Ephs take down Hamilton, 24-17, in season opener

CLINTON, N.Y. - A versatile Williams' rushing attack and a dominant early defensive display set the Ephs up for success in a 24-17 season-opening victory on the road against the Hamilton Continentals Saturday afternoon.

The victory marks Williams' third straight victory in a row against the Continentals and second consecutive against Hamilton to begin the season after last year's 42-7 win.

After a scoreless first quarter, Williams broke through when Jon Oris scampered into the end zone on the second play of the second quarter to give the Ephs a 7-0 lead, capping a drive that featured eight carries between Oris and Matt Bott.

The Ephs' defense then withheld a 17-play Hamilton drive that lasted over nine minutes and ultimately came up empty. Linebacker Luke Mangini made a terrific third-down play to push the scrambling Hamilton quarterback out of bounds for a four-yard loss, lengthening the ensuing Hamilton field goal attempt that drifted wide right and preserving the 7-0 lead. Mangini was crucial defensively all day, finishing with 1.5 tackles for loss and tying for the team lead with eight total tackles.

Williams put together another scoring drive to end the half. With under two minutes to play, quarterback Owen Johansen – who played tight end last year – hit Holden Gering for a catch-and-run up the sideline for 25 yards. A facemask penalty on Hamilton set the Ephs up for a 26-yard field goal from Leonardo Maiuolo to give the Ephs a 10-0 lead going into halftime. 

The Ephs' defense maintained their strong play to begin the second half after only giving up 76 total yards in the first. Hamilton again put together a long drive that resulted in no points, as the Williams' defense held strong in the red zone and forced another missed field goal. 

Johansen carried the load on the Ephs' ensuing drive. On a second-and-21 play from the Williams' 25-yard line, he evaded multiple defenders in the backfield, tightroped the sideline, and then spun away from another tackler for a 30-yard gain. In the same drive, he rushed for 8, 9, and then 13 yards into the end zone on the first play of the fourth quarter to give the Ephs a 17-0 lead. Johansen finished the game with 84 rushing yards, adding 51 through the air.

Hamilton's offense woke up in the fourth quarter with three straight scoring drives. But after the Williams' lead was cut to 17-7, the Ephs' put together their best drive of the young season. Oris and Bott rushed five straight times with each run going over 10 yards, and then Oris punctuated the display with a 5-yard run on the outside to give Williams a 24-7 lead with 11:29 to go. 

As Hamilton tried to complete the comeback, Williams recovered a last-ditch onside kick with 1:37 to go to preserve a one-touchdown lead. Oris iced the game with a 4-yard, first-down run, capping a stellar performance in which he ran 20 times for 102 yards. Bott added 57 yards on eight carries. The Ephs combined for a whopping 258 yards of total rushing.

Gering stood out on both sides of the ball, finishing with four catches and 42 yards, while also shadowing top Hamilton receiver Chester Boynton for much of the game and holding him to just one catch for 9 yards. Zakkai Moore and Ryan Carney also provided some big moments defensively for the Ephs, combining for nine tackles and shutting down the Hamilton run game.

"The run game really got going, the offensive line did a great job and the defense got some stops," said head coach Mark Raymond. "It was definitely a lot of effort by the team."

Williams will look to continue the momentum next week. The Ephs play Colby on Saturday, Sept. 20, with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m. on Farley-Lamb Field.