By
Jeff
Madigan
Olean
Times
Herald
OLEAN –
After
the game
was
over,
J.R.
Bennion
was in
obvious
pain. So
much so
that he
did not
deliver
a
post-game
speech
to his
Southern
Tier
Diesel,
which
had just
picked
up their
first
win of
the 2011
season
with a
20-13
triumph
over the
Southern
Tier
Warriors
on
Saturday
night at
Bradner
Stadium.
The
linebacker
and
coach of
the
Diesel
was
hunched
over on
the
field
and was
having
trouble
breathing
after
the
final
horn
sounded.
The rest
of his
team was
on and
around
the
field,
celebrating
the
victory
amongst
themselves
and with
family
and
friends.
But it
can be
safely
said
that the
winning
feeling
and the
euphoria
that
comes
with
that –
the
first
the
Diesel
have
enjoyed
since
July 30
of last
year –
eased
the pain
a little
bit and
made it
that
much
more
tolerable.
Bennion,
who led
the
Diesel
with 14
tackles
in the
win,
sounded
much
more
upbeat
in his
post
game
interview
as he
spoke
about
the
things
that
went
right
for his
team
Saturday
night.
The
things
about
which he
spoke
are
usually
the
things
he’s
explaining
that his
team
needs to
improve
upon for
the next
game.
He said
he told
this
team to
do three
things
during
his
pregame
speech,
one of
which
was to
play as
a team.
He
admitted
that had
been a
problem
in the
past few
games,
where
finger
pointing
and the
blame
game
were
present
on the
Diesel
sideline
as the
losses
and the
frustration
piled
up.
His
words
worked,
as the
Diesel
played
inarguably
their
best
game of
the
season
in
defeating
the
Warriors
and
jumping
out of
last
place.
After
yielding
two
straight
scores
to the
Warriors
on their
first
two
drives –
putting
the
Diesel
down
13-0
early in
the
second
quarter
– the
Diesel
picked
up their
game
both
offensively
and
defensively.
The
offense
played
the best
it has
all
season,
as
quarterback
Shannon
Knight
completed
6-of-11
passes
and
threw
for two
touchdowns,
the
second
of which
was a
31-yard
strike
near the
sideline
to Seth
Knight,
which at
that
point
gave the
Diesel a
14-13
lead.
That was
a lead
the
Diesel
would
not
relinquish,
and they
added to
it nine
minutes
later
with a
Fred
Knight
29-yard
touchdown
scamper.
Credit
must go
to the
defense
as well,
which
did not
allow
any
points
in the
final 43
minutes
of the
game
despite
constant
pressure
from
Warriors
quarterback
Davaun
Sledge,
who
turned
in a
Michael
Vick
like
effort
in
running
the
ball.
The
Warriors
had five
offensive
drives
after
scoring
their
second
touchdown,
all of
which
ended
with
them
giving
the ball
back to
the
Diesel.
These
were the
types of
game the
Diesel
were
losing
in the
past.
Just a
week
prior,
they
trailed
14-6 at
halftime
against
Lyndonville
before
the
Tigers
opened
the door
and
scored
28
unanswered
points
in the
second
half.
The
roster
shortage
would
catch up
to the
team,
and
small
second-half
deficits
quickly
became
large
ones as
the
defense
would
tire and
break.
Last
Saturday’s
game was
different.
The
Diesel
were
down
13-8 at
halftime
and the
Warriors
had
possession
of the
ball
first.
After a
fake
punt
went
awry,
the
Diesel
had good
field
position
but
turned
the ball
over
once
again
with an
interception
at the
goal
line.
The
Warriors
then had
to punt,
and
that’s
when the
Diesel
offense
broke
from its
slumber
and
began to
gel as a
unit.
They
scored
touchdowns
on
consecutive
possessions
in the
fourth
quarter,
something
that
hasn’t
happened
all
season.
When
Brandon
Emley
intercepted
Sledge’s
pass
with
less
than a
minute
to go in
the
game,
the
Diesel
and
their
fans
erupted
in
jubilation.
A few
kneel
downs
later
and the
Diesel
could
enjoy
their
Saturday
night.
“We
shook
off the
negativity
and we
played
better,”
Bennion
said
after
the
game.
“But we
still
have a
lot of
work to
do. Now
we need
to take
this
momentum
into our
next
game.”
Upcoming,
the
Diesel
play at
Jamestown
(July
23) and
at
Lyndonville
(Aug.
13),
with
home
games
against
Finger
Lakes
(July
30) and
Buffalo
(Aug. 6)
sandwiched
in
between.
Conceivably,
the
Diesel
can win
two or
three of
those
games,
which
would
put
themselves
in good
position
to slide
into the
No. 3
position
to earn
themselves
a
playoff
spot in
the West
Division.
But that
won’t
happen
if last
Saturday’s
win was
a
one-hit
wonder.
Bennion
knows
that,
and now
it’s up
to the
Diesel
to bring
the same
style of
play
into the
remaining
games.
