ELLENVILLE- The Yellowjackets were on a mission Friday night from the moment they got off the bus in Ulster County. With the 2022 loss still fresh in their minds and a chip on their shoulders, Eldred made their way to Ellenville for redemption. Striking early and often, the Yellowjackets found themselves on the winning end of the matchup Friday night by a score of 30-20.

Back in 2022, Ellenville stunned Eldred with a 93 yard catch-and-run touchdown to complete a comeback victory, taking down the Yellowjackets 30-26. It was a similar start on Friday night, with Eldred jumping out to a 16-6 lead at halftime.

Eldred won the toss and deferred to Ellenville, their defense showing up early to force a turnover on downs.

The Yellowjackets turned their first offensive series of the evening into points, marching down the field and scoring a touchdown with a successful two-point conversion to make it 8-0 with 5:10 to play in the quarter.

Ellenville’s second drive resulted in a punt, in which Trai Kaufmann returned it 36 yards to the Yellowjackets’ 46. Eldred’s second drive resulted in a lost fumble, giving the ball back to Ellenville to start at their own 30.

Ellenville’s option run took over the clock at that point, slowly making their way up field to end the first quarter and continuing into the second. Finally, with 6:55 remaining in the first half, Ellenville drove in their first touchdown of the evening. An unsuccessful two-point attempt allowed Eldred to retain an 8-6 lead.

Ellenville attempted an onside kick but Eldred’s return team anticipated it, falling on the ball at their own 44 to start just their third offensive series of the game. Wasting no time, Eldred stung quickly just two minutes later to make the score 14-6. A second successful two-point attempt made it 16-6.

Ellenville’s next drive started at their own 37, and they continued to dominate the first half time of possession, marching down the field into Eldred territory. With just eight seconds remaining in the first half, Ellenville punched in their second touchdown, along with a two-point conversion, to make it 16-14 at the half.

The Yellowjackets started the second half with the ball, made it all the way down to the Ellenville 20 before a turnover on downs returned the ball to Ellenville. The Yellowjackets got a much-needed stop on the next drive, stopping the Blue Devils before they crossed midfield.

With time winding down in the third, Eldred found the end zone again to make it 22-14, but a failed two-point conversion attempt kept it a one-score game.

Eldred’s defense stopped Ellenville’s next drive, and the Yellowjackets capitalized with 7:49 remaining to make it 28-14. A third successful two-point conversion made it 30-14.

With just under two minutes to play, Ellenville found paydirt again to make it 30-20. The Blue Devils successfully recovered the onside kick and started marching down the field, but an interception in the endzone by Koen McGill sealed the game for the Yellowjackets, who were able to kneel out the win and start their season 2-0.

McGill passed for 190 yards and three touchdowns, adding an additional 63 rushing yards in the win.

Mason McKerrell (2) and James Deyermond caught the three touchdown passes, each with more than 70 receiving yards. Sophomore Jake Card had a touchdown run in the win, rushing for 43 yards in the game.

“This team is different,” Coach Sean McAveney said after the game. “We knew we had to play our game tonight, that’s the mindset we were in from the moment we got off the bus. Ellenville didn’t make it easy for us. They fought and our hats are off to them.”

“Offensively we played well, but we had a few key mistakes in key moments,” Ellenville coach Dan Cavanagh said. “Eldred’s defensive line deserves a lot of credit. They controlled the line of scrimmage. We knew coming in that this is a different Eldred team. They’re a playoff team and tonight wasn’t our night.” 

Eldred and Ellenville will both have home games next weekend, with the Yellowjackets taking on the Bulldogs and Ellenville facing off against Millbrook.