Rangers lose to weather, Franklin

With both offenses reduced to the running game due to a steady rain and wind, Spencerport dropped their season opener football game 10-6 to Franklin.

Following a scoreless first quarter, the Quakers took an 8-0 lead on a 46 yard touchdown run by Alfonso Watkins, who followed by running in the two-point conversion.

In the third quarter, the Rangers' Ian Love ran for 67 yards around left end for a touchdown. The two-point conversion attempt failed and Spencerport trailed by two points.

The Rangers had three possessions over the final six minutes of the game, but lost nine yards on four plays during the final possession, 20 yards on two snaps over the quarterbacks head on the second and lost another 20 yards on their final attempt.

Love gained 114 yards on 15 carries for the Rangers. The rest of the offense combined for minus 50 yards including seven sacks and multiple bad snaps accounting for much of the negative yardage.

Aside from the lone touchdown, the Rangers had a glorious chance in the second quarter when Matthew Darrow recovered a fumble on a punt return. That and an unsportsmanlike penalty gave them the ball at the Franklin 21 yard line, but they turned the ball over on downs.

Later in the second, Love ran the ball to the Franklin 32 yard line, but the next three plays netted minus 28 yards.

Senior David Stevens was all over the field on defense with three tackles, a fumble recovery, a sack and recovered an onside kick. Paul Glover had five tackles while Matthew Iachetta and Marc Mancini also registered quarterback sacks.

The Rangers, in the second season under head coach Dan Pancelli, are coming off a 3-6 season. This is the tenth season since football was reinstated at Spencerport in 1997.

September 10, 2006