Dunkirk coach Rob Genco has a list of goals he wants his team to accomplish this season.
One of those goals was accomplished last Saturday as the Marauders got their first win of the season with a 34-28 victory over Olean.
Now, Genco turns his attention to the next goal which is to get a home win and be able to ring the bell - a tradition the team does after every home win.
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The?Dunkirk?Marauders will entertain the East Aurora Blue Devils tonight in Class B?high school football action. It is the team’s first home game of the year. Dunkirk looks to get its first win on the turf field which was installed before last season.
That chance comes tonight as the Marauders host East Aurora at 7:30 p.m. in a Class B high school football contest.
"The kids are excited," Genco said. "Last year they didn't get to ring the bell. One of our goals is to get our first win on our new turf."
East Aurora comes into the contest searching for its first win, but Genco knows the Blue Devils are not a team to be taken lightly with their deceiving offensive formations.
"They are a wing T team," Genco explained of East Aurora's offense. "There is a lot of deception in that. You can't watch the ball. They pull their guards. Their bread and butter is a jet sweep and rocket sweep. Up front, they are not as strong as us. With a team like them, if you start guessing, that's how they will get you. They are fast. If they are not executing their sweeps, they are not afraid to go to the air. They have some nice receivers and backs. They are able to attack in the air and on the ground."
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The Marauders' offense has been a strength this season. Even though they only scored 12 points in week 1, they were still able to accumulate nearly 300 yards of offense. And last week, they racked up another 300 yards.
Genco said the workload has been shared by quarterback Kevin Burns and running backs Marquel Ruiz and Zach Torrain.
"Kevin Burns right now is the guy obviously being the quarterback," Genco said. "He is the general. Marquel Ruiz has been the guy who is our big-play guy. He sparks everyone. Zach Torrain has been our grinder who gets tough yards. It can be multiple players that step up for us.
"Our offense has been a plus," Genco continued. "The defense, we have been doing well. We just let up some big ones. We let up two long passes in the Olean game. We just had breakdowns. Fundamentals and the scheme are good, we just had breakdowns. Our offense is tough to stop. We have over 600 yards of offense in two games. We are able to move the ball. We were able to finish. There are three phases (offense, defense and special teams) and you have to win two of the three to win."
With the offensive trio sparking the offense and the improvements Genco has seen in his offense and defense, the first-year coach made it clear what he expects to see tonight.
"I'm looking for a win," he said. "That's expected of them. Olean was a heck of a football team. Now I expect to win every week. We have the ability to."
As for the first home game of the season, Genco admitted it will feel like opening day all over again with the jitters.
"The atmosphere and the home crowd will be nice," he said. "There are more distractions when you're at home - especially the first one. I told the kids it will be a different atmosphere. We have to remember what's our task at hand. I told them I already have butterflies. That's good. It means we are doing something right. We are excited to play on that field and check another box off our goal list."
Tonight's game will be televised on Access 12 in Dunkirk and Access 5 in Fredonia. Pre-game starts at 7:15 p.m. Ed Eaker will call the action and be joined by Jim Bunge. Christa Haynes will work the camera.
