MAYVILLE - Within the first two minutes of Friday's Class D high school football game between the Chautauqua Lake Thunderbirds and the Cattaraugus-Valley Timberwolves, both teams had already found their way into the end zone.
After that, it was all Chautauqua Lake as it moved to a perfect 3-0 with a 40-6 win.
Timberwolves quarterback Sam Agnew connected on a 59-yard strike to Colt Agnew for the first score on the second play of the game for a 6-0 lead.
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Photo by Mark?L.?Anderson
Chautauqua Lake’s Ryan?Miller runs for a first down during Friday’s?Class D high school football game.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Thunderbirds got their revenge as Ryan Miller returned the kick 80 yards to even up the score with just 1:03 gone off the clock.
"We made a breakdown when the corner bit on the run and they beat us with the pass," Chautauqua Lake coach Dan Greco said. "Then we made the return back. We felt a little less pressure after that and it freed us up to play. That was a big play."
Nick Zentz was able to punch the ball in for the two-point conversion to give Chautauqua Lake an 8-6 advantage.
Before the first quarter was over, the Thunderbirds would strike again, this time using a 62-yard scoring drive which was capped off by a 4-yard touchdown from Miller for a 14-6 advantage.
Miller continued his tremendous night with a third trip to paydirt with 3:16 left before halftime to put the home team up 20-6.
"I thought when we pinned our ears back and decided to run hard, our offense played well," Greco said.
The Timberwolves mishandled a snap in a punt attempt which led to the Thunderbirds getting another shot at the end zone from deep within the visitors' territory with just seconds left in the first half.
Kyle Mayer connected with A.J. Hulton from 12 yards out to give Chautauqua Lake a 20-point lead at the break.
There was no letup in the second half from the Thunderbirds as Zentz took the first play from scrimmage 75 yards for the score.
On the point after attempt, Zentz pounded the ball into the end zone for two more points for a 34-6 cushion with just seconds gone off the clock.
"Our offensive line - the Pezzulo brothers (Andrew and Anthony), Tyler Furlow, Ben Aults and Chandler Baker - they were the motor tonight," Greco said. "They got us going. They told me at halftime, 'Let us block.' They wanted to run some leads and run right at them. We did that before half too, but our linemen were the stars tonight."
The Thunderbirds scored one more time in the game when Dustin Graziano scampered into the end zone from 47 yards out to make it a 40-6 final.
The Thunderbirds will battle for supremacy in Class D as they put their 12-game winning streak on the line against a tough Maple Grove team next Friday.
