Mistakes costly as BC falls to Sycamore
Burlington Central football coach Aaron Wichman knows his team is better than it was after week 1 of the 2008 football season.
He also knows what the Rockets still need to improve on.
Central's momentum-killing penalties and a running back by committee approach from Sycamore were just too much for the Rockets to overcome as they fell to 0-2 with a 33-17 nonconference loss at Sycamore Friday night.
"We had some momentum going sometimes and I know it hurt our momentum," Wichman said of the penalties.
Central was whistled 11 times for 55 yards, including twice in a row, which changed a third-and-3 at the Sycamore 7 to a third-and-13 at the 17.
"We get our drive going pretty well and then make a stupid mistake," Central quarterback Tim Maroder said. "Even on defense, we made some stupid mistakes."
Sycamore (2-0) jumped out to an early 13-0 lead after running just 8 offensive plays in the first quarter. Cody Bex's 1-yard run capped off a 4-play 52-yard scoring drive in the game's first 1:33, but a missed extra point only put Sycamore up 6-0.
After holding the Rockets to a 3-and-out, including a 5-yard penalty, Marckie Hayes dashed in from 38 yards out to cap off a 4-play, 60-yard scoring drive which only took 1 minute, 40 seconds off the clock.
In all, Central was forced to punt on 3 of its first 4 possessions, and turned another over on downs as Nick Smith was stuffed on a fourth-and-1 on the Sycamore 24 on the other.
Hayes (3 carries, 68 yards) and Tom Hensley (4 carries, 60 yards) combined to rush for 128 yards on just 7 carries during that span.
Sycamore quarter back Michael Buckner (7 carries, 70 yards, 1 TD) and Joe Dougherty 16 carries, 70 yards) did the damage the rest of the way.
"I know on film they had a lot of good backs," Wichman said. "Their quarterback impressed me. He's a hard runner. He ran the offense well."
Maroder shined late in the game. The sophomore QB hit Jeremy Lee on a 21-yard touchdown pass with 4:54 left to play and then connected with Kevin Kellish for the 2-point conversion to cut Sycamore's lead to 33-14. He finished as the Rockets' leading rusher with 59 yards on 15 carries.
Kellish scored the Rockets' first touchdown with a 6-yard reverse with 11:52 left in the fourth quarter.
Buckner hooked up with Hensley on a pair of scoring passes in the second half, the first a 92-yard bomb with 5:13 left in the third and the second a 42-yard pass with 7:56 left in the fourth.
Buckner also ran in a 7-yard touchdown with 9:48 left in the third.