Le Roy

 South Seneca/Romulus (3-3) at Le Roy (7-0)

7:30 p.m. Friday

The Oatkan Knights are starting the march towards sectional championship No. 14 and have all the tools to get it done.

Le Roy is the top-seed in Class C, ranked third in the state in Class C and have had very little  trouble compiling an undefeated record in the regular season, capturing the Livingston Conference Division II title.

Coach Brian Moran has built another powerhouse in a year many area fans thought Le Roy was going to be down, due the graduation of some great players.

Not the case.

The Oatkan Knights have had a spectacular offense, scoring an impressive 257 points. And the defense has been pretty solid as well, only giving up 103 points.

Travis Fenstermaker earned Offensive Player of the Week for Class C last week after a huge 223-yard, four touchdown performance in a win over Hornell last week. He's had a great year passing the ball and will also serves as a runner as well.

When he's throwing the ball, most of the time it is going in the direction of Mike Humphrey, who has proven to be one of the best in all of Section 5 this season. He has 502 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.

Le Roy also has a running game because that is usually the way to win a championship. Andrew Alexander is as good as anybody and many times gets overshadowed by the flashy quarterback and receiver duo. But he's for real.

Alexander has 952 yards rushing with nine touchdowns.

South Seneca/Romulus was the fourth best team in a pretty weak Finger Lakes West this year and has been outscored 176-135.

The town of Le Roy would be in shock - and probably shut down - if the Oatkan Knights lose this game. The sectional championship game and state aspirations are deserved by these kids and Le Roy will be in what is expected to be an epic final as a home team on a foreign turf.

(photo borrowed from www.leroyfootball.com)

I am getting a jump on my previews for tomorrow and just saw something that made me crack a little smile.

 The newest version of the New York State Sportswriters Association state rankings came out today and our area teams are doing very well.

Le Roy moved up from fourth to third in Class C after demolishing Hornell last week and Oakfield-Alabama made the jump from No. 10 to No. 8.

Pembroke had not been ranked all season long and was getting an honorable mention before losing to O-A in Week 6, but fell off the board after that. The Dragons are making their first appearance on the official top 20 list at No. 17 this week.

Notre Dame received its first honorable mention this week in Class D after thumping DeSales last week.

It is nice to see the state is giving props to teams from our area. Now hopefully our local teams can prove them right.

 Le Roy's Travis Fenstermaker was named Offensive Player of the Week for Class C today for his efforts in Friday night's 41-19 thrashing of Hornell.

The senior quarterback completed 11-of-15 pass attempts for 223 yards and four touchdowns.

The victory helped the No. 4 state-seeded Oatkan Knights finish the season undefeated and wrap up the top seed in the Section 5 Class C playoffs.

Le Roy will be hosting No. 8 South Seneca/Romulus on Friday night.

Rotary Club of LeRoy

20th Annual

APPLIANCE

RAFFLE

Sunday, November 2nd, 2008

1 - 5pm

LeRoy American Legion

Food & Beverages Included

$10 donation - Only 1,200 Tickets Sold

Travis Fenstermaker, Andrew Alexander, Mike Humphrey and the rest of the Le Roy football team is definitely prepared for the sectional playoffs.

The Oatkan Knights thumped Class B powerhouse Hornell 41-19 Friday night and extended the Hartwood Park win streak to 42 games.

Le Roy ends the regular season a perfect 7-0 and heads into the Class C playoffs with the top seed.

Fenstermaker connected on 11-of-15 pass attempts for 223 yards and four touchdowns, including one to Mike Humphrey, who caught five passes for 77 yards. The two have hooked up on 10 touchdown passes this year.

Humphrey also had an interception.

Alexander gained 64 yards on the ground and 61 in the air and scored a touchdown.

Quentin Humphrey caught three balls for  75 yards and a TD, while making eight tackles to lead the defense.

The Oatkan Knights held Hornell's Austin Dwyer to 111 yards with one touchdown on 14 carries as the Raiders were forced to pass during the second half.

Hornell ends the regular season with a 5-2 record.

The Kiwanis Club of LeRoy Pavilion Stafford will host its 4th Annual Election Night Pancake Supper on Tuesday, Nov. 4 at the Stafford Fire Hall, Rte 5, Stafford from 4:00-7:00 PM.  The cost is $6 for adults and $3 for children.  Proceeds will go toward support of the club's community service projects.

 Hornell (5-1) at Le Roy (6-0)

7:30 p.m. Friday

This is the last tuneup before sectionals for the Oatkan Knights, and what a tuneup it is.

Le Roy is looking to keep the 41-game win streak at Hartwood Park alive with a game against a very solid Class B squad, that is coming off a 14-7 win over rival Bath last weekend. The Oatkan Knights are also coming off a win versus a rival, a 27-20 win over Caledonia-Mumford.

Le Roy - the Livingston Conference Division II champion - is ranked fourth in the state in Class C while the Red Raiders jumped from not being ranked up to No. 8 in Class B.

This game means a lot to LR as the top seed in the Section 5 Class C playoffs is up for grabs. Oakfield-Alabama should run away with Holley and would move up to No. 1 if Hornell were to win this game.

That means Le Roy could end up with Pembroke in the semifinals and then O-A in the finals. This is no regular tune-up for the playoffs.

The Oatkan Knights will come out and try to take hold on this game early with some big scores. Don't be surprised if quarterback Travis Fenstermaker tries to get the ball to Mike Humphrey early in this game.

Humphrey had his quietest game of the season last week and it showed as LR fell behind 14-0 early. He did catch seven passes, but for only 40 yards and no touchdowns.

Humphrey has 28 receptions for 435 yards and nine scores and every time he makes an impact early in a game, Le Roy rolls.

Fenstermaker completed 11-of-15 attempts for 106 yards and a TD last week, and continues to be a great passing quarterback that can make a difference with his feet. He scrambled nine times for 34 yards against Cal-Mum.

Andrew Alexander is still having a tremendous season in the backfield. His 107 yards with a touchdown last week puts him at 888 yards with eight TDs for the season.

Le Roy's defense will have its hands full as Hornell has no problem moving the football.

Austin Dwyer has been one of the top rushers in all of Section 5 and currently has 155 carries for 1,103 yards and 12 touchdowns.

He will get the ball a lot.

If the Oatkan Knight defense can put the Red Raiders in third-and-longs, it is clear where the ball is going.

Quarterback Zach Harkenrider has completed 21-of-46 pass attempts for 375 yards with five touchdowns. Jordan Schwartz has caught 14 of those passes for 310 yards - with five touchdowns.

This is where Humphrey and Alexander can make their marks on defense. Both have solid interception numbers this year and Harkenrider has been picked off seven times.

If you have news about LeRoy to share, tag your post "LeRoy" and it will appear on this page. More help here.

Thank you to Ed Henry from Le Roy football.com for the great coverage of the story. Check out his Web site for more information on Le Roy football than you could ever imagine.

The 2008 version of the LeRoy-Cal-Mum gridiron clash played out as advertised, a nail-biting thriller at LeRoy’s Hartwood Park.

The Oatkan Knights and Red Raiders entered the contest with 5-0 records and vaunted state rankings (LeRoy #4 in Class C and the Cal-Mum #3 in Class D). The hard-hitting affair was not settled until the closing moments of the game, a game the Knights fought back valiantly to win 27-20 after trailing 14-0 midway through the first quarter.

The Raiders took possession first with a drive start at their own 36. Speedy Jeremy Wilson set the tone for the visitors on the first play from scrimmage with a beautiful 41-yard dash off the left side to put the ball at the LeRoy 23. Cal-Mum then proceeded to pound through the LeRoy D-line with RB Dave Fox picking up good yardage. The Raiders’ third talented back, Jon Marozzi, raced up the middle from 6 yards out to put the Raiders up 6-0 at the 8:37 mark. The Raider offensive line plowed the way for a Fox 2-point conversion run to push the tally to 8-0 Raiders.

The ensuing Raider kickoff was an absolute bullet into the LeRoy end zone. The Knights first play from scrimmage resulted in a fumble, recovered by Cal-Mum’s Ben Anastasi. The Raider crowd cheered wildly with their sudden good fortune. The cheers grew even louder when 4 plays later, Marozzi found the end zone from one yard out to cap the 16-yard drive. The LeRoy defense stuffed the Marozzi PAT run to make it 14-0 Raiders at the 6:35 mark of the 1st quarter. LeRoy, looking to answer the early Raider onslaught, took to the ground with Andrew Alexander and Jon Casper picking up big yardage against the Raider defense.

The dynamic pass-catch tandem of QB Travis Fenstermaker to WR Mike Humphrey picked up increasingly better field position, leading to a Casper 2-yard TD burst with 34 seconds left in the opening quarter. Fenstermaker’s kick was true to split the Raider lead in half to 14-7. The Knights’ defense held strong on Cal-Mum’s next possession as LB John Scheuing and company forced a 3-and-out by the Raiders with some timely gang tackling. The 11-yard punt by the Raiders gave the Knights’ a nice drive start at their own 47.

LeRoy QB Fenstermaker masterfully drove the Knights to the game-tying score with a 9-yard run and a 37-yard pass to TE Brian Calmes who snagged the ball beautifully between two Raider defenders and raced to the Cal-Mum 6. FB Jon Casper found the end zone on a 2-yard TD run two plays later. Fenstermaker’s PAT kick knotted the game at 14. The Knights defense started to figure out the Raider running schemes a bit better and after surrendering a first down, forced another punt as LB Scheuing dropped Cal-Mum QB Chris Voos who faked a toss to his RB, looking to catch the LeRoy defense napping on an interior run. Big plays before the half usually go a long way in determining close contests such as this.

The Knights looked to score from 70 yards away with 5:02 left until intermission. A score before halftime and receiving the ball first in the 2nd half would go a along way in establishing some control in the game for the Knights. The Knights used a balanced passing and rushing attack to move the ball against the Cal-Mum defense. Fenstermaker lined up in the shotgun, looked to his left, and then fired the ball back to his right into the arms of Alexander for the go-ahead score with a minute left in the 1st half. The 25-yard TD gave the Knights the lead at 20-14 at the half after the PAT was unsuccessful.

LeRoy took the opening kickoff with the aforementioned mindset of scoring with their first possession of the 2nd half. Enter Andrew Alexander. Alexander found the holes provided by the LeRoy O-line and ran for big chunks of yards through the Raider defense. He came up huge with a 6-yard blast as the Knights gambled on a 4th-and-2 from their own 42 early in the 3rd quarter. Alexander, looking stronger with each carry, ripped through 4 white-clad Raider defenders to find the end zone with 4:38 left in the 3rd quarter. The Fenstermaker kick pushed the lead to 27-14 LeRoy. The Raiders, looking to make a comeback of their own, started moving the ball against the LeRoy defense through their usual tough ground game and a big toss to TE Brian Sinclair. The Raider drive was thwarted when Mike Humphrey picked off his 4th interception of the season in the end zone for a score denying touch-back.

A good defensive stand by the Raiders forced a LeRoy punt from their own end zone. Thirty-four yards separated the Raiders from a much needed score. The LeRoy defense was bending, but not breaking, and the clock was running. With 5:28 remaining in the game, the Raiders were met with a 4th-and-8 from the LeRoy 21. QB Voos rolled left and fired a perfect strike to a wide open Jeremy Wilson who hopped into the nearby end zone to make the score 27-20 with 5:04 left in the game. The Knights’ defense came up big on the PAT run attempt as Jordan Casper wrapped up Marozzi short of the end zone.

The Knights looked to kill the clock and preserve the winning margin. Fenstermaker and Mike Humphrey moved the ball through the Raider defense with heady efforts. Again, it was Alexander that came up huge with two key runs that notched much needed 1st downs for the Knights in the waning moments. The Knights were able to kneel down in victory formation and enjoy the win, which they dedicated to the late Hooks Robertson, a beloved LeRoy gridiron coach who passed away earlier this year. The Knights amassed 299 yards of total offense. On the ground, Alexander gained 114 yards on 20 carries and a TD, Fenstermaker had 42 yards on 9 rushes, and Jon Casper notched 35 yards on 10 attempts, including 2 TDs. Fenstermaker was 11 of 15 for 108 yards passing, including a TD strike to Alexander of 25 yards. Mike Humphrey had 7 receptions for 42 yards, while Quentin Humphrey and Brain Calmes each had a catch for 8 and 37 yards respectively. The Knights defense was lead by Scheuing with 8 tackles, followed by Fenstermaker, Alexander, and Joe Schwab with 6 apiece. Mike Humphrey recorded an interception. Cal-Mum had 207 yards of offense, 155 of it on the ground. Leading rusher for the Raiders was Jeremy Wilson with 72 yards on 13 carries, Jon Marozzi 13-32 and 2 TDs, Dave Fox 6-23, and Chris Voos 2-7. Voos was 3 of 7 passing for 52 yards, including a 21-yard TD pass to Wilson.

 Cal-Mum (5-0) at Le Roy (5-0)

7:30 p.m. Friday

Section 5's biggest rivals take the field with a lot on the line.

The two undefeated teams are fighting for the Livingston Conference Division II title and both are looking to hold on to their top seeds (Le Roy in Class C and Cal-Mum in Class DD).

The Oatkan Knights are ranked fifth in the state in C and the Red Raiders are ranked third in D.

Le Roy had some issues in last week's 49-37 win over Avon as Max Barrett had a big game running and throwing the football. Chris Voos has the ability to chuck the ball around for the Red Raiders.

Cal-Mum can throw, but will run the football as always.

Jeremy Wilson gained 161 yards in C-M's 35-0 win over Canisteo-Greenwood last week. Fullback John Marozzi will also put up some solid numbers.

The Red Raiders defense held C-G to just 47 rushing yards last week, which is something that will be very different this week.

Le Roy can and will run the football with Andrew Alexander leading the way. He had nearly 200 yards on the ground last week and now has 771 yards and seven touchdowns.

Travis Fenstermaker ran the ball 18 times for 66 yards last week, but does most of his damage with his arm.

He completed just 6-of-10 passes for 53 yards. Four of those completions went to Mike Humphrey, who made it into the end zone three times.

Every time Humphrey has the ball in his hands, good things happen. He has 21 receptions for 395 yards and a whopping nine touchdowns as a receiver.

He also does a great job of returning kicks and intercepting the ball as a DB.

The Oatkan Knights have won 40 straight games at Hartwood Park, dating back to 1998. That amazing steak will be tested against the Red Raiders and against Hornell next week.

 Just a quick note.

My high school football previews have been pushed back until Thursday this week because I'm working on something special.

So make sure you check back throughout the day as I will be posting them as I complete them.

 I was just taking a look at the current standings for the Section 5 Tournaments and figured I would relay where are local teams are and what that means come playoff time.

The most exciting tournament locally will be in Class C, where local team currently hold the top 3 spots.

Le Roy sits at 5-0 and has the top seed at this point with two big games left on the schedule. A pair of victories over Class DD Caledonia-Mumford and Class B Hornell would wrap up that spot.

Oakfield-Alabama and Pembroke are both also undefeated and are No. 2 and 3, respectively. Those two teams will be playing each other on Friday night and the winner will have the upper-hand on the second seed, with a shot at No. 1 if Le Roy loses either of its final two games.

Pembroke will host Class B Attica in the final week of the season and O-A will host Class C Holley.

Elba/Byron-Bergen (1-4) and Holley (0-5) are the other two local teams in Class C and at this point it looks like the Hawks are eliminated and will be playing Pool Play games.

The Lancers are probably going to need a victory over Class D Notre Dame this weekend and/or a victory over Section 6's Bishop Walsh in Week 7 to get in. Elba/B-B is the 9th seed right now with the same record as No. 8 Dansville. No. 7 South Seneca (3-2) is too far ahead to be caught.

Attica and Batavia are both 3-2 and look to be fairly safe in Class B as far as making the tournament.

Wayland-Cohocton, Penn Yan and Waterloo are all 1-4 and would need a lot of things to go their way to get in.

But both local Blue Devil squads have a chance to move up as high as No. 5 as Palmyra-Macedon and Livonia share records with Attica and Batavia.

Batavia will play East Rochester/Gananda - the current No. 4 seed - and Geneva - the current No. 1 seed - to wrap up the regular season.

Attica will play Holley and then Pembroke.

Cal-Mum is 5-0 and has the top seed in Class DD, but Alexander moved closer to getting the No. 3 seed with last week's victory over Elba/Byron-Bergen. The Trojans are 2-3 and the fourth seed, with Avon at No. 3.

Alexander will need a win over Barker - which is 1-4 with the No. 6 seed in Class DD - and an Avon loss against Class C Letchworth to move up to the No. 3 seed.

The Class DD and D playoffs start a week sooner than the higher classes.

Notre Dame is 3-2 and currently has the No. 4 seed in Class D. As far as I can tell, the Fighting Irish could end up anywhere from No. 2 through No. 6 depending on the outcome of the games this weekend.