Webster Thomas started the Monroe County Division 1 football season off on the right foot with a 28-7 victory over Penfield on Saturday afternoon.
The Titans held just a 7-0 lead at halftime on a 5-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Jake Bolan to junior wide receiver Sergio Ruffolo with 2:26 left in the second quarter. Senior Greg Lohrman tacked on the first of his four PATs on the afternoon.
"We really weren't clicking offensively," said Thomas coach Scott Deuschle. "They had a pretty good scheme, (but) we settled down and picked up the blitz.
"I think we were nervous a little bit, coming in first game. But the kids pulled together the second half and made some adjustments, and we went ahead."
Bolan scored in the third period on a 9-yard run before Zack Smith intercepted a Kyle Covley pass and returned it 25 yards for the third Thomas TD.
In the fourth quarter, senior Luke Geloso picked off a Patriot pass from the end zone and trotted home three yards to complete the Thomas scoring.
"The two interceptions definitely were a positive for us," Deuschle said.
The Titans had four on the day as junior Justin DiBernardo and Ruffolo also picked off a pass apiece.
Penfield averted the shutout on a 25-yard TD pass from Covley to senior wide receiver Dave Roque. Senior Nick Costanza added the point after.
"We gave them a lot," said Penfield coach Steve Romano. "In this league you can't make mistakes like that.
"It's tough to come back from that, but we're never going to stop trying. We'll watch the film and see what we did wrong, and stay positive and keep working to get better."
Bolan went 8-for-18 for 103 yards, and added eight carries for 50 yards. Sophomore Adam Schempp hauled in three catches for 49 yards. Smith rushed the ball 11 times for 63 yards.
The defense held the Patriots to 147 yards of total offense. Geloso led the defense with nine tackles and the interception. Smith contributed eight tackles as junior Steven Butcher added six tackles.
"We made a lot of mistakes and have a lot of things to work on for Fairport next week," Deuschle. "But it nice to come out 1-0 going into a home game.
The windy conditions did not help the Patriots, either, after they fell behind and tried to come back.
