McCloud scores four touch downs for Rams
BY DERRICK BALINSKY EVENING TRIBUNE

LYNN BRENNAN/EVENING TRIBUNE Bath Haverling's Andre McCloud leaves two Canisteo-Greenwood defenders in his wake.

CANISTEO - Special teams usually make the difference between winning and losing close games.

Saturday afternoon, Sept. 1, Bath Haverling's special teams broke its first game of the season wide open, accounting for more than 220 yards and three touch downs in a 46-6 victory over host Canisteo-Greenwood.

Junior Andre McCloud scored on two punts returns, finishing with more than 135 yards on special teams. He also carried the ball seven times for 126 yards - an average of 18 yards per carry - and two more touch downs.

McCloud's second-quarter scoring runs came on scampers of 28 and 52 yards, respectively, and both traveled along the Rams' sideline.

Brett Havens also got in on the act, returning a free kick 47 yards into the end zone to help give the Rams a 32-6 advantage with 5:34 remaining in the first half.

"We've been working on special teams. You never know when they're going to win a football game for you," Haverling head coach Wayne Carroll said. "We had some guys who made some nice individual efforts and the blocking was there for them as well. It was one of the reasons why we were able to handle these guys like we did."

Bath appeared to be in control of the game from its opening possession, marching 46 yards down the field in seven plays. Jake Kuver's second pass attempt of the game was intercepted, however, leaving the Redskins breathing a sigh of relief.

That sigh of relief was shortlived- four plays to be exact- as McCloud took the ensuing punt 28 yards in the opposite direction for Bath's first TD of the game.

Two possessions later, the Redskins narrowed the deficit to two as Mik Quinlan found the end zone on a 21- yard quarterback keeper. Blake Brown's extra point try was blocked by Cody Hutcheson and Bath's lead remained 8-6.

"Coming into the game we felt like we could give Bath a good game, and for about a quarter we did," CG head coach Jamie Freeland said. "Unfortunately in that we ended up losing Mik Quinlan for the game ... I'm real proud of the way that the kids hung in."

They didn't quit and they never gave up against a good football team that a lot of people are talking about being a state finalist.

"Right now we don't know, he's at the hospital," Freeland added on Quinlan's injury. "It's something in his arm, shoulder ... we don't know. Mik made a good read in the backfield and came through with a good, hard run. When he dove into the end zone he kind of popped something in his arm. After losing him we had some issues."

McCloud's second TD of the game - the 84 yarder - made it 14-6 and a twopoint conversion off of a bad snap from center put the Rams ahead 16-6 with:43.6 left in the first quarter.

"We were fortunate enough to get a couple of quick ones off of special teams, so the offense didn't really play a whole lot," Carroll said. "One thing I liked about playing today was the fact that we were able to get 30 kids into the football game and they all got to play at least half the game. That doesn't happen too often in the LCAA. Thirty guys hit the field today and they all can feel good about what they accomplished."

"We had some special teams breakdowns," Freeland said. "It wasn't a question of not being in the right place, we just didn't follow it through. On a number of those plays we missed tackles or we let them go. That happens with a young team and those are some of the things we need to work on and build on."

"The defense was strong today," Carroll said. "I haven't seen the stats, but they did a nice job as a team."