NATIVE PRIDE

The Printup Clan: Emmit, Gehnew & Elijah Combine For 11 Goals.
Falcons Explode For 9 goals in Third Quarter to Blowout Devils.
Tight Game in First Half Turns Ugly For Clarence After Storm Delay.

(SANBORN) It was the best of halves. It was the worst of halves. The Clarence Red Devils ran into a buzzsaw in the form of the Niagara Wheatfield Falcons. Ranked #2 in WNY, the Falcons would be an imposing test for a Red Devil team that came into Monday's contest clicking on all cylinders. However, after a great first half that left the Devils trailing only 3 to 1, Wheatfield stormed back in the third and fourth quarters to hammer the visitors by the score of 16 to 3. An anemic Red Devil offense generated little in the way of scoring opportunities, and squandered a number of their possessions due to unforced errors. A thunderstorm interrupted the action at 8:55 of the third quarter with the Falcons leading 5 to 2. After a delay of about 45 minutes, the two teams resumed play. Unfortunately for Clarence, the Falcons took their game to the next level, blasting the visitors for nine third quarter goals. In turn, running away with this lacrosse contest. A shocked Red Devil contingent could do little to stop the onslaught, as the Falcons showed, when they're on their game, they are among WNY's elite.

The first quarter of action saw back and forth play with the Devils and Falcons fighting for midfield control. Both teams limited the scoring opportunities. The Red Devil midfield and defense were at their best, sliding and controlling the potent Falcon offense throughout. Midway through the quarter, Wheatfield struck first on a goal by Kurt Williams. Williams dodged his way off the left slot to beat goalie Ryan Duff and put the Falcons up 1-0. Shortly after, the Falcons scored again on a goal by Elijah Printup ( 2g, 2a ).Printup's bounce shot from the center top put Wheatfield up 2 to 0, and it looked as though the Red Devils would struggle to keep up. However, after repeated hard work in the Wheatfield zone, Clarence got on the board from a shot by midfielder Mark Bryce. Bryce finished off a pretty pass from Jordan Zaprowski ( 1g, 2a ), beating the goalie from just outside the crease to cut the Falcon lead to 2 to 1.

The second quarter played out very similar to the first. Both teams struggled for possession of the ball, and the game transitioned back and forth through through the midfield area. The Clarence midfielders played some of their best lacrosse of the year. The Devils went toe-to-toe with the Falcon middies, winning groundball battles and forcing turnovers. The only goal scored in the second quarter came from Wheatfield attackman Emmit Printup ( 5g, 2a ) on a nice dodge from the right slot. Printup, one of the top players in the area, was somewhat held in check for much of the first half. However, that would change as the game progressed.

At halftime, the score held at 3 to 1 in favor of the host Falcons. Clarence had played their best half of the year from a defensive standpoint. Ryan Duff ( 9 saves ) was solid in net and the work of the defensive corps kept Clarence within range until they could get things going offensively.

Niagara Wheatfield started to get things going offensively early in the third. Emmit Printup scored his second goal of the day directly in front of the crease. Duff had little chance on this one, and Wheatfield upped their lead to 4-1. Shortly after, midfielder Pierce Abrams ripped home a shot that was set up on a nice feed from Elijah Printup. Score: 5 to 1 in favor of the Falcons.

Clarence battled back to stay alive. Jordan Zaprowski scored his sixth of the season off the edge of the crease. The score was set up on an assist by Dave Colicchia ( 1g, 1a ).

Several moments later, the impending rain threat became a reality as a thunderstorm ripped through the area. The game was temporarily suspended due to the thunder/lightning and both teams ran for cover. The two teams "waited it out," resting and listening for word about the fate of the game. (a special thanks to Mrs. Rawdin for supplying the Gatorade to the boys during the intermission) After approximately 45 minutes, the sun restored itself and the two teams went back to the field.

WARNING: If you are a Clarence fan, the remaining portion of the writeup
could cause unwanted flashbacks and/or nausea.

Clarence's Tale of Two Halves ended in despair as the Falcons emerged from the break a different team. Wheatfield would dominate the third and fourth quarters in commanding fashion, showing the Red Devils that they have alot of work ahead of them if they want to play with WNY's elite.

Gehnew Printup ( 4g, 2a ) took over for much of the third quarter. He is one of the most dominant midfielders in the area and showed the Red Devils why. Shortly after the game restarted, Printup popped in his first goal off the right crease. Clarence maintained hope as Jordan Zaprowski returned an earlier favor, and found Dave Colicchia alone in front. Colicchia popped it home for his seventh of the season and the Devils trailed 6 to 3.

However, this goal would finish off the scoring for Clarence on this afternoon. The Devils failed to get much going in the second half, and struggled despite a couple EMO opportunities. The defense could no longer stay competitive with the Falcon attack and Duff would be barraged with a variety of shots throughout the balance of the quarter.

Wheatfield scored the next six goals to close out the third quarter. Tomas Lester got on the board on an assist from Kurt Williams to start the run. The next two goals were scored by Emmit Printup. The first from just outside the crease. The next in transition on a fast break while the Falcons were man down.

Gehnew Printup scored the next three. The first, a nice bounce shot from the right side of the crease. The second, a strange goal where he flipped a groundball over a scrum in front of the crease into the top of the net. His third goal was on a strong dodge past the Clarence defense from behind the goal area, ripping it home for his fourth of the day. At the end of the third, a stunned Clarence Red Devils team now found themselves down 12 to 3.

The Falcons continued the scoring shortly into the fourth quarter as Elijah Printup added to his totals on the day. He assisted on the next two, setting up #26 and Emmit Printup. Finally, a poor clearing attempt within the final seconds resulted in the attackman #26 scoring the last goal of the game as time expired. Final score:16 to 3 Niagara Wheatfield.

The Red Devils competed at their best for the first two quarters. Although the roof caved in late, they continued to fight and refrained from frustration penalties late in the game. Clarence hopes to get back on the winning track on Wednesday against the Lockport Lions. Game time is at 5:00 in Lockport.