Sports

In a room filled with friends, fans and supporters last night, former Elba Lady Lancers Head Coach Tom Nowak was all smiles.

"It's really special," Nowak said. "It's a little bit, I don't know, I want to say the word, 'imposing,' because you want to be in the background as a coach. It's difficult when you come out here and you're the person, but it's really nice to see."

Nowak was honored with a retirement party at the Elba Fire Hall that featured a collection of memorabilia and lots of memories from 26 years of serving the community by teaching young people how to compete and win.

In 1977, after two years at Dundee, Nowak joined Elba Central as a history teacher. He also became the varsity football coach and the varsity girls basketball coach.

His football record over 22 years was 130-60-6 with two sectional titles.

Leading the Lady Lancers, Nowak compiled a 457-132 record, eight sectional titles and, most significantly, a state title in 2012.

"Just that one precious one," Nowak said of the state championship. "It was special. We went in 2000 and lost in the finals. I always thought I'd never get a chance to go back and I got a chance to go back and the girls came through."

Teaching and coaching in Elba was a perfect fit, he said.

"I've always considered myself a shallow person," Nowak said. "I like history and I like sports. I first got to be a history teacher at Elba and then I got a chance to coach, so it really worked out well for me."

It takes time and dedication to be a successful varsity coach in any sport, and that means, Nowak acknowledged, that he maybe wasn't home as much as his wife might have liked over the years.

"We're going to do some things for my wife," said Nowak, who retired from teaching in 2009. "She spent so many years staying home on a Friday night watching Dallas and Falcon's Crest while I was out gallivanting around scouting football games. It will be nice to give her the opportunity to do some of the things that maybe we didn't get to do when I was a coach."

With all those wins and all those titles, surely young coaches could learn something from Nowak, and here's his advice:

"Find a mentor," Nowak said. "Find the people who are successes and spend some time and find out why they're successful.You will see something you can incorporate into your own plan. That's something I did. I looked at some role models because as a young coach you really don't know what to do and that was really beneficial to me."

Notre Dame's Tim McCulley was honored Saturday in Rochester with the Section V Player of the Year award. McCulley, a senior QB, led his team to the Section V semi-finals this year and threw for 25 TDs, setting a school record and placing him at #5 in Section V single-season record list. He's 55 career TDs are #4 all-time in Section V. Tim is pictured with his father Michael and mother Carolyn.

Also honored in their respective classes were Curtis Haught from Cal Mum and Ritchie Welch from Avon, pictured below with McCulley and Section V officials.

UPDATE: Here's some of McCulley's stats and accomplishments. He made GR League all team in 2011, 2012 and 2013. He was the team's MVP 2011 and 2013. Team offensive MVP in 2012. His starting career varsity team record was 20-7 with the team making sectionals all three years, winning the title in 2012. In 2013, he completed 83 passes in 164 attempts for 1,390 yards and 25 TDs with only two interceptions. His QB rating was 170. He rushed for 471 yards and six TDs. career, he had 197 completions in 385 attempts for 3,441 yards and 55 TDs and only 11 interceptions over three seasons.  He had 216 carries for 970 yards and 14 TDs.

McCulley has served his church in a number of capacities; referring games and coaching at the now closed Holy Family School, St Joseph’s Elementary youth basketball program,  working at St. Peter’s Church and the St. Francis Cemetery. He has actively volunteered to complete his school service hours at a number of events and venues.  Tim is a 3.0 student and hopes to continue his playing career and is undecided in his major.

Photos submitted by Michael McCulley.

In recent years, even on the first day of practice, Buddy Brasky said he was eager for go-time. He thought his teams were ready for their first regular season game.

This year, with six seniors graduating and a roster stocked with sophomores and juniors, it's going to take a little time to get the team into championship form.

"We've got to get better throughout the year," Brasky said following a practice at Batavia High School today. "We get a little bit better, a little better, a little bit better, and hopefully we peak by the end of the year. Where in the past couple of years we've been really good right from the beginning, I think it's going to take a little while this year."

The core of the starting squad appears to be Justice Fagan, a senior guard, and Jeff Redband, a junior forward whose clutch buzzer beater in last year's regional championship helped send the Blue Devils to the state championship semi-finals.

"We've got two really good players, two first-team, all-league type of players," Brasky said. "If we can get the guys around them to step up, yes, we can win the league title and then the next step from there is sectionals."

It's a little bit of a setback, Brasky said, that Redband is sitting out pre-season wth an injured ankle. He's already been sidelined for three weeks and is at least two weeks away from returning for action. He may not be ready for the opening tip-off.

Also missing a big chunk of practice time is starting senior guard Andrew Turner, who will miss the next 10 days of practice after suffering a mild concussion.

Brasky is also expecting a big contribution from sophomore forward Malachi Chenault, who made the varsity last year as a freshman.

Coming up from JV is that squad's second-leading scorer last year, guard Jerrett Laskett, a junior.

"These are good kids," Brasky said. "They listen. They're coachable. Our schemes are pretty complicated. Our defenses are not easy to pick up, so little by little, I see improvement every day. I'm pretty pleased with how they're working right now."

The Blue Devils, in Class A-II this year, opens the season Dec. 7 against Williamsville South at Niagara Falls HS. There are no home games scheduled before the Lions Tournament, Dec. 27 and Dec. 30 at Genesee Community College.

To purchase prints of photos, click here.

In the late 1960s, when David Pero played boys basketball for Notre Dame, one of the schools annual opponents that always presented a challenge was St. Mary's School for the Deaf out of Buffalo.

The boys played hard and and ran their plays with no verbal communication.

It was quite an experience, as Pero remembered it. As the girls basketball coach at Notre Dame, Pero thought his team should share the same experience.

"This is a life lesson," Pero said. "Our girls get a chance to see that people with disabilities might play the game differently, but it's the same game and they're just as aggressive as we are."

Notre Dame hosted a pre-season scrimmage tonight with St. Mary's, the Rochester School for the Deaf and Geneseo High School participating.

"We thought it would be a great experience for our kids, our girls, to have a scrimmage with hearing teams and with another deaf team," said Tim Kelly, St. Mary's superintendent. "All four schools are getting a great experience playing against schools they wouldn't necessarily play against."

Notre Dame and St. Mary's haven't played competitively against each other in years, since both left the Smith League. The Fighting Irish are now part of Section V and the Genesee Region. St. Mary's and Rochester School for the Deaf are independent teams.

"They were always, always a good basketball team," Pero said. "They would give you all you wanted. We probably only ever beat them, all the years we played them, by three, four, five points, because they always had very good teams."

The scrimmage was a great chance for the teams to learn from each other and about each other, Kelly said.

"We're always looking at our school to have our kids reach their full potential both academically and athletically and this certainly helps our girls reach their full potential," Kelly said.

The scrimmage was sponsored by T.F. Brown's owner Rick Mancuso.

To purchase prints of photos, click here.

Trisha Riggi sent in this picture of Le Roy elementary school students who lined Wolcott Street in Le Roy to give the Oatkan-Knights a hometown send off for their big game in Rochester.

The Knights lost to Wayland Cohocton, but the whole community is proud of what they accomplished in 2013.

Le Roy’s football team came up just short as they fell in overtime to Wayland-Cohocton in the Class C championship, 14 to 8.

Head Coach Brian Moran was in search of his 14th sectional championship in 25 years, and a Section V record, 15th in school history, but it was not to be for the Oatkan Knights.

“They really worked hard and both teams were well prepared,” Moran said. “That led to a defensive struggle all day.”

The game was the definition of a defensive struggle for the majority of the game, as the game headed into the fourth quarter with a scoreless tie.

Class C Offensive Player of the Year Devon Harris entered the game averaging over 170 rushing yards per game and yet to be held under 100 all season long for Wayland-Cohocton. However, the Oatkan Knights managed to bottle him up for most of the game, holding him to 98 yards on 18 carries.

“I thought we played very well defensively against a young man who is an extremely talented athlete,” Moran said. “I thought we shut him down pretty well, but we just didn’t make plays when we needed to.”

The Eagles struck first, as quarterback C.J. Ellis found tight end Darren Becker for a 40-yard gain down to the Le Roy 15-yard line. Two plays later, Ellis found Reece Chapman for a 13-yard score. Harris would punch in the two-point conversion to give Way-Co the lead two minutes into the fourth quarter.

Le Roy wouldn’t need long to respond, as quarterback Mike McMullen found Ryan McQuillen two plays later, and he sprinted 70 yards down the sideline to put the Knights on the scoreboard. McMullen then found Nick Egeling for the two-point conversion to knot the game at eight apiece with nine minutes to play.

The Eagles appeared to be driving again, but Egeling managed to step in front of an Ellis pass to halt the drive at Le Roy’s 30-yard line.

After failing to move the ball, Way-Co drove the ball again deep into Le Roy territory, but it was the Knights’ defense who came up big again, stopping the Eagles inches short of a first down late in the ball game.

Le Roy took possession and marched onto Wayland-Cohocton’s side of the 50-yard line, but a rare Knight turnover halted a chance at a go-ahead score as McMullen and running back Peter Privitera were unable to complete at handoff late in the game.

“It happens, it's high school football,” Moran said. “It's 16-, 17-, 18-year-old kids, and you can’t worry about it. You just have to pick yourself up and keep playing.”

The Eagles would take the first offensive possession on overtime and marched inside the Le Roy 10-yard line, but the defense would initially hold strong.

Zach Fitzsimmons came up with a big sack on third down to knock Way-Co back to the 12-yard line, but Ellis would find Chapman on the exact same play as the first touchdown to put the Eagles in front 14-8.

On Le Roy’s first offensive play of overtime, McMullen found Egeling for a gain of nine yards, but the Knights were never able to pick up that final yard as McMullen was unable to connect with Pierce in the end zone on second down, and Privitera was stopped short on the final two plays of the game to give Wayland-Cohocton their first sectional championship in school history.

“We just tried to get the first down,” Moran said. “We just tried to score and hopefully get a chance to kick an extra point to win, but today it just didn’t happen.”

The Le Roy trademark rushing attack was held in check all game, as the Eagles held them to a season-low 76 yards. Privitera finished with just 30 yards on 11 carries in the final game of his superb high school career.

McMullen finished the game 10-of-22 for 165 yards and a touchdown. McQuillen caught five of those passes for 108 yards.

Le Roy’s defense played well, holding the Eagles to under 200 yards of total offense, registering four sacks and forcing three turnovers.

Ellis entered the game having thrown only one interception all game, but the Knights managed to intercept him twice on the game, and he finished 5-of-12 for 73 yards to go along with his two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Wayland-Cohocton (9-1) will go on to face the winner of the Section VI championship game next week in the Far West Regionals.

Le Roy will finish their season at 8-2 as they fell in the Class C final for the second consecutive season.

“They had a great game plan defensively,” Moran said. “We played well, but obviously they made one more play than us and congratulations to them.”

Top Photo: Reece Chapman, Wayland-Cohocton's running back, crosses the goal line for the game's first points in the fourth quarter after catching a 13-yard pass from C.J. Ellis.

Ryan McQuillen outruns the Wayland-Cohocton defense after grabbing a swing pass from QB Mike McCullen for an 80-yard TD reception to tie the score in the fourth quarter.

To purchase prints of photos, click here.

#4 Le Roy Oatkan Knights (8-1) vs. #3 Wayland-Cohocton Eagles (8-1)

Class C Championship, 5 p.m. Friday at Sahlen's Stadium

Le Roy will play for a Section V record 15^th football championship when they take on Wayland-Cohocton on Friday night.

Currently the Oatkan Knights are tied with rival Caledonia-Mumford (who lost in the finals last week) and Clyde-Savannah, who won their 14th title last week, for the most championships in Section V.

It would be fitting for Le Roy to break the record, with this being Head Coach Brian Moran’s 25^th season at the helm. Moran has led the Knights to 13 of their championships, but has not brought home a trophy since 2008.

The fourth-seeded Knights made it to the Class C finals a season ago, before losing to Hornell 21-7.

This season, they will face third-seeded Wayland-Cohocton in a battle of Livingston County schools.

Le Roy has garnered a lot of recognition for their passing game this season, but it has been the running game that has carried them during their sectional run, reminding fans of classic Knights football.

After carrying Le Roy a season ago, running back Peter Privitera got off to a slow start this season, in part due to an ankle injury. However, in the last two weeks Privitera has carried the ball 48 times for 245 yards and three touchdowns.

The senior has rushed for over 100 yards in each of the last two games after failing to eclipse that mark in three of the last four games of the regular season, including a 28-yard performance in a Week 7 loss to Cal-Mum.

“Peter is just getting to 100 percent,” Moran said. “He had ankle surgery and that’s not easy to come back from, but what impresses me most about Peter is that the four or five yards he gets are tough four or five yards. That’s what Le Roy football is all about, getting tough yards when you need it.”

Last week, Coach Moran relied heavily on his senior in the second half, and when Le Roy fell behind 14-13 late in the fourth quarter, it was Privitera who reeled off a 45-yard touchdown run to put the Knights ahead for good.

The Knights will be dealt with a tough task in stopping another tough running back on the other side of the field.

Wayland-Cohocton is led by Section V Class Player of the Year Devon Harris.

The junior running back has put up some impressive numbers this season, rushing for 1,531 yards and 29 touchdowns. Harris has also returned three kickoffs for touchdowns on the year and is a threat to score from anywhere on the field.

The Eagles also have a balanced attack, as quarterback C.J. Ellis has had an outstanding senior season.

Ellis has completed 75-percent of his passes this season for 1,023 yards, 13 touchdowns and only one interception.

Way-Co comes into this Class C title tilt outscoring opponents 88-14 in two sectional games.

Final Note: While this game will showcase two of the top running backs in Class C, it could be the passing game that decides the game.

Wayland-Cohocton’s duo of Ellis and Darren Becker was the fourth-best combination in Livingston County play, but Le Roy has their own superb tandem.

Ryan McQuillen has racked up 12 touchdowns on 25 receptions this season, and has caught a touchdown in each of the last five games.

Quarterback Mike McMullen has also tossed 25 touchdown passes this season and has thrown three or more in four games this season.

Press release:

Genesee Lightning, Genesee ARC’s softball team, recently competed in the Special Olympics regionals competition in Victor and the Special Olympics Fall Classic in Pittsford.  In Victor, the team earned a bronze medal and the skills team brought home two gold, three silver and two bronze medals. At the Fall Classic, the team earned another bronze and the skills team came home with three gold and three bronze medals.

Athletes on the 2013 softball team and skills team were: James Grudzien, Erik Goodrich, Wesley Munt, Chris Jakubowski, Angie Maniaci, Juan Baez, Josh Derrick, Josh Jones, Jason Stimson, Jackie Jones, Chris Hartgrove, Josh Tiede, Shawn Bennett, Tim Markek, Jacob Klotzbach, Brandon Oun, Sara Dieck and Shannon Nigh.

Pictured with the team is Certified Coach, Reneé Potter, Genesee ARC Family Support Services manager (far right) and Team Assistant Coach Eileen Corcoran, Genesee ARC prevocational specialist (far left).

Up next are the Special Olympics winter games. As soon as weather permits Genesee ARC’s Special Olympics snowshoeing team will begin practicing.

Clyde-Savannah Head Coach Nick Dercola said it: "Momentum is such a big thing in high school football."

In the second half of the Class D Section V championship game in Rochester, the Golden Eagles had it. The Alexander Trojans wanted it.

As a result, the final score favored Clyde, 30-24.

The Trojans had a chance to win Alexander's first Section V football title in school history, but a muffed snap on a punt deep in Golden Eagles territory on Alexander's first possession in the second half seemed to have a big impact on the game.

Clyde scored on a 10-yard pass from wide receiver Cal Felker to tight end Jarrod Faniel and with a two-point conversion, Alexander's half-time lead of nine points became a one-point lead, 24-23, and gave Clyde's players a little bit of hope.

Even a quick score on an eight-yard run by Dylan Scharlau following an 80-yard kickoff return by Same Browne didn't dampen Clyde's sense from that point that anything was possible.

"After the fumble on the punt, we had field position for the whole second half," Dercola said. "My kids loosened up a little and started getting after it a bit harder ... We got the momentum in the second half and kept it."

So much of Alexander's offense is dependent on senior running back Dylan Scharlau and after gaining 105 yards in the first half, scoring one TD, the Golden Eagles held Scharlau to just 39 yards in the second half.

It didn't help that Scharlau came into the game with a sprained right ankle and had been on a light practice schedule all week.

"It was a tough second half," Alexander Head Coach Tim Sawyer said. "We just didn't make the plays -- a couple of penalties, we dropped an interception and that was eight points the other way.  We've just got to make plays. We've got to finish."

Stopping Scharlau was an important part of the Golden Eagles keeping the second-half momentum flowing their way.

"We knew they were going to come at us and he's a heck of a runner," Dercola said. "We kept hitting him and he'd bounce off. We knew we had to stop him and we didn't do a very good job in the first half. I thought we did a much better job in the second half."

Alexander had a chance to grab that all-important momentum early in the 4th quarter when an 18-yard pass from Joe Faniel bounced off the chest of an Alexander defender and instead of falling to the ground it hung up long enough for Clyde's Kam Disanto to slip his hands under it giving the Golden Eagles a go-ahead TD.

That was a lead Clyde would not surrender as Alexander's offense was pretty much shut down on its following possessions and Faniel added to Clyde's lead on a two-yard TD run with six minutes left in the game.

It's the fourth straight win for Clyde over a team that came into the game with only one loss.

"I feel bad for our community," Sawyer said. "It was huge that our community was behind us. It's great to get this far. We won a league championship this year for the first time in 36 years. We beat Notre Dame in the semi-finals last week. All of those things are very good things."

Section V awards were given to Scharlau, QB Nelson Burke and Jonathan George.

Those seniors, and all the seniors on the team, made such a huge contribution to the Trojans' run at a Section V title, Sawyer said.

"I'm glad Section V recognized (George) as the best lineman out there today," Sawyer said. "He's been the best lineman in every game he's played in this year, and Nelson Burke, he loves the game. I know this hurts."

Burke finished 4-11 passing for 50 yards. He also ran the ball four times for 15 yards and Tyler Laird had four carries for 37 yards.

The Trojans out gained the Eagles 248 yards to 189 for the game and time of possession 30 minutes to 18.

Laird also had five tackles. Zach Laird had two tackles and a sack.

To purchase prints of photos, click here.

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.