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Osika's versatility helps Wildcats knock off Billies
By Michael J. Petro Times
The Depew varsity football team added another element to its arsenal of offensive weaponry and it helped result in the Wildcats' first trip to the Section VI title game in 20 years.
The Wildcats will face East Aurora at 4:30 p.m. Friday at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
Usually the main target in the Depew passing game, Greg Osika spent most of the second half in the Wildcats backfield and with his feet, became the catalyst in Depew breaking open a once-tightly contested game in a 34-20 win over Fredonia in the Class B semifinal.
The senior flanker picked up 61 of his 72 yards rushing in the second half and scored twice over the final two quarters, and possibly most importantly, added a different look to an offense that had gotten a bit stagnant going into a 14-14 game at halftime.
Osika capped Depew's opening drive of the second half with a sevenyard touchdown run. Then, two plays after a Fredonia fumble that was recovered by Andrew Jaskowiak on the ensuing drive, Osika added another seven-yard scamper to pay dirt, extending the Wildcats advantage to two TDs.
Matt Strychalski contributed another
solid game to the Depew backfield, racking up 126 hardfought yards on 12 carries, along with two touchdowns, the last a 55- yard scamper to put Depew up three scores with 4:53 left in the game.
Dan Gorski, last week's hero in Depew's win over cross-town rival Lancaster, added 45 yards on 12 carries, while fullback Brad Barth recorded 26 yards. Junior quarterback Joe Christiano threw only when he had to and completed two passes for 26 yards and a touchdown.
"Our backfield is so versatile, so nobody can key in on just one guy," Osika said. "If someone is not having their best game, then the next guy picks up the slack."
"We just came out in the second half with intensity," Osika added. "We hadn't made it to (The Ralph) in 20 years and no Depew team has ever won it, so that was on our mind."
Regardless of who is carrying the ball, they can all agree that the of- fensive line has been nothing short of dominant all season long.
"With those guys blocking, it doesn't matter who's carrying the ball, because they're going to open holes," Depew head coach Dan McGrath said. "They always seem to know where the down markers are. They're not looking for the big play, just to move the sticks."
The line combination of Kevin Dudkowski, Jon Bayerl, Blake Milbrand, Ross Cole and Jaskowiak has become just another weapon in an already stacked offensive arsenal.
"You've got to give credit to the line," Osika said. "They let us get six yards before we were even touched. They have been amazing. They just blow everything up around them."
Though Depew experienced its troubles on defense, losing a first half 14-point lead, the Wildcats were stalwart on a goal line stand with Fredonia threatening to cut into a 27- 14 lead in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter. On fourth-andgoal on the two, Jaskowiak and Dudkowski penetrated the line of scrimmage and Barth helped over the top to stop a QB sneak attempt by Pat Mahany
"We had a 14-point lead and let it get away, and we weren't going to let it go again," Osika said. "We got our second chance and got it done."
In a misty but consistent rain, Depew drove down the field impressively on its first possessions of the first half, scoring on a Strychalski 20-yard run, then Christiano hit tight end Andrew Hardy on a 12-yard score eight seconds into the second quarter. Cole was successful on the first two extra point attempts and went 4-of-5 on the night.
However, Fredonia owned the rest of the quarter, marching right back down the field, riding the back of Brady Raynor, who carried the ball six times on a seven-play scoring drive, capped by the senior's 19-yard TD. Raynor finished with 119 yards on 26 carries.
The Billies cashed in after a Chris DiRusso interception of a Christiano pass on Depew's ensuing possession, driving 28 yards in nine plays and scoring on a nine-yard touchdown pass from Mahany to Raynor. Nick Polvino's second successful extra point tied the game going into halftime.
However, Fredonia would not score again until Mahany's touchdown late in the fourth quarter on a 14-yard run when the game was already out of reach.
"It was more of a thoughtful half for us," McGrath said. "It was just a matter of talking it out and getting our head and our heart where they belonged."
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