Elba/Byron-Bergen turned the ball over four times as they fell to Attica, 28 to 6.
The Blue Devils got off to a fast start as Jake Strzelec scored the first two touchdowns of the game on a pair of 6-yard runs to take a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter.
The Lancers appeared to have momentum as they drove deep into Attica territory before Jake Dollard picked off the first of his three interceptions in the game.
After neither team could put points on the board, Elba/Byron-Bergen was driving again with less than two minutes to play in the half before Dollard intercepted Garrett Chapell again, this time taking it 80 yards for a touchdown to go up 21-0.
Disaster would strike again as Andy Underhill fumbled the ensuing kickoff, giving the Blue Devils the ball deep in Lancer territory. However, Elba/Byron-Bergen appeared to turn the momentum their way after keeping Attica off the board before halftime.
“I thought we rallied pretty well at halftime,” said Elba/Byron-Bergen head coach Mike Cintorino. “We made some adjustments at halftime and our kids came out firing in the second half.”
The Lancers came up big on the first drive of the second half, recovering a fumble at the Attica 28-yard line. They wasted no time in turning the mistake into points as Steele Truax plunged in from a yard out to cut the lead to 21-6.
Chapell had his team driving again after a defensive stand, but the Blue Devils were able to get the ball back after the Lancers turned it over on downs.
The Blue Devils would get one more score as Damian Marchetti found Evan Krawczyk for a 30-yard touchdown pass to put the finishing touch on the game.
“Attica played a great game,” said Cintorino. “We knew it was going to be a dog fight, the last three years have been. It’s always a physical game with them. Turnovers, penalties and mistakes can come back to haunt you and that’s what happened today.”
Strzelec stepped up in place of injured star running back Matt Perry, who missed his second straight game. Strzelec finished with 128 yards on 29 carries and 2 touchdowns on the day for Attica.
Chapell finished the game going 13-of-29 passing for 101 yards and 3 interceptions for the Lancers.
Attica (5-1) will play host Notre Dame next Friday, and if they win, the Blue Devils will get a share of the Genesee Region League title.
Meanwhile, Elba/Byron-Bergen (2-4) travels to Finney, where a win could put them into sectional play.
“We are a young team, so all of these things we try to learn from,” said Cintorino. “We when make mistakes like we did today and in other games, we are going to break down the film, we are going to make those adjustments and hopefully they can learn from them.”
