Homecoming Court oversee a royal victory!!
From Drew Golden, follow the Golden Lens on Facebook
The Hornell Red Raiders hosted the Livonia Bulldogs on Friday night for homecoming and controlled the game from the start, scoring 50 points in the first half in front of an energized crowd of students, alumni and community members at Maple City Park.
Homecoming court students were Owen Hyer, Elliott Bale, Felipe Silva, Evelyn Striker, Kgolagano Thai (KT) and Adrianna Fortuna. Felipe Silva was named homecoming king and Kgolagano Thai was named homecoming queen.
Hornell finished with 399 yards of total offense—205 rushing on 24 carries and 194 passing. Livonia managed 203 yards.
“It’s always a blessing to be home and playing in front of our community,” Coach Mehr said. “This week being homecoming, there’s a double-edged sword. There’s a lot of activities, a lot going on around the community—all good things—but it also creates distractions at times when you’re trying to prepare for a football game. I thought these young men did a great job of being measured and responsible, knowing and understanding that there was a football game to be played. They prepared for that well, and at the same time enjoyed and participated in some of the activities throughout the week for homecoming, but never lost sight that there is no homecoming unless we win. We came out tonight and played very well.”
Quarterback Brenton Booth was efficient, completing 7 of 7 passes for 194 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Matt Karr rushed seven times for 129 yards and three touchdowns. Tyrone Buchanan caught three passes for 100 yards. Patrick Wing, who can line up at tight end or fullback, caught three passes for 85 yards and two scores, including a touchdown where he controlled his body to stay in bounds.
“Offensively everything was firing on all cylinders,” Mehr said. “Brenton Booth did a tremendous job—7 of 7 for 194 yards, two touchdowns and, most importantly, zero interceptions. The offensive line made some holes. In total we ran for over 200 yards. Matt Karr had 129 yards on just seven rushing attempts. Sometimes with so many different pieces in the offense, people lose sight of the consistent work that Patrick Wing has been putting in. He’s versatile. He plays both tight end and we can plug him in at fullback, and he had a night—three big plays when the ball was thrown to him, catches for 85 yards and two touchdowns, and that last touchdown was just amazing, the control he had to keep his body in bounds.”
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Mehr was also pleased that younger players got meaningful snaps and that the sideline stayed energetic. “What I was most pleased about was the ability to get our younger guys in and get them some valuable playing time and experience,” he said. “Let them enjoy the moment and having our guys on the sideline cheering them on. It’s a brotherhood. It’s a special bond. Just seeing everyone cheer each other on—we had some great plays made by some really young guys who were gaining experience, and we were excited. It’s always a good night when you can get everyone on the roster and get them some time, get the win, and put an exclamation point on homecoming, because winning the football game is the most important thing for homecoming week, and we achieved that.”
Defensively, Hornell emphasized assignment football and discipline against Livonia’s offense. “Defensively, we had a task of playing assignment football very similar to Letchworth-Perry-Warsaw,” Mehr said. “Trying to find who has the ball and having what we call dirty eyes will cost you, and we did a great job of being disciplined, understanding our assignments, and we were inspired on our own. These kids were inspired to have Owen Hyer back, their captain, their leader. After week one he was injured, and he did a tremendous job in there leading and bringing that hard-nosed, I’m-coming-at-you attitude that he always brings, and it’s contagious, and we saw that tonight.”
Mehr noted the team has learned from earlier seasons. “We also understood that we’ve been on the other side before when there’s challenges and struggles being faced, and that we will always win and lose with class, so I think these young men showed that,” he said.
“We move on to the next week. Kids will enjoy today, rest up tomorrow. We as coaches are already in the lab, so to speak, or the classroom, watching film, preparing to go on and know next week.
In closing, I want to thank everyone in the community and the alumni and the football alumni for all the support—be it when things were rough and we were trying to get experience and maturity in the previous seasons, to now where we can see some of the fruits of that work, effort and labor. As a coaching staff, we’re just blessed to be part of this community and excited that they all are excited, and we’ll keep doing what we do, putting in work. Thank you.”
After the game, the team celebrated Coach Mehr’s birthday. Hornell travels to Alexander-Pembroke next Friday. “We’re striving for a 1-0 record next week,” Mehr said.
