Coach Mehr: In heavyweight fights you get knocked down
GALLERY and reporting by Drew Golden
The Hornell Red Raiders dropped to 2-1 on Friday night, falling 47-32 after the Rivals scored on the opening drive and never gave the lead back.
Hornell fought back and kept it a one-score game for most of the second half before the Rivals pulled away in the fourth quarter.
“It’s been a while since we’ve been in a big game,” Coach Mehr said. “We fell behind early. I’m very proud of how we battled and fought back. In heavyweight fights, you get knocked down, punched in the mouth. You have to get up and respond—and we responded. Though the score was 47-32, it was a one-score game for most of the second half.”
The Raiders finished with 291 yards of total offense and 32 points. The run game never clicked the way it had in the first two weeks, but the passing attack did. Quarterback Brenton Booth went 17-of-27 for 234 yards and a touchdown.
“He really took command of the offense,” Mehr said. “Normally when you’re able to put up 291 yards of total offense and 32 points in high school football, that’s a good day.”
Defensively, Hornell could not get off the field. The Rivals converted third- and fourth-down chances and hit big plays in spots where the Raiders had a chance to end the drive. Penalties compounded the problem—false starts, holding, and an unsportsmanlike-conduct call after a first down. A late hit on Booth wiped out a Rivals interception, extended a Hornell drive, and led to a Raiders score.
“Unfortunately defensively we were not able to get them off the field,” Mehr said. “We gave up some big plays in situations where we had the chance to get them off the field. I was very proud of our guys for their never-give-up approach, taking it right down to the end of the game and putting us in a position to potentially tie it. We allowed penalties to get the best of us. We have a lot to clean up.”
Hornell hosts Letchworth-Perry next Friday at 7 p.m.
