When Highland senior quarterback Aden Wiser ran out the clock with another tackle-breaking run to finish off a 14-7 victory over host New Paltz Friday night, the entire squad poured out onto the Floyd Patterson Field to celebrate as if the Huskies had won a championship.

Though the Huskies have a long way to go before they can hoist a trophy of any kind, who can blame them for getting excited even if it was just a non-league win in the second week of September.

There wasn’t much to cheer about at Highland during the abbreviated spring season when the Huskies went 0-3 and were outscored 138-6.

But following its first win over New Paltz since 2014, things seem to be on the rise for Highland after winning back-to-back games to open the season for the first time since 2018.

Even though he admitted things were trying in lopsided losses to Rondout Valley, Red Hook and Marlboro in March and April earlier this year, Wiser said the lessons he learned should prove to be invaluable over the course of this season.

“We really fixed what we did from last year to this year,” Wiser said. “It feels great (to be 2-0).”
Wiser completed 10 of 16 passes for 160 yards and led the team in rushing with 62 yards on 14 carries.

Following an easy 32-6 victory over Liberty to open the season, Highland found the sledding a lot tougher against a New Paltz squad that had just 20 players on its opening-night roster and was debuting under rookie coach Brandon Egan-Thorpe.

Egan-Thorpe replaced former coach Tom Tegeler, whose retirement after 19 years was announced shortly before the opening of the 2021 campaign. Egan-Thorpe played for Tegeler so it wasn’t surprising that the Huguenots’ offense looked strikingly similar to his former coach’s offensive strategy, largely featuring a power running game mostly between the tackles.

On its third possession, New Paltz drove 76 yards on six running plays to take a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter on senior running back Brady Saunders’ 11-yard touchdown run. Saunders had a big day running the ball with 196 yards on 23 carries.

On the play before Saunders’ touchdown, junior quarterback Tony Drewnowski scampered 34 yards on a keeper.

The Huskies got the equalizer when Wiser found senior speedster Osei Adoma with a perfectly thrown pass to complete a 75-yard TD hookup to tie it at 7-7 with 4:48 left in the second quarter. Adoma lined up in the right slot and easily beat his defender 10 yards past the line of scrimmage.

“He ran a post and I just let it fly,” Wiser said. “I knew the safeties were up and they didn’t expect Osei to run that and I let him go get it.”

Wiser said he spent a lot of time working out with Adoma and senior running back James Gescheidle following the completion of last season.

“All this hard work we put in the offseason is paying off,” Wiser said. “The connection I got with Osei and James I built that up throughout the summer throwing to them and training in the weight room.”

Adoma led all receivers with five catches for 135 yards. Gescheidle rushed for 48 yards on nine tries.

Highland got what proved to be the winning touchdown after senior linebacker Dylan Durandis recovered a Drewnowski fumble at the Huskies’ 34-yard line with 2:26 remaining in the first half.

Adoma’s 40-yard pass reception got the Huskies inside the New Paltz 15 with less than a minute left.
Four plays later, Wiser got a good block from Adoma to dive into the end zone on a 5-yard TD run with just five seconds left in the half to put the Huskies ahead for good, 14-7.

Junior defensive end Erik Nelson intercepted Drewnowski to put the Huskies in business inside the Hugies’ 15 early in the fourth quarter.

But the Huskies lost five yards on three plays and a field goal attempt was blocked to give New Paltz a final chance.

New Paltz moved inside the Highland 20, but Drewnowski’s pass on fourth-and-5 was batted down to end the threat.

Highland coach Tom Schlappich was pleased with his team’s overall performance.

“The kids are playing great and they’re buying into what we’re preaching,” he said.
Schlappich praised defensive coach John McFarland for implementing a new defensive scheme.

“It’s like a bend but not break type of mentality,” he said.