And the beat goes on for the Clymer/Sherman/Panama football team.
The Wolfpack dominated on defense all day long and finally finished offensively in the second half, posting an impressive 29-6 win over Section V’s Alexander in the Class D Far West Regional on Saturday afternoon at Clarence High School.
“This is crazy,” quarterback Gerrit Hinsdale said. “Going to the state semifinals, it’s surreal, it hasn’t sunk in yet. It’s a great feeling but we still have two more weeks of football left.”
If CSP – the top ranked team in the state – keeps playing like it did on Saturday – when it rolled past the No. 2 team in the state – it’ll be a fun two weeks. Snow in the Southern tier caused a tough bus ride and late start to the game, but once the Wolfpack arrived, they were most impressive – and they want much more.
“It’s an incredible win but ultimately it’s just another stop on the journey,” CSP coach Ty Harper said. “Ultimately, we want to play for two more weeks.
The Wolfpack was absolutely dominant on defense, holding Alexander to 103 yards until a meaningless 86-yard TD run on the final play of the game. CSP also collected three interceptions.
“Coach (Chris) Payne has prepared us through the season and he got us ready all week,” receiver/cornerback Cameron Barmore said, referring to his defensive coordinator. “He watched a lot of film, broke it down, and we were ready.”
CSP outgained Alexander 167-20 in the first half but led just 8-0 at the break on a four-yard TD run by Derek Ecklund. Penalties and a few fumbled exchanges stalled several other drives.
“That was really frustrating,” Harper said. “But we knew we just had to stay the course and keep working hard. The defense was playing so well.”
The Wolfpack scored three more times in the second half on a 4-yard Hinsdale to Barmore connection in the third quarter and TD runs by Michael Beatman (one yard) and John Swabik (eight yards).
“In the first half we couldn’t finish,” Hinsdale said. “We talked about that in the locker room at halftime and then we came out in the second half and finished. Ecklund ran for 186 yards and a touchdown and also ran for a two-point conversion and an interception on defense. Hinsdale completed four passes – all to Barmore – for 67 yards and also tossed a two-point conversion to Chance Meeder.
Defensively, Swabik and Zach Overton had interceptions for CSP, while Barmore and Beatman each had a sack.
CSP will play Tioga – a 56-6 winner over Onondaga in its regional – at 4 p.m. Friday at Union-Endicott High School in the state semifinals.
“It’s going to be fun,” Barmore said. “We’ve got a focus, but in the end, it’s just another game.”
