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Football can be a frustrating sport.
Take the Woodstock Academy Centaurs this season.
When they have come off the field in each of their last two games, they have been dominant on the stat sheet.
Unfortunately, that has not been reflected on the scoreboard.
The Centaurs fell to 1-3 Sept. 28 in Ludlow, Mass., losing to the Lions 13-6, despite finishing with over double the amount of offense than their hosts.
The problem for the Centaurs is two-fold.
They have troubles finishing in the red zone and they have problems keeping possession of the football; two fumbles and two interceptions helped ruin their evening.
“Unfortunately, we have to figure that out.” said coach Sean Saucier. “We have to keep working on ball security, not turn the ball over and give opponents extra possessions.”
The Centaurs were driving on their first possession of the game and were at the Ludlow 19-yard line when the ball was jarred loose and recovered by the Lions
The third possession ended in an interception by Ludlow safety Jeremy Garcia.
The Centaurs drove to the Lions 22-yard line on their first possession of the second quarter, but gave the ball over on downs.
After forcing Ludlow to punt for a third time, quarterback Derek Thompson (15-for-27, 134 yards) threw the ball into the end zone for Caleb Feen but the ball was picked by Jake Manewich.
The Centaurs outgained the Lions 134-96 in the half.
But were trailing on the scoreboard, 6-0.
Their only defensive faux pas of the half was allowing Jamonte Beckett to get around the corner on a sweep to the left side with 54 seconds left in the first quarter. A missed tackle opportunity in the secondary allowed Beckett to go 48 yards for the score.
The Centaurs had two chances to tie the game in the third quarter.
Their first possession saw the Centaurs run the ball down the field thanks to the legs of sophomore Gavin Savoie and Jaden Dennett, but the drive stalled at the Ludlow 31-yard line.
Savoie played a key role both on offense where he rushed 14 times for 95 yards and on defense.
“He’s a warrior. I love that kid. He plays the game the way it’s supposed to be played. I’m proud of him,” Saucier said.
After another Ludlow punt, the Centaurs found a counter play that ate up some yardage, Dennett (12 carries, 37 yards) getting 26 yards in three carries, but a fumble ended their hopes at the Ludlow 38-yard line.
The Centaurs forced Ludlow to punt the football again which was the story of the night for the Lions who had only 144 total yards.
Outside of their two touchdowns, their other eight possessions all ended in them kicking the ball away.
But Woodstock Academy had to go for it on a 4th-and-5 at their own 31-yard line. Dennett looked like he had got over the 35-yard line and was close to the 36 on his carry, but the officials placed the ball back near the 31.
A stunned Centaurs team hadn’t even regrouped when Garcia (20 carries, 91 yards) burst through the middle to daylight for a 31-yard score and the 13-0 lead.
The Centaurs did answer when Thompson completed four straight passes including a hook-and-ladder with Feen (8 catches, 65 yards) and a his longest connection of the night, a 28-yarder to Nick Bedard that got the Centaurs to the Ludlow 2-yard line. Dennett carried it in for the score on the next play with 3:40 left.
The Centaurs had two more possessions, but never got further than the Ludlow 43.
They finished with 314 yards on the night.
“We have to stop putting ourselves in these positions. Similar to Week 1, we dig a hole and try to get out of it at the end. We have to stop doing that,” Saucier said.
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director
The Woodstock Academy
.