football

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The Batavia Blue Devils came ready to play Tuesday night, taking on Palmyra-Macedon and then dominating the Red Raiders for a 48-7 victory.

The win keeps them undefeated at 6-0 and slots them as the #2 seed heading into sectionals.

The semifinal game will be against Newark at 6 p.m. Sunday against Newark. The winner of that game will play the winner of Honeoye Falls-Lima vs. Pal-Mac. HFL is the #1 seed and if HFL wins, the championship game will be played at HFL.

Terrez Smith rushed for 204 yards on 17 carries. He scored three touchdowns. Carter McFollins carried the ball 11 times for 86 yards and a TD. QB Jesse Reinhart was 7-12 for 71 yards and a TD.  

Alex Hale caught three passes for 44 yards and a TD.

The Red Raiders were able to intercept Reinhart three times but the Batavia defense held firm after each turnover. Kaden Marucci had 16 tackles, an interception, a blocked punt, and two sacks. Mathew McWethy, seven tackles, Dan Saeva, seven, Garrett Schmidt, six, and Reinhart two tackles and an interception. 

Photos by Steve Ognibene. To view or purchase prints, click here.

The Trojans, at 5-1, are once again playoff-bound after finishing the regular season with a 30-0 win over Cuba-Rushford.

Once again, Brayden Woods gained more than 100 yards on the ground, running for 104 on 11 carries. He scored two touchdowns.

Nick Kramer rushed five times for 41 yards. He was also 7-13 passing for 125 yards and a TD. He gave up one interception. Jay Morrison caught four of those passes for 86 yards and a TD.

Jake Laney led the Trojan defense in tackles with six. Devin Dean and Connor Hollands each had four tackles. Gavin Smith-Crandall recorded another QB sack. Dean and Clayton Bezon each had interceptions.

In other games last night:

• Geneseo beat Cal-Mum/Byron-Bergen 30-13
• Pembroke beat Perry in eight-man, 42-6
• Batavia beat Palmyra-Macedon 48-7 (we hope to have photos and video posted this evening)
• Bolivar Richburg beat Notre Dame 40-0.
• OAE beat Avon 37-7 (click here for coverage)

Photos by Philip Casper. Top photo: Brayden Woods (5) picking his way through the Cuba-Rushford defenders.

Eric Cline (9) with the kickoff.

Jay Morrison (1) diving across the plane for a touchdown.

Mason Bump (10) charging through the Cuba-Rushford defense.

Quarterback Nick Kramer (3) walking back from the huddle as Connor Hollands (21) makes his way to the line. 

Maverick Bump (2) catching the low pass in open field.

Fullback Devin Dean (24) pushing his way through two defenders.

Oakfield-Alabama/Elba's 2021 return to 11-man football finished on a high-note Tuesday with a 37-7 win over Avon, giving the team a regular-season record of 5-1.

Ty Mott rushed 271 yards on 20 carries and scored two touchdowns. On defense, he also had seven tackles, a sack and an interception returned for a 65-yard TD. He also forced a fumble and recovered a fumble.

Gaige Armbrewster carried the ball 11 times for 70 yards and a TD. He also intercepted a pass for a 63-yard TD return.

QB Bodie Hyde was 7-12 passing for 65 yards and a TD.

Kaden Cusmano had three catches for 40 yards and a TD.

On defense, Peyton Yasses had 12 tackles, Dontrell Jenkins, eight, and Zach Howard had an interception.

"While the scoreboard may not suggest it, this was a four-quarter fight for our team," said Head Coach Tyler Winter. "We are incredibly proud of their ability to overcome when adversity would present itself throughout the game.  

"The defense was very impressive tonight," he added. "Coach Corey Winter put together a great defensive game plan for this game. Our team is continuing to live by the 'bend, but don't break' mentality that they've demonstrated time after time throughout the season.

"It seemed like whenever our backs were against the wall and we needed a play, one of our guys would step up with a big tackle or a takeaway. Avon is a well-coached team and we knew we would need to play mistake-free football to put ourselves in a position to win this game. The boys did just that."

Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here.

Le Roy sustained its first loss of the season Monday, dropping its game at Hartwood Park to Livonia 6-0.

Alex Panepento was 6-14 passing for 79 yards. He also rushed for 52 yards of 15 carries. 

Cole Rauscher had seven tackles, Zach Vanderhoof, six.

The Oatkan Knights finish the regular season 5-1.

In a game marked by strong defense, numerous false start penalties and fumbles, nine punts and just one completed pass, the visiting Alexander Trojans turned back the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 14-6, in Section V varsity football Thursday night at Van Detta Stadium.

Alexander raised its record to 4-1 as junior running back Brayden Woods ran the ball 20 times for 131 yards, including a six-yard touchdown run with 30 seconds left in the third quarter.

The scoring play and junior kicker Eric Cline’s extra point gave the Trojans that eight-point lead and from there they were able to hold off the Irish, who fall to 1-4.

Notre Dame opened the scoring late in the first quarter as senior running back Dylan Warner capped a six-play drive with a one-yard TD plunge. Sophomore quarterback James Fanara’s pass attempt for the two-point conversion fell incomplete.

The Irish had taken possession of the ball at the visitors’ 26-yard line when Alexander’s punter muffed the snap. A six-yard run by junior Vin DiRisio and a 19-yard scamper by senior Alonso Storey advanced the ball to the 1, setting up Warner’s touchdown two plays later.

The Trojans came right back, however, marching 58 yards on 14 plays to knot the score at 6-6 on junior quarterback Nick Kramer’s 1-yard plunge with 8:36 left in the half. Cline’s extra point gave Alexander a 7-6 lead.

Key plays in that drive were a 13-yard run by Woods to the ND 15 and a 13-yard scramble by Kramer to the Irish 6.

In the fourth quarter, Notre Dame capitalized on a 59-yard punt by junior Cody Henry to pin the Trojans back to their own 7. Five plays netted only seven yards and Alexander was forced to punt.

Storey fielded the punt around the 45 and bolted up the field to the Alexander 27, putting the Irish in position to tie the game with a touchdown and two-point conversion.

On third-and-13 from the Alexander 30, Fanara hit senior wide receiver Anthony Zambito over the middle for 17 yards – the game’s lone pass completion. A run by Fanara and two by Warner gained eight yards, making it 4^th and 2 from the Alexander 5-yard line.

After an ND timeout, a false start penalty on the Irish offensive line pushed the ball back to the 10. From there, Fanara fired a pass over the middle that was intended for Storey but was a bit high and went off the receiver’s hands with 3:46 to play.

Alexander was then able to run out the clock as Woods collected 30 of his rushing yards in the closing minutes.

Kramer added 61 yards on the ground on 14 carries while fullback Devin Dean chipped in with 17 on five carries. Kramer was 0-for-10 passing.

Dean, from his linebacker position, made nine tackles to lead an Alexander defense that held ND to 104 total yards. Lineman Gavin Smith-Crandall had five tackles and recovered a fumble while Kramer had two sacks and forced a fumble for the winners.

For ND, Storey gained 43 yards on 10 carries and Fanara rushed for 29 yards on nine carries. He was 1-for-8 for the 17 yards through the air. Defensively, Henry, with 13 tackles, and Donato Fiorentino led the way.

Photos by Philip Casper.

Top photo: Nick Kramer (#3)

QB Fanara (11) DiRisio (24)

RB Storey (6) breaking his way through the Alexander Defense.

Wuest (52) leading the way for Kramer (3).

Kramer (3) with the carry as Zambito (2) goes for the tackle.

Woods (5) heading out to open field.

Fanara (11) scrambling through the field. 

Woods (5) with Alexander’s final touchdown of the game.

Batavia had little trouble scoring against winless Midlakes on their way to running up their season record to 5-0.

The final score was 56-0.

Terez Smith carried the ball 13 times for 217 yards. He scored two touchdowns. Ethan Loarza ran nine times for 57 yards and a TD, and Aidan Anderson, 11 times for 55 yards and a TD.

Jesse Reinhart was 10-13 passing for 188 yards and four TDs. 

Alex Hale caught two TD passes, of his five receptions, for 87 yards. Tyler Budzinack also hauled in a pair of TD passes and gained 69 yards.

Anderson had seven tackles, Kaden Marucci and Mathew Mcwethy, six each, and Jayden Osborne, three.

To view or purchase prints, click here.

Photos by Steve Ognibene.

Oakfield-Alabama/Elba ran all over York/Pavilion in their game on Wednesday, gaining 460 yards on the ground on their way to a 54-0 win.

"This was a great bounce-back win for our guys after last week," said Head Coach Tyler Winter. "They came out of the gate fast and played well for four full quarters. We set some goals for our squad to clean a few things up on both sides of the ball, and I think we accomplished those goals tonight. We'll go back to the drawing board tomorrow and look to continue improving this week as we prepare for a big challenge in Avon."

Ty Mott ran 22 times for 211 yards and four touchdowns. Mott has now rushed for more than 1,000 yards this season.

Gaige Armbrewster, three carries, 105 yards, one TD. Ty Kornow, five carries, 70 yards, 1 TD. Jayden Hughes, three carries, 35 yards, one TD.

Bodie Hyde completed a 64-yard TD pass to Zach Howard.

Peyton Yasses and Dontrell Jenkins each had 12 tackles.

Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here.

Batavia defeated Newark on Senior Night 28-20, but it did not come easy with Newark’s senior running back Travontay Murray.  Both teams were in a seesaw battle to get the first touchdown.

After a scoreless first quarter Rez Smith scored for the Blue Devils less than 10 yards out. Newark answered back with a 68-yard run from running back Travontay Murray.

Following halftime, Smith and Murray each scored again to keep the game still tied up at 14. Smith’s score was an eight-yard run and Murray scored in the air on a 77-yard touchdown reception.

Alex Hale caught an interception a few plays later that gave Batavia the ball back, and Jesse Reinhart threw a 21-yard pass to Hale to give Batavia the lead 21-14 before the end of the third quarter. Hale caught two passes for 59 yards and a TD, Tyler Budzinack finished with four receptions for 42 yards.

In the fourth quarter Aidan Anderson opened up scoring inside the 15-yard line for the Devils to increase Batavia’s lead to 28-14. Anderson finished with an interception, seven carries that went for 88 yards and a touchdown and five tackles on the night, which helped lead his team to get the win.

Mathew McWethy recorded six tackles to lead the Batavia defense, while junior linebacker Kaden Karucci added five tackles. Hale, Budzinack and sophomore Jagger Owens each came away with an interception for the Blue Devils.

Smith finished with a team-high 132 yards on 28 carries, including the two TDs, while Reinhart completed eight of 17 passes for 111 yards and two scores to go with two interceptions.

Newark’s Murray totaled 186 yards on 23 carries with 83 receiving yards on two catches and three total touchdowns.

“We overlooked this team and having coasted all week; we need guys to step up to be a playoff contender. We had some struggles that will be addressed, watch our film and move forward,” said Batavia Head Coach Brennan Briggs.

Batavia moves to 4-0 on the season and plays home next Wednesday at Van Detta Stadium versus Midlakes at 7 p.m.

To view or purchase photos, click here.

The Alexander Trojans moved to 3-1 with a 35-6 win at Attica over Cal-Mum/Byron-Bergen.

The Trojans ran for 325 yards on 46 carries, preferring a ground attack on a windy night. Nick Kramer gained 132 yards on 15 carries. Brayden Woods ran for 69 yards on 11 carries. Devin Dean ran for 52 yards. Jay Morrison gained 39 yards on the ground and added 40 yards receiving.

Defensively, Maverick Bump had an interception and returned it 72 yards to inside the Cal-Mum 10-yard line. Gavin Smith-Crandall had a fumble recovery. Devin Dean led the Trojans with six tackles. Clayton Bezon and Nick Kramer each had five tackles.  

The Trojans play Notre Dame at Van Detta Stadium next Thursday night.

Top photo: TE Mark Poles-Harrison (81) battling for the ball in the air with Brayden Woods (5).

Photos by Philip Casper. Game info provided by Coach Tim Sawyer.

Nick Kramer (3) handing off to Brayden Woods (5) before he crossed into the end zone. 

Quarterback Kyle Wade (4) surveys the field with Running Back Jake Cappotelli (25) at his side.

Kyle Wade (4) looking for a pass downfield while on the move.

Nick Kramer (3) on the move before running out of bounds just before the goal line, the Trojans would go on to score on their next play.

Fullback Devin Dean (24) getting the hand off.

Nick Kramer (3) taking down Jake Cappotelli (25) stopping the run.

Nick Kramer (3) attempting to hurdle the pile.

Colin Crane (6) on the run, Christian Haller (21) setting the block.

Senior, Colin Crane (6) crossing the plane after an impressive drive to score the final points for Alexander, leading to a Trojans win over the Raiders, 35-6.

Oakfield-Alabama/Elba lost to Bolivar-Richmond on Thursday evening, 14-8.

No stats provided.

Photos by Kristin Smith. For more photos, click here.

The Batavia Blue Devils varsity football team played the Buffalo Burgard Bulldogs at Van Detta Stadium Friday night in an exhibition game after Geneva was forced to forfeit. 

Batavia led from their opening drive and with a two-point conversion were on top 8 to 0. The Bulldogs scored next but did not convert, 8-6.

Batavia scored on their next few possessions, even with turning the ball over a few times but quickly getting it back and led 20-6. The Bulldogs reeled in the Blue Devils and were within one position of tying the game at the half with the score of 20-12. 

The second half was riddled with more turnovers by both teams. Burgard pulled to within two points of Batavia six minutes into the second half (20-18) as the game’s momentum seemed to shift in favor of Buffalo. Batavia scored on their next possessions and started to walk away with the game from there. 

The rest of the cold evening Batavia was in complete control scoring on more than half of their possessions. The final score was Batavia 42, Burgard 24. 

Terez Smith carried the ball 25 times for 305 yards and five touchdowns. Jesse Reinhart was 5-13 passing for 87 yards and a TD. Alex Hale had two catches for 42 yards and a TD.

On defense, Kaden Marucci had 11 tackles, an interception, a fumble recovery, and a pass tip. Austyn Fernandez, four tackles. Tyler Budzinack and Reinhart each had an interception.

• Oakfield-Alabama/Elba beat Geneseo/Mount Morris 42-18. Ty Mott rushed for 243 yards on 25 carries and scored five times. Bodie Hyde was 4-5 passing for 111 yards and one TD. Zach Howard had 50 yards receiving and scored a touchdown. Peyton Yasses had seven tackles and one sack. Mott, seven tackles and one sack; C.J. Gottler, six tackles, two sacks; Dontrell Jenkins, five tackles, one fumble recovery; Howard, six tackles.
• Batavia beat Wayne Central 48-30. Terrez Smith gained 155 yards on 18 carries and scored three touchdowns. He also had a 75-yard punt return for a TD. Jesse Reinhardt, 8-12 passing for 200 yards and three TDs. Alex Hale caught two TD passes and had a total of 57 reception yards. Tyler Budziniack caught two passes for 111 yards and a touchdown. 
• Pembroke beat South Seneca 36-6.
• Le Roy beat Attica 20-0. Alex Penepento was 8-14 passing for 74 yards and a TD. He also ran for 62 yards on 12 attempts and scored at TD. Jack Tonzi gained 10 yards on three carries and scored a TD. Nate Andrews caught a TD pass as one of his two receptions for 24 yards. Adam Riesewick had three receptions for 27 yards. Zach Vanderhoof had nine tackles and three sacks.
• Notre Dame lost to Cal-Mum/Byron-Bergen 16-8. Collin McCulley was 9-20 passing for 63 yards. He also ran three times for 32 yards and a TD. Dylan Warner rushed 11 times for 46 yards. Mark Sanders had five receptions for 59 yards. On defense, Vin DiRisio, Cody Henry and Warner each made 10 tackles while McCulley had nine.
• Alexander lost to Avon 21-0. For coverage, click here.

Photos by Kristin Smith. For more, click here and here.

Avon's defensive line proved to be just a bit larger than Alexander's offense could overcome in Saturday's game at Van Detta Stadium, so the Trojans were never able to sustain a drive and ended up losing 21-0.

QB Nick Kramer rushed for 92 yards on 17 carries. Six other Trojan backs combined for 78 yards. 

Devin Dean led the defense with 11 tackles. Jake Laney had five tackles.

The Trojans did manage to get the ball on four turnovers. Mav Bump and Jay Morrison each had an interception. Kramer forced two fumbles. One was recovered by Morrison and one was recovered by Connor Hollands.

The Blue Devils got their pandemic-shuffled season off to a hot start on a cold spring night at Van Detta Stadium on Saturday beating Bishop Kearney/Rochester Prep/Rochester Academy 36-12.

Batavia didn't let a slow start -- negative three yards on their first set of downs -- slow them down.

Jesse Reinhart was 10-16 passing for 157 yards and two TDs.

Terrez Smith rushed for 125 yards on 25 attempts and scored two TDs.

Jayden Osborne also had a TD on 59 yards over nine carries.

In receiving, Aidan Anderson had two catches for 57 yards and a TD, Tyler Budziniack had two receptions, 39 yards and a TD, while Alex Hale caught three passes for 39 yards to go along with a couple of interceptions on defense.

Photos by Jim Burns.

Notre Dame was dominant Saturday against a disorganized and discombobulated Lyons at Van Detta, beating the visiting team 46-0.

Collin McCulley was 12-20 passing for 119 yards and a TD. Anthony Zambito caught seven passes for 38 yards. He also had 165 yards in kickoff returns and six tackles on defense.

Alonso Storey had the seven-yard TD reception.

Dylan Warner rushed for 105 yards on 10 carries and scored TDs on runs of 23 yards and six yards. On defense, he had four tackles and a sack.

Connor McWilliams had four tackles, five sacks, and a blocked punt that was returned for a TD.

Donato Fiorentino had seven tackles and two sacks.

Notre Dame had 312 yards total offense to 52 for Lyons.

Photos by Jim Burns.

Back to 11-man football, Elba/Oakfield-Alabama is picking up right where it left off in eight-man football in 2019: A high-powered offense and a stingy defense, judging by its 59-6 victory over Cuba-Rushford at Van Detta Stadium on Saturday.

Ty Mott rushed for 213 yards on 19 carries, scoring five touchdowns. Jayden Hughes rushed eight times for 93 yards and two TDs. Gaige Armbrewster had five carries, 69 yards, and a TD.

Peyton Yasses had a team-leading seven tackles.

"With such little time together with our full team thus far, I felt that our guys were able to come out early and execute at a high level," said Head Coach Tyler Winter. "The offense played with a nice flow. Defensively, our guys played physical and stayed disciplined for the four quarters. I am happy for our team and proud of the commitment they are showing for one another."

Photos by Kristin Smith. For more photos click here and here.

Spring is in the air and so are footballs with several of them tossed last night at Cal-Mum by Alex Penepento to lead the Le Roy Oatkan Knights to a 19-0 win over Dansville to open the pandemic-shifted 2021 season.

Penepento was 11-17 passing for 151 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 63 yards on 14 carries.

Nate Andres carried the ball 11 times for 26 yards and a TD. Andrews also caught four passes for 65 yards.  

Cody Lytle caught three passes for 46 yards and two TDs.

Cole Rauscher led the defense with six tackles.

The Knights gained 228 offensive yards to 103 for Dansville. The Knights also led in first downs 15 to 6.

This video was submitted by Jazmyn Dobson, a teacher at KMS Dance Academy in Batavia. Students and staff, under the direction of owner Erica Grazioplene, put together this video in support of the Buffalo Bills.

Photo and information from Batavia resident Ann Hart:

Fun news -- my daughter Nichole Hart (second from left), a die-hard Bills' fan since birth (Bills' last playoff), moved to Hyannis, Ma., after graduating from pharmacy school to start her career in 2016. She has put up with a lot of sympathy from fans of the New England Patriots since then.

Now the tables have turned and she couldn’t be more excited!

So she and her fellow pharmacy friends from Albany, Rochester and Binghamton found a "once-in-a-lifetime" billboard to celebrate! It's in Foxborough, Mass., a town in the Greater Boston area where Gillette Stadium is located --  home of New England Patriots.

"(Nichole) said it was exhilarating standing there with people beeping as they drove by and other fans were coming and going as well, shouting 'Go Bills!' Ann Hart wrote in an email. "Just thought people could use some uplifting news!"

Nichole Hart is a 2010 graduate of Notre Dame High School.

In the photo from left are: Carolyn Enos, Nichole, Courtney Chapman and Ally Jurik.