Metea Valley rides balance to romp over East Aurora

Metea Valley used its homecoming game to put a diversified and balanced offense on display on the way to defeating East Aurora 48-6 in the Upstate Eight Valley.

Three receivers and three running backs each found the end zone for the Mustangs (4-3, 3-2) in the first half as Metea showed balance with 139 yards rushing and 132 yards passing.

Bryson Oliver (five carries, 60 yards) had a 7-yard touchdown run, and Kyle Mooney (11-for-16) found Nick Dodson and Michael Sfikas on TD passes of 18 and 9 yards, respectively — all in the first quarter.

East Aurora (0-7, 0-5) responded with one of its best drives of the season to open the second quarter — a 15-play, 55-yard drive which stalled at the Metea 25. Running back Immanuel Palmer (18 carries, 65 yards) pounded the ball eight times on the drive, which came up empty.

“Our line was doing well and we had good practice this week,” Palmer said. “We are building up and Coach (Kurt) Becker is working with us every day. We are out here fighting.”

But the Mustang offense kicked in again, and Kris King grabbed two TD passes from 4 and 12 yards to put Metea in firm control.

“One was a slant and one was supposed to be a vertical, but turned into a post,” King said. “It could have gone to either of us and it was just Kyle’s choice. Receivers and quarterbacks had a lot of time together this week and that helped a lot.”

Kelvin Givantt set up the second of King’s scores by intercepting Michael Gonzales at midfield and returning it 35 yards.

“I saw that they were going to do a hitch. I was sleeping on one play and knew they were going to come back at me.” Givantt said. “I saw the ball in the air and took my chances.”

Maurice Burkley led another Mustang drive in the second quarter by carrying four times for 48 yards, including a 20-yard TD scamper.

“The line was making the holes and the receiving corps was blocking, and when they called my number, I was ready,” Burkley said.

The Tomcats didn’t lay down in the second half and, led by Armani Cummings (nine carries, 98 yards), drove 78 yards on nine plays in the fourth with Palmer taking it in from the 10 yard line.

“They wanted to give our other backs a break and see what I had,” said Cummings, who ran around and over tacklers in the second half. “I was feeling good and our line was stepping up. We worked in practice and did well the second half. The first half wasn’t our game, but the second half we did much better.”