By Frank Rizzo
JEFFERSONVILLE — September 19, 2000 -- Kevin Mullally was thinking “Jeffersonville-Youngsville” instead of “Sullivan West” when he commented, “We hadn’t beaten them in six years.”
By “them” he meant defending Section IX — Class D football champ Tri-Valley, which had downed the former Trojans every year since 1993.
But it’s a different world now.
Sullivan West continued its successful melding of three former schools on Saturday, beating Tri-Valley 14-0 in a non-league game for its third straight shutout.
The Bulldogs improved to 3–0 overall and 2–0 in Class C.
Two big plays highlighted Saturday’s win over the Bears.
On first-and-10 from his 35, SW quarterback Bill Reichmann moved to his left to start a possible option play, then cut across the sea of red jerseys and beat his pursuers for a 65-yard TD run at the 9:42 mark of the first quarter. The run for two extra points failed.
“We overpursued, then he broke through and made a great run,” noted T-V coach Max Stolzenberg.
On the Bulldogs’ first possession of the fourth quarter, Reichmann drifted back, then arched a deep pass to John Compton, who benefited from T-V defender Billy Gorman turning the wrong way. Compton corralled the pass and went into the end zone untouched.
Reichmann then kept the ball and went around the right end for two more points with 9:06 showing on the clock.
Other than those two plays, the SW offense was stymied or ineffective, with seven of its 10 possessions ending with Reichmann having to punt the ball.
The Bears put together their best drive in the first quarter, driving from their 21 to the DV 14 in a 5:43 span. Josh Lowitz, whose 33-yard romp highlighted this drive, was hit and fumbled the ball on a third-and-one from the Bulldog 14.
T-V ventured into SW territory two more times in the first half without result, and in the third quarter twice got inside the SW 30. The first time the drive was aborted when Josh Duffy snared a Billy Gorman pass attempt from the 27; the second, when Lowitz was stopped on a fourth-and-three from the 24.
“It was a good defensive game,” summed up SW coach Ron Bauer. “We didn’t get good field position today.”
Asked where his team needed to improve, Bauer replied, “We’ve got to adjust our blocking. Tri-Valley changed its defense around in the second half and we didn’t adjust.”
This was most evident late in the second quarter. Reichmann connected with Jeff Peters for a 29-yard pass play to the Bear 45. However, the QB was sacked on the next three plays, ending up back at the DV 17.
“They were firing their linebackers,” Bauer pointed out.
The loss was the third straight for the Bears.
“We’re making progress — I think,” said Stolzenberg. “From the first week we’re way up. We’re running better, playing more aggressively, and playing the game better.
“I’m very pleased in terms of people stepping up today. We did a good job on defense,” he added.
SW now plays four straight non-league games before Class C showdowns against Highland (October 21 at home) and James I. O’Neill (October 28 on the road).
T-V similarly faces non-league opponents until October 21, when it resumes its Class D schedule against host Roscoe. The Bears close out the season on October 28, getting a visit from Livingston Manor in a game that could possibly decide the Class D playoff picture.