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Holley beats Notre Dame 14-7

By Howard B. Owens

Things looked good for Notre Dame at the end of the first half this afternoon, but in the end Holley took control of the game and went on to win 14-7.

It was the first loss of the year for the Irish and continued Holley's dramatic turn around from an 0-8 in 2008.

It was a tale of two halves, according to Notre Dame Head Coach Rick Mancuso, who said his team failed to execute in the third and fourth quarters.

"We had a good mix of run and a good mix of of pass (in the first half)," said Mancuso. "I thought we played with passion. We played with emotion. I thought we came out early in the second half and we started off with a penalty right in the first series and that was just kind of the way that we played. We lost our focus and we lost our discipline and we didn’t play a good second half."

In that first half, Notre Dame did a good job of stuffing Holley's powerful running game. When Holley went up the middle, the Irish line was there to push back the pile. On sweeps, the pursuit was aggressive, lead by Gianni Zambito, to keep Holley's backs from turning the corner. A couple of sweeps turned into lost yardage for the Hawks.

After the game, Hawks Head Coach Chad DeRock bristled at the idea that the Irish were sticking it to his guys during the first half.

"We played our game -- bend, don’t break," DeRock said. "We gave up only seven points to one of the best offenses around here. We bend, we don’t break. They’re going to have big plays. You’ve got to accept that when you’ve got Bochicchio at QB and Pratt and Richter and Zambito out there. Those are big play guys. We just didn’t want to get beat with the big, big play. We got burned on one. Other than that, we did what we had to do."

That one big play was a 35-yard TD pass early in the second quarter to a wide open Zambito from Nick Bochicchio.

The successful drive was sparked by a Cam McDonald fumble recovery late in the first quarter. The turnover stopped a long drive by the Hawks that had them on a seeming precipice of a first score of the game.

Instead, Notre Dame was able to end the half with a 7-0 lead against a Holley team that scored at least 30 points in three of its four previous wins.

ND opened the half with the ball, an illegal motion penalty the Irish in the hole and a few downs later ND was punting it away. It wasn't long after before Mike Perincano was crossing the goal line on a 30-yard rush to pull the Hawks within a point of the Irish (Holley failed to score on a two-point conversion try, so the score stood at 7-6).

On its next possession, the Irish moved the ball down field and were within striking distance of another score when Bochicchio was picked off by Guy Hills. That's the last time the Irish really threatened to put points on the board.

Two possessions later, Chad Barhydt, who took over at QB for Hills, who was injured in the fourth quarter, carried the ball in on a two-yard TD run, and with the two-point conversion, Holley sealed its 14-7 victory.

"My hats off to Holley," Mancuso said. "They played terrific. They were up to the challenge and they’re a great team. They’ve got a lot of really great kids. They work hard and their coaching staff does a great job with them. I wish we cold have done them justice and played them a little bit better."

Coach DeRock said his team, even at 5-0 and assured of at least a share of the Genesee Region title, is still taking the season one week at a time.

"Everybody says this was the GR championship, but it’s not," DeRock said. "It’s another game on our schedule. We have another game next week and another game after that.

"Attica’s a great team," he added. "Brad Clark had 295 yards rushing last night. I scouted the game. He’s a great running back, so we’re not taking them lightly by any means."

Pernicano finished the game with 52 yards on six carries. Sean Baylor had 12 carries for 68 yards. Barhydt posted 42 rushing yards.

For the Irish, now 4-1, Mike Pratt rushed for 65 yards on 20 carries. Zambito contributed 90 total yards on four receptions.

Turn overs, long TD runs undo promising start for Oakfield

By Howard B. Owens

Attica was able to convert two Oakfield-Alabama turnovers in the second half into big plays to literally run away with the game in Oakfield last night, capturing a 34-21 win.

Spirits were high for Oakfield when the team emerged from the locker room on homecoming night with a 14-7 lead, but on its first possession of the third quarter, a fumble gave Attica the ball well into Hornets' territory and a few plays later, Brandon Rollings squirted into the end zone on a 14-yard run. It was Rollings' second TD of the night.

Attica Head Coach Jeff Cusmano said turn overs and the Blue Devils' ability to convert those turnovers into big plays was the key to the game.

"We got the running game going," Cusmano said. "They were clogging up the middle and we got to the outside a bit. We were just digging down and grinding it out."

The game remained tied until the third quarter when another fumble by Oakfield, now 1-4, was followed by a 56-yard dash by Brad Clark. It was Clark's first of three TDs of the night.

"The first half we came out like I expected them to, and just like Notre Dame last week, we came out firing on all cylinders," Coach Brian Palone.  "We’ve just got to find a way to finish games. Right now we’re not playing four quarters of football."

Oakfield pulled even again on an 84-yard run by Jason Stanley. It was Stanley's second long TD run of the night. He also scored in the first quarter, going 64 yards for the TD.

But it was all Attica (4-1) from that point on in the game. Clark scored twice on runs of 62 and 81 yards to seal the victory.

Cusmano said Clark, who had 296 yards on 27 carries, was the star of the game, but also praised the offensive line.

"They just did a tremendous job," Cusmano said. "They dug down and just ground it out. I would have to say it all starts up front and Brad will be the first guy to tell you that without the blocking up front, he wouldn’t have had what he had."

It was some of those big plays that helped Clark run up so many yards that were the undoing for Oakfield, Palone said.

"We can’t allow big plays," said the Oakfield Coach. "Attica was able to get some big plays on us and put together some big drives on us and it was tough for us to battle back."

The turnovers, of course, were crucial mistakes.

"It came down to what we preached for the past couple of weeks – we’ve got to protect the ball and we weren’t able to do that, and defensively, we can’t allow big plays," Palone said. "Attica was able to get some big plays on us and put together some big drives on us and it was tough for us to battle back."

Next week, Alexander goes against undefeated Holley. Cusmano thinks his team will be ready.

"We’re making progress every week and you know the kids are growing," Cusmano said. "They’re going to make mistakes; you know, you roll out a bunch of young kids and they’re going to make mistakes. We’re getting better every week and cutting down on our mistakes. We'll go into the Holley game next week and see what happens."

Besides Clark, for Attica, Brandon Rollings had six carries for 37 yards. Brandon Banks led the defense with nine tackles. Alex Arnone had seven tackles and two fumble recoveries.

For OA, Jason Stanley rushed for 199 yards and scored 3 touchdowns. Matt Osmancickli rushed for 36 yards and Matt Smith carried the ball a total of 35 yards.

Holley brings hard-hitting team to Van Detta for Notre Dame homecoming

By Howard B. Owens

What's the recipe for "The Big Game"? Well, start with two undefeated teams in the fifth week of the season. Make sure one of them has a storied history and is hosting the game on homecoming weekend. The other team should be up an upstart, a new program that for the first time is emerging as a powerful, tough-to-beat squad.

That's a Big Game.

And's the situation tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. when Notre Dame hosts the Holley Hawks Notre Dame. The teams clash as division rivals with matching records of 4-0.

“They’ve (Holley) got a great group of kids and we’re probably the underdog here" said Notre Dame's head coach, Rick Mancuso. "We’re fighting an uphill battle, but we’re looking forward to the challenge."

If you put any stock in such things, MaxPreps ranks the Fighting Irish 121st in the state, and Holley at 155th.

The Irish have scored 101 points on the season, Holley, 114. ND's has allowed 35 points, with Holley being a bit stingier, giving up only 23.

The Hawks have a reputation for being a strong, hard-hitting team, and Coach Mancuso acknowledges the Hawks are a tough, well-coached team, but that doesn't make them much different from Attica and Oakfield. Both of those squads have fallen once each this season to the Irish.

"We’ve been against some tough, strong, hard-hitting teams and Holley’s no different than them," Mancuso said,  "other than Holley’s maybe a little bit bigger and they have a little bit better skill level in their back field."

Mancuso said the Hawks probably have the best four backs in the league.

"That gives them an advantage," he said.

"We've got to come out and we've really got to work at it," Mancuso said. "We can't get down they have a big play. We can't get too high and we can't get too low. It's a big challenge."

He said his players are excited about the big game.

It sounds like a recipe for a can't-miss match up.

AUDIO: Interview with Head Coach Rick Mancuso (mp3)


 

Week 4 Football Round Up

By Howard B. Owens

Elba/Byron-Bergen 28, Pembroke 6
Elba/BB was lead by Tess Schramm, who had 20 carries for 93 yards and two TDs, and Pete Pryzbl, who carried the ball nine times for 50 yards, scoring one TD. For Pembroke, Josh Phillips had 28 carries for 119 yards and one TD.  Elba/BB is now 2-2 and and Pembroke is 0-4.

Attica 30, Barker 12
Brandon Rolling passed for 127 yards, including a 77-yard TD pass to Matt Perry in the third quarter. Brad Clark rushed for 95 yards on 20 carries.  Zack Fleiss connected for a 32-yard field goal in the first quarter. Fleiss also scored on a 27-yard TD run in the second quarter. Overall, Fleiss accounted for 12 points.

East Irondequoit Eastridge 66, Batavia 7
Batavia scored first when Joe Canzoneri connected with Mitch Francis on a 10-yard TD pass. The rest of the game was all EIE. Akil Sanders rushed for 183 yards on 15 carries.

Previous Coverage

Week 5 Games:

Friday -  Batavia (0-4)  vs. Bishop Kearney (4-0)
Friday - Attica (3-1) vs. Oakfield-Alabama (1-3)
Saturday - Holley (4-0) vs. Notre Dame (4-0)
Saturday - Elba/BB (2-2) vs. Alexander (2-2)
Saturday - Pembroke (0-4) vs. Barker (0-4)

The Batavian will cover Attica vs. Oakfield-Alabama and Holley vs. Notre Dame.

Genesee Division Football Standings Team W-L Pct. PF PA Streak Holley 4-0-0 1.000 114 23 4 W Notre Dame 4-0-0 1.000 101 35 4 W Attica 3-1-0 0.750 104 53 2 W Elba/Byron-Bergen 2-2-0 0.500 50 74 1 W Alexander 2-2-0 0.500 100 88 1 L Oakfield-Alabama 1-3-0 0.250 54 81 3 L Pembroke 0-4-0 0.000 6 106 4 L Barker 0-4-0 0.000 56 125 4 L

 

Holley continues making team history beating Alexander for fourth-straight win

By Howard B. Owens

Up in Holley, an interesting story line is developing in the 2009 Genesee Region football season. A team that rarely won over the first few years of its young football program seems suddenly unbeatable.

The Alexander Trojans found out firsthand today just how invincible Holley seems to be at just past the halfway point in the season.

The Trojans were dominated on both sides of the ball for most of four quarters and dropped to 2-2 with a 32-10 loss.

The Hawks move to 4-0 and face a challenge next week to their seeming invincibility when they butt heads with the division’s only other undefeated team, the Fighting Irish, at Notre Dame.

Alexander Head Coach Dave Radley expressed some dissatisfaction with his team after the game saying his players didn’t come ready to play and seemed to take Holley for granted.

On the other side of the field, Chad DeRock said his team is bearing the fruit of three or four years of extra effort.

“Our focus this season was on making history,” DeRock said. “I don’t know what the past record was – two and 60 or something – but that doesn’t matter. I’m happy for my seniors who’ve put in the time. I promised them, if you put in the time, you’ll see results. They put in the time. My juniors put in the time. My sophomores and freshmen have put in the time. My seniors are the most dedicated group of I’ve ever worked with. I’m proud of them. They deserve it.”

Holley opened the game by methodically marching the ball down the field only to lose it on the two-yard line to a fumble.

The Trojans, however, were unable to capitalize on a potential shift of momentum, coughing up the ball on the 20-yard line a few plays later.

It didn’t take long, then, for Sean Baylor to put six on the board for the Hawks with a six-yard run.

Alexander made one last stab at making a game of it early in the second quarter when Lucas Czechowski booted an impressive 35-yard field goal to make the score 6-3, but except for a little spark late in the fourth quarter, the game was all Holley’s.

By the half, the score was 20-3 after TD runs by Baylor and Guy Hills.

Turnovers were a key factor (four total by Alexander), including an interception for a 40-yard touchdown return in the fourth quarter by Holley's Mike Pernicano, which pushed the margin to 32-3 (Baylor had another touchdown run in the third quarter).

After another Pernicano interception, Holley started moving the ball toward the end zone again when the Alexander defense managed to force a fourth down. 

Holley decided to try a long field goal, but the pop-up kick came up well short of the goal line and #88 Steve Schaffer found himself in an open field just waiting for the ball to come down. He then darted to the far sideline and carried the ball 80 yards before being forced out to put his team in the red zone.

Alexander capitalized on the opportunity, finally pushing the ball across the goal line on a one-yard run by Jared Quinn.

And that’s how the game would end – 32-10, Holley.

Notre Dame Head Coach Rick Mancuso had a keen eye on the game through all four quarters. It will be interesting to find out later this week what he thinks about the upcoming clash of two teams seemingly putting it all together in 2009.

More photos after the jump.

 

 

Only in OT is Notre Dame able to preserve its unbeaten record against Oakfield-Alabama

By Howard B. Owens

Notre Dame moved to 4-0 tonight, but anybody who came into the Friday night showdown with Oakfield-Alabama thinking the Hornets (who entered the game with a disappointing 1-2 record) would be pushovers, they learned something about how a proud football program can rise to the challenge of a tough opponent.

The Hornets never trailed in the game until the end, with ND only pulling even twice, once at 7-7 midway through the second quarter and then at 17-17 in the final seconds of regulation time on a Matt Thompson field goal.

After getting the ball first in overtime, but failing to convert the opportunity into a score, OA saw the Fighting Irish preserve its undefeated season on a six-yard TD rush by Beau Ritcher.

The Hornets had every opportunity to even its record, but OA's defense was eventually worn down by a relentless Notre Dame running attack.

The Hornets scored first on a first-quarter drive keyed by a Jason Stanley 60-yard run, but ND pulled even midway through the second quarter when Mike Pratt capped a grinding Notre Dame drive with a three-yard TD rush.

As the first half drew to a close, there was a real sense that Notre Dame could lose the game. At a time when the Fighting Irish should have controlled the ball, at least well enough to preserve a tie going into half-time, ND went three-and-out with enough time on the clock for OA to push the ball into the red zone. With seconds left in the half, Jon Fisher put three points on the board allowing the Hornets to head into the locker room with a 10-7 lead.

In the third quarter, it really seemed as if OA was in charge of the game, taking the ball down on a scoring drive that was capped by a 15-yard TD pass from Tyler Tamblin to Brent Crawford.

In the fourth quarter, Notre Dame's ground game began to take a toll on OA's defense. Pratt and Ricther eat up a lot of yards, and eventually Pratt plows into the end zone on a 10-yard run to put the score at 17-14.

After an exchange of downs in the fourth quarter, ND again moves the ball into striking range, and this time Thompson puts through his field goal to tie the game at 17-17.

OA got the ball first in OT, but only managed a first down before coming up short. The OA defense fought hard, putting ND in a third-and-long situation before Pratt bulled his way to a third down. With the ball inside the 10, Notre Dame fought for yardage and managed to get the ball to the one-yard line before a penalty forced the offense back five yards. On the next play, however, Ritcher burst through the line of scrimmage and into the end zone to keep the Irish undefeated.

There are more pictures after the jump below.

Oakfield facing tough challenge entering Week 4 game with Notre Dame

By Howard B. Owens

Oakfield-Alabama, already off to a slow start in 2009, will have its hands full tonight when it meets undefeated Notre Dame.

The Fighting Irish (3-0) has averaged 20 first-quarter points so far this season, while the Hornets are averaging only 3. Overall, Notre Dame's per-game scoring average is 26 points compared to 12.3 for the Hornets.

OA comes into the game with a 1-2 record.

"We're confident in where we're going and what we're doing right now," said OA head coach Brian Palone. "We're continuing to make progress each week. We lost a lot of experience from last year. We had only one returning player on defense. We really worked on defense this week, because the defense really struggled last week."

Alexander beat OA last week 42-17.

Notre Dame's head coach, Rick Mancuso, isn't taking the Hornets lightly, though.

"From our standpoint going into this game, Oakfield is always one of the perennial powerhouses in our league," Mancuso said. "Regardless of what their record is, like every team in our league, they work week in and week out to improve, and Oakfield is no different."

Mancuso praised the OA coaching staff and said he knows Palone will have his crew ready to play.

The Fighting Irish need to rebound, he said, from a sloppy effort last week.

"We made a lot of mental errors," Mancuso said. "Defensively, we did not play tight. We didn't play really disciplined. We need to be a more disciplined team going forward."

Norte Dame beat Barker last week 43-18. The 18 points represented the first scores against ND this season, after the team beat Pembroke 21-0 and Attica 14-0.

We'll have coverage posted by the morning. This weekend, The Batavian will also cover Alexander at Holley. Alexander comes into the game 2-1, but Holley is one of the surprises, if not THE surprise of the Genesee League so far this season. Holley is 3-0, opening a season undefeated for the first time in program history.

Alexander dominates Oakfield to notch win

By Howard B. Owens

Alexander continues to impress early in the 2009 football season.  Today, the team pushed its record to 2-1 with a dominating 42-17 when over Oakfield-Alabama.

It didn't take long for Alexander to get on the board today. On the third play of the game, Jay Schafer swept left while the Oakfield defense rushed right, giving Schafer open space all the way to the end zone.

The Hornets never closed the deficit.

On its first series, Oakfield was forced to punt, but it was blocked by Alexander's Troy Shelunt.

A few plays later, Lucas Czechowski scored on a pass and Shelunt crossed the goal line on a two-point conversion.

On the first play from scrimage in the second quarter, Alexander pushed the score to 21-0 with a pass to Stephen George.

During the second quarter, Oakfield got on the board with a field goal.

After the score, Oakfield attempted an on-side kick, but Alexander recovered on its own 40-yard line. Schafer carried it into the end zone on the next play.

When Oakfield got the ball back, Matt Smith fumbled, allowing the Trojans to mount another scoring drive.

On the subsequent kickoff, Oakfield's Matt Smith returned the kick for a TD, making the score 36-10.

On the next series, Oakfield forced Alexander to punt, but Brandon Topocrczky stripped the ball from the Oakfield returner and Alexander recovered the ball.

In the fourth quarter, Oakfield managed another TD on a rush by Matt Osmancickli, putting the score at 36-17.

Oakfield started to move the ball on the next series, but a fumble gave Alexander the ball back on its own 2-yard line. Alexander drove back down the field until Schafer scored again, making the score 42-17.

After the game, Schafer said, "It felt good to win because we haven't beaten them in a long time. We'll be taking it to Holley next week because they run the same type offense."

Oakfield's coach, Brian Palone told his team after the game "Don't get down.  Stay positive. We need to get better - and we will."

Alexander's coach said his team will work on "finishing the game."  He said they played well in the first three quarters.

Victor rolls past Batavia, 40-0

By Howard B. Owens

It was a tough night for the Batavia Blue Devils in Victor.

A Victor team that executed well on both sides of the ball held Batavia scoreless through four quarters while running up a 40-0 tally.

Batavia could never really get anything going on offense, while the Victor team (also nicknamed the Blue Devils) were able to both run and catch through most of the night.

Victor also benefited from four turnovers.

Coach Dan Geiger said after the game it was a tough, tough loss for his team, but that they will be ready to get right back to work preparing for the next game. He said as always, Batavia has tough schedule, but that's no excuse. Each game, he said, the Blue Devils are ready to snap on their chin straps and fight to win.

The Victor team (now 3-0) scored on its first possession on a 30-yard pass from Richie Chute to Matt Koval.

On the next position, after an interception, Josh Maves scored on a one-yard run.

Batavia was down 14-0 as the first quarter ended. Victor added 13 more points in the second quarter on a Sean Hackel 3-yard run and on a blocked punt, which Ray Ali recovered in the end zone.

On its first position of the third quarter -- following another Batavia turnover -- Chute hit Connor Kimball on a 38-yard TD strike. Victor's final score came in the fourth quarter when Tommy Wagner punch over a 1-yard TD run.

Batavia drops to 0-3.

(At about 2:30 minutes into the video, Victor is credited with a touchdown. I've watched several times, and I don't see how the RB got within a half yard of the goal line. See what you think.)

Oakfield Hornets take on the Trojans in Alexander this Saturday

By Brittany Baker

Expect a hard-hitting game this Saturday afternoon in Alexander when the Trojans take on the Hornets at 1:30. The teams have matching records at 1-1 so far this season, so it's safe to say they each have something to prove.

"Expect a better performance from us this week. We need to protect the ball better and cut down our turnovers," said Brian Palone, coach for the Oakfield Hornets.

Palone doesn't consider his team a "big" team. "We're a faster team."

Running backs Jason Stanley and Osman Citkli should be the ones to keep your eyes on for the Hornets in Alexander.

The Trojans' offense has the most points in the league so far this season, so it's no surprise that the Hornets coach has his team working especially hard this week.

The Trojans run a double-wing offense - a system based on misdirection and mechanical advantages. Senior Zack Burke will take the helm for the Trojans behind a powerful line.

"Zack understands and runs the offense very well with its misdirection and hidden plays behind our big guys," said Coach Dave Radley of his starting QB. "It should be a good game because Oakfield will come out ready to play."

Both coaches hope many fans will turn out for the game this Saturday afternoon to cheer on their teams and to show support for the football programs.

Elba-Byron Bergen Lancers Modified Football Season Starts

By Valerie Patrick

September 15, 2009:  Today at 4:15 P.M., the Elba-Byron Bergen Lancers
Modified Football Team began their season with an exciting scrimmage against Barker.

The team is made up of seventh and eighth graders from Elba and Byron-Bergen schools.  These kids have been working hard every day,  except
Sundays, practicing for hours and it looks like they are banding together as "A Force To Be Reckoned With."

The first touchdown of the year was made by #5, Chad Bobzin, a seventh grader from Byron-Bergen.  He plowed his way through a wall of gray jerseys to bring in the first score of the season.

Good Luck to our local boys and make sure you catch a game this year.

Alexander tops struggling Pembroke 21-0

By Howard B. Owens

Alexander put the ball into the end zone three times in the first half to spark a 21-0 win over Pembroke.

For the second-straight week, Pembroke struggled to move the ball. The offense managed only two first downs in the second half.

The first Trojan's first score came on an 80-yard run by Jay Schafer. 

On the next drive, Schafer again carried the load, capping the effort with a 19-yard run.

Ryan Piechocki scored the third and final touchdown of the game midway through the second quarter, crossing the goal line with a three-yard run.

Pembroke, along with Oakfield-Alabama, has dominated the Genesee Region League in recent years, but has opened this season with a 0-2 record. O-A is now 1-1 after losing to Holley today, 16-7.

Both Alexander is now 1-1.

Holley starts a season at 2-0 for the first time.


 

Fighting Irish defense shuts down Attica for second shut out to start season

By Howard B. Owens

Five Attica turnovers helped Notre Dame nail down a 14-0 victory Friday evening.

The Fighting Irish defense has put together eight straight quarters of shut out ball and running back Mike Pratt, with the help of a dominating offensive line, put together a second straight solid game.

Pratt carried the ball 24 times for 135 yards and scored two touchdowns.

The defense picked off three passes, in addition to two fumble recoveries.

Playing defense, Pratt recovered a fumble and made a key interception in the third quarter to stop an Attica drive.  After the interception, Pratt's 32-yard run followed by a five-yard burst put Notre Dame up 14-0.

Attica was shut down again late in the fourth quarter when Cam McDonald snatched a pass from the air, denying Attica one last chance to score.

Quarterback Nick Bochicchio put together another fine game, passing for 60 yards on nine attempts with only two incompletions.  Gianni Zambito led the Fighting Irish receivers with three catches for 51 yards.

Notre Dame blanks Pembroke in season opener

By Howard B. Owens

De-fense. De-fense. De-fense.

A crushing Notre Dame defense led the Fighting Irish to a 21-0 victory over Pembroke.

Pembroke managed only 15 yards of total offense in the first half, while Mike Pratt lead Notre Dame on offense all game, ripping some big runs while Nick Bochicchio connected with Gianni Zambito on two touchdown passes.

The Irish scored on their first possession after Pratt marched the team down the field before Bochicchio hit Zambito on a 35-yard bomb.

A missed field goal by Matt Thompson deprived Notre Dame of the chance to score a second time in the first quarter.

Thompson would redeem himself later in the came when he recovered from a bad snap to get off a great punt.

After two long runs in the second quarter, Pratt dove in from the three-yard line to put the Fighting Irish up 14-0.

In the second half, Pembroke continued to struggle on offense, putting up only a couple of first downs, and finished the game with less than 100 yards total offense.

Notre Dame's final score came in the third quarter when Bochicchio found Zambito again for a 31-yard strike.

Thanks to a reader for the info.

Batavia Blue Devils drop opening game 33-11

By Howard B. Owens

Miscues and mistakes sent the Batavia Blue Devils to an opening season defeat tonight.

Batavia dropped the game to Greece Arcadia 33 to 11.

After grabbing a quick 3-0 lead on a field goal by Renee Glafenhein (an exchange student from Germany), the Blue Devils quickly let the game slip away with turn overs.

The long snapper twice sent the ball sailing over the punter's head. One of the missed snaps led to a safety.

QB Joe Canzoneri lead the Blue Devils to the team's first score with a key play. He had the ball knocked from his hands, but was able to scoop it up and find a wide open Joe Pedro for a critical first down.

But the Blue Devil's defense couldn't overcome the powerful running of Greece Arcadia's Joe Britton, who carried the ball 26 times for 166 yards. He scored two touchdowns.

For the Blue Devils, senior Spencer Byrne and junior Fred Gemp each had eight tackles and combined for four sacks.

Scoring summary:
Batavia - FG Rene Glafenhein 29
Greece Arcadia - Joe Britton 24 run (Kyle Reilly kick)
Greece Arcadia - Coty Paige 9 pass Josh Hotchkiss (Reilly kick)
Greece Arcadia - FG Reilly 24
Greece Arcadia - Britton 2 run (Reilly kick)
Greece Arcadia - Safety (Forced punt)
Greece Arcadia - Hotchkiss 14 run (Reilly kick)
Batavia - Mitch Francis 39 pass Joe Canzoneri (Vin Pedro run)

Thanks to a reader for the info.

Madden 10 legally goes on sale at midnight

By Brian Hillabush

Batavia resident Ben Long - a Pittsburgh Steelers fan - is shown here holding the first legally sold copy of Madden 10 sold in the city.

He showed up at FYE at around 11:30 p.m. and waited for the midnight opening for the sale of the game. I have heard other residents obtained the game yesterday and during the day today as some local stores were illegally selling the game before EA Sports allowed the release.

Oakfield-Alabama picks one of its own

By Brian Hillabush

One of the main reasons for the recent success the Oakfield-Alabama football program has had is the work ethic coach John Dowd instilled in his players.

The weight room was a high priority.

Don't expect that to change as Dowd's replacement is an O-A grad that was known for his drive to be the best and time spent in the weight room during high school.

"I'm going to try my best to get the full potential out of these kids," said new coach Brian Palone, who graduated from Oakfield-Alabama in 1998. "I will work them hard and earn their respect, constantly telling them it's not about how big they are, but the amount of heart they put into it to get the job done."

Palone - who played football, basketball and baseball in high school - has some big shoes to fill and is ready for the challenge. Dowd led the Hornets to their first undefeated season since 1986 this past fall and the squad made the sectional finals, only to lose a great game against a powerhouse Le Roy squad.

He had a 50-12 record over the last six seasons and won a pair of sectional titles, all while stressing hard work and making the program one of the most respected in Section 5.

"There is a great tradition at Oakfield that I saw after graduating from there and seeing what (Dowd) did last year. He did a great job," Palone said. "I'm going to go in and try my best and see what happens. I told the guys that they need to give me 100 percent and I'll give them 100 percent and we'll do the best we can."

Palone will be returning to his alma matter as a first-time head coach.

He has been a teacher at Naples for the last six years and has been the varsity baseball coach for the last three seasons. But the school does not have a football program.

After playing all over the field in high school and as an outside linebacker for four seasons at Brockport, he was an assistant linebacker and wide receiver coach at Caledonia-Mumford for two seasons. He was on head coach Mike Monacelli's 2003 state title winning squad.

Palone then spent four years as a special teams coordinator and LB/RB coach at Wayland-Cohocton. While teaching at Naples, he gained more experience as a linebacker coach and assistant defensive coordinator with Marcus Whitman.

 "I've been wanting to get an opportunity to get back to Oakfield if a position ever opened," said Palone, who will also teach elementary physical education. "This is a dream come true to give back to the school that gave so much to me."

Dowd ran the Double Wing on offense and the Hornets simply wore teams down with size on the line, allowing multiple backs to go off at will. Palone expects to change things some, but will run a very similar offense.

"We are going to keep some of the same and blend in some other concepts this year," said Palone, who recently purchased a house in Farmington with his wife of seven months, Samantha. "I don't expect to change everything. I have lots of ideas, but some coaches make the mistake of going in and changing everything."

NFL Network coming to cable - just not your cable.

By Brian Hillabush

 For those NFL fans out there that have been waiting for  the NFL Network to come to Time Warner Cable, it looks like you are going to be waiting for a while longer.

Commissioner Roger Goodell announced today that the popular channel - which DirecTV customers have enjoyed for years - signed a 10 year deal with Comcast.

Goodell did leave the door open for a  possible deal with Time Warner in the future.

Goodell also said the NFL will work to resolve any differences it has with other major cable operators that don't carry the network -- including Time Warner Cable Inc., Cablevision Systems Corp. and Charter Communications Inc.

The Desperate Bills

By Fred GUNDELL

 As a youth, there were no Bufalo Bills.  Virtually every local Football Fan belonged to the Giants or the Browns.  That is why alot of local football fans to this date are labelled as "Bills Bashers".  I am not one of those however. If it were not for the Bill I could never see the Giants in person.  They play the Bills every six or seven years, and tickets to the Meadowlands are handed down in Wills.  So here is my criticism of the BILLS!!  Their CHEAP OWNER!!  Who else would move games to Toronto after all these years, and expect the fans to buy into the explanation that he is trying to expand the base...It's the same base it was 30 years ago.

Lets face it, he's trying to sell more of the overpriced luxury boxes, and club seats. That all goes into his pocket.  The player salaries are more than covered by the TV revenue.  ALL clubs to my knowledge share gate revenues equally. That more than pays the staff.  So that leaves the $25.00 parking charge,club seats, Luxury Boxes, and a good hunk of Hot Dog and Beer Money for poor old Mr. Wilson. I feel sorry for him.  He must really be suffering there in Detroit. It's no wonder that  there hasn't been a big time Coach or General Manager in years. And ,Oh bye the way ,they haven't made the playoffs since one year after John Butler left.  Need I list all the losers that have coached here for years.  Think about Kaye Stevens, Hank Bullock, Mallarcki (or whatever his name was), Wade Phillips who inherited a John Butler Team his first year, Tom Donohoe, Marv Levy as GM(??) What did he do? I suspect this guy Jauron is there because he's cheap. No wonder they extended his contract.  It's not because he's been successful. Where would the Bills have been had they had a Big Time coach and GM these past ten years or so.  I'll bet they would have made they playoffs, or better.

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