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Owls struggle in loss to Dover

PLAISTOW — Timberlane coach Kevin Fitzgerald summed it up quite neatly after the post-game huddle with his team.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do before our next game,” said Fitzgerald following the Owls’ 34-14 season-opening loss to Dover Friday night.

True enough as the Owls got outplayed in almost every phase of the game by the Green Wave, a team which graduated 22 seniors from last year’s 3-6 squad.

But Timberlane may be spending more time on blocking than anything else. The Owls could not get their run game going, rushing for just 56 yards on 31 carries, and their protection for senior quarterback Dan Hayes was sub-par.

Hayes, in fact, played a gallant game in defeat even if the statistics don’t seem that impressive.

He ran for a touchdown and passed for a TD and completed 14 of 30 passes for 116 yards. He also ran the ball effectively on keepers throughout the night but his 17 total yards is misleading because he was sacked a whopping seven times for minus 53 yards. He was also hit several times as he threw.

“Dan played hard but we have to protect him better and we can’t put everything on his shoulders,” said Fitzgerald. “We have to have other guys step up.”

Other than a lost fumble on its first series, Dover dominated the first quarter, scoring TDs on a pair of passes from Ty Vitko to William Federico.

It took a 21-0 at halftime thanks to a 42-yard bomb from Vitko to Mitch Nolet in the closing seconds prior to intermission.

The Owls’ offense played better in the second quarter but two quarterback sacks on fourth down halted drives in Dover territory.

An interception by Sean Rudd gave Timberlane the ball on the Dover 20 midway through the third quarter, resulting in runs of 18 and 1 yard by Hayes to narrow the score to 21-7.

But Vitko scored on the third play of the fourth quarter to make it 27-7 and, after an 18-yard pass from Hayes to Shane Johnson made it 27-14, a 40-yard burst by Luc Normandeau (15 carries, 125 yards) accounted for the final score.

Sophomore Caleb Vlack also had an interception for Timberlane, punter/kicker Cameron Sweet had a strong game and junior backer Seth Marcotte had his moments.

But there was little else of a positive nature for the Owls.

“It was a rough opener and it doesn’t get any easier,” said Fitzgerald, whose Owls travel to Exeter next week.