It was a cold, windy, rainy and raw day when the Pirates football team took the field to face Hamilton West in their fourth game of the season. The game was not pretty, but the outcome was; a 15-9 victory for Cinnaminson, their fourth (4-0).
Cinnaminson really had not endured long periods of offensive struggles coming into this game, but it was evident by halftime that it would take a complete team effort to return home with a win on Saturday. There was no relying on the defense to pitch a shutout, or on the offense to put up 38 points, or on the special teams to return kicks for scores. Each aspect of the squad needed to pitch in today, and that is what happened.
“They (Hamilton West) were flying around early,” head coach Mario Patrizi said. “They were coming at us and they needed the game as much as we did today. We are very fortunate to get out of here with a ‘W.’ We made some big plays when we needed to. I thought our defense was outstanding. We’re gonna move on from here, we’ve got homecoming next week.”
After a scoreless first quarter, the Hornets got on the board first when quarterback Hezekiah Patterson scored from the one-yard line on a keeper with 2:59 left before halftime. The PAT kick failed and the Pirates trailed 6-0; the first time they trailed all season.
With just 1:31 left in the half, quarterback Shaun Davilla showed off his speed with a 33-yard touchdown run straight up the gut of the Hornets defense, breaking multiple tackles along the way. Following a dead-ball personal foul on the Pirates after the score, Tyler Simcoe was tasked with a 34-yard PAT that he nailed through the uprights to give the Pirates a 7-6 lead.
Cinnaminson would keep the 7-6 lead at the break, but the Hornets would retake the lead with 4:49 left in the third on a 30-yard field goal.
“It’s a Saturday. We’re not used to this type of environment,” Davilla said. “Next week we have to come prepared. We have to just go from the first whistle.”
Late in the fourth quarter, with a 9-7 lead and the ball, the Hornets (1-2) were looking to kill the clock and walk away with their second win of the season. The Pirates defense had other plans, though, forcing and recovering a fumble at the Hornets 45-yard line.
The play Hamilton West tried to run was a fake in the backfield that caused a fumble on the intended handoff. Junior linebacker Dom Cicale was in the right place at the right time to recover the loose ball for the Pirates.
“Our main goal today was to keep the offense on the field for the majority of the time,” Cicale said. “It felt great. Credit to the line for getting the push and the secondary for limiting chances in the backfield.”
The offense took the field and went on a 4-plus minute drive that killed all but 49 seconds off the clock and gave Cinnaminson a 15-9 lead. Davilla scored his second rushing touchdown of the game from 10 yards out and scored on a two-point conversion run to put the game in the hands of the Pirates defense.
“I just saw daylight and kept going. I was just trying to stay on my feet,” Davilla said of his game-winning touchdown run.
Hamilton West was forced with a 4th and 20 deep in its own territory, but completed a pass up the middle to its own 45 for a first down to keep the game going with 13 seconds left. The ensuing play was one befitting of this year’s defense as the squad recorded a sack to end the contest and send the Pirates home 4-0.
It was one of those ugly weather games, as the Pirates gained just 97 yards of offense, with 45 of them coming on the game-winning drive.
“That’s the best defense we’ve seen,” Patrizi said. “They’re very strong up front, great linebackers, safeties and corners. They are very well coached and experienced. We knew what we were coming into today. It’s not easy when you’re a Group 2 school going to a Group 3 school. They did a great job, controlling the tempo, controlling the football. Their gameplan was excellent, we did just enough to win the game today.”
Davilla went 2-for-6 through the air for 13 yards and one interception and ran the ball 18 times for 79 yards and the two scores. The Pirates defense recovered two fumbles on the day and held the Hornets to only 160 yards of offense.
“The defense has been outstanding,” Patrizi said. “You win with defense. Defense creates good offense and they did a great job. I think this win shows us where we can go from here.”
The Hornets were penalized 13 times for 115 yards in the loss. The penalty that hurt the most was a 15-yard pass interference penalty on the Pirates game-winning drive that put the ball on the Hornets 20. Cinnaminson would pick up a first down at the 10 on the next play and then Davilla would find the end zone on the ensuing play.
“It does a lot for our character,” Patrizi said. “We’re on the young side. We lost a ton of guys from last year. To be honest with you, to start out 4-0, it doesn’t really surprise me with the guys we have, the character we have and the the work ethic we put in this summer.”
The Pirates return home Friday, October 9 at 7pm to face Holy Cross for this year’s homecoming.
[…] Pirates are coming off a 15-9 victory over Hamilton West on the road Saturday that saw them trail for the first time this season when the Hornets scored on […]