The best Delhi football season in a generation came to an end on Friday night as the Bulldogs fell to Dolgeville 28-16 in the New York State Class D Regional Championship at Cicero-North Syracuse.
A handful of missed opportunities on offense and too many big plays allowed on defense proved too much to overcome for Delhi.
Despite the loss, coach Phil Neumann had nothing but good things to say about the compete level of his team.
“The effort’s always there,” he said. “They always give 110%. They give everything they’ve got.”
Adam Cook had a big day for the Bulldogs’ offense, running for 109 yards and catching three passes for 76 yards and a score for 185 scrimmage yards.
Zach Cornell threw for 200 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, though Dolgeville’s defense allowed him to complete just 43% of his passes (13-for-30).
Lucas Nealis caught four passes for 76 yards and a score while Rocco Schnabel had three catches for 39 yards.
The Bulldogs were without several starters including running back Ian Johnson, who suffered a back injury in last week’s sectional final against Tioga.
On the other side, Delhi’s defense had no answers for the Blue Devils’ star running back Trevor Borst, who ran for 252 yards and three touchdowns. Bryce Mosher (107 yards, one touchdown) and Grayson Eggleston (68 yards) also had nice games on the ground as Dolgeville didn’t attempt a single pass in the victory.
Dolgeville opened the game with what looked to be a promising drive until a fumble deep in Delhi territory was recovered by Schnabel.
After the two sides traded three straight scoreless possessions, Borst opened the scoring for Dolgeville late in the first with a 72-yard touchdown run on the first play of scrimmage, giving the Blue Devils an 8-0 lead after 12 minutes. Borst scored again on a four-yard run to make it 16-0 late in the second quarter.
Delhi seemed primed to get on the board in the final seconds of the half facing a fourth-and-goal from inside the Dolgeville 1-yard line. But the Bulldogs couldn’t punch the ball into the end zone and went into halftime empty-handed.
“We struggled scoring in the first half,” Neumann said. “We had a couple nice drives and didn’t get in the end zone.”
The defense, meanwhile, was having trouble containing Dolgeville’s running game, playing most of the first half on its heels.
“We struggled on the edge,” Neumann said. “They got around the edge on us. I thought we’d do a better job. I don’t know if we didn’t come out quick enough but we didn’t get off blocks very well. Give them credit, they blocked us well.”
Delhi got off to a great start in the second half. After returning the opening kickoff to midfield, the Bulldogs drove down in seven plays and found the end zone on a 25-yard catch and run by Nealis that cut the deficit to 16-8.
It kicked off the definition of a back-and-forth third quarter as all four drives by both teams ended in touchdowns.
Dolgeville extended its lead to 22-8 on a six-play drive capped off by a five-yard run by Borst. Delhi clawed back to within 22-16 after Cook caught a pass from Cornell and rumbled in from 19 yards out. The Blue Devils responded once again with a five-play drive that ended with a 22-yard scoring run by Mosher to make it 28-16.
Facing a fourth down early in the fourth quarter, Dolgeville’s Carter Madison came up with a sack to end Delhi’s scoring threat.
The Blue Devils’ next drive eventually ended in a turnover on downs at the Delhi 2-yard line, but not before they ran nine plays and several minutes off the clock. Quarterback Tim Gomez came up with a key 8-yard scramble on fourth and long to extend the drive.
Down by 12 and taking over in the shadow of their own end zone with less than six minutes to play, Delhi was facing an uphill battle.
But some nice runs by Cook and a few big completions by Cornell got the Bulldogs down to the Dolgeville 25. But an errant screen pass by Cornell found its way into the hands of Dolgeville’s Robert Bienkowski for an interception that essentially iced the game.
Delhi ends its 2024 season with a 9-3 record and its first Section IV title since 2006. But even more than the accolades, it’s the character and tenacity the team showed on every play that will be remembered.
Even as Dolgeville was kneeling out the game, Delhi’s defenders were up and ready on the line of scrimmage, encouraged as they have been all season by senior captain Schnabel.
“I mean, Rocco Schnabel is probably the best captain I’ve ever had,” Neumann said. “Vocal, positive, positive about everything. Just a positive role model and encourages all the kids, treats everybody the same. Just an awesome kid.”
It’s a common thread amongst the group of seniors that finally got Delhi to the place it had been trying to go for almost 20 years.
“They’re an awesome group of seniors,” Neumann said. “They’re dedicated to the program. They were working hard all summer. Really good role models and leaders to the younger kids on our team.”
Dolgeville 28, Delhi 16
Dolge … 8 8 12 0 — 28
Delhi … 0 0 16 0 — 6
First Quarter
Dolge: Trevor Borst 72 run (Trevor Borst 2-pt conversion)
Second Quarter
Dolge: Trevor Borst 4 run (Trevor Borst 2-pt conversion)
Third Quarter
Delhi: Lucas Nealis 25 pass from Zach Cornell (Adam Cook 2-pt conversion)
Dolge: Trevor Borst 5 run (2-pt conversion failed)
Delhi: Adam Cook 19 pass from Zach Cornell (Adam Cook 2-pt conversion)
Dolge: Bryce Mosher 22 run (2-pt conversion failed)
Fourth Quarter
No scoring