The Dukes were down 7-0 early, but the pendulum swung in their favor after halftime.

Marlboro’s home opener quickly turned to a heartbreaker, with the Dukes playing Sisyphus to the Saywers defense. Each time the Dukes’ comeback looked within reach of the seven coveted points, it would tumble once more downhill.

A missed Sawyer’s field goal in crunch time kept the deficit to one possession, with plenty of time for Marlboro to march forth. The Sawyers jumped on Devin Robertston immediately, a would-be interception falling just out of a defender’s hold.

If turnovers could ever be well-timed, Marlboro’s giveaways proved most inopportune. The Dukes were standing further in Saugerties’ zone than they’d been all game, courtesy of a 25-yard reception by Matteo Sajous. All eyes were watching on the goal line when a muffed handoff found the defense in a dogpile, then returned to the sideline. The fumble recovery tripped Marlboro’s first real offensive threat.
“It’s a tough loss. We played inconsistently,” said coach Ryan Brooks. “I think we beat ourselves more than anything.”

After the half, the Dukes’ defense came out swinging. Led by Noa Fable and McKenzie, an early sack brought forth a string of stops. The unsolvable became Marlboro’s advantage, as it once more tiptoed toward an equalizer with its own run game. Jack Buzzurro finished with 71 rushing yards, with Robertson throwing for 98. A 33-yard punt return by McKenzie was crucial to keeping the Dukes’ effort beating.

A 30-yard reception by Daylon McKenzie turned a last-ditch third down into a fresh set in Saugerties’ zone. Time and fate stopped with the game clock, as the Dukes once more energized their crowd. But it would falter once more. There was no doubt over the final interception, which toppled the Dukes’ comeback for one last time.

“Every time we got a little bit of momentum, we ended up making some costly mistakes that got us out of our groove. So we’ve just got to clean a lot of things up,” said Brooks.

Marlboro will match up against Highland on September 18, looking to capture its first win under the Husky lights.