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Dragons run all over Raiders

By Brian Hillabush

 Five different Pembroke rushers helped the Dragons pound host Barker 48-6 Saturday afternoon.

Andrew Wright again had the big day, in fact he had a huge day.

Wright rushed the ball eight times for 113 yards and a touchdown, caught all five passes completed by David Kleckler for 115 yards and a score and returned a punt 58 yards for a TD. That gives him 286 all-purpose yards.

Mike Dibble had 11 carries for 58 yards and two touchdowns and Josh Phillips had nine rushes for 50 yards and a pair of TDs. Andy Gabbey carried the ball five times for 32 yards.

Kleckler had four rushes for 45 yards and completed 5-of-10 attempts for 115 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

Gabbey had 13 tackles and Dibble added 10.

Greg Brown had 20 carries for 75 yards to lead the Raiders (1-4), who plays at Alexander (2-3) next Saturday.

Pembroke improves to 5-0 and will be at 5-0 Oakfield-Alabama next Friday night in what will probably decide the Genesee Region League title. 

Special teams give Trojans win

By Brian Hillabush

 After losing games to Oakfield-Alabama, Pembroke and Attica, the Alexander football team has found the right equation to win in the Genesee Region League.

The Trojans play a physical style of football that involves pounding away with the ball on offense, are attempting to force turnovers on defense and - most importantly - making all the right moves on special teams.

Alexander won for the second consecutive week and are now 2-3 after beating Elba/Byron-Bergen 28-13 Saturday night in the first game ever played under the lights in Elba.

The Trojans spoiled Elba/Byron-Bergen's homecoming, but it didn't take away from the cool atmosphere of seeing a game in Elba played under lights, which did an excellent job of lighting the middle part of the field.

It almost wasn't spoiled as the two teams played a pretty close first half.

The two squads exchanged punts on their first possessions and a special teams mistake by Elba/Byron-Bergen on the team's second possession proved costly.

The snap sailed over the punters head and the Lancers picked it up and ran to their own 30-yard line.

Alexander had a couple of decent running plays before Jay Schaefer ran one in from six yards out. The extra point was missed.

Elba/Byron-Bergen's Zach Green then returned the ensuing kickoff 81 yards for a touchdown. Again, the kick failed and the score was tied at 6 after the first quarter.

Alexander coach Dave Radley wanted to make sure I mentioned kicker/punter Lucas Czechowski in my preview this week and for good reason - he came up big. 

His first big kick was a 22-yard field goal early in the second quarter that put the Trojans up 9-6.

Elba/Byron-Bergen missed a field goal later in the half and that was the score at intermission 

Alexander had a long drive to open the second half - aided by some costly Elba/B-B penalties - that led to another Schaefer touchdown, this time from two yards out. The kick made the score 16-6.

The Lancers scored on another big play as Green rumbled 61 yards for a TD. The extra point brought Elba/Byron-Bergen to within three points.

Alexander marched down the field, going 68 yards down to the Elba/B-B 1 with a long kickoff return and a key pass from Zach Burke to Czechowski. But the Trojans fumbled the ball away and the Lancers took over deep in their own territory near the end of the third quarter.

Green broke off a 15-yarder, but the drive stalled and the Lancers had to punt again.

For the second time in the game, the snap sailed over the punter's head. This time it went through the end zone for a safety.

Alexander got the ball back and was moved into field goal territory because of an Elba/B-B facemask call.

Czechowski hit the 22-yard kick to make the score 21-13.

Ryan Piechocki had a key sack and forced Elba/B-B into a passing situation where Jordan Leitten took advantage, intercepting a pass at the 20-yard line.

Mike Woodrow had a 4-yard run a few plays later to make it a two touchdown game.

Leitten capped off the victory with another interception in the closing seconds, allowing the Trojans to take a knee and run out the clock.

Elba/Byron-Bergen falls to 1-4 and the biggest crowd to attend a game in the town of Elba in years was treated to a cool homecoming experience. But the team will have to work on limiting penalties and making huge mistakes on special teams if it is going to beat Notre Dame or Bishop Walsh in the final two weeks of the season.

Alexander is now 2-3 and will wrap up its regular season with a home game against Barker next Saturday. The Trojans were the No. 4 seed in the Section 5 Class D playoffs before the win and should move up to No. 3 with Avon's loss to Le Roy last night combined with the victory.

 

Avon gives Le Roy a scare

By Brian Hillabush

The Avon football team played visiting Le Roy tight, but the Oatkan Knights held on to a slim lead in the second  half and beat the Braves 49-37.

After the two squads were tied at the end of the first quarter, 8-8, Le Roy had a 21-14 advantage in the second.

Travis Fenstermaker tossed two touchdown passes to Mike Humphrey in the second quarter - and three in the first half - and Quentin Humphrey added another second quarter touchdown run to give Le Roy a 29-22 lead at intermission.

Avon trailed 36-29 and was driving early in the fourth quarter, but the Braves fumbled and Andrew Alexander picked it up and returned the ball 47 yards for a huge score.

Alexander added a 63-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter and Avon got a late score when Max Barrett threw a 35-yard TD pass to Pat Hayes.

Barrett was a big reason why the Braves (3-2) were in the game as he completed 9-of-17 pass attempts for 131 yards and also rushed for 137 yards with two touchdowns.

Le Roy improves to 5-0 and will be hosting rival Caledonia-Mumford next Friday night.

Fighting Irish turn off lights in Holley

By Brian Hillabush

 The Holley football team was playing under rented lights Friday, and from what I've been told there were not enough to make the game watchable on that field.

There was no scoreboard rented for the game, so the Hawks hosted yet another game without anybody knowing how much time was gone in each quarter.

But those lights that were rented by Holley were turned off in a hurry as Notre Dame nearly doubled the offensive production the Hawks had and picked up an easy 34-14 victory.

The Fighting Irish led 14-0 after the first quarter, 21-6 at the half, 28-14 after three and then 34-14 at the end.

Notre Dame had 330 yards of offense while Holley could muster just 180.

Kevin SChildwaster led all rushers with 18 carries for 120 yards and three touchdowns with Mike Pratt pitching in 102 yards and two scores on 15 attempts.

Nick Bochicchio completed 7-of-8 pass attempts.

Kyle Steadman led Holley (0-5) with 40 rushing yards on seven carries with Sean Baylor leading all tacklers with 12.

Rick Lair had eight tackles to lead Notre Dame (3-2).

Oakfield-Alabama overcomes illness and turnovers

By Brian Hillabush

 The Oakfield-Alabama football team didn't start a lot of the usual names because of a flu that kept several players out of practice this week.

They also didn't do a very good job of keeping the ball from hitting the ground.

But the Hornets did just enough to beat host Attica 35-20 Friday night.

It was senior night for the Blue Devils and a couple of seniors gave the squad a very quick lead. Andy Ruddock busted off a 21-yard run and Nate Berry hauled in an 18-yard touchdown pass from junior Brandon Rollins to get things going, just 1 1/2 minutes into the contest.

O-A blocked the extra point.

The Hornets didn't take very long to answer as Tim Smith returned the kickoff 34 yards and Josh Athoe made his mark.

Athoe hasn't played in any high school game since getting injured at the start of last baseball season, but got the start at fullback in this game.

The 6-foot-2, 185 pound junior busted off an 11-yard run that set up his 12-yard touchdown run, with the Jon Fisher giving Oakfield-Alabama a lead that would never go away.

Ruddock ripped off a 30-yarder on Attica's next drive, but Chris Williams sacked Rollins to kill a drive and force a punt.

The Blue Devil defense did its job by stopping the Hornets on a fourth-and-2, but the offense fumbled the ball away on the first play of the next drive.

Athoe kicked off the second quarter with a 9-yard TD run, giving O-A a 14-6 advantage.

The Hornets got the ball back after an Attica punt and moved the ball through the air, with A.J. Kehlenbeck hooking up with Noah Seward and Tyler Tamblin on passes before finding Brad Riner with a 4-yard touchdown pass with just 17 seconds left in the half.

Tim Smith - who finished with 162 rushing yards on 20 carries - started the second half scoring with a 20-yard TD run.

Attica then started making a comeback.

Rollins hooked up with Shawn Dupuis on a 44-yard pass that moved the ball all the way down to the O-A 1, where Rollins scored on a keeper. The conversion pass failed and Oakfield-Alabama led 28-12.

Just seconds ticked off the clock before Kyler Dabolt popped the ball out of an O-A runners hands and Berry picked it up, scampering 62 yards for a score. Rollins ran in the conversion and Attica had cut O-A's lead to 28-20 near the end of the third period.

And then Smith stepped up again. Last week he earned Class C Offensive Player of the Week in a win over Notre Dame, and he stepped up with the big play this week.

The senior busted through the line and busted off a 52-yard run. He scored a couple of plays later from eight yards out.

As Attica tried to drive, Kehlenbeck had a big interception to kill a much-needed opportunity. 

The Hornets fumbled the ball away again, and had a couple of penalties that put the Blue Devils into great position to score.

On a third-and-goal from the Oakfield-Alabama 11, Seward picked off a pass to wrap up the victory.

Athoe rushed for 83 yards on 16 attempts and Riner gained 110 yards on 24 carries. Kehlenbeck completed 5-of-6 pass attempts for 50 yards.

 Attica falls to 3-2 while O-A improves to 5-0 and will be hosting currently unbeaten Pembroke next Friday night.

 

Batavia football now above .500

By Brian Hillabush

Dan Geiger has been working to build Batavia's football team for three seasons.

The Blue Devils were a losing program when he stepped in and  finally, Batavia has a record above .500 because they traveled all the way to Penn Yan Friday night and picked up a convincing 32-13 victory.

"I feel like we are still in an uphill battle," Geiger said. "We are Batavia; nothing comes easy to us. We have to work for everything we get."

I've personally been saying Rob Williams has deserved to win Class B Offensive Player of the Week for a few weeks now, and there is no way he can't win it this week. There aren't many performances that get bigger than this one.

The senior rushed the ball 22 times for 267 yards and two touchdowns while catching two passes for 29 yards. He also returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, one for 90 yards and another that was 94 yards.

"If he doesn't win it this week, they just aren't going to give it to him" Geiger said.

 

For good measure, Williams intercepted a pass on a two-point conversion attempt.

It isn't just Williams running the ball well as Anthony D'Aurizio had himself another big game, picking up 103 yards and a score on 16 carries.

The Blue Devils rushed for 398 yards on 42 carries as a team.

Joe Canzoneri connected on 4-of-9 passing attempts for 51 yards.

Teams have scored just 20 points - one TD on special teams last week - in the last two Batavia victories as the defense is starting to match the production of the offense.

Adam Hausfelder had nine tackles and a sack with Troy Ireland making eight stops and D'Aurizio recording seven tackles.

David DiSalvo had an interception.

"We are a young team," Geiger said. "We have seniors out there that are young to varsity football. There are details that they have had to learn and understand each week. In practice they are working harder and harder and Coach Gravante is doing a great job of breaking down teams. The kids are stepping up."

Batavia (3-2) will be at East Rochester/Gananda next Friday night.

Evans is the right fit for Buffalo

By Brian Hillabush

 I don't know if it is because wide receivers like media attention or I just like interviewing them, but I've always been tight with the receivers on the Buffalo Bills.

Eric Moulds and I used to always chat at training camp because of a shared interest in the Wu Tang Clan. I always chat with Josh Reed, even if he didn't do much in a game. 

And I always find myself talking about situations with Lee Evans. 

Evans has had the lingering question about a contract extension hanging out there for quite some time now, which is something he really hasn't talked about much.

But Ralph Wilson and the Bills' organization did the right thing today in locking up the talented WR.

There are very few details about the extension that have been made public at this point, but it is clear that one of the biggest pieces on that team will be sticking around as the wins keep coming.

“I’m thrilled,” Evans told buffalobills.com. “It all just kind of happens at one time. I’m thrilled about it. It’s a great day. Working with these guys over a long period of time has been tough, but the communication has been there and we finally got it done. So I couldn’t be happier.”

 

Evans is the perfect fit for our local National Football League team.

A loudmouth like Chad Johnson or Terrell Owens would not last long in Buffalo because the  minute he pulled the garbage T.O. did last weekend, he'd be ridiculed by the fans so bad that he couldn't show his face in public.

The most controversial comments Evans has ever made is when he backed J.P. Losman as the starting quarterback. He didn't rip anybody. He just felt like he had a good relationship and could perform better with him in there.

I remember a conversation I had with Evans and Reed at the Jim Kelly Tournament at Terry Hills a couple of years ago when the two were in the pro shop buying gloves.

I made a comment about the big dollars in the NFL and I remember Evans telling me that he would never turn down money, but if that is the reason you play the game, you are not going to be the best type of player you can be. He basically said that if you go out there and play the game well, you will not have to worry about the business end.

Evans is polite and a good guy that does charity work in the community. 

On the field he produces on a high level year in and year out. He has never had a Marvin Harrison-type of season, but he's been a very good No. 1 receiver for a while now.

It is nice to see the Bills reward a player like Evans, and that is a reason why the team is on an upswing and will be contenders for years to come.

Week 5 football previews in sports

By Brian Hillabush

 All of the Week 5 High School football previews are located in the sports section now. I'd like to hear what The Batavian readers think about these games, so please pick games that you are interested in and post comments and predictions after the preview story.

Here is the list of games with links to the previews:

Batavia (2-2) at Penn Yan (1-3)

Notre Dame (2-2) at Holley (0-4)

Le Roy (4-0) at Avon (3-1)

Oakfield-Alabama (4-0) at Attica (3-1)

Alexander (1-3) at Elba/Byron-Bergen (1-3)

Pembroke (4-0) at Barker (1-3)

Week 5 Batavia at Penn Yan preview

By Brian Hillabush

 Batavia (2-2) at Penn Yan (1-3)

7 p.m. Friday

 

Two game win streaks are something new to the Blue Devils, and coach Dan Geiger is hoping his squad can make it a third.

After losing to Le Roy and Palmyra-Macedon to start the season, Batavia has been playing some real solid football. The Blue Devils beat Waterloo 48-21 in Week 3 and then pounced on Midlakes 41-7 last week.

And the phrase "pounced on" is an accurate way to describe what happened last week.

Vinny Pedro returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and Rob Williams picked up a fumble and took it 99 yards for a score before Batavia even had one offensive play.

Of course, Batavia's first two offensive plays went for touchdowns as Williams had TD runs of 55 and 85 yards to start the team's first two drives.

A win here would be a big help as Batavia currently is in the No. 8 position in the standings for the Class B playoffs. Teams 9-12 in the classification will not make the playoffs.

Williams has been one of the top players in Section 5 this season and has not been getting the respect many in the area feel he deserves. It seems like he makes big plays on defense and special teams in every game and has rushed for 611 yards and eight touchdowns so far.

Anthony D'Aurizio is also having a big year running the football with 483 yards and four scores.

He leads the defense with 36 tackles, with Troy Ireland following with 34. Devonte Rolle has a pair of interceptions.

The biggest thing Batavia has to worry about is Penn Yan's offensive line. Geiger has been impressed with 295-pound Silvano Roman during film studies this week.

Penn Yan is coming off a 30-0 loss against East Rochester/Gananda and will be hungry to defend its home field.

Adam Trombley is the top PY running back. 

Week 5 Notre Dame at Holley preview

By Brian Hillabush

 Notre Dame (2-2) at Holley (0-4)

7 p.m. Friday

The Fighting Irish lost against Pembroke in the opening week of the season and bounced back to beat Attica.

They lost to Oakfield-Alabama last week and will now be looking to get back to winning against a Holley squad that has yet to win a game.

ND played a solid defensive half and held the Hornets to just seven points, then had a chance to tie the game early in the third quarter when a halfback option call backfired and led to an interception near the end zone.

O-A rolled after that and Notre Dame had what was probably its weakest offensive game of the season.

A weak offense shouldn't be a problem this week against Holley, which is playing under rented lights. Hopefully the school rented a scoreboard as well because watching a game there is painful without a game clock.

Nick Bochicchio has put up more attempts than any other quarterback in the Genesee Region League this season and has compiled 463 yards through the air. He attempted 34 passes in the opening week of the season.

His favorite target is Kevin Francis, who has 242 receiving yards and has the ability to get into the end zone any time he touches the ball on on offense or special teams.

The Fighting Irish rushing attack features two solid runners.

Mike Pratt has 243 yards and five TDs and will bounce off would-be tacklers all day while Kevin Schildwaster is a speedster that has compiled 238 yards and two touchdowns.

Craig Houseknecht, Rick Lair and Greg Barr are the three leading ND tacklers.

The Hawks came close to getting that elusive first win last week against Alexander. Holley was leading 8-6 before the Trojans kicked a field goal with eight minutes left to get the victory.

Guy Hills is the biggest playmaker on the Holley roster, but Mike Pernicano has the ability to bust a run if his line can open a hole.

Week 5 Le Roy at Avon preview

By Brian Hillabush

 Le Roy (4-0) at Avon (3-1)

7 p.m. Friday

The question facing the Avon football team is simple; can they stop Mike Humphrey?

Nobody else has.

Travis Fenstermaker has continued to find his favorite target and it seems like no defensive back in Section 5 could stop the Le Roy WR at this point.

Humphrey caught six passes for 97 yards last week in a 36-0 win over Canisteo-Greenwood, including a pair of touchdowns. That gives him 17 receptions for 364 yards and six touchdowns.

He has also made an impact returning kickoffs and intercepting passes, including the two that he had last week.

Fenstermaker has completed 26-of-50 pass attempts for 485 yards and eight touchdowns.

One of the biggest surprises through four weeks is that neither of these players have won Player of the Week in Class C.

Le Roy's running attack hasn't had many problems either as Andrew Alexander has pounded the ball 72 times for 573 yards and six touchdowns.

Humphrey will probably be covering the top receiver that he has seen thus far as Avon's Garrett Kesel has caught 16 passes for 233 yards and two scores.

His quarterback is a good one.

Max Barrett has went 26-of-68 passing for 467 yards and seven touchdowns. He also runs the ball, picking up 189 rushing yards with three scores.

Rich Welch leads the Braves in rushing with 364 yards and five touchdowns on 28 attempts.

Eric Hendrick has 187 yards and four TDs.

The Oatkan Knights are ranked fifth in the state in Class C.

 

Week 5 Oakfield-Alabama at Attica preview

By Brian Hillabush

Oakfield-Alabama (4-0) at Attica (3-1)

7 p.m. Friday

It doesn't get much bigger than this one as Attica must win to have a shot at a tie for the Genesee Region League title and the Hornets need a win to make next week's game against Pembroke basically give the winner a shot at being an individual champion.

The battle on the line is going to determine the winner as both teams have had big years running the football, with O-A's line being led by Craig Campbell and Chris Williams.

The game is Attica's homecoming so the Blue Devils will have some extra motivation.

Andy Ruddock is going to get the ball a bunch of times for Attica - and why not - he's been one of the top performers in the league thus far.

The senior has gained 608 yards with eight touchdowns on 62 carries and works as a featured back in coach  Jeff Cusmano's offense.

The Blue Devils will pound the ball with Ruddock, hoping he can pop off a couple of big runs.

If O-A's defense can manage to hold him in check, Brandon Rollins is going to put the ball in the air.

He's gone 22-of-37 for 385 yards and six touchdowns this season.

The top target in the passing offense is Shawn Dupuis, who has hauled in 12 balls for 214 yards and four scores.

Williams and Brad Riner lead the defense with 20 tackles and their unit will be trying to force Rollins to beat them. Both Derek Hicks and Evan Kotarski have 19 tackles apiece with Noah Seward pitching in 18 tackles with four sacks.

Oakfield-Alabama's offense is going to continue to pound the football and Attica knows what is coming - like every other team - but will have to work to stop it.

Smith won Class C Offensive Player of the Week this week after a huge performance and now has 489 rushing yards with seven touchdowns.

He got the bulk of the carries last week, but coach John Dowd will give the ball to Riner (301), Jason Stanley (199) and Joe Natalizia (221) as well.

Attica's defense will be led by Luke Pariso and his 28 tackles. Dave Jennings has 22.

O=A moved up to 11th in the state.

Week 5 Alexander at Elba/Byron-Bergen preview

By Brian Hillabush

 Alexander (1-3) at Elba/Byron-Bergen (1-3)

7 p.m. Saturday

 

Alexander is young and Elba/Byron-Bergen is learning the game.

These two teams have had some early season struggles and are looking to make a late season charge to build on for next year.

The Trojans have a squad filled with juniors and started the season with games against the "big three". The team picked up its first win of the season last week with a 9-8 victory over Holley.

The star of that game wound up being kicker Lucas Czechowski, who booted a 30-yard field goal to win the game.

Czechowski is having a big year as the team's punter as well.

The Trojans have have actually made some difficult starting points for opposing offenses because Czechowski is averaging 47 yards per punt.

Alexander's defense has been led by Ryan Piechowski, who has 36 solo tackles with six assists.

Ryan Wilson has 21 tackles and two sacks with Jordan Leitten leading the secondary with two interceptions. Mike Woodrow has picked off one pass.

Jay Schaefer gained 127 yards rushing last week and now has 327 yards and two touchdowns on 41 carries this season. Piechowski has 79 rushing yards and two scores.

Elba/Byron-Bergen has been playing its starters throughout the game to help the B-B players get experience, and they have been very competitive against the second teams of Oakfield-Alabama and Pembroke.

The Lancers got two touchdowns from Zach Green in the fourth quarter last week and both he and Brandon Spurling are solid runners.

 

Week 5 Pembroke at Barker preview

By Brian Hillabush

 Pembroke (4-0) at Barker (1-3)

1:30 p.m. Saturday

 

This is one of those games that the Pembroke football team has to worry about.

With the Genesee Region League title possibly on the line next week against Oakfield-Alabama, the Dragons have to make the longest trip to play in the GR and are facing a Barker squad that has the potential to play with any team in the league.

The victories have come easy so far for Chip Foster's squad and his players are putting up some crazy numbers. But the Raiders are physical and a team on the rise, always looking for the upset at home.

Pembroke's offensive line deserves a lot of the credit for the numbers the team has been putting up. The telling stat is what quarterback David Kleckler has done this season.

Kleckler has completed 16-of-28 attempts for 415 yards with six touchdowns and three interceptions. But he has only been sacked ONCE all season long.

That is unbelievable.

Andrew Wright and Ken Babcock have both had receiving numbers that are pretty close. 

Wright has caught seven passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns while Babcock has hauled in nine balls for 198 yards and three scores.

And the running game has been just as good.

Wright has gained 426 yards on just 31 carries (13.74 yards per attempt) with six touchdowns, Mike Dibble has 332 yards with six scores, Josh Phillips has 216 yards and four TDs and Kleckler has gained 185 yards with two touchdowns.

Barker is a physical team that traditionally likes to run the ball, but has done some passing this year.

Anthony Porter (9-of-17 for 63 yards) and Ethan Dewart (9-of-16 for 122 yards) are putting up about the same amount of passes per game.

But the Raiders will run.

Greg Brown has 348 yards and three touchdowns on 81 carries and Ray Paul has 175 yards and two TDs on 39 attempts.

O-A's Tim Smith is Player of the Week

By Brian Hillabush

 This was a pretty easy call for the folks that pick the Players of the Week in Section 5.

Oakfield-Alabama's Tim Smith put up sick numbers against a solid opponent and because of that was named Class C Offensive Player of the Week.

He is the second local player in a row to earn the honor as Andy Ruddock won in Class B last week.

Smith's Hornets had a slim 7-0 lead at Notre Dame on Saturday and he blew up in the second half en route to a 28-6 win.

Smith gained 185 yards on the ground, picking up 25 carries. The number of carries alone is an amazing number in O-A's offensive system.

He had 79 punt return yards and intercepted two passes and returned them for 54 yards.

His 6-yard TD run in the second quarter put the Hornets on top before he added a 21-yard touchdown run and broke a 31-yarder on a fourth-and-1 that set up his 8-yard score.

Smith has 489 yards and seven touchdowns this season.

Pembroke still putting up crazy numbers

By Brian Hillabush

Pembroke scored 29 points in the second quarter and had a 49-7 lead after three in taking care of Elba/Byron-Bergen 56-21 Saturday.

The Dragons continued putting up absurd offensive numbers.

Andrew Wright picked up 138 yards and a TD with a fumble recovery for a touchdown and Josh Phillips had just eight carries, but gained 118 yards and scored twice.

Mike Dibble gained 98 yards and scored three times and David Kleckler went 5-for-5 for 98 yards with a 36-yard touchdown pass to Ken Babcock.

Zach Green scored two fourth quarter touchdowns for the Lancers (1-3) and finished with 137 rushing yards. Eric Kowalik also tossed a touchdown pass to David Garnish.

Pembroke is now 4-0.

Ruddock has another big game for Attica

By Brian Hillabush

Andy Ruddock won Class B Offensive Player of the Week last week, and he  might have a shot at it again this week.

The senior running back rushed for 246 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries to lead his Attica football team to a 44-27 win over Barker Saturday.

Ruddock had touchdown runs of 71, 22 and 8 yards.

Luke Pariso gained 42 yards and had a pair of scores on nine carries and Brandon Rollins pitched in 77 yards passing with a TD.

Pariso and Levi Comfort had nine tackles apiece to go with Kevin GAllinger's 11.

Greg Brown had a touchdown run and returned an interception 25 yards for a touchdown for the Raiders (1-3).

Jim Porter threw a touchdown pass and rushed for a score.

Attica improves to 3-1.

Oakfield-Alabama survives tough Notre Dame squad

By Brian Hillabush

 The Oakfield-Alabama football team has had the luxury of giving the backups plenty of playing time in the first three weeks of the season.

Not so much on Saturday as the Hornets had their first test of the season in Notre Dame, not passing until the second half. O-A held off a late charge and won 28-6.

Tim Smith actually returned the opening kickoff just over 50 yards to the Notre Dame 29-yard line. Notre Dame's Craig Houseknecht sacked A.J. Kehlenbeck on a pass attempt, but a couple of mid-distance runs moved the ball down to the 2-yard line.

This was where the first half tone was set.

Oakfield-Alabama fumbled the ball away and Cam McDonald fell on it to give the Fighting Irish possession. 

After Kevin Schildwaster popped a 53-yard run, O-A had a sack and fumble that was recovered by Noah Seward.

Notre Dame's defense stiffened up and caused a three-and-out, then ND started moving the ball as Nick Bochicchio found Kevin Francis on a 24-yard pass.

At this point the Irish fans were thinking upset, while the O-A fans were starting to sweat with a 0-0 score after a period of play.

But the Hornets stopped ND's offense and forced a punt. Then Notre Dame returned the favor and made O-A punt.

With just a few minutes left in the first half, Smith took over.

He killed a Notre Dame drive with an interception, had a 24-yard run and then scored on a 6-yarder to make the score 7-0 at the half.

Notre Dame received the second half kickoff and was moving the ball. Bochicchio hooked up with Francis on a 16-yard pass, that was moved to the O-A 28-yard line because of a late hit penalty.

This time the Fighting Irish tried a halfback option that was intercepted by Smith at the 4 and returned to the 40.

Smith capped off this drive with a 21-yard TD run.

Oakfield-Alabama took firm control of the game after a Notre Dame punt when Smith broke a 31-yard run on a fourth-and-1. He scored just moments into the fourth quarter on an 8-yard run.

A Seward sack put Notre Dame into a fourth-and-very long deep in its own territory, so Matt Thompson had to come on and punt.

Smith had a 20-yard return and the Hornets started a drive at the ND 26.

Jason Stanley finished off the O-A scoring with a 21-yard run.

With just five minutes left, Bochicchio got hot.

He had completions to Francis, Schildwaster and Gianni Zambito before hitting Mike Pratt on a swing pass that he took 25 yards for a touchdown.

Derek Hicks blocked the extra point attempt.

The onside kick attempt was recovered by Cody Proefrock and ND was still alive with 3:41 left on the clock.

But a couple of plays into the drive, Hicks picked off a pass to put an end to the game.

Notre Dame falls to 2-2 and will play at Holley Friday nights as the Hawks are going to rent lights for their homecoming game.

Smith - who rushed for 185 yards on 25 carries - and the Hornets improve to 4-0 and move on to play in Attica next week for the Blue Devils' homecoming game. Then comes the annual game with Pembroke that always has Genesee Region League title implications.

 

Alexander wins under the lights

By Brian Hillabush

 The Alexander football team should probably ask for lights.

The Trojans won their first game of the season as they played under lights on a Friday night at home for the first time in over 20 years.

Alexander Central School rented lights for the game. The Trojans usually play their home games on Saturday afternoons.

Lucas Czechowski booted a 30-yard field goal with eight minutes left to give Alexander a 9-8 victory over Holley in a Genesee Region League contest.

"These juniors have been waiting," said Dave Radley, who won his first game as a head coach. "They work hard and every day is a challenge. They had three tough opponents to start and tonight we battled an evenly matched team. The good thing is that we seemed to be in better condition in the second half. Our defense stepped up and stopped them."

The defense held the Hawks on a fourth-and-2 before the drive that set up Czechowski's field goal and Jordan Leitten sealed the victory with an interception with 20 seconds left.

Ryan Piechowki had 16 solo tackles to go with his 48 yards rushing and Jay Schaefer gained 127 yards rushing.

Alexander is now 1-3 while Holley dips to 0-4.

Humphrey and Oatkan Knights thrill homecoming crowd

By Brian Hillabush

 When the Le Roy football team played Canisteo-Greenwood last season, they were up 56-0 at the half.

A much improved Redskins team gave Le Roy a game for a while before the Oatkan Knights started putting up points in winning 36-0, giving the homecoming crowd an offensive and defensive show.

It was the 40th consecutive win at Hartwood Park for Le Roy, which last lost at home to Hornell, 7-0, in 1998.

C-G failed to move the ball down the field on its first drive of the game with a shotgun/option offense that was later making Le Roy defenders miss.

But the first drive didn't lead to much of anything.

Quarterback Mark Ahearn tried finding a receiver on the left side of the field, but Mike Humphrey - who led the state in interceptions last year - picked off the pass with a high vertical jump.

Le Roy quickly capitalized on the drive that started at the C-G 11 when Travis Fenstermaker scored on a 1-yard keeper.

This time, Canisteo-Greendwood moved the ball to midfield before the Le Roy defense forced a punt.

After Fenstermaker hooked up with Humphrey on a short pass, Andrew Alexander busted off a 46-yard touchdown run, giving Le Roy a 14-0 first quarter advantage.

The Redskins marched again, but Humphrey put the drive to an end with another interception. He returned this one from the Le Roy 15 to the 49.

Fenstermaker had a 16-yard run and found Humphrey on a 26 yard pass, setting up a 6-yard TD run for Alexander.

Le Roy faked the extra point on this one and Humphrey - who is also the holder - found John Schueing for the two point conversion.

The Oatkan Knights added one more score in the first half when Fenstermaker found Humphrey on a 20-yard TD pass. It was the sixth time this season the two have connected on touchdown passes.

Le Roy's only second half touchdown was a 1-yard touchdown run by John Casper.

Fenstermaker went 7-of-12 for 127 yards and Humphrey hauled in six receptions for 97 yards.

Alexander rushed for 152 yards and the two scores on 18 carries as Le Roy improves to 4-0 and prepares for a tough stretch.

The Oatkan Knights will face Avon, Caledonia-Mumford and Hornell to finish off the regular season.

 

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