by Congratulations to the many Raiders on this list!
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It was a perfect night for football at Southwest General Stadium. The Columbia Raiders looked to rack up another win and keep their season perfect. Standing in their way were the Hopewell-Loudon Chieftains who were 9-2 during the regular season.
Columbia’s junior tailback Marco Cirigliano led the Raiders to a dominant 36-6 victory over the Chieftains. He used his legs to power his way to the end zone five times, accounting for all of Columbia’s points tonight. Cirigliano showed grit and power as he pushed through the line time and time again, carrying defenders with him as he ran.
The Raiders won the coin toss and elected to defer to the second half. On the opening kick, Braylon Martinez brought the ball out to the 24-yard line to start the Chieftains possession. The Chieftains started by rushing the ball and were immediately stopped by the Raider defense.
Chieftain quarterback Evan Kreais connected with Blake Berrier for 24 yards. However, on the next play Kreais had his pass intercepted by Vince Berardi. He returned it for 36 yards giving the Raiders exceptional field position at the Chieftain 10-yard line. One play later, Cirigliano took the direct snap and rushed four yards for the Raiders’ first touchdown and lead.
Later in the first quarter, Hopewell-Loudon attempted to get back in the game through the air. Unfortunately, every other pass was incomplete so they went to the running game to get the offense clicking. It paid dividends by way of a five yard run for six by Braylon Martinez at the end of the first 12 minutes.
The score now being 7-6 Columbia.
The Raiders started the second quarter on a roll. A few runs between Jacob Sanders and Cirigliano were the source of energy. Carter Kalamasz connected over the middle to Berardi, who caught the ball as he was diving to the ground for a gain of 13.
It put Cirigliano in place for his second score from a yard out. The following Chieftains drive stalled out after gaining some momentum early. Columbia’s offense rode the strong wave of their defense on the ensuing possession.
Five plays later and Cirigliano’s name would be called for his third touchdown. Columbia led 21-6 at the half.
Columbia did not let up in the second half. They picked up right where they left off landing another blow on the Hopewell-Loudon defense. A seven play, 57-yard drive led to more points. Berardi made another catch over the middle, taking it 48 yards down to the Hopewell-London two-yard line. The next play, Marco Cirigliano pushed the line for score number four.
The Chieftains stalled out on their first possession of the half thanks to Cirigliano being everywhere. He broke up a pass that would have given Hopewell-Loudon a third down conversion.
Kreais and the offense’s woes continued. Berardi picked off Kreais’ pass, leaped a Chieftain defender, and took the ball all the way to their seven-yard line. Cirigliano polished it off from seven yards out for his fifth and final score of the evening.
On the one-point attempt there was a penalty on Hopewell-Loudon. So, Columbia decided to go for two and succeeded. On their final drive the Chieftains drove the ball nearly 50 yards downfield but were unable to finish the drive before the game clock and their season ended.
Player of the Game:
Columbia RB Marco Cirigliano: 27 carries, 146 yards, 5.4 YPC, 5 TD
