More than two dozen football players from Genesee County made the West's roster for the Eddie Meath All-Star Game, which was played Monday at U of R's Fauver Stadium.
The East beat the West 21-6.
Genesee County players on the West roster:
Trent Woods, Alexander
Clayton Bezon, Alexander
Case Hill, Alexander
Landyn Thomas
Cole Grazioplene, Batavia
Mekhi Fortes, Batavia
Brian Calderon, Batavia
Damon Linzy, Byron-Bergen
Anthony Leach, Byron-Bergen
Max Wilson, Byron-Bergen
Tony Piazza, Le Roy
Jackson Fix, Le Roy
Drew Strollo, LeRoy
Cal Koukides, Le Roy
AustinPangrazio, Oakfield-Alabama/Elba
Ashton Bezon, Oakfield-Alabama/Elba
Bodie Hyde, Oakfield-Alabama/Elba
Angelo Penna, Oakfield-Alabama/Elba
Tyson Totten, Pembroke
Jeremy Gabbey, Jr., Pembroke
Sean Pustulka, Pembroke
Jaden Mast, Pembroke
Brennan Royce, Pembroke
Joe Bauer, Pavilion
Tyler Brady, Pavilion
Austin Cummings, Pavilion
Ella Mattice of Le Roy participated as a cheerleader.
Scoring more than 100 points in a game is one way to ensure you punch your ticket to a state championship game, and that's how the Pembroke Dragons did it on Saturday, beating Section III's Frankfort-Schuyler Maroon Knights 107-64.
"I started my coaching career as a modified assistant for Batavia Football in 2007 I can honestly say I have never seen anything like this game in my entire career at any level of football," said Pembroke's head coach, Brandon Ricci.
The Dragons did it all on the ground -- not even arching a punt across the field.
Tyson Totten ran for 626 yards and 10 touchdowns. Ricci called his performance, "one of the most spectacular displays of athleticism in Dragon history."
Fullback Caleb Felski gained 146 yards and scored three touchdowns. He converted five two-point conversions.
QB Vijay Dhanda also ran for a TD.
The score by quarter:
1st quarter 28-16
2nd quarter 51-42
3rd quarter 91-56
4th quarter 107-64
Defensively the Dragons were led by Felski with 14 tackles, while Totten and Sean Pustulka each had 11. Jayden Mast, Jayden Bridge, Octavius Martin, Caleb Kimmel, Vijay Dhanda, and Jacob Johnson all had five or more tackles. Tyson also added an interception, while Pustulka had two picks, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble on the day.
The Dragons take a 12-0 record in 8-man football when they play for the state championship in Cicero on Friday. They will meet another undefeated team, the Moravia Blue Devils, from Section IV.
Le Roy QB Tommy Condidorio sweeps around the left end. Photo by Ed Henry
A touchdown 16-yard pass from Payton Bradley to Isaac Maddox with six seconds left in the Far West Regional broke a 13-13 tie, giving Salamanca the win 21-13 and delivering Le Roy its first and final defeat of 2023.
Scoring up to that point had been tit-for-tat on Saturday. Le Roy scored in the first quarter on a one-yard run by Drew Strollo, and Jack Currin converted the point-after. In the second, Arlen Newark scored on a 45-yard pass for Salamanca. Newark also kicked the extra point.
Le Roy answered two minutes later on a 3-yard run by Strollo, but the PAT kick was blocked.
Midway through the third quarter, Salamanca knotted things up on a 33-yard Isaac Maddox run but also had its kick blocked.
For Le Roy, Strollo gained 68 yards, scored two touchdowns, gained 17 yards on three receptions, and on defense had five tackles.
Tonny Piazza gained 77 yards on 19 carries. Tommy Condidoria was 4-7 passing for 12 yards. Holden Sullivan and D.J. O'Geen had six tackles each on defense.
The Oatkan Knights finish 2023 with an 11-1 record. That 11th win was the program's record-setting 16th Section V title.
Drew Strollo (far right) puts the Knights on the scoreboard with a one-yard rush at the end of the first quarter. Photo by Ed Henry
The Le Roy defense swarms to the Salamanca's back. Photo by Ed Henry
Battles in the trenches were the order of the day. Photo by Ed Henry.
Le Roy’s Xavien Walker breaks up a potential score at the goal line. Photo by Ed Henry
Le Roy's Andrew Strollo knocks the ball loose during a run by Attica/Alexander's Samuel Strzelec in the Class C final at Brookport on Friday. Photo by Brennan Bezon.
The Oatkan Knights won their record-setting 16th sectional title at SUNY Brockport on Saturday with a 27-14 win over Attica/Alexander in Class C.
The Blue Devils opened the scoring in the first quarter with a Joseph Parkhurst 31-yard field goal (one of two FGs for Parkhurst), but Le Roy answered quickly with a Drew Strollo four-yard run for a TD followed by the PAT from Jack Currin. Le Roy held the lead the rest of the way, with Tony Piazza scoring twice and Tommy Condidorio capping things off with a two-yard run.
The final score for AA came in the waning seconds, a 30-yard pass from Trent Woods to Sam Strzelec.
Strollo rushed for 134 yards on 23 carries. Piazza carried 20 times for 88 yards.
On defense, Strollo had five tackles, D.J. O'Geen, five plus a sack, Piazza, four, and Connor Hegeman, four.
Attica/Alexander did not submit stats.
Tony Piazza. Photo by Carter Fix.
Andrew Strollo. Photo by Carter Fix.
Andrew Strollo with the ball. Photo by Brennan Bezon.
Andrew Strollo Photo by Brennan Bezon.
Blue Devil's kicker Joseph Parkhurst Photo by Brennan Bezon.
The 2023 Le Roy Oatkan Knights with the program's record-setting 16th block. Photo by Carter Fix.
Last year's state champions in eight-man football, the Pembroke Dragons, took another step toward repeating the feat on Friday by beating Frewsburg in the Far West Regional, 49-20.
The Dragons are now 11-0 on the season and next play the Section 3 champion this coming Saturday.
Pembroke jumped to a 35-0 in the first quarter and didn't give up a score until the third quarter.
Tyson Totten contributed to the Dragons' 450 yards of total offense by rushing for 340 yards. He scored five touchdowns and during the first half, went over 3,000 yards rushing on the season.
Fullback Caleb Felski had 99 yards rushing and a touchdown. He also had an 80-yard kick return for a touchdown.
Defensively the Dragons were led by end Jayden Bridge with 12 tackles and a sack. Octavius Martin had 11 tackles, while Tyson Totten added eight.
For the second season in a row, the Pembroke Dragons are the Section 8-Man Football champions.
On Friday, the Dragons beat Bolivar-Richburg 70-30.
Pembroke topped 500 yards in total offense, with the line of Ben Steinberg, Jayden Mast, Jayden Bridge, Madden Perry, JJ Gabbey, Octavius Martin and Hayden Williams giving running room to Tyson Totten, who gained 394 yards and scored eight touchdowns.
Fullback Caleb Felski had 97 yards rushing and a touchdown to go over 1000 yards rushing on the season. Felski also had an 80-yard kick return for a touchdown
Defensively the Dragons were led by Nose Tackle Jayden Mast with 16 tackles. Tyson Totten had 14 tackles, while Caleb Felski chipped in 10 tackles. Octavius Martin, Hayden Williams, Sean Pustulka, Madden Perry, Jeremy Gabbey and Jayden Bridge each added five or more tackles. Pustulka had two interceptions and was 6 for 6 on extra points.
In the Far West Regional on Friday, Pembroke will face Section VI champs, Frewsburg Bears.
Le Roy beat East Rochester/Gananda 37-6 to win the Section V Class C semifinal at Hartwood Park on Friday.
With Attica/Alexander's win, 42-0, over Letchworth/Warsaw/Perry, it sets up a championship game between the #1 seed Le Roy against the #2 seed Attica/Alexander on Saturday at 5 p.m. and SUNY Brockport.
For Le Roy, Tony Piazza rushed for 122 yards and a TD on 23 carries, and Drew Strollo rushed for 112 yards and a TD on 22 carries.
On defense, Peter Clark had three tackles, a sack, and three pass breakups. Luke Lathan also had a sack, and Connor Hegeman had five tackles.
Attica/Alexander's lone loss on the season came against Le Roy on Sept. 29, 44-27.
Zailen Griffen inched the ball over the goalline for one of his three touchdowns while senior lineman Alex Merica begins the celebration. Photo by Howard Owens.
Heartbreaking is the best way to describe the Batavia Blue Devil's 26-20 loss to the Honeoye Falls/Lima Cougars in the Class B football semifinal on Friday night.
The boys' varsity squad was by no means guaranteed the win when the defense made a costly mistake late in the fourth quarter.
But the mistake gave the Cougars' offense new life after the defense had snuffed an apparent scoring drive in the red zone.
First-year head coach Alex Veltz took responsibility for the mental error, saying he hadn't properly prepared his team for a rare circumstance in a high school football game: a blocked field goal attempt.
The defense, apparently unaware that, unlike a point-after attempt, the ball is still live when the kick is blocked, didn't immediately scramble to obtain possession of the ball, and HFL lingered a couple of seconds, too. When a Batavia player did pick up the ball, he tossed it away, making it a fumble, and at least one HFL player had the situational awareness to pounce on it, giving the Cougars a new set of downs and another chance to score. That TD became the difference in an otherwise evenly-matched game.
The Blue Devils got the ball back with less than 1:30 left on the clock and couldn't mount a quick-strike drive.
"You don't see many high school field goals," Veltz said in an on-field interview with The Batavian after the game. "It's just not a situation you encounter very much. It was something we didn't prep for, so my message to the team was I took ownership of it because it was a situation we didn't prepare for, a blocked field goal, reacting to a live ball, knowing that is different and the guys weren't ready for it."
It was a big game for junior running back Zailen Griffen, who scored all three of Batavia's TDs on 20 carries for 160 yards.
Cole Grazioplene had three receptions for 25 yards, and one carry for 37 yards.
On defense, Maggio Buchholz had 13.5 tackles; Lakoda Mruczek, 8.5 tackles; and Carter Mullen, one interception.
Veltz took over a young team, and while he will lose three of his senior captains to graduation, he expects good things from the Blue Devils in 2024.
For more photos and to purchase prints, click here.
Bronx Bucholz with a pass attempt under pressure in the second half. Photo by Howard Owens
HFL QB Matthew Meacham under pressure in the second half. Photo by Howard Owens
Cole Grazioplene during the first half with one of his three receptions. Photo by Howard Owens
Zailen Griffin eludes his final obstacle on his way to a more than 50-yard TD run. It was a clear and open field after he broke the tackle attempt. Photo by Howard Owens
Photo by Howard Owens
Zailen Griffin Photo by Howard Owens
Bronx Buchholz on a QB keeper behind lineman Karvel Martino, who as a sophomore is 6' 2", 350 pounds. Photo by Howard Owens
The field goal attempt would be blocked and prove to be the decisive moment in the game. Photo by Howard Owens
Jay Antinore had 240 yards passing for Notre Dame on Saturday to help lead the Fighting Irish to a 20-14 win over Oakfield-Alabama in the Class D Section V quarterfinal.
Antinore completed 11 passes in 15 attempts and connected on TD passes to Jaden Sherwood and Chase Antinore, which was 79 yards in the fourth quarter for the game-winner.
On the ground, Antinore gained 33 yards on 10 carries. He scored one touchdown on the ground.
Chase Antinore had three receptions for 110 yards, and Sherwood had four catches for 73 yards.
On defense, Gabe Castro had 13 tackles, and Scotty McWilliams had 9 1/2.
Senior LB Ashton Bezon - 10 tackles, two forced fumbles, one blocked point-after attempt
Junior WR Jack Cianfrini - 15-Yard Receiving TD
Aggie head coach Tyler Winter said, "With everything this team has had to endure this season, I couldn't be more proud of the way they fought to the very last minute. You could write a book on the adversity they were dealt this fall. They handled themselves with class and integrity amidst it all. The sting of defeat hurts right now, but they will be better young men in the long haul because of it all."
Notre Dame, seeded #5, next faces #1 seed York/Pavilion, time and date to be determined.
Batavia Senior Cole Grazioplene on his way to the endzone in the opening quarter. Photo by Steve Ognibene
Coming in as the #3 seed, the Batavia Blue Devils dominated #2 seed Geneva in the Class B semifinals on Friday night, earning the right to play for a sectional seminfinal next week with a 44-6 win.
Cole Grazioplene had four receptions for 100 yards and two TDs, plus an 88-yard kick return score. He also scored on a two-point conversion.
QB Bronx Buchholz was 8-14 passing for 144 yards. He tossed three touchdowns and was picked off twice.
On defense, Mekhi Fortes had four tackles and two touchdowns. On offense, he had four receptions for 44 yards and TD.
Zailen Griffin rushed for 63 yards and a touchdown. Brock Warran also scored a TD on the ground.
Le Roy beat Penn Yan/Dundee, 33-22. Tony Piazza ran 20 times for 163 yards and three touchdowns. He had four tackles on defense and broke up two passes. Jackson Fix, seven rushes, 39 yards, a TD, plus two receptions for 46 yards and a TD. He also had seven tackles and a forced fumble. Tommy Condidorio was 4-9 passing for 68 yards and a TD.
Just as the Pembroke Dragons have done all year, they easily handled an opponent for a big win, this time beating Red Jacket 66-20 in the 8-Man Section V semifinal playoff game.
The Dragons amassed 550 yards, and Tyson Totten ran for 384 yards and six touchdowns on 25 carries with the help of linemen Ben Steinberg, Jayden Mast, Jayden Bridge, Madden Perry, JJ Gabbey, Octavius Martin and Hayden Williams
Fullback Caleb Felski had 113 yards rushing and two touchdowns on just five carries.
Quarterback Vijay Dhanda had 68 yards and a touchdown as well. ]
Defensively the Dragons were led by Felski with 14 tackles, while Jayden Mas had 11 and Tyson Totten had 9. Jayden Bridge, Hayden Williams, Vijay DHanda, Octavius Martin, and Jeremy Gabbey Jr each chipped in with at least five tackles. Caleb Kimmel secured the game's lone turnover on an interception.
The Dragons, now 9-0, will play Bolivar Richburg in the Section V 8-man championship next week.
Alexander football players got to step onto their own field for the first time this year on Saturday for a homecoming game, and the combined Attica/Alexander squad improved to 7-1 on the season beating Hornell 42-0.
No stats were submitted for the game.
Here is the sectional playoff schedule:
Class B: #3 Batavia hosts #6 Geneva at 7 p.m. on Friday
Class C: #1 Le Roy hosts #8 Penn Yan/Dundee at 7 p.m. on Friday
Class C: #2 Attica/Alexander hosts #7 Livonia at 7 p.m. on Friday
Class D: #1 York/Pavilion has a bye
Class D: #4 Oakfield-Alabama hosts #5 Notre Dame at 3 p.m. on Saturday
Eight-Man: #1 Pembroke hosts #4 Red Jacket at 7 p.m. on Friday
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish modified football team played its final game of the season on Saturday, winning 48-0 over Pavilion/York/Wyoming to complete a 6-0 run for the year.
The Irish squad typically won by 50 points or close to it in each game.
On Saturday, Chase Antinore and Bradley Gabehart each scored two touchdowns. T.J. Cepheus, Jr., Matthew McCulley, and Timmy Bartz each scored one TD each.
Oakfield-Alabama finished the regular season Friday night on a disappointing note, losing to Avon 40-0.
Aggies stats:
Junior RB Avery Watterson - 14 Carries, 72 Yards
Senior QB Austin Pangrazio - 11 Carries, 76 Yards
Senior LB Ashton Bezon - 12 Tackles
This weekend in Genesee County football:
Batavia beat Dansville/Wayland-Cohocton 34-28. Zailen Griffin, 25 rush, 235 yards, three TDs Bronx Buchholz 7-15 passing, 156 yards, two TDs, 1 interception, 13 carries for 81 yards. Cole Graz, four receptions for 74 yards and two TDs. Maggio Buchholz two receptions, 50 yards.
The Pembroke Dragons finished the regular season on Friday with a 43-14 win over Holley/Lyndonville moving their record to 8-0 and making them the only team in Section V 8-Man Football with a spotless record.
They'll head into the postseason as the #1 seed. The postseason schedule has not been posted yet.
The Dragons racked up 400 yards on offense on just 20 plays. Coach Brandon Ricci credited the line of Ben Steinberg, Jayden Mast, Jayden Bridge, Madden Perry, JJ Gabbey, Octavius Martin and Hayden Williams for the dominant offensive game.
Tyson Totten ran for 137 yards and two touchdowns on three carries to eclipse 2,000 yards rushing on the season.
Fullback Caleb Felski had 160 yards rushing and two TDs on just a pair of carries. He also added a 55-yard receiving touchdown from Quarterback Vijay Dhanda.
Sean Pustulka finished the scoring for the Dragons with a 42-yard rushing touchdown and a 24-yard field goal.
Defensively the Dragons were led by Jayden Bridge with seven tackles. Dom Boldt, Aidan Balduf and Hayden Williams each chipped in five tackles, while Vijay Dhanda had the game's lone fumble recovery.
The Dragons will host a home playoff game against an opponent yet to be determined next week.
The Pembroke Dragons Varsity Football team improved to 7-0 on the season with a 71-42 victory over Wellsville despite having just 17 eligible players.
Behind the blocking of Ben Steinberg, Jayden Mast, Jayden Bridge, Madden Perry, JJ Gabbey, Octavius Martin and Hayden Williams, The Dragons racked up over 500 yards of offense, drawing first blood with a 30-yard passing touchdown to sophomore tight end Madden Perry.
Tyson Totten ran for 345 yards and four touchdowns.
Junior Fullback Caleb Felski had 126 yards rushing and two touchdowns on just seven carries. He also took the opening second-half kick return 88 yards to the house.
Junior Quarterback Vijay Dhanda and Senior Sean Pustulka each had a rushing touchdown; Pustulka's coming from 20 yards out with 10 seconds left in the first half to break the one-score game.
Defensively the Dragons were led by linebacker Vijay Dhanda with nine tackles. Nose Guard Jayden Mast added eight tackles of his own, while Totten, Kimmel and Perry had seven each. Junior Jayden Bridge added 2 sacks each in a game that saw zero turnovers.
The Buffalo Bills played a rare Sunday morning game -- because the game was in London -- and multiple bars and restaurants opened early for fans, including the Smokin' Eagle in Le Roy.
The Oakfield-Alabama/Elba Aggies picked up a win on Saturday, beating Geneseo 31-0.
OAE stats:
QB/DL Austin Pangrazio - 21 Carries, 134 Yards, four TDs., three Tackles, one TFL, one Fumble Recovery
RB Avery Watterson - 15 Carries, 128 Yards, one TD
LB Ashton Bezon - 10 Tackles, five TFLs, one Sack, one Forced Fumble
DL Angelo Penna - nine Tackles, three TFLs
"It's good to get one back in the W column," said Head Coach Tyler Winter. "These boys have been working hard. I'm happy they got to enjoy the fruits of their labor. However, we know we need to remain grounded and stay the course. Class D is wide open this year. We keep saying, 'The team in our class who has the best October is going to really like their November.' We'll continue to grow and prepare for the next challenge."
