Oakfield

You don't see a lot of games like the one between Dansville and Oakfield-Alabama Friday night.

A close game early turned into an offense show as the second-seeded Hornets knocked off the seven seed 63-34.

Jon Fisher set the Section 5 record for most extra points kicked in a game with nine, both Tim Smith and Brad Riner had huge games and the Hornets are moving on to the semifinals, where they will either see Pembroke or Bishop Kearney.

Smith had 333 all-purpose yards, including 196 on the ground. He also scored six touchdowns, which is one shy of the Section 5 playoff single game record. Riner gained 178 yards with two TDs on 13 carries.

After a three-and-out, O-A had a six minute drive to start things off, with Tim Smith scoring on a 20-yard scamper.

The Hornets recovered the onside kick, Smith broke a couple more runs and then scored from 3-yards out.

But the Mustangs were definitely not going to back down.

Dansville had a nice drive of its own, marching 65 yards behind the passing of Garrett Hoag, but couldn't convert on a fourth-and-goal at the 5-yard line.

Oakfield-Alabama started moving the ball and then made a mistake, coughing the ball up and giving the Mustangs some solid starting field position. Dansville quickly capitalized as Hoag tossed a 21-yard TD pass to Jordan VanDunk.

A 20-yard run by Riner led to a 9-yard touchdown run by Smith with two minutes left in the half, giving O-A a 21-7 advantage.

After the Mustangs went three-and-out, the Hornets were looking to run out the clock and go into halftime with the two-score advantage.

But Dansville called a timeout when Oakfield-Alabama had a fourth-and-4 with five seconds left on the clock. The move might have been to try and cause a turnover or maybe they thought O-A would punt, but coach John Dowd and company decided to take advantage of the coaching blunder.

Quarterback A.J. Kehlenbeck gave the ball to Smith on a screen and the senior worked his way 46 yards into the end zone, making it 28-7 at the break.

Riner was impressive in the third quarter as the Hornets received the opening kickoff and he quickly had a 48-yard touchdown run. Dansville scored on a touchdown pass to Matt Schuster to get within 21 points, but Riner's next carry went 57 yards for another score.

The Hornets recoverd the onside kick, then Smith scored his fifth touchdown of the game on a 50-yard run.

Schuster had an 80-yard touchdown run for Dansville and Josh Athoe scored from 2-yards out for Oakfield-Alabama, making the score 56-21 after three quarters of play.

Hoag tossed a 61-yard touchdown pass to VanDunk, Smith returned a kickoff 91 yards for a score and Tim Rauber got a Dansville touchdown to end the game.

Noah Seward led the defensive effort with eight tackles.

O-A improves to 8-0 and will get the winner of Saturday's game between No. 3 Pembroke and No. 6 Bishop Kearney.

Kearney knocked the Hornets out of the playoffs last year and the Dragons are O-A's league rival, which they beat 25-24 in the regular season.

 All of the high school football previews are set in sports. Here's the list of playoff games with links.

Batavia at Geneva

Attica at ER/Gananda

South Seneca/Romulus at Le Roy

Dansville at Oakfield-Alabama

Bishop Kearney at Pembroke

Perry vs. Notre Dame, at East Rochester

Pool Play roundup

And just in case you missed it earlier in the week, here are the Genesee Region League all-stars.

Wheatland-Chili's Lauren Drago had a tremendous season and led her Wildcats to the Genesee Region League  Division II title.

W-C went 13-3-1 and Drago - a senior midfielder/forward - scored 23 goals and dished out 13 assists, scoring 59 points to earn GR Player of the Year.

She is one of three Wildcats on the Genesee Region League all-star squad, getting selected as a forward.

Chloe Smith is a junior midfielder and earned all-star props after scoring three goals with five assists. Junior defender Lindsey Hall is also an all-star, for leading the defensive unit.

Holley won the Division I title after an epic race for the championship with an 11-3-4 record, and coach Jill Mann was named Coach of the Year.

Three members of her team are named to the all-star squad.

Sophomore goalie Julie Brooks was in net for every 1,480 minutes the team played this season and made 118 saves while allowing just nine goals. That's an amazing .486 goals per game average.

Brooks got a lot of help from fellow all-league selection, junior defender Corinne VanSchoick.

Junior midfielder Emily Troup led the team in scoring with 11 goals and four assists for 26 points.

Troup battled Alexander's Hannah Wilson to a 0-0 tie in the final game of the season that determined the division winner, and Wilson was also named an all-star keeper.

Wilson allowed just 24 goals while making 161 saves, averaging 1.289 goals per game.

Two other Trojans made the team.

Senior midfielder Rachel Pettys was selected after scoring eight goals with two assists, for 18 points, and eighth-grade defender Abby Shilvock is also on the team.

Shivlock had three goals with a helper this season.

Elba had a pair of players make the team in junior midfielder Julie Marshall and senior forward Chelsi Clark.

Clark was a scoring machine, getting 24 goals with six assists for 54 points. Marshall had a goal with seven helpers.

Stacy Maskell and Todne Crowe were selected as all-stars from Byron-Bergen.

Maskell - a junior forward - scored 12 goals with three assists, for 27 points, and Crowe - a senior midfielder - added four goals and five assists.

Pembroke had a pair of all-stars in senior defender Rachel Warren and senior forward Nicole Sharick.

Sharick scored 25 times and had 11 assists, finishing with a league-high 61 points. Warren dished out three assists.

Midfielder Hillary Bates of Oakfield-Alabama makes the squad as a senior. She scored five goals this season.

Attica senior defender Christina West is an all-star after scoring six goals with an assist and Kendall sophomore forward gets the all-star nod after scoring eight goals with six helpers.

 No surprise here.

The Oakfield-Alabama football rolled to a perfect 7-0 season and captured the Genesee Region League title, and nine players from that squad were named to the GR all-star team Monday night.

Coach John Dowd was named Coach of the Year as well for delivering the first undefeated regular season for the Hornets since 1986.

O-A has rushed for a whopping 2,242 yards as a team during the regular season. Week 7 counts as non-league games because the Class D teams were already in the playoffs.

That being said, two of the three running backs on the squad and three offensive lineman lead the way.

6-foot-3, 275-pound Chris Williams was a unanimous choice at guard and 6-foot-1, 275-pound center Craig Campbell also was a key on the best offensive line in the league. Both were all-state selections two years ago, with Williams making all-stars for a third-straight year.

5-foot-8, 200-pound tackle Derek Hicks also made the all-star squad.

The O-A offensive line opened many holes for Tim Smith and Brad Riner, who both earned all-star recognition as seniors.

Smith led the Hornets in rushing with 771 yards and 11 touchdowns through six games, then rested in the final game of the season against Holley. He was the offensive Player of the Week for Class C in Week 4.

Riner, a fullback, picked up 639 yards and 10 scores this season, including a three TD game in the final game of the season.

Noah Seward had 29 tackles, an interception and four sacks and Tyler Kowalczyk had 2.5 sacks, an interception and 23 tackles. Both made the all-star team as defensive linemen.

It is Seward's second all-star nod.

Linebacker John Koenig had 17 tackles and two fumble recoveries and is joined by A.J. Kehlenbeck - one of only two juniors - on the all-star squad. Kehlenbeck had three interceptions and 17 tackles.

The Hornets are ranked No. 10 in the state for Class C and open up the Section 5 playoffs with a home game against Dansville Friday night.

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Pembroke ended the year one point away from the league title after its only loss came to Oakfield-Alabama, 25-24, in Week 6.

Quarterback David Kleckler had a stellar year and leads the group of seven Dragons to make the team.

Kleckler completed 30-of-56 attempts for 651 yards with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions this season. He also rushed for 301 yards and two touchdowns.

Andrew Wright made the team as a wide receiver, but could have been selected as a running back. He gained 774 yards on the ground and got into the end zone 10 times, while catching 13 passes for 340 yards and three TDs.

He also had a 99-yard kickoff return for a TD, a 58-yard punt return for a score and returned a fumble for a touchdown.

Tight end Ken Babcock caught 15 passes for 275 yards with five touchdowns and made the team because of his big-play ability in the red zone. He is a two-time all-star.

Graham Jensen is 5-foot-11, 210-pounds and made the team as a guard while 6-foot-2, 235-pound Matt Klotzbach is an all-star defensive lineman.

Jensen had 42 tackles on defense and Klotzbach had 45 stops with a sack.

Josh Hanel - a 5-foot-10, 200-pounder - was selected as a linebacker and safety Mike Dibble was selected as a defensive back.

Hanel had 45 tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery and Dibble made 62 tackles. Dibble also rushed for 522 yards and eight touchdowns.

It is the second all-star appearance for both Babcock and Jensen.

Pembroke opens up the Class C playoffs with Bishop Kearney on Saturday.

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Notre Dame gets four all-star selections after going 4-2 in the regular season. The Fighting Irish are 5-2 and playing Perry on Saturday at East Rochester in the Class D semifinals.

Kevin Francis made the squad for the second straight year as a wide receiver. He caught 27 passes for 337 yards with five touchdowns in six regular season games.

Francis returned five kickoffs for 145 yards and nine punts for 142 yards and a touchdown.

Craig Houseknecht is a 6-foot-2, 235-pound senior and made the team as a guard while Rick Lair makes it as a linebacker.

Lair had 41 tackles and 34 assists with two forced fumbles and eight tackles for a loss.

Matt Thompson is only a junior but garners all-star recognition for the second time as a kicker/punter.

Thompson converted on 26-of-30 extra point attempts and had a season-long 35-yard field goal. He averaged 43.5 yards on kickoffs with 10 touchbacks while averaging 40.4 yards per punt, including four inside the 20.

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Attica went 4-3 during the regular season and gets three all-stars.

Andy Ruddock earned offensive Player of the Week for Class B in Week 3 and is an all-star for the second time. He rushed for 936 yards with 10 touchdowns and caught 10 passes for 127 yards and a score.

Shawn Dupuis had 29 tackles with a fumble recovery and makes the team as a defensive back. He was the leading receiver for the Blue Devils, catching 26 passes for 530 yards and six touchdowns.

Kevin Gallinger was the defensive Player of the Week in Week 6 and had a huge year at linebacker. Gallinger had 54 tackles and an interception.

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Barker went 1-5 and nearly shocked top-seed Clyde-Savannah in the Class D playoffs last week.

Defensive lineman Ray Paul makes the all-star squad with 33 tackles and a sack.

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Honorable mentions: 

Alexander - Joe Aurrichio, Lucas Czechowski, Steve George, Jordan Leitten, Ryan Piechocki, Ryan Wilson.

Attica - Luke Pariso, Brandon Rollins.

Barker - Cody Blackley, Greg Brown, Rob Johnson, Josh Sonberg.

Elba/Byron-Bergen - Brent Crawford, Zach Green, Brandon Shuknecht, Cody Torpey.

Holley - Cory Blood, Guy Hills.

Notre Dame - Greg Barr, Nick Bochicchio, Eric Houseknecht, Kevin Schildwaster, Cam McDonald.

Oakfield-Alabama - Josh Athoe, Jon Fisher.

Pembroke - MIke Wells.

 The previews for Week 7 are now up in Sports and I've done special playoff previews for both Alexander and Notre Dame.

As always, readers are encouraged to comment on the games and make predictions.

Here is the list:

Attica at Pembroke

Holley at Oakfield-Alabama

Geneva at Batavia

Elba/Byron-Bergen at Bishop Walsh

Hornell at Le Roy

Canisteo-Greenwood at Alexander

DeSales at Notre Dame

As many area schools face issues with declining enrollment, there is a prime example of what we could see in the future happening at Lyons High School right now.

Lyons had to forfeit last weekend's game against Dundee and today announced it will not be fielding a team for the Class DD playoffs, which start this weekend. The reason is that the team does not have the  minimum of 16 kids that must suit up to play a game.

The eighth-seeded Lions were scheduled to play No. 1 Caledonia-Mumford Friday night.

The only team in the bracket to be pushed into Pool Play is Warsaw, which one would assume would be given that final playoff position. But, it is Wednesday and Cal-Mum and Warsaw have already been working on preparations for the original teams on the schedule. So Warsaw will not be jumping into the playoffs.

This happened two years ago when Holley had to forfeit its final regular season game and opening round playoff game, both against Pembroke.

The Dragons went two weeks without a game and lost in the sectional semifinals because they were obviously rusty and had to play a very good Le Roy squad.

Now Cal-Mum might very well go into the playoffs with a week off and the possibility of facing a solid Avon team in the semifinals.

 Elba felt the need to merge with Byron-Bergen because of the declining numbers, with hopes of avoiding this situation. Unfortunately, this is something that now appears to be a topic we are going to be discussing come playoff time every year or two now.

Congratulations Oakfield on a great win against Pembroke on Friday night!  It was fun to watch the rivalry between 2 great football teams.  Unfortunately, the students did not get a chance to get together and celebrate their victory at their homecoming dance.  Due to a lack of chaperones, the dance was cancelled.  I find it a little disappointing that not one member of the faculty stepped up to spend 4 hours at the school on a Saturday night.   What,exactly, is homecoming without some kind of celebration? 

 When Tim Smith and Brad Riner embraced just moments after the Oakfield-Alabama football team had shocked visiting Pembroke in the final seconds to wrap up the Genesee Region League title, saying it was an emotional moment would be an understatement. 

The two tearful O-A stars literally left it all on the field and scored the final points in an amazing 25-24 victory in front of an estimated 2,500 fans.

Smith's story is well known.

He literally walked off the field in the middle of a game last season and quit on his team. But his teammates welcomed him back - and it was Smith that plunged into the end zone with 29 seconds left on the clock to put the Hornets down by one point.

The coaching staff initially wanted to kick the extra point and go into overtime, especially with Smith getting banged up on the touchdown run. But the O-A players made the call to go for two, and coach John Dowd let his players decide if they were going to win the Genesee Region League championship outright on a two-point conversion.

After burning a timeout because of some confusion, the Hornets lined up and gave the ball to Riner, who took a sweep to the left side of the line and dove into the end zone to give O-A the lead.

Riner wrapped up the league title (it is the first time the Hornets have won the title outright since Dowd has been coach) with an interception two plays later.

This was a typical Oakfield-Alabama/Pembroke game, a classic battle between the top two programs in the GR.

There was no smack talk on the field, no cheap shots ... nothing but a hard fought battle between two great teams.

Pembroke looked as if it was going to dominate early on as David Kleckler returned the opening kickoff 70 yards to set up an Andrew Wright 1-yard touchdown run less than a minute into the contest.

Neither team moved the ball after that in the first quarter and it was 7-0 after 12 minutes.

Wright put an end to the battle of the punters with a 41-yard run midway through the second quarter. Matthew Phelps nailed an impressive 39-yard field goal to put the Dragons up 10-0.

O-A started near midfield and quarterback A.J. Kehlenbeck rumbled for 17 yards to set up a Riner 6-yard TD run with about a minute left in the half, making the score 10-7 at the break.

After the second half started with defensive stops, Riner broke off a 16-yarder and Smith eventually scored from 3-yards out to give the Hornets a 14-10 advantage.

The Dragons seemed to have lost it at this point.

Three consecutive conservative rushing calls set up a fourth-and-8 at the Pembroke 30-yard line.

But Kleckler scrambled around for a little bit and launched a pass into the end zone, which was hauled in by Jacob Reeves. It is just the second reception he's had all season long.

Pembroke carried the 17-14 lead into the fourth.

Oakfield-Alabama's power rushing attack led to a 7-plus minute drive that allowed the score to be tied up when Jon Fisher kicked a 24-yard field goal.

On the ensuing drive, Kleckler scrambled for 32 yards and Mike Dibble rumbled for 14 yards, but two penalties in three plays put Pembroke in a tough situation.

The Dragons had a third-and-17 at the Oakfield 23-yard line.

Kleckler dropped back to pass and felt the pressure from O-A's defensive lineman, but he scrambled around for a couple of seconds and found tight end Ken Babcock at about the 5-yard line. Babcock took a few steps into the end zone and the Dragons led 24-17 with 2:42 left in the game.

Smith had a long kick return to midfield and O-A's longest run on the final drive was a 12-yard scamper by Riner.

The win means Oakfield-Alabama is now 6-0 and is league champions. Pembroke falls to 5-1.

With Le Roy's victory over Caledonia-Mumford tonight, O-A is still the No. 2 seed in Class C and Pembroke is at No. 3. 

The Dragons play Attica next week.

 All of the football previews are now done and in sports, with the exception of the Pembroke/Oakfield-Alabama game. I put that one on the front page as well because I did an insane amount of work on that thing.

I'd like to get you members of The Batavian involved with these previews. Please pick the games you are interested in and make predictions as to what you think will happen and what the final score will be. Maybe we can get some good conversations going.

Here is the list of games:

Holley at Attica

Pembroke at Oakfield-Alabama

Cal-Mum at Le Roy

Batavia at East Rochester/Gananda

Barker at Alexander

Elba/Byron-Bergen at Notre Dame

Also, if you are looking for preview information on Livingston Conference, Albion or Medina games you should pick up a copy of The Daily News tomorrow. They are doing a good job of reporting on these games.

I'm guessing the only statistics and story-lines you are going to see on Batavia, Le Roy or GR games are all on The Batavian today. 

Pembroke (5-0) at Oakfield-Alabama (5-0)

7 p.m. Friday

Genesee Region League football fans have had this game marked on their calendars since the schedules came out.

Pembroke and Oakfield-Alabama have had the top two teams in the league all season long and this game will decide the champion.

O-A would clinch the title outright with a victory and avoiding a total meltdown against Holley next week. Pembroke would clinch at least a tie and would claim the title outright with a win and a victory over Attica in the final week of the season.

This game has become the biggest rivalry in the GR in recent years as both teams are powerhouse programs that compete for a sectional title every year.

It shouldn't be any different this year as Oakfield-Alabama is currently the second seed in Class C while Pembroke follows at No. 3.

Le Roy is the top seed and will be playing tough games with Caledonia-Mumford and Hornell in the final two weeks, so the winner of this game could end up getting the prestigious top seed in sectionals.

The Hornets are ranked No. 10 in the state while Pembroke gets an honorable mention.

Pembroke's Chip Foster and O-A's John Dowd became head coaches at the same time and the Dragons have won four out of five meetings between the two powerhouses.

The games are typically defensive battles:

2003 - Pembroke 17, Oakfield-Alabama 13

2004 - Pembroke 14, Oakfield-Alabama 9

2005 - Oakfield-Alabama 34, Pembroke 16

2006 - Pembroke 14, Oakfield-Alabama 6

2007 - Pembroke 13, Oakfield-Alabama 10

The Hornets have a big size advantage on the offensive and defensive line, but Pembroke might have the edge in the amount of skilled players that will touch the football.

Andrew Wright tops that list.

He has rushed the ball 39 times for 539 yards and seven touchdowns while catching 12 passes for 334 yards and three scores.

But Wright is by no means the only offensive weapon.

Mike Dibble has gained 390 yards and scored eight touchdowns, Josh Phillips has 268 yards and six TDs and quarterback David Kleckler has rushed for 230 yards and two touchdowns on just 17 rushes.

Kleckler has completed 21-of-38 attempts for 532 yards with seven touchdowns and four interceptions. His main targets are Wright and tight end Ken Babcock (9 receptions, 198 yards, 3 TDs).

Tim Smith has been the biggest producer offensively thus far for the Hornets, gaining 651 yards with nine touchdowns on 73 carries. But O-A will spread the ball around.

Brad Riner has 413 yards and six touchdowns, Joe Natalizia has 221 yards and two scores and Jason Stanley has pitched in 212 yards with one touchdown.

Josh Athoe returned from a leg injury suffered during baseball season and got the start last week, rushing 16 times for 83 yards with two touchdowns.

A.J. Kehlenbeck has added a pretty good passing attack for the Hornets. He has completed 13-of-24 pass attempts - to seven different receivers - for 145 yards and four TDs. Noah Seward leads the team in receptions with three for 36 yards. He also has four sacks.