football

The Elba/Byron-Bergen football won for the second consecutive time, downing Warsaw in a Pool Play game, 19-12.

The Lancers were down 12-0 midway through the third quarter but stormed back with two third quarter scores and another in the fourth.

Zack Green had another monster game with 26 carries for 205 yards and three TDS and Cody Torpey completed 2-of-2 pass attempts for 34 yards. He also made 10 tackles.

Brent Crawford had 14.

Warsaw falls to 0-8 while Elba/Byron-Bergen improves to 3-5.

 Sloppy playing conditions held Pembroke down early, but the Dragons got rolling late in the game and topped Bishop Kearney 32-12 Saturday.

The win sets up a semifinal game against league-rival Oakfield-Alabama at Aquinas next Saturday.

"It was a great game the first time around and I'm glad both teams won and we get to play again," said Pembroke coach Chip Foster. "We are going to be playing on a great turf surface; it's going to be a great game."

Andrew Wright and David Kleckler both had huge games, with Wright rushing the ball 20 times for 122 yards and three touchdowns and Kleckler rushing six times for 77 yards and a score. He also completed 3-of-6 pass attempts for 82 yards and a TD.

Kearny took the lead in the second quarter when Quentin Gause picked up a fumble and took it 38 yards into the end zone.

Late in the second quarter, Pembroke took the lead when Wright broke a 48-yard touchdown run on a fourth-and-2 and Matt Phelps hit the extra point.

Kearney took a third quarter lead when Jake Meek hooked up with Blaine Roberts on a 46-yard touchdown pass, but that was it for the Kings scoring.

Wright scored the game-winning points on a 66-yard touchdown run later in the third.

Kleckler hooked up with Ken Babcock on a 23-yard TD pass, Wright had a 1-yard touchdown run and Kleckler scored on a 53-yard keeper late in the game for the final score.

Kearney drops to 4-4 while the third-seeded Dragons improve to 7-1 and will be playing No. 2 O-A in the semifinals.

Mike Humphrey had an interesting game as the top-seeded Le Roy football team blasted No. 8 South Seneca/Romulus Friday night, 69-13.

He had 80 yards receiving and a touchdown, and rushed the ball twice for 55 yards and a score.

 Andrew Alexander rushed the ball six times for 89 yards with two TDs and Jon Casper added two carries for 56 yards and a touchdown.

QB Travis Fenstermaker completed 5-of-7 pass attempts for 103 yards and two touchdowns.

Casper, Josh Sackett and John Schueing each recovered a fumble in the contest.

Le Roy (8-0) will play No. 4 Letchworth next week as the Indians thumped Marcus Whitman 43-7 Friday night.

 Holley (0-7) at Bolivar-Richburg (2-5)

1:30 p.m. Saturday

Guy Hills and his Holley football team are looking to get their first win of the season. It has been a long, difficult struggle but Pool Play is for building for the following year and that's exactly what coach Chad DeRock is looking to do.

Warsaw (0-7) at Elba/Byron-Bergen (2-4)

1:30 p.m. Saturday

The Lancers won a much needed game last week, dropping Section 6's Bishop Walsh 34-16. Zach Green continued to impress, gaining 255 yards with two touchdowns in the game. Elba/B-B is looking to build on that victory and get the returning players from Elba and Byron-Bergen confidence heading into the offseason.

Barker (1-6) at C.G. Finney (4-2)

1:30 p.m. Saturday

Barker nearly shocked top-seeded Clyde Savannah in Class DD last week, showing how good the Genesee Region League is, losing 7-6. Greg Brown and his teammates can be proud of that effort, but will be tested against Finney, which was upset by Perry last week in Class D.

Red Jacket (1-6) at Alexander (3-4)

1:30 p.m. Saturday

The junior-filled Trojans were thrilled after a 3-3 regular season and then disappointed after penalties killed them in a 28-14 loss to Canisteo-Greenwood last week in the opening round of the playoffs. The juniors just want to keep playing and getting better.

 Perry (4-3) vs. Notre Dame (5-2)

3 p.m. Saturday, at East Rochester

Surprise, surprise. 

While everybody was looking forward to seeing post season rivals Notre Dame and C.G. Finney playing each other in the semifinals, Perry knocked off Finney and gets a crack at the Fighting Irish.

The Yellowjackets knocked off Finney 32-22 in the first round and are now playing the Cinderella role in this playoff.

James Devitt rushed the ball 19 times in that game for 124 yards and Zane Hendrickson pitched in 70 yards as Perry seems to be playing its best football of the season. The Yellowjackets started off 0-2 and have won 4-of-5 games since.

Notre Dame is playing some real solid football right now and is coming off a 55-6 conquering of DeSales. The Fighting Irish rushed for 313 yards in the game and were led by Kevin Schildwaster's 12 carries for 131 yards.

Schildwaster keeps getting better every week it seems and now has 617 yards and eight touchdowns. He's assisted in the backfield by Mike Pratt, who has 506 yards on the ground.

Notre Dame has been involved in a pair of blowouts over the last two weekends and have gotten a lot of experience for other runners, like Greg Barr, Beau Richter, Gianni Zambito and Jon Corona.

But ND might go away from the run a little bit in this game because the East Rochester field has turf.

Nick Bochicchio has proven to be one of the top quarterbacks in the league and has the ultimate weapon on his side in receiver Kevin Francis. He's probably the fastest player in the Genesee Region League and if Bochicchio can get him the ball in space; he's gone.

Francis returned a punt for a touchdown last week and caught 27 passes for 337 yards and five TDs during the regular season. He added a touchdown reception in the playoff opener.

Notre Dame received an honorable mention in the state rankings this week and would advance to the finals next weekend against the winner of the Dundee/Geneseo game with a victory.

 Bishop Kearney (4-3) at Pembroke (6-1)

1:30 p.m. Saturday

Pembroke got a pretty tough draw in the opening round.

Kearney had the same record last year and played at Oakfield-Alabama, pulling off the upset. 

Coach Chip Foster and his Dragons will be preparing for this game like it is the sectional finals, especially knowing the heartbreak of getting knocked out of sectionals in the semifinals and finals of the last two years; with both losses coming to Le Roy.

Kearney is a dangerous team.

There are rumors that the team is dealing with several injuries, including star running back Justin Forte. Forte has 717 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns and could play, even if he's not at 100-percent.

If he doesn't play, the Kings don't have another running back that has had even 10 carries.

So if Forte is banged up, all of the pressure goes on quarterback Jake Meek and the receiving corps. Meet completed 40-of-75 pass attempts this season for 1,002 yards, 10 touchdowns and four interceptions.

His top receiving option is Blair Roberts, who has caught 16 passes for 542 yards and six TDs. Jerome Lewis, Quentin Gause and Mike Robinson are all over 100 yards receiving this season.

Pembroke will look to take an early lead, so there are no worries late in the game.

That is a likely possibility as an explosive offense can so a lot of different things well, all starting at the quarterback position.

David Kleckler is the GR's all-star QB after completing 30-of-56 pass attempts for 651 yards, with 10 touchdowns. He can make passes to Andrew Wright coming out of the backfield or lined up as a wide receiver or can find tight end Ken Babcock down the field.

Wright has caught 13 passes for 340 yards and three touchdowns while Babcock has hauled in 15 passes for 279 yards and five touchdowns.

The run game is also solid with Mike Dibble being the guy that is expected to eat up yardage. The unselfish back has rushed for 522 yards with eight touchdowns and is the quiet player on the field that does all the hard work without the glory.

Wright is the other back and he gets a lot of attention no matter where he is on the field. He has ran the ball for 774 yards and 10 touchdowns and has the ability to break a big play anytime he touches the ball.

Pembroke - ranked 17th in the state - is fairly healthy, but suffered a big blow with OL/DL Josh Hanel getting banged up. With him out of the game, the Dragons couldn't even attempt extra points last week and the squad has probably looked to find a long-snapper to replace him.

A victory could mean another shot at Oakfield-Alabama, which handed the Dragons their only loss of the regular season, 25-24.

 Dansville (3-4) at Oakfield-Alabama (7-0)

7 p.m. Friday

The Hornets were the best of the best in the Genesee Region League this season and are looking to win the first sectional title since 2006, after getting knocked out early because - well, many reasons last season.

Quarterback Tim Smith quit in the middle of last season, injuries decimated the roster and Bishop Kearney was a darn good football team.

But O-A is back on track this season, with Smith being one of nine all-stars on the roster. He's rushed for 771 yards and 11 touchdowns as the Hornets have ran for over 2,200 yards.

Coach of the Year John Dowd's offensive philosophy is to run the ball, take time off the clock and get points after long drives. This year's squad does that very well.

Fullback Brad Riner has picked up 639 yards and scored 10 times while Jason Stanley (309 yards), Joe Natalizia (270) and Josh Athoe (137) also get attempts.

Expect quarterback A.J. Kehlenbeck to get some passes off in this game as the Hornets prepare for down the road.

But this is not a no-brainer. Oakfield-Alabama - ranked eighth in the state - will be tested in the first round against a solid Dansville squad, that has had to play Hornell, Bath, Honeoye Falls-Lima and Livonia this season.

The Mustangs have a diverse offense and can attack with both a running and passing attack. 

Quarterback Garrett Hoag has experience and spreads the ball around. Hoag has completed 89-of-180 attempts for 1,361 yards with 11 touchdowns and five interceptions. 

Matt Schuster has caught 30 of those passes for 520 yards with five touchdowns, while Jordan Van Dunk and Colton Green have each hauled in 23 passes. Brandon Doyle has 13 catches.

Schuster is also the top rusher on the team, gaining 461 yards with five touchdowns on 40 carries.

Caleb Perry has 284 yards with four scores and Doyle has pitched in 227 yards.

Assuming the second-seeded Hornets get past the seventh-seeded Mustangs, there is the possibility O-A will play Pembroke again. The Hornets beat the Dragons by just one point in Week 6.

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

7:30 p.m. Friday

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

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

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

Not the case.

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

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

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

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

Alexander has 952 yards rushing with nine touchdowns.

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

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

(photo borrowed from www.leroyfootball.com)

 Attica (4-3) at East Rochester/Gananda (6-1)

7 p.m. Friday

The Blue Devils simply haven't had any success in the playoffs in any of the "big three" sports, ever.

This year's squad is looking to throw that trend to the curb and make a run. As a sixth-seed, they earn a game with No. 3 East Rochester/Gananda and the team is prepared,  having played very well this season against a strong Genesee Region League.

While the Blue Devils have lost three games, this is a strong Attica team with as much potential as any in recent years.

GR all-star running back Andy Ruddock is the key.

The senior has had a tremendous season so far, and will need to slow down the pace of the game as ER/Gananda is the fourth ranked team in the state and has a high powered passing attack.

Rudy carried the ball 104 times during the regular season for 936 yards and 10 touchdowns. Attica cannot get into a shootout with the Bombers.

Neil Dotterer is simply awesome.

The gun-slinger is one of the best quarterbacks Section 5 has ever seen and he torched Batavia in Week 6, throwing for 253 yards and four touchdowns.

Attica has seen some solid passing teams in Pembroke and Notre Dame, but nothing like this. Dotterer does not have that one favorite receiver and likes to spread the ball around.

Linebacker Kevin Gallinger - also a GR all-star - leads the defense with 24 solo tackles and 30 assists and will have to make sure his teammates are in the right place on the field and execute coach Jeff Cusmano's gameplan to perfection. 

While the Attica defense will have to focus on Dotterer, the offense will try to get Ruddock going. The Bombers have held opposing offenses to 45 points this season so long drives are going to have to result in points.

Quarterback Brandon Rollins and receiver Shawn Dupuis will have to make plays if Ruddock gets stopped.

An interesting side-note to this game is that these two teams were both knocked out in the first round of sectionals last season and tried to schedule a Pool Play game. For some reason, which was never made public, this game never wound up happening.

 Batavia (3-4) at Geneva (6-1)

7 p.m. Friday

Those Batavia football players that didn't believe they had a chance to beat Geneva before last week's regular season finale, now are believing the upset is possible.

It may sound funny, but that is because of the second half effort of a 40-12 loss. Now the eighth-seeded Batavia squad will try to upset the top-seed.

The Blue Devils found something in the Panther defense that coach Dan Geiger believes they can exploit. Geneva is a powerhouse and is ranked No. 3 in the state in Class B.

But it was clear after the homecoming loss last Friday, Batavia's players believe a victory is possible.

Oh yeah, a healthy Rob Williams will help.

Williams injured his hip in Week 6 and was initially not expected to play last week, but saw very limited action in the first Geneva game. And he didn't do much.

But he's close to 100-percent and will make a big difference rushing the football, returning kicks and covering the super-athletic Geneva receivers.

Williams will probably go over 1,000 yards rushing for the year in this game, which would be the second Batavia back to do so.

Anthony D'Aurizio had 24 carries for 183 yards last week and now has 1,009 yards and 10 touchdowns on the season.

The key to this game will be to obviously run the football, which the Blue did with success in the second half last week.

Batavia will also have to slow down the passing attack of Geneva as the Panthers receivers were wide open last week.

DeAnze Williams, Junior Collins and Derrious Thomas were all separating from the coverage with ease last week and quarterback Bobby Martin had no problem finding them at-will.

The secondary has to stick with those guys.

A victory in this game would be HUGE for the Batavia program and could set up the Blue Devils for a shot to shock the world and win a sectional title.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Saturday's Class D semifinal game between Perry and Notre Dame was originally scheduled to be played in Waterloo.

Section 5 did the right thing and moved the game closer, and to a great facility.

The game between No. 7 Perry (4-3) and No. 3 Notre Dame (5-2) will be at East Rochester High School at 3 p.m. Saturday.

I will be there and encourage as many GR football fans to attend the game and give our local team support as they look to make the finals.