The opening week of the 2026 high school football season was one to forget for Dunkirk. In a game broadcast on WDOE, the Marauders were bitten by the turnover bug and had trouble moving the ball all night in a 42-0 loss to Depew at Karl Hoeppner Field on Friday.
Dunkirk (0-1) fell into early trouble by losing three fumbles in a span of 8:17 in the first half. The first turnover occurred midway through the 1st quarter, when Joshua Pacheco had the ball knocked loose. Depew's RayJohn Vance scooped it up and ran 40 yards for a touchdown to put Depew (1-0) up 8-0. Vance played a part in the Wildcats' next touchdown. Three plays into the 2nd quarter, he sacked sophomore quarterback Matthew Dolce, and Lucas Spruch fell on the ball in the end zone. On the next series for Dunkirk, Dolce coughed up the ball again, and Spruch recovered it at the 21-yard line. Seven plays later, Depew quarterback Kole Szratter connected with Aaryn Anderson for a 13-yard touchdown to stretch the visitors' lead to 21-0. Dunkirk held Depew to just 65 yards of offense in the first half, but the Wildcats got rolling on that side of the ball in the second half; Szratter flipped a 7-yard touchdown pass to Luis Ayala, then Zach Bridenbaker rumbled on a 39-yard touchdown run to make the score 35-0 in the 3rd quarter. Depew punctuated its victory in the 4th quarter when Vance scored on a 26-yard touchdown run.
Dunkirk's offense managed only three first downs and 64 total yards on the night, while committing four turnovers. For Depew, Zach Bridenbaker did most of his damage in the second half and finished the game with 153 yards on 14 carries. RayJohn Vance, in addition to his two touchdowns, contributed 32 rushing yards.
While Dunkirk had little success Friday night, Fredonia had a much better showing in its opening game, as the Hillbillies went on the road to defeat Alden by a score of 29-8. Senior Ayden Wronski ran for 131 yards and a pair of touchdowns for Fredonia, Markel Davis added 71 yards and a score on the ground, and Lavonce Donaldson caught a touchdown pass from Noah Palisin.
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RayJohn Vance scoops up a Joshua Pacheco fumble and takes it 40 yards for a touchdown
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Jordan Thomas-Smith delivers a big hit on Zach Bridenbaker
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Matthew Dolce gets sacked, Lucas Spruch recovers the loose ball for a touchdown
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Zach Bridenbaker stays upright on a 39-yard touchdown run
Photos and videos by Greg Larson
