings called a timeout to give the defense a breath.
“We went in with a timeout; the guys needed some water because Washingtonville really drives deep down the middle,” LaVallie said. “And they came out with that pass. Theirs fell. Ours didn’t.”
On a first down, quarterback Kai Bohunicky tossed the ball to Ryan Lombardi, who lofted the pass to Jose Lopez in the end zone to erase the Vikings’ lead, and give Washingtonville a 19-14-point advantage that would stand.
The Wizards got on the board first, taking a 7-0 lead in the first quarter on Bohunicky’s 20-yard run, and then he scored on a four-yard quarterback sneak to give Wizards’ a 13-0 lead.
The Vikings came out a stronger team in the third quarter. The defense clamped down on Washingtonville running backs Jack DelGuidice and Lombardi.
Valley Central took the kickoff and marched 68 yards on a drive that chewed nearly 7 minutes off the game clock. Quarterback Dylan O’Banks capped off the drive with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Logan Sherwood.
The Vikings, then recovered a fumble on the Wizards’ 22-yard line. Rosario’s scoring run and a two-point run by Elijah Bellinger gave the Vikings a 14-13 lead.
“I think the momentum changed,” LaVallie said. “We told our offensive line and our defensive line really came out strong in the third quarter. We made some good calls and got the ball to the outside when we needed.”
Bellinger had a strong game for the Vikings on both sides of the football.
“He’s been a starter for us on the defense and he’s been in the rotation for us at running back,” LaVallie said. “We really wanted to feature him.”
The Vikings have struggled so far in this Fall 2 season, suffering three losses. Saturday was the closest they came to victory and this week’s game against the Pine Bush Bushmen has been canceled as the Bushmen are quarantined. The Bushmen’s game Friday night against the Newburgh Free Academy Goldbacks also has been canceled for the same reason.
“We are progressing,” LaVallie said. “From Newburgh to now, we are getting better. Guys are continuing to remain positive. They’re psyched. They want to take on whoever is next.”