It was only a matter of time until the Seneca football team simply exploded on the field and unfortunately for Wauzeka-Steuben it had to happen on their home field last Friday night.

When it was over, it was Indians 46 and Hornets 6. It was the first varsity football victory for Seneca since they defeated Burlington Catholic Central 24-8 on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2011 in the WIAA State Tournament Semifinal Game. The Indians were winless in the 2012 season and they were unable to field a varsity team last season.

So, Friday night in Wauzeka was a special moment to savor for the Indians. How long ago was their last varsity win? Well, John Alanis was the running back.

Last Friday, the Indians and Hornets traded touchdowns to start the game, but it was all Seneca after that.

Seneca quarterback Brady Fernette started the scoring with a 62-yard touchdown run and when the two-point conversion failed it was 6-0 Seneca.

Wauzeka-Steuben responded with a 71-yard touchdown pass from Jeramiah Huber to Turner Krachey. When the Hornets’ two point conversion failed, the score was tied 6-6.

From there, Seneca just took over the game. Fernette found Nick Payne for a 25-yard touchdown pass and it 12-6. Then, Indian running back Ian Joy ran one in for 18 yards. With the two-point conversion it was Seneca 20 and Wauzeka-Steuben 6 and that’s how the first quarter ended.

The second quarter started with more of the same. Joy picked up where he left off in the first quarter, this time scoring a touchdown on a 40-yard run. Then, it was receiver Eric Konichek’s turn. He scored on a 20-yard touchdown pass from Fernette.

Next Payne picked up a Hornet fumble and ran it from 29 yards away for another touchdown.

The final score of the first half came when Konichek caught a 30-yard touchdown pass from Fernette. The score was 46-6 and when neither team scored in the second half that became the final score.

“The entire team played extremely hard for all four quarters,” Coach Justin Goodrich said after the game. “After the first defensive series, Wauzeka struggled to gain many yards as our defense filled the holes well and gang-tackled. Offensively we blocked very well, which allowed our passing and running game to be successful. Nick Payne and Eric Konichek played an outstanding game on both sides of the ball.”

Konichek has now caught five touchdown passes in the first four games of the season.