Printer Friendly Version - Guilford Football Blows Out Bassick, 49-6

Aedan McDermott torched the Bassick secondary for four touchdown passes when the Guilford football squad routed the Lions by a 49-6 score in a home game on Nov. 15. File photo by Kelley Fryer/The Courier

After losing its previous five games, the Guilford football team got back in the win column when the Indians posted a 49-6 blowout over Bassick in an SCC Tier 3 matchup at Kavanaugh Field on Nov. 15. With the win, Guilford improved to 4-5 overall and finished with a record of 2-3 in the SCC Tier 3 standings this season. The Indians will conclude the 2019 campaign with their annual game against Hand on Thanksgiving Eve.

It was big for Guilford to beat Bassick, especially since the Indians had taken some tough losses in close games during recent weeks. Bassick (1-8, 0-4) went up 6-0 after scoring on a 70-yard touchdown run on its first play from scrimmage, but Head Coach Anthony Salvati’s squad responded with 49 unanswered points to emerge victorious for the first time since a 37-3 win against Avon on Sept. 23.

“We were in so many close games. Some could have gone either way, but when you look at that overall picture, five losses are still five losses,” Coach Salvati said. “Being close only matters if you’re on the winning side.”

Senior running back Charles Walcott and junior quarterback Aedan McDermott both turned in huge performances for Guilford. Walcott rushed for 210 yards and two touchdowns, while McDermott had four touchdown passes to go with 138 yards through the air. McDermott has thrown for 1,160 yards and eight TDs this season.

“Aedan’s a first-year starter as a junior,” said Salvati. “He’s done a credible job being put into that position.”

With Guilford trailing 6-0, Walcott broke off a 30-yard touchdown run to get the Indians on the board in the first quarter. Senior Aidan Chiaia kicked the first of his seven extra points on the night to give Guilford a 7-6 lead. Later in the frame, Chiaia hauled in a 21-yard scoring pass from McDermott to put the Indians up 14-6 after one.

Guilford took control of the game by scoring four touchdowns in the second quarter for a 42-6 advantage at halftime. McDermott threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Chiaia, a 25-yard TD pass to senior Brendan Fitzgerald, and then found junior Ian Derda on a 1-yard scoring strike. After that, Walcott took home a 12-yard touchdown run to finish off the big quarter. Walcott has rushed for 1,443 yards with 17 TDs this year.

Coach Salvati was happy to see his team shake off Bassick’s opening touchdown by dominating the game from that point forward.

“They set us back right away. After that, we were alright,” Salvati said. “We went to our game plan, which was to attack them on the ground, as well as to go through the air. After the first half, I was able to get many of our younger players into the game.”

The Indians scored their final touchdown of the night in the fourth quarter, when freshman Nick Uzzo blocked a punt and sophomore Joe Simione returned it 10 yards for a score.

Guilford was aided by a big performance from its defense in the victory. Sophomore Eric Dolmus had three interceptions, and Walcott also picked off a pass for the Indians.

Guilford will now get ready to host Hand (9-0) in its last game of the season at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 27. This will be the first time that the Indians face Hand with Salvati as the team’s head coach.

“Personally, I’m very excited about this game,” said Salvati. “We all know how good they are. It’s a huge test for us and an enormous challenge all in one.”