...

2003 Chenango Forks Varsity Football

Game 1 vs Elmira Free Academy -  CF wins 19-0!

Batman II - Batman Returns!
(2 straight years EFA driven Batty)

19-0

Article courtesy of the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin

to the 2003 team page

to Game 2 - Norwich


No game article from the Elmira paper, they used parts of the Press article. After the stats section below, there's a little Forks/EFA tidbit from the Press' Tuesday Weekend Review. 

Forks off to solid start, shuts out Elmira FA

Offense, defense click in opener

BY KEVIN STEVENS
Press & Sun-Bulletin

CHENANGO FORKS -- Oh, about that football squad from Chenango Forks, presumably destined for a drop back to the pack following a marvelous two-season stretch ...

The Blue Devils made a statement Saturday afternoon, taking apart Elmira Free Academy for an eyebrow-raising 19-0 season-opening victory.

Junior quarterback Tim Batty delivered two touchdown passes to classmate Zach Vredenburgh and added a spectacular 58-yard scoring run, and the Devils' defense limited a much larger EFA bunch to five first downs.

All told, it was just about all Forks could hope for as it opened defense of its Section 4 Class B championship.

"No one gave us any respect, we like that," Vredenburgh said. "We're underrated and we'll just show people what we can do."

Too, Elmira Free Academy was clearly not the equal of its 2002 squad, which captured Section 4's Class A title. EFA's Blue Devils repeatedly cost themselves with nickel-and-dime penalties, and appeared to lose the stamina battle on a warm, sunny afternoon.

Nonetheless, Forks coach Kelsey Green said, "That was a nice win. We'll take it."

And make it back-to-back successes against EFA, Saturday's to go with a 20-0 season opener on the road last September.

The tone was established on EFA's opening possession. The guests were whistled once for holding and another time for delay of game in a drive that began at their 32-yard line and ended with a punt from their 34.

Forks' initial score was set up when Steve Samson recovered a fumble to put his squad in possession at EFA's 42.

The first of three Batty-to-Vredenburgh connections was an 11-yarder to EFA's 30-yard line. Four plays later, on third-and-8 from the 15, Batty passed to Vredenburgh in the end zone and Vredenburgh reached up over defender Andy Zick to put his team's first points of the season on the board in the final minute of the opening quarter.

The play of the game came with a bit over seven minutes remaining in the first half, and was evidence of just why Batty figures among the most valuable players in all of the conference.

On first-and-10 from Forks' 42 following EFA's third punt, Batty started with the football toward the home sideline, only to make an exquisite cut back against the flow of defensive traffic to clear sailing down the far side of the field and across the goal line.

Had Batty's name not already been highlighted on the scouting reports of upcoming Forks opponents, it assuredly will be after that piece of running.

"We'd been running it up the middle," Batty said, alluding to nine carries by fullback Joe Babcock to that juncture. "They bit on the fullback, I just cut back and no one really saw me."

Babcock, in addition to his 83 tough rushing yards on 18 carries, was linebacker and leader of a defense that saw to it EFA would snap the ball no more than four times in Forks territory.

"Joey played a lot of linebacker last year and possibly could have played more, but there were two seniors ahead of him," Green said. "Joe knows its his turn and he made a nice start (Saturday). And he ran hard with the football."

The final touchdown was scored with two minutes to play in the first half, again a Batty-to-Vredenburgh collaboration and again over the head of defender Zick. In fact, the 21-yard scoring play made it three complete passes -- for an aggregate 54 yards -- in a four-play, 55-yard drive.

"We used the same play. I ran down the field and Tim threw a couple nice passes, right to me," Vredenburgh said of the two TD plays.

 


 

1 2 3 4   Tot
Chenango Forks 06 13 00 00 - 19
EFA 0 0 0 0 - 0
  • CF - Z. Vredenburgh 15 pass from Batty (run failed)
  • CF - Batty 58 run (run failed)
  • CF - Z. Vredenburgh 21 pass from Batty (Batty kick)

TEAM STATISTICS

EFA CF
First Downs 5 12
Rushes-Yards 38-118 38-206
Passing Yards 22 80
Comp-Att-Int 2-9-0 5-9-0
Total offense 47-140 47-286
Punts-Ave yards 6-25.4 5-31.4
Fumbles-Lost 3-1 3-1
Penalties-Yards 9-60 5-30

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

EFA rushing:  

  • Stark 19-63
  • Murphy 10-37
  • Zick 4-11
  • Hall 5-7

Chenango Forks rushing:  

  • Babcock 18-83
  • Batty 9-61, 1 TD
  • O'Branski 4-30
  • Farnham 1-23
  • Spencer 3-11
  • Lucas 1-0
  • Bomysoad 2-(-2)

EFA passing

  • Stark 1-for-5, 23 yards
  • Zick 1-for4, -1 yard

Chenango Forks passing: 

  • Batty 5-for-9, 80 yards, 2 TDs

EFA receiving: 

  • Hall 1-23
  • Irvin 1-(-1)

Chenango Forks receiving:  

  • Z. Vredenburgh 3-47, 2 TDs
  • Farnham 1-15
  • O'Branski 1-18

JV Score: CF 14-0


Tuesday September 9, 2003

BY KEVIN STEVENS

Press & Sun-Bulletin

QUARTERBACK EXCELS FOR FORKS

Having his quarterback twice take a knee with his team sitting on a three-touchdown lead was, frankly, beyond Chenango Forks coach Kelsey Green's highest hopes for Saturday's opener against Elmira Free Academy.

But there were the Blue Devils, ahead by 19-0 and having limited the guests to three first downs.

"We have a lot of respect for Free Academy," Green said. "All you've got to do is look back through the years and, by the end of this year, who knows? They're young like we are. They're going to be better than this, and we plan on being better than this, too.

"If you can beat Elmira Free Academy, you take it. They've always got good kids and Dick (EFA coach Senko) has been at it forever, I don't think he's ever had a losing season. There's a lot of tradition there, too."

Forks' primary playmakers were quarterback Tim Batty and end Zach Vredenburgh, who teamed for two touchdown passes, and Batty added another on a fantastic 58-yard run.

"Timmy's no secret, obviously," Green said. "We knew what kind of kid we had in him last year. We knew that this year, people were going to know a lot about Timmy. That cutback run, some nice throws. ...

"Zach's just a very athletic kid with a very good set of hands and good body position. He's a basketball player, rebounder type of kid with a nose for the ball."


 

.
Site Meter

counter courtesy of