WOODSTOCK — You would think after losing 47-8 to North Country on Friday night at Jim McLaughlin Field in his squad’s home opener, Woodstock High football coach Ramsey Worrell would have been beside himself. But that was not the case.
The Wasps’ head coach indicated he was not that upset by the loss to the Falcons, considering his team was riddled with multiple injuries to key starters.
“One of them happened today, and we had to put a freshman in. … Guys were playing out of position all over the place,” he said.
Not to mention that, in the Falcons, Woodstock ran into a team that put up 49 points last week in a loss to Bellows Falls, the same program that defeated the Wasps in the VPA Division III championship a season ago.
“I thought there were times today where I thought we looked OK; I’m not unhappy. There’s only so much you can do when guys are put in a position that they’re not 100% prepared for, and I thought I got a great effort out of everybody,” Worrell said.
Despite the final score, Woodstock held its own early and had a shot to take a lead in the first quarter.
Woodstock punted on its opening series of the game but forced Falcons junior quarterback Noah Taylor to fumble on a designed run the ensuing drive and took over at North Country’s 23-yard line. Things looked good for the Wasps as they got themselves to a first-and-goal situation at the 9-yard line after senior Jake Blackburn converted a fourth-and-2 with a 7-yard rush on a toss.
However, the drive collapsed quickly.
Junior quarterback Taylor Underwood was sacked the very next play. The Wasps were then called for delay of game and found themselves with second-and-goal from the 21. After an incomplete pass on second down and a scramble on third down, Woodstock went for it all from the 16-yard line, completing a pass five yards short of the goal line to turn the ball over on downs.
It was pretty much all Falcons from there.
North Country got out of the shadow of its own end zone, and on the fifth play of the drive, Taylor handed the ball to senior Jeremy Glodgett, who then distributed the ball to junior Jamison Eckhardt, who took it 76 yards to the house. The Falcons led 6-0 with 48.4 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
Woodstock fumbled on its second play of the next drive, giving prime field position to the visitors, who took immediate advantage. Taylor threw the ball to an open Eckhardt for a 35-yard touchdown on the next play, and the extra point gave North Country a 13-0 lead.
The Wasps were held on the ensuing drive and the Falcons scored again, this time on a 15-yard rush from Glodgett.
Woodstock turned the ball over on downs on its next drive as well, and North Country capitalized again to take a 27-0 lead with 1:25 left in the first half.
There was a glimpse of hope for the Wasps before halftime. At his own 40-yard line in the final minute before the break, Underwood rolled to his left, evading Falcon defenders and finding junior Boyd Schaefer for a gain of 36 yards. The junior signal caller then located senior Declan Haugh, who secured a toe-tapping catch for a touchdown near the right front pylon with 16.9 seconds left. After junior Cole Little took a toss in for a two-point conversion, Woodstock trailed 27-8 with momentum on its side.
It was short-lived, though. In just three plays, the Falcons went down the field and scored on a prayer of a heave from Taylor to senior Trevor Sanville as time expired to put North Country up 34-8 at half.
The Falcons scored on their opening possession of the half and would add another in the fourth quarter, while Woodstock’s offense could not muster another point, setting the final tally.
Although Woodstock has dropped its first two contests, Worrell did not seem worried, noting that both losses were non-league games.
“Our season starts next week in the division, so these are two games that, in the long run, should have been learning experiences, and they were. I would have liked to have done it with a full healthy roster, but it is what it is,” he said.
Ultimately, Woodstock’s top priority is to get healthy. “When we’re at full strength, I think we can be a pretty good football team,” Worrell said.
The Wasps will look to pick up their first win of the season on Friday night when they visit Springfield.
