Brennan, Red & Black recover for needed win

Joe Brennan never forgot the fact that he committed a crucial second quarter fumble Saturday night.

But he didn't let it slow him down, either. His Watertown Red and Black teammates and coaches made sure of that.

The third year running back rushed 16 times for 187 yards at the Alex T. Duffy Fairgrounds to power the Red and Black's 34-6 Empire Football League triumph over the visiting Amsterdam Zephyrs.

Brennan capped the team's bounce-back win — a week after suffering a surprise loss to Plattsburgh — with an 87-yard scoring run just after the final two-minute warning.

Sure, the outcome was all but decided, but Brennan thundered for the goal line as if the victory hinged on it.

Fumble forgiven.

"I was thinking I better not get caught because I'll never hear the end of it," the 2006 Sandy Creek graduate said of his long run. "It was a confidence booster for sure. The line did a great job all night, and they stayed behind me and kept motivating me. The whole team did."

"We weren't going to say that just because he fumbled, he wasn't getting the ball again," head coach George Ashcraft said. "We wanted to see him get 100 yards."

Watertown (6-1) saw quarterback Brian Williams eclipse the century mark, too, as he ran for 104 yards on the ground, including a pair of four-yard touchdowns.

The Red and Black's frustrations from a week ago, when it posted a season-low seven points, continued throughout the first half against the Zephyrs (2-5). Despite beginning four of its six first-half possessions in Amsterdam territory, Watertown had just Williams's first scoring run to show for the consistent, favorable field position.

And then there was Brennan's drop. He bobbled a pitch from Williams at his own two, and Amsterdam recovered. Two plays later, quarterback Nick Shepard notched the Zephyrs' only points of the night.

Punter Mike Dumaw bailed out the offense throughout the first half, burying Amsterdam inside its own 10 three consecutive times.

"I couldn't complain about anything that went on in the first half other than we weren't putting points on the board," Ashcraft said.

The points came when the third quarter began.

"All we addressed at halftime was the energy level we needed," said Williams, whose squad led just 7-6 at the break. "We just had to come out and play harder."

Sidney Gottschalk started Watertown's 20-point third quarter outburst with a five-yard TD scamper, and Williams set up his second touchdown with a 48-yard option run of his own.

Amsterdam's offense, playing without starting quarterback Scott Lawson, basically shut down a few minutes later when Dan Robl (nine tackles) forced a fumble that was recovered by Alan Dwyer.

Williams lofted a perfect 33-yard seam pass to Marcus Miles on the next play to make it 27-6.

Shepard finished with 124 yards through the air, but not one completion exhibited any potential of beating Watertown's secondary for a long score. And for a group that had allowed seven touchdown throws in its past two games, the near shutout was a welcomed result.

"Teams are coming out gunning for us," safety Adam Bossinger said. "The last two weeks we were horrible when we were getting beat for big plays. This was a good game for us."

Dylan Kirker added nine tackles, and Amsterdam tallied a mere 13 yards on the ground.

Meanwhile, Brennan himself rattled off gains of 23, 15, 13 and 17 yards before breaking free in the final minutes.

"The holes were there, we just weren't seeing them right away," he said. "Eventually we started hitting them, and getting the positive yards we needed."