Calhoun Falls to Garden City in Tough Opening Game

An interrupted football game played over two consecutive days ended in Garden City's favor Friday afternoon as they defeated Calhoun 42-7.

Here's the breakdown:

Records: Garden City 2-0 (2-0), Calhoun 0-1 (0-1)

The Hero:  Senior tailback Corey Barchat and junior tailback Julian Lee provided most of the punch that Calhoun was able to throw at Garden City in the loss. While it was the second string that managed to finally crack the Trojan defense, the duo of Barchat and Lee gave the first string a good barometer of where to run the offense through. The quarterback for the Colts, Vincent Spampinato, had high praise for the backfield, saying that "the running game played well" even though the team did not get the victory.

The Turning Point: While junior quarterback Spampinato had already thrown an interception that Garden City returned for a touchdown, it was a pass by Garden City quarterback Tom Gordon that helped to deflate the Colts. Connecting with his tight end, Scott McElroy, on a 21-yard touchdown, the Colts could not respond on the next series, and the offense had little success the rest of the way.

Key Quote: After the game, Spampinato tried to keep everything in perspective. Talking about their play, he said that the team "had to get the kinks out" in order to get better. Garden City had the advantage of playing a game already, and the Colts had to take the field for the first time against the defending Long Island champions.

The Bottom Line: While the Colts were outgunned in the loss Friday, the team still has room for improvement. Spampinato said that the team was just making "bad plays", but was confident that they would rebound. Several times throughout the interview, he used the same expression: "but we'll get better." The opening day game may be the most difficult Calhoun plays all year, and the wake-up call should help the Colts the rest of the way.

Key Stat: Quarterback Vincent Spampinato: 6-13 for 54 yards, two interceptions

Who's Next? Calhoun will play its second game against Mepham. The game will be the home opener for the Colts, and will be played Sept. 25 at 1:30 p.m.

Box:

                              1         2          3          4          F

Garden City   14        7          14        7          42

Calhoun           0         0          0          7          7