High School Football: The Braves Get Running Game to Work Saturday, September 17, 2005 By Jerome Michaels SJSports Special Correspondent There's always that debate amongst fans about which part of a football team really decides the outcome of a game. Sure the quarterback gets most of the credit handing the ball to the runningbacks or passing it to a receiver. Then there's the discussion about the defense and their ability to stop the opposing offense. So when Williamstown traveled to Gloucester to take on the Rams from Gloucester Catholic, it was those guys in the trenches that really made the difference in this game. The offensive line for the Braves allowed Tyrone Pouncy and Mark Masterson to rush for two touchdowns against Gloucester Catholic. The defense allowed only one first half touchdown and Williamstown picked up the victory by a 26-8 margin for an opening day win. Maybe this game was won by the way the Williamstown marching band played an impressive pre-game musical presentation. Working under a limited amount of time to perform, the band completed their selected songs under the watchful eye of the head football official. Calmly the band walked off the field allowing the football teams to enter the field for the opening kickoff. Patiently, the Braves began to set the tone of the game by establishing their game attack. The offensive line would be rewarded when Pouncy scored from 4 yards out early in the second quarter. The defensive line would come up big with an interception allowing the offensive line to go back to work. Keeping the ball on the ground, it was Masterson who found a whole to run through and score from 8 yards out. Gloucester Catholic would go to the passing game and come up big when quarterback Ray McKenney completed a 24-yard touchdown pass over the middle to tight end Marty Knell. The two would connect on the very next play for the two point conversion and the score was narrowed to 14-8 with 37 seconds remaining in the half. Williamstown didn’t wait around to see if the Rams would make a comeback. Masterson scored his second touchdown of the game during third quarter and Pouncy added a fourth quarter touchdown to put this game away for Williamstown. Photos by Art Redd