This Saturday in Eldred was the perfect fall day for football. The Yellowjackets hosted the Unatego Spartans for the Regional Championships. Eldred came into the game with a 9-2, 4-1 record and they were fresh off a big win over Sullivan West for the Section IX Championships last week. Unatego entered the game with a slightly better 8-1, 4-0 record. It had the potential to be a fierce Regional Championship game. However, the Yellowjackets made it look easy with a comfortable 56-22 win over the Spartans. 

The game opened with Eldred scoring a deep passing touchdown that set the tone for the rest of the match-up. Unatego couldn’t seem to find a groove with the constant onslaught of sacks and defensive pressure coming from the Yellowjackets. By the end of the quarter Eldred was up 20-0 over Unatego. 

The second quarter was much of the same, with every big drive Unatego earned being followed by an interception or a forced fumble. Eldred’s Orion Schneider claimed a 10-yard sack that forced a fumble he was able to snatch up. Adding fuel to the fire, Jayson Banach ran in a 65-yard touchdown up the middle a few plays later. By the end of the first half, Unatego’s fate was sealed with Eldred up 42-8. 

The third quarter opened with Eldred’s defense on full display. Orion Schneider forced yet another fumble and recovered it, his third of the game. The following drive, Eldred ran it right up the middle and marched down the field. Koen McGill was able to score a short QB keep touchdown to put Eldred up 48-8. However, Unatego wasn’t going down without a fight and proceeded to answer with a passing drive of their own to score. The Spartans followed this with a fumble recovery on the kick and another passing drive to score again. But with only one quarter left to play and the Yellowjackets up 48-22, it didn’t look good for Unatego. 

The final quarter was rather uneventful, with neither team scoring until the 4-minute mark when Eldred’s McGill ran another 30-yard QB keep touchdown, making the score 56-22. This final run was the cherry on top of an amazing game that earned McGill the offensive MVP of the game. Eldred finished 56-22 over Unatego and will go on to face Morrisville-Eaton in the State Championship on Friday, November 28 at 12 noon. 

Coach Sean McAveney, “We came out and played some of the best football we’ve played all season. Unatego is a quality team, so I knew we couldn’t just get into a score out like we did last week against Sullivan West. I was concerned about Unatego’s physicality, but we stepped up big today. This is a great group of kids, and it’s incredible to coach them.”