Legends vs Quakers

This Friday night the Lancaster Legends will make their way to Orchard Park High School to meet the Quakers in a Class AA Match-up. The Legends have played 3 conference games so far and are 2-1. OP has played 2 and are 1-1. The teams have four common opponents this year, Jamestown, Bennett, Hutch Tech and Williamsville North. The Jamestown game was a high scoring affair that was an instant classic with OP earning the victory.

Last Time Out

Lancaster vs Bennett

The Bennett Tigers visited Foyle-Kling Field last Friday night to face the Legends in a Class AA game. The Tigers would get the ball first and moved to midfield but a fumble would stop their drive as Lancaster jumped on the loose ball.

Lancaster's first posession was stopped after 3 downs and were forced to punt. The rest of the 1st Quarter would look much the same way as neither team would be able to get their offense rolling.

At the end of the 1st Quarter, the Legends would have a drive start at the Bennett 44 yard line. They would be able drive down the field and were looking at a 3rd and 4 at the Tiger 17. A run to the left gained 2 yards and brought up a 4th down situation. The team opted to kick a FG but the ball sailed left of the goal post, Bennett ball at the 25 yard line.

The drive for Bennett would not take long to reach the endzone, initially. A run around the left side for a TD would be called back. Bennett would throw a pass that hit the mark and the WR sprinted down the field 92 yards and for 6 points. The 2 point conversion was no good, 6-0 Tigers

Lancaster was unable to move the ball and were forced to punt back to the visitors. The Tigers started with the ball at midfield and were able to move to the goal line and on a QB run, crossed it, 12-0 Bennett as the 2 point conversion was stopped again.

The Legends would receive the 2nd half kickoff but fumbled at their own 34 yard line with Bennett jumping on the loose ball. That drive for the Tigers led to a 1st and goal when a pass was hauled in inside the 5 yard line. Bennett would need all 4 downs to earn the TD as the Lancaster defense forced them to go for it at the 1 yard line. The 2 point conversion was good, 20-0 Bennett

Later in the 3rd Quarter, with the Tigers having the ball at the 50 yard line, the QB ran the ball to the right. He picked up 10 yards but the ball came loose and the Lancaster defense jumped on it at their 40 yard line.

The offense for Lancaster got a drive going with over 3 minutes left in the quarter. They used the pass and run to move the ball. On one of the wilder plays of the game, a perfectly run fake by the Lancaster QB to the RB fooled the official who would blow the play dead when the running back was hit and dropped to the ground. Only problem was he did not have the ball. The QB ran around the right side, with the ball and picked up a 1st down but the whisle was blown as he was running. The ball was spotted where the ball was when the whisle was blown.

The Legends would continue the drive and with the help of an offsides penalty by Bennett and had a 1st and goal from the 3 yard line. They scored on a QB run who faked to the RB but this time no whistle, 20-7.

The Lancaster offense would have more chances down the stretch but were unable to reach the endzone, final score Bennett 20 Lancaster 7.

OP vs WN

Orchard Park traveled to Williamsville to play Spartans last Friday night. The Spartans started with the ball off the kickoff and moved into the OP end of the field. A run up the middle would get them into the redzone. They quickly faced a 4th and 4 from the 13 and chose to run a play. The teams lined up and OP helped them out by jumping offsides giving WN a 1st and goal. A WR went in motion on 2nd down and he was handed the ball and ran around the defense to the goal line, 7-0 home squad.

In the 2nd Quarter, OP put together a drive that started in their own end. They would face a 3rd and 22 and converted the 1st down on a pass that picked up over 30 yards. Later that same drive on a 2nd and goal, the QB rolled out and hit a WR in the endzone for a TD, 7-7.

Williamsville North came out on the next possession and were able to get their offense going again. Staring at a 4th and short from midfield, the Spartans went for it and were able to get OP to jump offsides, again. The next play the QB found a hole on the right side and ran over 40 yards for a TD 13-7, WN up at the half.

The Quakers would open the 2nd half with the ball and took it down the field. On a 4th and 7 from the WN 37 yard line, the QB found a WR that got behind the DB's and hit him with a pass that he took into the endzone, 14-13 Orchard Park up.

The Spartans had the ball to start the 4th Quarter in the Quaker end of the field. On a 4th down, they tried to convert but were sacked and turned the ball over to OP.

Orchard Park quickly moved the ball down the field and into scoring position. On a 1st down play, OP ran up the middle and were untoched until they were in the back of the endzone, OP up, 20-13. They would get one more to bring the final to 27-13.

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Lancaster/OP History

Lancaster and OP have a long history of playing each other. The teams started playing in 1961, '62 and in '68. It would not be until 1989 that they met again and have played every year since. Up until 2015, Orchard Park was leading the series 24-9. Since 2015, the Legends have been 7-1 and have won 3 Section Championships against the Quakers in that time.

2021

The 2021 edition was on a beautiful September night at Foyle-Kling Field. Lancaster kicked off to OP and on the first 2 plays sacked the QB but on 3rd, OP picked up the 1st on a pass to the sidelines. The drive continued to the Lancaster 21 yard line. They would end their drive on a 4th down play that did not convert a 1st down.

The Lancaster drive started slow but a run got the ball down to the OP 9 yard line, 1st and goal. A couple of plays later, the ball crossed the goal line, Lancaster up 7-0. Watch more of the game below: