LAKE HUNTINGTON – For their senior night and homecoming, the Sullivan West Bulldogs hosted Livingston Manor/Roscoe for the Wildcats’ first game officially played without forfeit since the first week on September 14 against Eldred. Despite losing 48-18, the visiting team scored their first three touchdowns of the year and were happy to just get on the field and play football under the Friday night lights. 

“We’re happy to be playing football for the first time since our opening day,” Livingston Manor/Roscoe Head Coach Mike Hill said. “[We’re] just working through some injuries, trying to get enough guys. We brought some ninth graders up and they really gave us new energy today.”

The game started fast, as the Bulldogs found the endzone on the first play from scrimmage after the Wildcats deferred the opening kickoff. Quarterback Adam Ernst aired it out to Evan Ebert for a 66-yard touchdown. Before anyone could even blink, Sullivan West quickly forced a three-and-out and scored again on their second play from scrimmage. This time, Ernst found Dylan Lockwood from 80 yards away and the two-point conversion made it 16-0 Bulldogs less than four minutes into the game. 

Ebert recorded his second touchdown catch of the day with under three minutes remaining in the opening quarter to make it 22-0 after a failed two-point try. Manor/Roscoe got their first spark as Kyle Hendrickson returned the ensuing kickoff to the Sullivan West 15-yard line. A couple of plays later, quarterback Josh Hendrickson kept it and scrambled in for the Wildcats’ first touchdown of the year. 

The Bulldogs answered right back as Ebert took the following kickoff to the house and it was 28-6 after a quarter of play. After trading possessions, Ebert caught another touchdown for his first overall score of the day with just over five minutes remaining in the second quarter. 

Sullivan West then capitalized on a Wildcat fumble in Bulldog territory with 1:39 before halftime, as Lockwood came down with his second touchdown catch of the day. At halftime, it was 41-6 Sullivan West. 

Livingston Manor/Roscoe found another spark to begin the second half when Kyle Hendrickson took the kickoff to the house which made it 41-12. That score would hold up for the rest of the third quarter. 

Just over a minute into the fourth quarter, Walter Henry picked off the Wildcats, which led to another Bulldogs touchdown as Seamus Johnston caught a pass from Ernst with 5:34 to go. 

Mark Nieves recorded the third touchdown for the Wildcats as he ran it in with a long run to make it 48-18. 

Coach Hill said that the Wildcats hope to stay healthy enough to play three more games. They currently have one more game scheduled, at home against Ticonderoga at 1 p.m. on Saturday. 

“We have some bright spots and some things to work on, but they are a young team and very inexperienced,” Hill said. “We didn’t really have a team that we fielded last year, so these are the nights that we learn the most. It’s a little harder to learn in practice because we don’t have enough guys to scrimmage against each other. We could see them learning and the score didn’t really matter; they didn’t hand their heads and just kept going.”

Sullivan West Coach Justin Diehl was also happy to see Manor/Roscoe out on the field. 

“I think ultimately, all of us as coaches, our goal is to make Sullivan County football better and that means we need all of our teams,” Coach Diehl said. “We like to see Manor/Roscoe out here giving us a game and giving all of their heart because it’s really important that we get Sullivan County football back to its former glory.”

Diehl noted that he let his quarterback Ernst have full control of the offense during the game before he rested with a big lead in the second half. 

“He had full reins of the offense and he did a good job,” said Diehl. “Credit to him and our receivers; our line blocked great and we got our kicker out there kicking a few field goals.”

Sullivan West concludes their regular season at Millbrook Central on Friday at 6:30 p.m. and will be fighting for first in their division alongside fellow county teams, Tri-Valley and Eldred.