By: Brayden Peters
HILTON, N.Y. - It wasn't the way the Hilton Cadets football team wanted to end their Senior Night and regular season, as they fell 31-14 to the Aquinas Li'l Irish. Hilton's offense only saw the red zone once in the loss and was credited with one touchdown. As for the Cadets' defense, tackling was an issue against Aquinas' receivers and running backs.
"We didn't come out like we should've," Hilton sophomore Tyler Reger said. "We definitely got to prepare this week and prepare for a tough matchup next week."
The Cadets won't know who they will face until after University Preparatory Charter plays Penfield today at home at 5 p.m. If the Griffins fall to Penfield, Hilton will secure the fourth seed in Section V Class AA. However, the Cadets will fall to the fifth seed if the Griffins win.
Hilton's offense was able to move the ball more effectively when senior John DiBattisto was in the backfield, as he averaged over five yards a carry. However, a leg injury in the second quarter took him out of the rest of the game, forcing Reger to fill in for DiBattisto.
Sophomore quarterback Matt Kosiorek added his tenth passing touchdown to his name for the season. He completed a nine-yard touchdown pass to senior Nolan Tydings, who had two catches on the day, in the fourth quarter on a fourth-and-goal. However, Kosiorek also threw two interceptions in the loss.
"We came out a little flat," Kosiorek said. "There's not much we could've done out there. That's a good team (Aquinas). We definitely got to come out with more energy next week and get a win and move on. That's all we got to focus on right now."
Tydings wasn't the only one receiving the love from Kosiorek. Sophomore Gianluca Auriuso had three catches along with senior Braydon Pike.
Kosiorek had to run around in and outside of the pocket throughout the game, as the offensive line had trouble against Aquinas' defensive line. The guys up front for Hilton gave up four sacks, three of which came from senior three star Syracuse commit Quante Gillians.
"I give credit to those guys (Aquinas)," Kosiorek said. "They're a really good team. We just got to face adversity, put it behind us and get ready for Sectionals next week."
The first drive of the game saw Aquinas march down the field 62 yards that was capped off by a 26-yard receiving touchdown from sophomore Noah Collins-Howard. Hilton was able to respond, though, in the rarest of ways. After being forced to punt, the Cadets' defense forced a three-and-out and Aquinas had to punt from their own 14-yard line. Senior Caleb Grayson proceeded to block the punt and senior lineman Kyle Serow recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown.
Aquinas went on to score three straight touchdowns after Hilton tied the game at seven apiece. Two of the touchdowns came on the ground from junior Jeffrey Logan III. The third touchdown was on a 37-yard reception from Thomas Levans III, who was on a slant route on an RPO play and spun out of a tackle after picking up the first down.
"We got to make some adjustments and try and play better in the second half," Hilton head coach Rich Lipani said before halftime. "That's all we can do."
Although Hilton cut into the lead after Tydings' touchdown reception, they couldn't disrupt the Li'l Irish's flow as they were able to put the nail in the coffin. Aquinas finished off a 68-yard drive with a field goal in the fourth quarter to add insurance onto their lead while leaving less than four minutes on the clock. Hilton was unable to score on their final drive as an interception was made by Levans III, allowing Aquinas to end the game with a 31-14 win.
With the loss, Hilton ends the regular season 5-3. In the mean time, all that the Cadets can do is wait to see who will come out on top in the University Preparatory Charter's game against Penfield today.
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