Sports

Le Roy will play for an opportunity for the Class C Sectional Championship after ousting top-seeded East Rochester/Gananda, 21-14.

The Oatkan Knights will be playing for their 15th sectional championship in school history, in an attempt to extend their Section V record that is shared with rival Cal-Mum.

After reaching the finals last season before losing to Hornell, Le Roy needed to defeat the top seed in Class C and the 2012 Class B champions in East Rochester/Gananda.

The Bombers got off to a fast start, striking just 1:39 into the game, as Zach Hauser found Andrew Fischer on a 51-yard touchdown pass to take the early 7-0 lead.

Le Roy struggled to move the ball on their first possession and were forced to punt. The Knight defense regained their composure, stopping East Rochester/Gananda quickly.

At this point junior Ryan McQuillen asserted himself into the contest.

After being beaten on the Hauser-Fischer touchdown pass, McQuillen atoned for his mistake by taking the Bombers’ punt back to their 31-yard line. Two plays later McQuillen knotted the game on a 26-yard touchdown pass from Mike McMullen with 4:02 remaining the first quarter.

“(McQuillen) did an outstanding job for us all day,” said Le Roy Head Coach Brian Moran. “He was in good position on that touchdown play; he just didn’t make the play. Sometimes that happens, when play goes bad, you make the next play and the next play, that’s what football is all about.”

The two teams would play to a stalemate for the remainder of the first half, trading turnovers and punts.

Le Roy would break that tie coming out of halftime, marching down the field on the opening possession of the half that Nick Egeling capped off -- a drive that lasted 5:27 with a 14-yard touchdown scamper to take a 13-7 lead.

The Bombers managed to move the ball on the ensuing possession but were unable to score. Le Roy was also unable to move the ball and East Rochester/Gananda took over as the fourth quarter began.

East Rochester/Gananda finally began to find their rhythm on the ground after being stifled by a formidable Knight front. The Bombers kept their 10-play drive alive on a strong third-down run from Nate Teeter, followed by another that put them on the cusp of the end zone. Kendrick Watson would finish off the drive with a two-yard touchdown plunge, taking a 14-13 lead with 5:30 remaining.

The Knights would answer though, needing only six plays to regain the lead after senior Peter Privitera took a third-down carry 45 yards for a touchdown, punctuated by a McMullen quarterback sneak on the two-point conversion to take a 21-14 lead with 2:46 to go in the game.

The Bombers would not go away quietly though, after their comeback attempt appeared to be dead, Hauser found Riley Palmer on fourth down for a gain of 45 yards, taking the ball to the Le Roy 45-yard line.

Le Roy’s defense would the step up to the plate.

Kody Lamkin came up with a sack on Hauser for a loss of nine yards and two plays later McMullen would seal the game by intercepting Hauser with less than a minute remaining in the game.

“Football is a tough game,” Moran said. “You have to be tough and physical. That’s Le Roy football.”

Le Roy (8-1) will play Livingston County foe Wayland-Cohocton next Friday for the Class C championship at Sahlen’s Stadium in Rochester.

“It’s a Livingston County Final,” Moran said. “We play great football out here and we are looking forward to that game.”

Kickoff will be at 5 p.m.

Stats for the game: Peter Privitera, 20 carries, 124 yards, one TD; Tom Kelso, 12 carries for 73 yards. Mike McMullen was four for 9 for 45 yards and one TD. Ryan McQuillen caught three passes for 40 yards and a TD. Kody Lampkin had nine tackles, two for losses. Tom Kelso had seven tackles. Brian Hodges, Steve Cappotelli, Zack Fitzsimmons and Nick Egeling had five tackles each. Cappotelli and Brandon Van Grol each had a sack and McQuillen had an interception.

To purchase prints of photos, click here.

The Rochester Amerks mascot "Moose" paid a visit to St. Joe's for the school's Halloween party Friday night as a special guest of Matthew Neal, 10.

Matthew won the visit when he went with his father, Herb, to an Amerks game on "Halloween Night." Dressed as Willy from the TV show Duck Dynasty, Matthew won that night's costume contest as decided by the fans.

Originally, the prize was for Moose to go trick-or-treating Halloween night with the contest winner, but because of weather concerns prior to Halloween night, the Amerks scheduled Moose for the party at St. Joe's.

Photo by Alecia Kaus. Information provided by Herb Neal.

#4 Le Roy Oatkan Knights (7-1) vs. #1 East Rochester/Gananda Bombers (7-1)

Class C Semifinal, 2 p.m. Saturday at Caledonia-Mumford

The Le Roy Oatkan Knights take on top-seeded East Rochester/Gananda in pursuit of their eighth Class C title game berth since 2001.

Senior running back Peter Privitera led the Knights to a 26-12 victory over Dansville last week in the quarterfinals. Privitera rushed for 115 yards on 28 carries and two touchdowns in the win.

The Knights’ ground game also rushed for over 200 yards for the fifth time this season, as junior Tom Kelso also chipped in with 95 yards.

Le Roy has the ability to grind it out on the ground as they did last week, rushing for 232 yards, or they have the ability to move the ball through the air.

After getting off to a shaky 1-for-8 start a week ago, junior quarterback Mike McMullen recovered to go 4-of-6 for 70 yards and two touchdowns in the second half. He also eclipsed the 20-touchdown mark last week and currently has 21 touchdown passes this season.

Ryan McQuillen continues to make plays for Le Roy, as he has accounted for 14 total touchdowns this season. On offense, 11 of his 22 receptions have resulted in touchdowns and he has 367 receiving yards.

Top-seeded East Rochester/Gananda also comes in with a balanced attack after beating Elba/Byron-Bergen, 34 to 6.

Quarterback Zach Hauser has thrown 15 touchdown passes this season, including a 7-for-13 performance last week that netted him 135 yards and a touchdown.

Andrew Fischer was once again Hauser’s favorite target. After catching nine touchdown passes in the regular season, Fischer had four receptions for 92 yards last week.

The ground game continued to be solid also, as Jake Miller ran for 122 yards and two touchdowns.

East Rochester/Gananda is searching for their first sectional championship since 1985.

Final note: Both teams have balanced offenses, whoever can remain balanced for the majority of the game, should advance. If Le Roy gets an early lead, they will undoubtedly use their running game to control the ball and the clock.

#3 Alexander Trojans (7-1) vs. #1 Clyde-Savannah Golden Eagles (7-1)

Class D Championship Game, 1 p.m. Sunday at Sahlen’s Stadium

The Alexander Trojans look to take home their first sectional championship in school history as they take on top-seeded Clyde-Savannah on Sunday at Sahlen’s Stadium.

Alexander comes into the contest at 7-1 after going only 6-18 in the last three seasons.

“We knew this was going to be our last year and seniors have worked really hard,” said Alexander running back Dylan Scharlau. “We have been in the trenches fighting against bigger and better players since we were freshmen. Now as seniors, we know it’s our time.”

Scharlau racked up 161 yards on 30 carries and a touchdown en route to a 28-0 upset win over Notre Dame last week, avenging an early season loss. The senior is averaging 182 yards per game this season and has found the end zone 17 times.

“You can always leave one kid for [Scharlau], because he’ll shake the first one and run over the next two,” said Alexander Head Coach Tim Sawyer. “He doesn’t put the ball on the ground and he’s a tough kid. I’m glad he is on my team.”

The Trojans have also gotten solid play from another senior, quarterback Nelson Burke.

Burke has completed 37-of-73 passes 594 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also went 5-for-10 for 67 yards, a touchdown and an interception last week.

“It’s almost like having a coach on the field,” Sawyer said of Burke. He’s a very good quarterback and a very good game-manager. He keeps the offense at an even keel. He’s been a rock for us this year.”  

Clyde-Savannah (7-1) is making their second-consecutive appearance in the Class D Finals after falling to Notre Dame last year.

The Golden Eagles are led by quarterback Joe Faniel. The senior has thrown for 11 touchdown passes, rushing for another seven, and accounting for a total of 20 on the season.

Last week Faniel earned Class D Offensive Player of the Week honors after completing 5-of-6 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown while rushing for another 143 yards and a touchdown in a win over Perry.

His favorite target is six-foot-five inch senior tight end Kam DiSanto, who has caught five touchdown passes this season. DiSanto has also earned on Class D Player of the Week on defense on two occasions this season

The Golden Eagles boast Section V’s best defense, which comes in allowing just 6.6 points per game. Even their lone loss of the season was impressive. As Clyde-Savannah held Section V’s highest scoring offense to just 15 points, falling to Dundee 15-12 in Week 5.

Final note: Alexander’s defense is also stout, giving up the third-fewest points in Section V, so it should be a defensive battle for most of the game.

Burke won the quarterback battle last week, and if he can win it this week, the Trojans could have their first sectional crown in school history.

“We’re getting healthier and stronger,” Sawyer said. “Clyde is a very good team, but so are we.”

Photo by Jeff Strollo. Photo and information submitted by Kim Yauchzee.

Le Roy Junior Youth Football won their division's championship yesterday beating Livonia 18-12 in double overtime.

Submitted by Jodi Wolfley.

Austin Wolfley with his nine-point buck he shot in Alexander.

Alexander will play for their first sectional championship in school history after defeating Notre Dame, 28-0.

When these teams met in September, it was Notre Dame who dominated the game from start to finish, but this time it was Alexander.

Alexander held Notre Dame to 25 yards of total offense and two first downs for the entire game while controlling the ball for over 36 minutes.

“I think defensively we were rock solid -- all 48 minutes,” said Alexander Head Coach Tim Sawyer. “We looked at how Attica beat them a week ago, and we played our defense but we did take some things from them.”

The two teams that tied for the Genesee Region League title played to a scoreless draw in the first quarter, but in the second the Trojans' offense started clicking.

Alexander notched the first touchdown of the game after the two squads traded fumbles at midfield after Tyler Laird punched it in from a yard out five minutes into the second quarter.

Notre Dame struggled to move the ball with any consistency in the first half, but then disaster struck as star quarterback Tim McCulley was forced to leave the game with an injury that would sideline him for the remainder of the game.

The Irish did come up with a big defensive stand as time ran out in the first half, stopping Alexander on fourth down to keep the score 6-0 heading into halftime.

The second half was all Alexander though.

The Trojans took the first drive of the half and finished it off on a one-yard touchdown plunge from Dylan Scharlau.

Disaster would strike again for Notre Dame on the ensuing possession after the ball was snapped over backup quarterback Joe Zickl’s head, giving Alexander the ball deep in Irish territory.

It wouldn’t take long for the Trojans to capitalize as Nelson Burke found freshman Derrick Busch on a 13-yard touchdown as Alexander scored for the second time in 20 seconds to go up 19-0.

After McCulley’s departure from the game, Notre Dame had difficulty with the quarterback-center exchange for the entire second half, fumbling the ball five times.

Meanwhile, the G-R League’s leading rusher had another huge game for the Trojans, as Scharlau carried the ball 30 times for 161 yards and a touchdown. The senior has rushed for more than 100 yards in all eight games this season.

“I knew they were keying on me,” Scharlau said. “I think we have the best line in the G-R League. I can’t gain yards without having them push people out of the way.”

Alexander would put the finishing touch on the game, sacking Zickl in the end zone for a safety early in the fourth quarter.

Tristan Aldinger would score the final touchdown of the game for the Trojans on a seven-yard run to make the score 28-0.

Before leaving what would be his final high school game, McCulley only managed to complete 3-of-11 passes for 41 yards after a record-setting season, and it was clear that the complexion of the game changed after his departure.

“I thought our defense played fantastic all game,” said Notre Dame Head Coach Rick Mancuso. “If you told me we had to play Alexander without Timmy, I would have thought it would have 60 or 70 (to nothing). We really played very well, we got caught with a few missed exchanges with the change at quarterback but I really thought we played very well.”

Alexander (7-1) will play top-seeded Clyde Savannah next Sunday at Sahlen’s Stadium for the Class D sectional championship.

“It’s big, but I think our kids are really grounded,” Sawyer said. “The most important game in our philosophy is the next one. We really don’t want them looking ahead too far and we really had a good week of preparation.”

After winning the Class D title a year ago, Notre Dame will end their season 6-2.

“We had a great run and a great group of guys,” Mancuso said. “We are thankful for the seniors and the effort that they gave. It was a great ride and we look forward to getting ready for next season.”

McCulley finishes his final season 83-for-165 passing, 1,388 yards and 25 touchdown passes.

Top photo: Scharlau breaks free on a long run in the first half.

McCulley was sacked four times during the first half. Here he's swamped before he could even look for a receiver shortly before the end of the half. It was McCulley's last series in the game. He was apparently injured a couple of plays before this sack.

Laird broke off a few long runs as the Trojans' secondary back.

Derrick Busch hauling in a third-quarter TD reception.

To purchase photos, click here.

Le Roy Christian Community Project hosted a three-on-three basketball tournament today at Le Roy Physical Therapy. Here are some shots from one of the games.

There were nine teams and about 30 players participating.

The Le Roy Oatkan Knights advanced to the Class C Sectional Semifinals with a win over Dansville, 26-12.

The Le Roy offense has traditionally been a run-based team under Head Coach Brian Moran. However with the growth of junior quarterback Mike McMullen, the Knights have become more pass-oriented this season. But Le Roy failed to get their passing game going early and we saw the return of old-fashion Knight football.

The Mustangs got off to a solid start, taking the opening kickoff 65 yards on 10 plays before Le Roy made a goal line stand to deny Dansville at the one-yard line.

After Dansville failed to capitalize on a McMullen interception, the Knights began to slowly pound away with their running game. The duo of Peter Privitera and Tom Kelso chipped away on a nine-play drive, capped off by a three-yard Privitera run to take a 6-0 lead early in the second quarter.

On the ensuing kickoff, Nick Egeling recovered a fumble on the Dansville 26.

This time the Knights only needed six plays for Privitera to punch in another score, this time from four yards out to go up 12-0.

Kelso carried the load early in the second half, racking up 91 of his 95 yards in the first half before Privitera came in to close out the game.

The senior bounced back after only managing 28 yards in last week’s loss against Cal-Mum. This week, Privitera ran the ball 28 times for 115 yards and two touchdowns.

“Peter ran hard tonight,” Moran said. “That’s good for us. It’s good to have him around this time of year.”

After Le Roy seemingly took control of the game, the Mustangs responded, taking their next drive 83 yards, which was capped off by a 53-yard hook up from Ethan Mapes to Brad Quibell on third-and-six to cut the deficit in half, 12-6.

Le Roy looked as if they would crush any momentum from the Dansville touchdown as they came out for the second half, but McMullen fumbled the snap on a fourth-down play, giving the Mustangs the ball at the Knights’ 45-yard line.

Dansville needed only four plays before Mapes found Gage Koch on a 13-yard pass to tie the game at 12 early in the third quarter.

With the passing game struggling, the Knights continued to rely on the running game. Le Roy took their next possession and ran the ball 11 consecutive times before McMullen finally found his touch, hitting Ryan McQuillen on a beautiful 28-yard touchdown catch-and-run play. Egeling then found himself on the receiving end of a McMullen pass to pick up the two-point conversion, making the score 20-12.

The fourth quarter saw both teams struggle to sustain any success on offense, with Le Roy going three-and-out on three straight possessions, and Dansville turning the ball over on two straight, including Koch racing 25 yards before fumbling the ball away at midfield with just over eight minutes to play in the game.

After going 1-for-8 passing in the first half for just 42 yards and an interception, McMullen finally found his touch.

The junior found Egeling once again, this time capitalizing on Dansville stacking the line of scrimmage expecting the Knights to pound away on the ground. The pass netted 29 yards, down to the Mustang 11-yard line.

Two plays later, the pair hooked up once again, this time on a nine-yard scoring toss to go up 26-12 with just 2:32 remaining.

“We had to make a play,” Moran said of his play selection. “We have some good athletes and obviously when they started taking that safety out of the middle of the field, we knew we had to do something to take advantage of that."

McMullen went 4-of-6 in the second half to finish 5-for-14 for 112 yards on the night.

Kelso would seal the game on defense, sacking Mapes for a loss of 17 yards.

Mapes finished 8-of-16 for 153 yards, two touchdowns and interception, while Ryan Hurlburt ran for 66 yards on 13 carries for Dansville (5-3).

Egeling had strong all-around game for the Knights, picking up 52 all-purpose yards, two touchdowns, an interception and a fumble recovery.

Le Roy (7-1) will advance to the semifinals to face top-seeded East Rochester/Gananda after they defeated Elba/Byron-Bergen, 34-6.

In other local high school football action:

Wayne 38, Batavia 21
Batavia's Brandon Stevenson ran for 153 yards on 22 carries and two touchdowns, while also throwing for another. Wayne scored 32 points in the second half, after trailing 8-6 at halftime.

East Rochester/Gananda 34, Elba/Byron-Bergen 6
Steele Truax scored the Lancers' only touchdown on a 59-yard run.

Wellsville 26, Attica 25
Seventh-seeded Wellsville scored a touchdown with :43 seconds left and added a two-point conversion to oust second-seeded Attica in the Class C Semifinals.

Top photo: A Dansville player coughs up the ball during a kick-off return, leading to Le Roy's second TD score (Privitera scoring below; #20 on Dansville is not listed on the team roster).

To purchase prints of photos, click here.

#5 Batavia Blue Devils (3-4) at #4 Wayne Eagles (4-3)
Class B Quarterfinal – Tonight at 7.

After facing a brutal Monroe County League schedule in which Batavia lost four straight games to Class A schools, the Blue Devils came away with two straight road wins to close out the regular season.

Batavia is led by do-it-all senior Brandon Stevenson, who has nine total touchdowns on the season. Stevenson splits time as a quarterback and a running back, and has scored on a pass, rush, receiving, interception return and kick return this season. He is also coming off of a solid outing a week ago, rushing for 204 yards on 22 carries and two touchdowns in a 13-7 victory over Greece Olympia.

On the other side, Wayne enters sectional play on a two-game losing streak, and has failed to beat a team with a winning record this season.

The Eagles are led by quarterback Nathan Currier, who has thrown for 1,082 yards and 13 touchdowns this season. He has a number of weapons at his disposal, including dual-threat running back Justin Morrison. The senior has 757 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns, while adding 300 receiving yards and three touchdown catches. Currier’s favorite target is Mike Hollenbeck, who has 13 receptions for 307 yards and seven touchdowns on the year.

If the Blue Devils limit their turnovers and can get a big game from Stevenson, look for Batavia to spring the upset and advance to the next round.

#5 Dansville Mustangs (5-2) at #4 Le Roy Oatkan Knights (6-1)
Class C Quarterfinal – Tonight at 7:30.

Le Roy looks to bounce back from a difficult loss to rival Cal-Mum a week ago that cost them an undefeated season and the top seed in Class C.

These Knights may not look the same as past Brian Moran-coached teams. Le Roy is traditionally a running-based team, but this season they are led by quarterback Mike McMullen. The junior has thrown for 1,025 yards and 19 touchdowns this season, and was named Section V Class C Offensive Player of the Week in a losing effort a week ago.

McMullen’s favorite target has been junior Ryan McQuillen, who has 336 receiving yards and half of his 20 receptions have gone for touchdowns. Jon Pierce has also been a reliable weapon, making 13 catches for 256 yards and five touchdowns.

Despite the new high-flying attack, Le Roy still has a strong running game. Both Peter Privitera and Tom Kelso have had strong seasons, rushing for 587 and 460 yards respectively, while scoring six touchdowns apiece.

Dansville comes in with a strong record, but has yet to beat a team with a winning record. In two games against teams with winning records they have been outscored 59-6, including a 42-0 loss to Wayland-Cohocton last week.

The Mustangs have a strong running game, led by a stable of backs, including Ryan Hurlburt, Evan Dieter and Gage Koch. They also have a solid defense, which has given up the third-fewest points in Section V (67) this season.

#8 Elba/Byron-Bergen Lancers (3-4) at #1 East Rochester/Gananda Bombers (6-1)
Class C Quarterfinal, Tonight at 7.

Elba/Byron-Bergen picked up a big win against Finney last week to squeeze into Class C sectional play.

The Lancers will face a top-seeded East Rochester/Gananda, who played an impressive conference schedule, playing all seven games against Class B schools.

Elba/Byron-Bergen will need a strong overall game, starting with quarterback Garrett Chapell. The sophomore has thrown for seven touchdowns in his first season as the starter.

He will need help from the running game, from both Brandon Naylor and Steele Truax. Naylor is coming off of a superb game against Finney last week, rushing for 140 yards on 11 carries and scoring three touchdowns in the win. Truax has scored two touchdowns in the last two games.

East Rochester/Gananda has a balanced offense, starting with quarterback Zach Hauser, who has thrown 14 touchdown passes this season. His favorite target has been junior receiver Andrew Fischer, who has caught nine of Hauser’s touchdown passes.

The Bombers also boast a strong running game, headed by Jake Miller and Kendrick Watson. In last week’s victory over Wayne, Miller ran for 242 yards on 18 carries while Watson ran for 148 yards and a touchdown.

#3 Alexander Trojans (6-1) vs. #2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-1)
Class D Semifinal, Saturday 1 p.m. at Caledonia-Mumford

Two of the three teams that took a share of the Genesee Region League championship will square off with a chance to go to the Class D finals.

This will be a rematch from earlier this season, which Notre Dame won easily, 41-12.

However since then, Alexander has rolled to four straight victories, outscoring opponents 172-23.

Notre Dame is coming off of their only loss of the season, a 28-14 loss to Attica, in which star quarterback Tim McCulley was held in check, completing only 12-of-34 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown.

In the first matchup, McCulley dominated the game, throwing for 175 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing for another 107 yards and two touchdowns. However, Alexander’s quarterback Nelson Burke struggled, only completing 2-of-11 passes for 12 yards and two interceptions.

Burke has had a strong season otherwise, completing 32-of-63 passes for 527 yards and 10 touchdowns.

The Trojans will rely heavily on the G-R League’s leading rusher Dylan Scharlau, who has racked up 1,297 yards and 16 touchdowns this season. Scharlau also picked up 166 yards and two scores in the first meeting.

The Fighting Irish will need another strong game from McCulley, who has thrown for 1,347 yards and a school-record 25 touchdown passes. The senior quarterback is also the team’s leading rusher with 488 yards and six touchdowns.

McCulley has a trio of receivers to throw to. Senior tight end Charlie Herbert has caught a team-high 22 passes for 391 yards and five touchdowns, while junior Josh Johnson has made 19 grabs for a team-leading 436 yards and 10 touchdowns, and Luca Zambito has made 17 catches for 244 yards and five touchdowns.

The winner of the quarterback battle between Burke and McCulley could be the deciding factor in who advances to play for the Class D crown.

Press release:

In the mood to see ghosts, vampires, and zombies this weekend? Then stop by Batavia Sports Park on Bank Street Road for the third annual Soccerween Tournament sponsored by New York Premier Soccer. Games start at 8 a.m. and continue until 4 p.m.

Soccerween brings together soccer players ages 9 to 14 for a weekend of fun competition. Park coordinator Ted Hawley says, “The accent is on the fun in this tournament. It’s a great way to celebrate the end (for some) of the soccer season.”

Teams typically choose a theme and each player dresses accordingly.

“We’ve had teams of Smurfettes, Cat in the Hat, and The Hulk,” Hawley said. “The coaches even get into the spirit and can often be seen wearing costumes.”

Trophies are awarded for Most Creative Costume and Best Dressed Teams/Coaches.

New York Premier Soccer organizes this event for travel- and premier-level teams. Each team is guaranteed at least three 7v7 or 9v9 games in a one-day tournament format.

“Aside from fostering team camaraderie, Soccerween is a great way to celebrate the season in a fun, healthy atmosphere,” said Robin Apholz, event coordinator. “Dozens of teams participate each year in what is becoming one of our most popular tournaments.”

Soccerween is free and open to the public. Food will be available to purchase at the park. For more information contact Ted Hawley at 585.343.3329. For additional information on New York Premier Soccer contact rapholz@globalpremiersoccer.com

Former Batavia PD officer Eugene Jankowski had another successful showing at a gun competition, finishing in the top 25 percent out of 202 competitors and winning 1st Place in the senior tactical optics division.

The competition, the 2013 Blue Ridge Mountain Three-Gun Championship, was held last week  at the Rockcastle Shooting Center in Park City, Ky.

Competitors shot nine stages of fire in natural terrain over three days.  

All stages required the use of a modern sporting rifle, semi-auto shotgun and semi-auto handgun.  The targets were required to be engaged from awkward shooting locations and positions. Targets ranged from 3 to 425 yards for the rifle, 3-70 yards for the pistol and 10-75 yards for the shotgun.

Jankowski is sponsored by Metal Spinning Targets in Le Roy, CMC Triggers in Fort Worth, Texas, Wolf Gunsprings and Offhaus Farms in Batavia.

The World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals will have a very familiar feel for Batavia Muckdogs fans when it gets under way tonight in Boston.

Nine Cardinals players, including three starters, and one member of the Red Sox passed through Batavia at some point in their young careers.

Matt Carpenter, who played nine games in Batavia in 2009 and hit .469 in 32 at bats, will see the first pitch of the 2013 series as the Cardinals' lead-off hitter.

Somewhere in the middle of the line up, perhaps hitting clean up, will be Matt Adams, who really put himself on the map in the Cardinals organization in Batavia.

Adams was the 699th player taken over all in the 2009 draft and wasn't on anybody's list of elite prospects coming out of Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. He distinguished himself as a Muckdog, hitting .346 while drawing 11 walks and slugging four monster home runs in 31 games.

Lance Lynn, on the other hand, was signed with nearly a $1 million bonus in 2008 before starting his pro career in Batavia, where he quickly demonstrated to fans why he was so highly regarded by the Cardinal scouts. In six games with the Muckdogs, he posted a 0.96 ERA, striking out 22 in 18 2/3 innings before being promoted to Quad Cities.

Also on the Cardinals' roster for the series are Daniel Descalso (2007), Pete Kozma (2007), Tony Cruz (2007), Joe Kelly (2009), Kevin Siegrist (2009, 2010) and Seth Maness (2011).

Quintin Berry (2006), plays for the Red Sox.

Interestingly, only one of the series-bound former Muckdogs (Lancy Lynn) spent any time on the 2008 team, which won the NYPL championship.

The Muckdogs have long promoted that one reason to come to games is to see the major league stars of tomorrow. With 10 former Muckdogs carrying two teams to the World Series, that pretty much proves the point.

Photo and information submitted by Sherri Wahr.

The cheer squad for the Batavia Bulldawgs youth football program did very well Sunday at the Niagrara Orleans Football Association cheer competition in Lyndonville. The beginners took third, minis 2nd and JV placed 2nd for cheer and 1st for routine. The girls also captured the Spirit Cup.  The JV team scored the most points in the division to win Grand Champion, with varsity coming in third in its division.

"I'm so incredibly proud of each and everyone one of them," Cheer Director Sherri Wahr said. "They came out and gave it all they had and it really paid off."

The Akron Tigers rolled into Alexander Saturday trying to solidify the standings with only one more week of regular season games before playoffs.

The beginners: (No score / standing are kept at this level.)

Mini Division:

Akron (7-1-0) beat Tri-Town (5-3-0) by a score of 13-0

Scoring for Akron: Ty Nicometi reception from Aidan Smith (no extra point)

Travis Fry touchdown (extra point by Aidan Smith)

JV: Akron (3-5-0) beat Tri-Town (0-8-0) by a score of 26-0

Scoring for Akron:

Jacob Mazza (nephew of the legendary Daryl Mazza) (extra point by Adam Mietz)

Ryan Yager (extra point by Joseph Abrams)

Adam Mietz (no extra point)

Adam Mietz (no extra point)

Varsity:

Akron (8-0-0) beat Tri-Town (4-4-0) by a score of 32-0

Pictured above: A blocked field goal attempt.

Scoring for Akron:

Note -- I am doing my best to decipher the names from the roster, which was blurry.

Touchdown: #34 Jacob Sarow (extra point by #45 Morgan Smith)

Touchdown: #99 Robbie Pequeen (no extra point)

Touchdown: #99 Robbie Pequeen (extra point by #34 Jacob Sarow)

Touchdown: #99 Robbie Pequeen (no extra point)

Field Goal: #42 Dillon Adamczak

Field Goal: #42 Dillon Adamczak

This was the last home game for Tri-Town this year.

Thank You to all the coaches, players, cheerleaders, parents, fans, announcers and volunteers for a memorable season.

More pictures from this weekend can be found here: NOFA 2013 Alexander - Akron

After having difficulty yesterday while covering the Batavia Bulldawgs with the auto focus on my camera, I wanted to test some alternate settings while shooting sports, so I went out this afternoon to see if I could find any kids playing football or basketball.

There was a three-on-three football game being played by a group of Batavia High School students on Woodward Field.

Thanks to Ty Armison, Griffin Moore, A.J. Marcello, Richard Lamkin, Alex Snell and Alex Sugerman (all pictured in the bottom photo) for accommodating my experiments.

Top photo, Marcello celebrates his interception.

Friday night, under the bright lights of Hamilton Field, a clash of two historic rivals, the Oatka Knights of Le Roy and the Red Raiders of Caledonia-Mumford, was once again its own kind of Fall Classic.

The game was a back-and-forth battle between two well-stocked teams already guaranteed slots in sectional play. It was a fight to the end with the outcome uncertain until the Knights final drive stalled with 30 seconds left on the clock.

Only then, were the Raiders (6-1) assured their six-point lead would hold for a 34-29 victory over Le Roy (6-1).

"I thought it was a great atmosphere for high school football," said Brian Moran, in his 25th season as head coach for Le Roy. "It's just great for both communities. Obviously, we hate to come out on the down side of this, but you know what, it's great for the kids, it's great for the communities and I just thought it was a great atmosphere for high school football and this is what it's about."

The player of the game was Cal-Mum senior QB Kurtis Haut, who rushed for 248 yards and three TDs on 24 carries.

Play after play, it seemed at times, Cal-Mum called QB keepers and Haut would find a hole and exploit it.

Arm tackles couldn't stop Haut who ran through defenders like they were turnstiles in a packed subway station.

Asked for the key to the game and Moran said that was it: Haut.

"Hey that five is pretty good, isn't he?" Moran said. "That's the game right there. The whole story line is him. He's a great athlete and he played a great football game tonight. They made a few more playes than we did and they deserve the win."

Le Roy played well, but not quite good enough. Moran acknowledged the Knights needed to execute a little better, make a few more plays, play better defense, make better tackles and finish off the game offensively.

"We've got to finish it that's the main thing," Moran said. "In a game like today, you've got to be able to make those plays and you've got to be able to go to the last second. I thought we had a chance late but we just didn't make the play when we needed to."

Junior QB Mike McMullen showed a lot of poise with the game on the line, getting the ball with two minutes left and bringing his team deep into Raider territory, but with a minute left on the clock, one last completed pass to advance the ball eluded the Knights' offense.

McMullen finished 18 for 33 for 192 yards and four TDs.

The knights opened the scoring with 3:56 left in the first quarter on a nine-yard pass from McMullen to Jon Pierce, who had six receptions for 86 yards and two TDs on the night.

Cal-Mum answered near the end of the quarter on a 16-yard run by Haut, and so the game went until the fourth quarter, with both sides trading scores.

In the fourth quarter, the Raiders put together the only back-to-back, unanswered scoring drives of the game and that proved pivotal in this match.

A 30-yard field goal by Pierce with 3:09 left in the 4th brought the Knights within six points and a chance for a win those final minutes.

Tom Kelso helped carry the offense with 13 carries for 102 yards. Peter Privitera had 11 carries for 27 yards and Nick Egeling gained 17 yards on five touches. Egeling also had five receptions for 48 yards.

Ryan McQuillen scored twice on four receptions for 43 yards.

On defense, Zack Fitzsimmons had seven tackles, Anthony Paladino, five, Egeling, four, Kelso, four, Lamkin, four, and Steve Cappotelli, four, and a fumble recovery.

Also on Friday night:

Alexander (6-1) beat Pembroke 41-0. Dylan Scharlau, 17 carries for 141 yards and one TD. Will Burke seven carries for 52 yeards. Tristan Alding nine touches for 75 yards. Tyler Laird scored a TD and had 25 yards on four rushes. Burke was 5 for 8 passing for 105 yards and 3 touchdowns.  Sam Browne, 2 catches for 61 yards and a TD.  He also had a 65 yard punt return for a score. Zach Laird had an 11-yard TD reception and Jacob Riggs had a 15-yard TD reception. Pembroke had only 49 yards total offense. Tyler Laird had seven tackles and one sack and one fumble recovery. With a share of the GR league title, it's the first time Alexander has come out on top in the division since 1977.

Elba/Byron-Bergen plays at Finney today. Oakfield-Alabama is at Holley. Batavia is at Olympia.

Lamkin forces a Joe Cappotelli fumble in the second quarter.

Haut scores on a 50-yard TD run late in the second quarter.

Pierce hauls in 52-yard TD pass from McCullen early in the third quarter.

McQuillen looks for and gets a pass interference call during the Knights' final possession in the closing minutes fo the game.

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