Semaj Branch could have just fallen on the football and the Newburgh Free Academy Goldbacks would have taken a loss on the play.

The Goldbacks were already leading, but Branch, playing offensive tackle, scooped up the loose ball and ran the ball over midfield and to the Minisink Valley 35-yard line, setting up Newburgh’s third touchdown in a 19-7 win Friday night in Slate Hill.

“It was fun transferring from a tight end to an offensive tackle,” Branch said. “I had the opportunity to help the team out.”

Usually the play is to fall on the football, but Branch went for the first down marker and got his team a whole lot more.

“He’s a pretty good, athletic kid,” Newburgh coach Bill Bianco said. “He’s played tight end for us, but we moved him to tackle just because you’ve got to get our best people in there. I’m glad he can make a play. He’ll remember that forever.”

That drive ended with Dylan Iorlano connecting with Deondre Johnson in the end zone, giving the Goldbacks a 19-7 lead with 5:07 left in the third quarter.

The rest was in the hands of the Goldbacks’ defense, which suffered a major loss early in the game when senior Tahmias Henderson was carted off the field due to an apparent leg injury early in the first quarter.

“We were devastated and heartbroken because that’s one of our brothers,” senior running back Eric Duncan said. “It’s a family here.”

Bianco referred to Henderson as an “ultimate team guy.”

“He means a lot to these guys,” Bianco said. “The kids generally love him because he’s always so positive with everything. To see him go down like that – any high school kid – it’s kind of devastating, but he’s resilient.”
The Goldbacks had some early trouble keeping Minisink Valley’s offense in check.

The Warriors started their first drive from their own 1-yard line after a booming punt by Johnson. The combination of quarterback Kai Colon, and running back Ethan Gallo got the Warriors to the Newburgh 31-yard line before the Goldbacks forced a turnover on downs.

“I think some of that was Tahmias went down,” Bianco said. “We had to put another defensive end and when you don’t get most of the reps in practice and you’re thrown into the mix, you get a little sloppy.”
After the Goldbacks fumbled on the Warriors, 33-yard line, Colon led them back the other direction and finished the drive with a 14-yard touchdown run, giving the Warriors the lead.

“We’re playing a good team,” Bianco said. “They’ve got a Division I quarterback, they’ve got skill guys and they’ve got guys that are really good athletes in other sports. You’re not playing a lower tier team. We had some first-game jitters. It was our first game and their second.”

The Goldbacks’ first score was set up by a 38-yard pass from Iorlano to Deondre Johnson, who jumped over his defender to get the ball.

“He’s a great wideout, but he is not a typical, tall skinny basketball kid playing football,” Bianco said. “He throws his body around and I’ve seen that forever. He’s a kid that’s played football since he was 5 years old. I’ve watched him play growing up since he was a little kid. He likes the contact. He doesn’t back off from it and I think that’s what makes him so good on both sides.”

Duncan carried the rest of the load in a drive that ended with him scoring from four yards out to pull the Goldbacks to within one.

While the offense tried to find its footing, the defense started to stiffen and started getting some pressure on Colon and Branch registered a second-down sack on Colon setting up a third-and-19.

“It hyped the defense up,” Branch said. “It felt like a good job.”

Then a fourth down stop gave Newburgh the ball on their own 40. Iorlano hit Elijah Bevier over the middle for 30 yards, setting up Duncan’s score – a 6-yard run to give the Goldbacks the lead for good.

Only blemishes on Duncan’s day were two fumbles, one of which was picked up by branch for a first time.

“It’s one thing when you’re running the ball, and you got a little grass to hold the ball a little loosely, but when you’re going through the traffic and you’re fighting those extra yards, that’s when sometimes that stuff happens,” Bianco said. “So, he’s just got to be a little bit more of a quitter on some of these plays, and just go down running when the thing is going down. But you know, I think he’s just been trying to be competitive and make things happen.”