Holley, Wellsville trade Homecoming barbs, but big sack, two big 4th quarter scores by Hawks halt Lions momentum in 44-28 win; Wellsville honors State title-winning softball team at halftime

WELLSVILLE — The anticipation for Homecoming weekend has been gradually building and building over the course of this past week in Wellsville. School Pride week, the Pep Rally, even a strong start to the evening before the big dance was delivered by the boys soccer team against Bolivar-Richburg just shortly after the final bell rang for the weekend.

Immediately after the boys soccer reached its conclusion, the playing surface was cleared off in time for Wellsville Lions football to make their long-awaited return to the gridiron for the first time in two weeks, with a jam-packed Homecoming crowd all settled in to take in the sights and sounds of what was an exciting back-and-forth shootout with the Holley Hawks.

Multiple lead changes were authored and the momentum with it, turned in every single direction imaginable. It was only appropriate for it all to come down to the last 12 minutes of the night in the Lion’s Den.

With the visitors clinging to a two-point lead of the Lions going into the fourth quarter, the goal was to keep them from reaching the end zone any further. On one of their very last drives of the game, the Lions were stopped on a big sack that allowed the Hawks to regain control of the ball once again. That would allow the offense in turn, to set up not one but two Hunter Jewell-Smith scores on the ground that allowed them to seal the victory for good, as Holley went on to spoil Homecoming for Wellsville with a 44-28 victory.

After both teams came up empty on their first drives of the game in the first, the Hawks were the first team to strike just past midway behind the arm of Destin Kuyal under center, who delivered a strike to Vincent Golisano on a slant up the field. Golisano then used his finesse and awareness to shake his way through a trio of Lions (3-3) before extending the ball over the pylon on the near sideline to record the game-opening 24-yard score.

It would remain an eight-point lead for the visitors after both Kuyal and Wellsville quarterback Brennen Geffers each trade an interception on their next drive on offense, with the Hawks turning their turnover into big points at the start of the second quarter, reaching the end zone from eight yards out on a keeper from Kuyal — the score, stemming off a big 30-yard gain into the Wellsville red zone.

But it wasn’t long until the Lions found the scoreboard for the first time, as they scored 16 unanswered on back-to-back drives to tie the game, with their first score being set up by a strong 39-yard pass from Geffers to Trent Green up the field, reaching the Holley 10-yard line. Two rush plays, including one from short distance by Matt Ritter, helped finish off their first scoring drive with 6:51 left in the half.

Then, the Lions defense forced the ball back to the offense on the next ensuing Holley drive, with Jack Davis heading the efforts by stripping the ball loose, followed by a recovery near midfield to tilt the momentum in their favor to close out the half strong. With no time to waste, the hosts in black made the most of it, despite a bad snap squirting behind Geffers, as he picked it up and delivered an off-balance missile to a wide open JJ Howard, who sprinted away for the 26-yard touchdown, tying the game at 16 following their second successful two-point conversion.

The third quarter would witness a back-and-forth exchange of scores, with Holley and Wellsville each finding the end zone twice, with the Lions taking their first lead of the game on a long 30-yard keeper from Geffers — a touchdown signifying 22 unanswered points for Wellsville after an early 16-0 lead for the Hawks.

A short time later, the Hawks would respond with a 13-yard pass play from Kuyal to Golisano to tie the game following an unsuccessful two-point conversion. Proceeding a 75-yard touchdown from Geffers to Green that gave the Lions the lead back, Holley would ultimately unbuckle Wellsville from the driver’s seat once and for all before the end of the third quarter with a four-yard touchdown run from Kuyal, his fourth overall in the game.

Holley would go on to score 22 unanswered points to finish the game — 14 of them in the last 12 minutes off runs from Hunter Jewell-Smith, with the latter of the two runs coming off a big sack issued by the defense to the Lions to force the ball back over on downs. The game was later sealed by the Hawks defense with one final interception off Geffers.

Statistics for the Lions were not made available to report upon publication.

At halftime of the football game, the State Championship-winning Wellsville Lady Lions softball team was honored with the presentation of their championship-winning rings. You can see a team photo with their rings by visiting here.

Wellsville will look to climb back above .500 on the campaign next weekend, as they hit the road for the final time this regular season with a 7 p.m. visit to Pembroke on Friday.

Holley 8 8 14 14 – 44

Wellsville 0 16 12 0 – 28

Scoring Summary

1st

HOL – Vincent Golisano 24-yard pass from Destin Kuyal, 2-pts good (8-0 HOL)

2nd

HOL – Destin Kuyal 8-yard run, 2-pts good (16-0 HOL)

WLSV – Matt Ritter 2-yard run, 2-pts good (16-8 HOL)

WLSV – JJ Howard 26-yard pass from Brennen Geffers, 2-pts good (16-16)

3rd

WLSV – Brennen Geffers 30-yard run, 2-pts failed (22-16 WLSV)

HOL – Vincent Golisano 13-yard pass from Destin Kuyal, 2-pts failed (22-22)

WLSV – Trent Green 75-yard pass from Brennen Geffers, 2-pts failed (28-22 WLSV)

HOL – Destin Kuyal 4-yard run, 2-pts good (30-28 HOL)

4th

HOL – Hunter Jewell-Smith 2-yard run, 2-pts good (38-28 HOL)

HOL – Hunter Jewell-Smith 15-yard run, 2-pts failed (44-28 HOL)