By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

In a game of inches, the Field football team was interested in anything but on Friday night.

One week removed from being painfully reminded of how close a win can turn into a loss, when they were stopped just inches short of the goal line on the game-winning 2-point conversion against arch-rival Mogadore, the Falcons entered Friday night on a determined mission.

A focused, unified and aggressive Falcons team left little in doubt in a commanding 28-6 non-league triumph over host Southeast at Freedom Field in Palmyra.

Recognizing that last week’s heartbreaking loss could have had the impact to carry over, longtime Field head coach Matt Furino was confident that his team would leave last week’s results behind.

“As a football coach, you know a loss like last week’s can be a two-week loss, but not with this group,” Furino said. “These kids have something special. They come to fight. You will never see our team not fight and when you do that, you have a chance to win every game.”

To get there, though, the Falcons had to “search their soul,” according to Furino and regroup from a physical battle with the Wildcats in Week 1 that left the team on the mend.

Behind a powerful offensive line and an offensive attack that featured punishing runs and aerial efficiency, the Falcons responded just as their head coach expected.

Three different runners scored the first three touchdowns for Field (1-1), with Drexal McAmis opening the scoring on a nifty 9-yard run at the 7:48 mark of the first quarter. Carter Hall booted the extra point for the 7-0 Falcons lead.

On the run, McAmis avoided a would-be tackler in the backfield with a sidestep move, then quickly turned up the field before pulling defenders across the goal line that showcased the 6-foot-3, 225-pound sophomore’s elusiveness and power all gift wrapped into one play.

Robert Atha scored the Falcons’ second touchdown, bursting through the line of scrimmage early untouched for a 20-yard scamper and a 14-0 lead following Hall’s extra point at 10:31 of the second quarter.

The lead ballooned to 21-0 on a 1-yard run by Braxton Baumberger at the close of the half with 32 seconds remaining.

“We talk about our offensive line getting the push needed to get us our first yard, then we expect our running backs to get the next yard or two or more, and we definitely did both of those things tonight,” Furino said.

The 21-0 lead went into halftime, but very nearly was different.

Atha made an athletic interception on a Southeast screen play at about the 25-yard line with 13 seconds remaining that he nearly ran back for a pick-six, but was tackled at the 9. On the play, Atha was able to get his hands on the pass, which sent the ball high into the air, he was able to find the ball, get under it and pull in the interception.

Field’s opportunity for a late-half touchdown was quickly erased on the very next offensive play when Southeast’s Evan Riffle ripped the ball out of the hands of the Falcons’ ball-carrier on an off-tackle run to the left.

Riffle initially stopped the ball-carrier, then reached in, turned and twisted the ball out and was suddenly running in the opposite direction. He needed 90 yards for a touchdown and made it about 65 yards, pulling out of a couple arm tackles and eluding others before Garit Greene, who delivered an incredible all-around game, ran him down for the score-saving tackle.

Field’s final touchdown of the game came from a 3-yard run by McAmis with 1:56 showing on the third-quarter clock.

Southeast’s touchdown came at 6:57 in the fourth quarter on a 1-yard plunge by Nate Muncy.

“I just don’t think we were able to get into any kind of rhythm tonight offensively,” Southeast head coach Patrick Youel said. “We would get three or four yards on a play, then not hit the hole on the next play or miss something on the following play. Some of that was (Field) for sure. You have to give them credit.”

Though, Youel’s first-half disappointment, including “simply not tackling well enough at all,” turned into a proud second half for his team.

“Super proud of the second half,” Youel said. “We told the boys at halftime that we were not going to be able to score 21 points on one play so we wanted to come out and battle and make plays, and I think we did that in the second half.

“This season is a marathon, not a sprint,” Youel added. “Tonight was not our best lap, but we will pick ourselves up and do what we need to do to run our best lap next week.”

The Falcons’ offense rushed for 207 yards and threw for another 123 in a balanced and efficient effort.

McAmis was the leading runner with 74 yards on 12 carries. Baumberger carried the ball 12 times for 42 yards and Atha added 39 yards on just five attempts.

In the air, Baumberger, who also had three interceptions in the game, was accurate and on time. He completed 8-of-10 passes, with five of those going to Greene for 101 yards.

Greene consistently ran tight routes to get open, but even broke a route late in the game to haul in a 28-yard reception that set up McAmis’ 1-yard touchdown in the third quarter.