Sports

Alexander and Holley played to a 0-0 tie Thursday and Holley earned the Division 1 title with the tie.  It was a great defensive game from both sides and arguably the two most skilled goalies in the league showed why they have earned that reputation as they each had one huge save to keep the other team off the scoreboard.  Hannah Wilson stopped Holley's Emily Troup with a quick reaction save diving to her left to get a hand on a shot that Troup ripped from 10 yards and Wilson collected the rebound to keep Holley off the board in the 1st half.  Julie Brooks stopped Alexander late in the game on a scramble in front of the net that was eventually cleared by a defender to keep Alexander from sneaking in a late goal to steal the win.

It was a very even game with both teams keeping fantastic shape in the back and holding strong on their marking to only give up a handful of shots.  Alexander will be the 6th seed in Class C Sectionals and Holley looks to be the 4th seed in Class B Sectionals.

 Attica (4-2) at Pembroke (5-1)

1:30 p.m. Saturday

Even though this game counts as a non-league contest, it is a big game between two top Genesee Region League squads that are still playing for a lot.

Pembroke lost out on the GR title with a loss to Oakfield-Alabama last week, but is playing for the No. 3 seed in the Class C playoffs. The Dragons would get the third seed with a victory and could drop to as far as No. 5, which would mean they lose that first round home game.

 Attica suffered two losses during the earlier part of the season and is going to be using this game to prepare for the Class B playoffs. The Blue Devils typically do not do well in sectionals but want momentum heading into the tournament.

Attica is coming off a 50-15 drubbing of Holley and is firing on all cylinders offensively.

Andy Ruddock leads the squad in rushing, picking up 847 yards with nine touchdowns on 87 carries. Nate Berry follows with 20 attempts for 225 yards and four scores. Luke Pariso has 143 yards and four TDs.

The passing game has really come into its own.

Brandon Rollins had his best week of the year last week and threw for 205 yards and three touchdowns. He has completed 45-of-70 attempts for 675 yards, 11 touchdowns and six interceptions this year.

His big target is Shawn Dupuis, who caught seven passes for 137 yards and two TDs last week. Dupuis now has 23 receptions for 485 yards and six scores.

Pembroke's defense will have its hands full with this crew. But the Blue Devils also have a big challenge.

Andrew Wright and the Pembroke offense has been amazing this season. Even last week when Oakfield-Alabama was able to hold Wright in check, quarterback David Kleckler stepped up and nearly delivered his team a win with some amazing passes.

Kleckler now has completed 25-of-50 passes for 600 yards with nine touchdowns and five interceptions. He has 259 yards rushing, with a pair of scores as well.

Wright has huge numbers. He has ran the ball 51 times for 623 yards and eight touchdowns, has caught 13 passes for 340 yards and three scores and has returned two kicks for TDs.

Mike Dibble has rushed for 433 yards and eight touchdowns on 77 carries and J.P. Phillips has added 271 yards and six scores.

Ken Babcock has 11 receptions for 230 yards and four TDs.

Both teams will kick off the playoffs next weekend.

 Holley (0-6) at Oakfield-Alabama (6-0)

7 p.m. Friday

The Hornets won the Genesee Region League title last week with a thrilling 25-24 victory over Pembroke as the two undefeated squads went blow-for-blow in front of about 2,500 fans.

With the playoffs just a week away, the Hornets just need to avoid a major let-down to clinch the No. 2 seed. O-A can still get the top seed in Class C if they win and Hornell beats Le Roy Friday night.

Oakfield-Alabama is the 10th ranked team in the state.

Tim Smith and Brad Riner had huge games for the Hornets in the title-clinching win and will look to wrap up the regular season by adding to their impressive rushing totals.

Smith has 771 yards and 11 touchdowns on 95 carries and Riner has pitched in a solid 505 yards and seven touchdowns on 89 attempts. Riner also had the big 2-point conversion run to give the Hornets the win last week.

Jason Stanley has picked up 260 yards and Josh Athoe has 105 and will likely each get some carries.

With such a mismatch, O-A might try to work on some things before the playoffs start, and that could lead to some passing by A.J. Kehlenbeck.

The senior QB has had a very good year - going 13-of-26 for 145 yards and four TDs - and may get a chance to open things up a bit before the second team gets in the game.

Oakfield-Alabama's defense is as good as the offense as the team has scored 241 points and given up just 91.  That unit is led by a big, physical defensive line.

Chris Williams leads the way with 32 tackles with Riner and Noah Seward each pitching in 27.

These guys will have the job of shutting down the Holley rushers.

The Hawks have not had a lot of luck moving the ball this season and are looking to get through this game and attempt to contend in Pool Play.

Kyle Steadman has emerged as the top rusher for Holley and scored twice in a 50-15 loss to Attica last week. Guy Hills can also make plays for the Hawks.

 Geneva (5-1) at Batavia (3-3)

7 p.m. Friday

Rob Williams is out, so the Blue Devils are going to have to change things up quite a bit.

Williams has been a monster this season but suffered a hip injury in last week's 34-14 loss to East Rochester/Gananda. But he was shut down, gaining only 26 yards on 15 carries, and left in the third quarter with the injury.

The senior with 904 yards rushing will be missing this week but should be back for the Class B playoffs the following week.

This means drastic changes in how Batavia will run its offense, takes away the biggest playmaker on special teams and means the defensive secondary will be severely limited.

But the Blue Devils have a plan; give the ball to Anthony D'Aurizio as much as possible, play the field position game and try to control the tempo of the game.

D'Aurizio has carried the ball 83 times for 826 yards and eight touchdowns and has been the thunder to Williams' lightning. An experienced athlete, D'Aurizio is going to have to put the team on his shoulders and carry them this week.

"He's going to have to have a monster game, no doubt about it," coach Dan Geiger said. 

As good as D'Aurizio is, Geneva will be focusing on him and the Blue Devils are going to need to do other things.

Vinny Pedro has done some good work as the third back and would help his team a bunch if he could make a big play or two with the ball in his hands. Fullback Todd Logsdon could also see increased carries this week.

And it is time for quarterback Joe Canzoneri to step up.

The junior has not had to do much with his arm because of Batavia's strong running game, but expect him to be put in the position to make plays that could determine the outcome of the game.

Canzoneri is a skilled quarterback that will have to get the ball to receivers like Pedro, Devonte Rolle and Joe Schlossel. 

Batavia has been on the road for the last three weeks and returns home for homecoming and a game with a Geneva squad that is the top seed in Class B. The Blue Devils have clinched a playoff berth and will probably end up at No. 7 or 8.

Geneva has a stud quarterback in Bobby Martin and has won two consecutive sectional championships. The Panthers are ranked fourth in the state in Class B.

Martin is surrounded by good athletes and is going to be hungry after a 14-13 loss to Canandaigua last week, in a battle of unbeaten squads.

 Elba/Byron-Bergen (1-5) at Bishop Walsh (1-4).

7 p.m. Friday

Some games are close to a must-win, even if a team isn't going to make the playoffs.

This is one of them.

Elba/Byron-Bergen has that situation this weekend as Walsh is not a very good football team that could be the home underdog. The Eagles have only scored 66 points in five games, while giving up a whopping 187.

The Section 6 school is coming off a 43-12 beat-down at the hands of C.G. Finney last week and has only beaten Niagara Catholic this season in a 26-22 game. 

The Lancers need a win in this game to quiet some of the many critics that are not happy with the way the program is going.

Last week's 48-14 loss to Notre Dame was rough to look at on the field, but the reason isn't because of the skill of the players. The Elba/Byron-Bergen penalty count - including personal fouls - is out of control and the fans have grown impatient with the losing and penalties; and they are becoming very vocal.

When the team doesn't turn the ball over or shoot itself in the foot with the penalties, they are competitive.

Zach Green is one of the more talented athletes in the Genesee Region League and people will remember him as the biggest bright spot for this team, this year.

He gained the majority of Elba/Byron-Bergen's 129 rushing yards last week and can break off a big run at any time. Brandon Spurling also has that breakaway ability and will get his share of carries.

The Lancers had been starting Eric Kowalik at quarterback for most of the season, but switched back to Cody Torpey last week. It is unclear at this point as to which one will get the start or the bulk of the plays behind center this week.

The Byron-Bergen players have improved throughout the season and have now gained enough varsity experience to play with a team like Walsh. 

The Lancers are looking to win this game and try to turn some of the negative talk into positives heading into Pool Play.

 Hornell (5-1) at Le Roy (6-0)

7:30 p.m. Friday

This is the last tuneup before sectionals for the Oatkan Knights, and what a tuneup it is.

Le Roy is looking to keep the 41-game win streak at Hartwood Park alive with a game against a very solid Class B squad, that is coming off a 14-7 win over rival Bath last weekend. The Oatkan Knights are also coming off a win versus a rival, a 27-20 win over Caledonia-Mumford.

Le Roy - the Livingston Conference Division II champion - is ranked fourth in the state in Class C while the Red Raiders jumped from not being ranked up to No. 8 in Class B.

This game means a lot to LR as the top seed in the Section 5 Class C playoffs is up for grabs. Oakfield-Alabama should run away with Holley and would move up to No. 1 if Hornell were to win this game.

That means Le Roy could end up with Pembroke in the semifinals and then O-A in the finals. This is no regular tune-up for the playoffs.

The Oatkan Knights will come out and try to take hold on this game early with some big scores. Don't be surprised if quarterback Travis Fenstermaker tries to get the ball to Mike Humphrey early in this game.

Humphrey had his quietest game of the season last week and it showed as LR fell behind 14-0 early. He did catch seven passes, but for only 40 yards and no touchdowns.

Humphrey has 28 receptions for 435 yards and nine scores and every time he makes an impact early in a game, Le Roy rolls.

Fenstermaker completed 11-of-15 attempts for 106 yards and a TD last week, and continues to be a great passing quarterback that can make a difference with his feet. He scrambled nine times for 34 yards against Cal-Mum.

Andrew Alexander is still having a tremendous season in the backfield. His 107 yards with a touchdown last week puts him at 888 yards with eight TDs for the season.

Le Roy's defense will have its hands full as Hornell has no problem moving the football.

Austin Dwyer has been one of the top rushers in all of Section 5 and currently has 155 carries for 1,103 yards and 12 touchdowns.

He will get the ball a lot.

If the Oatkan Knight defense can put the Red Raiders in third-and-longs, it is clear where the ball is going.

Quarterback Zach Harkenrider has completed 21-of-46 pass attempts for 375 yards with five touchdowns. Jordan Schwartz has caught 14 of those passes for 310 yards - with five touchdowns.

This is where Humphrey and Alexander can make their marks on defense. Both have solid interception numbers this year and Harkenrider has been picked off seven times.

 Canisteo-Greenwood (2-4) at Alexander (3-3)

1:30 p.m. Saturday

You can call this Season 3 for the Alexander football team.

The first season was one in which the squad was pummeled by Oakfield-Alabama, Pembroke and Attica in the first three games of the season. The second was three straight wins over Holley, Elba/Byron-Bergen and Barker.

Now it is playoff time.

When Lucas Czechowski booted a field goal to give Alexander a 9-8 win over Holley in the fourth week of the season, it was just the start to a run that has earned the Trojans a home game in the Class DD playoffs.

His team now looks to make a run through the playoffs with Canisteo-Greenwood on tap in the opener and likely Caledonia-Mumford waiting in the finals.

The road ahead is a challenge as C-G has played some pretty stiff competition in teams like Le Roy and Cal-Mum during the regular season, probably Clyde-Savannah in the semifinals and the Red Raiders getting a bye week in the opening round.

Cal-Mum gets a rest during the opening week of the playoffs because Lyons had to cancel the rest of its season.

Alexander coach Dave Radley and his squad are not looking that far in the future just yet as the Redskins await in the opening round.

C-G has an offense that will keep the Alexander defenders on their feet on every play. The Redskins spend most of the game in a shotgun formation and run a lot of motion and option plays out of it.

Quarterback Mark Ahearn is a good runner and does a great job of drawing in linebackers before pitching the ball to running back Brett Marlatt.

The Trojans have seen a lot of different looks during Genesee Region League competition, but no team as diverse on the offensive side of the ball as Canisteo-Greenwood.

Ryan Piechoki, who is playing with a broken hand, leads the Alexander defense with 53 tackles and will get help from Ryan Wilson (26 tackles), A.J. Dybala (25) and Jordan Leitten (23).

Alexander will try to run the football and take advantage of scoring opportunities.

The offense has not put up any huge numbers this season but can move the ball and play the field position game as well as anybody.

Jay Schafer is the top rusher and has gained 514 yards with four touchdowns on 81 carries. Mike Woodrow has gotten more reps as the season goes on and finished the regular season with 210 yards and two scores on 39 attempts.

Piechoki has scored five times on 35 carries and will see carries in short yardage situations.

There has not been much of a passing game, which could be something the team will need in the playoffs to make a run.

Zach Burke completed 24-of-59 pass attempts for 291 yards, but has six interceptions to go with just one touchdown. His top target has been Czechowski, who has eight receptions for 104 yards, but he will also look in the direction of Steven George and possibly Leitten, who has big-play ability.

This is the second first round home game Alexander has ever hosted.

No. 6 DeSales (3-3) at No. 3 Notre Dame (4-2)

1:30 p.m. Saturday

Anybody that was at Aquinas High School for the 2006 sectional finals game between Notre Dame and C.G. Finney will always remember the Fighting Irish players running towards the stands to celebrate a championship with their fans.

The players were holding the trophy high as they were on top of the world, just knocking off state ranked Finney, which came into the game undefeated.

 Nick Bochicchio was a waterboy on that team and was as much there to support his older brother Christian, who was the quarterback on that squad.

Now, the younger Bochicchio is a junior and the starting QB that is looking to lead the Fighting Irish to a Class D championship. The playoffs kick off this weekend with a home game against DeSales.

Notre Dame has a lot to look forward to during this playoff run, including a possible matchup with Finney - which is always a good time - in the semifinals, but will not be overlooking DeSales in the opening round.

The Saints do not excel at any one thing, but do many things well. They will mix in the pass with a run offense that is led by running back Brandon Wright.

Senior Brendan Costello is a solid quarterback that will look to get the ball in the hands of sophomore playmaker Erin Edwards-Rhymes as much as possible.

DeSales plays in the tough Finger Lakes West and has scored 174 points while giving up 166.

Notre Dame has been playing some good football of late, with wins over Holley and Elba/Byron-Bergen in the last two weeks.

The running back duo of Kevin Schildwaster and Mike Pratt has proven to be a strong 1-2 punch. 

Schildwaster leads the squad with 487 yards and seven touchdowns with Pratt not far behind with 440 yards and five scores. The backfield has plenty of depth with Gianni Zambito and Greg Barr emerging as solid backups in recent weeks.

Bochicchio is well over 600 yards passing and has it made with receiver Kevin Francis on the field. Every time Francis gets the ball in his hands, he is a threat to take it to the house.

The winner of this game will play either No. 2 C.G. Finney (4-1) or No. 7 Perry (3-3) next weekend.

 I see that the Batavia girls volleyball team just improved to 7-7 with a 25-16, 25-11, 22-25, 25-20 win over Brighton Wednesday.

The Blue Devils have had a very strong program for a long time, graduating some great players over the last 5-6 years.

But with just a .500 record, is Jeremy Mettler's squad going to be overlooked in the playoffs? It could happen.

The team plays very good competition in the Monroe County League and has players like Sarah Reynolds and Rachel Hale leading the team this year. Reynolds had 11 kills and Hale added eight in Friday's victory.

When a Class BB team has to battle powerhouses like Pittsford Sutherland and Victor in the regular season, they are going to be ready for the playoffs. 

The Blue Devils sit behind just Sutherland (12-2) and Victor (12-1) in Monroe County League Division III, so the regular season has probably been better than a 7-7 record shows.

When the playoffs start in two weeks, Batavia will be prepared. I've seen Mettler take teams to the sectional finals in the past, before Monroe County volleyball moved to the fall, and Batavia could be a sleeper in Class BB.

Newark, School of the Arts, Wayne and Aquinas all over 10-or-more wins and have quality programs at the top of the sectional bracket, and Batavia could end up seeded fifth by the time the regular season ends. 

I like Batavia's chances to make a run.

Just a reminder, high school football previews will be posted as I finish them tomorrow.

I will also be doing special playoff previews for Notre Dame and Alexander, which kick off their playoff runs on Saturday. 

Holley beat Kendall 1-0 at home Tuesday night to move into 1st place for the first time this year.  It is the first time Holley has been in 1st place alone in quite a while (i would guess 3 or 4 years).  Holley currently sits 10-2-2 with 1 game left (@ Alexander Thursday) while Pembroke sits 10-3-1 with 1 game left (@ Attica Thursday).  With a tie or win by Holley or a loss or tie by Pembroke Holley will be division champs.  Pembroke needs a win and a Holley loss to win the division.  This is the first time since 2004 that the division title has gone down to the last day of the season.

Goal was scored by Emily Troup on a rebound.  Congrats to Coach Mann and the Holley Hawks

Tim Sullivan was an unlikely Division I basketball player when he graduated from Notre Dame High School back in 1978.

He lacked the size and didn't put up numbers in high school that would make big schools look at an undersized player from Genesee County.

But he did just that, walking on to the Canisius basketball team and playing at that high level. He also played for the Syracuse Shooting Stars and spent a few weeks on the roster of the Buffalo Rapids of the ABA, just a few years back.

I have gotten to know Sullivan over the years as he has helped many area youngsters with the game of basketball and we had a chance to catch up Tuesday afternoon.

It turns out, things are going quite well for the shooting expert.

He recently won a 3-point shooting competition  - at the still Hooping 3-on-3 3-point shooting contest - against some pretty hefty competition, namely former NBA stars Glen Rice, Hersey Hawkins and Dale Ellis. He won the contest two years ago and was second last year.

Sullivan is continuing to work as an instructor at camps all across the country.

He puts on about 250 clinics per year and works for ADIDAS Phenom camp in San Diego, California.

Sullivan does one-on-one work with individual D-1 prospects and helps with instruction at many colleges, including Syracuse University, Indiana University and the University of Kentucky.

Sullivan said he has studied the science of shooting and has figured out how anybody can be a 3-point shooting star. Check out this video I found on YouTube, where he does not miss an attempt in almost 3 minutes.

You can also check out his Web site for more information.

 Attica senior linebacker Kevin Gallinger is the second player from his squad to earn a Player of the Week in Class B.

Running back Andy Ruddock won the Offensive Player of the Week in Week 3 and Gallinger earned the honor on the defensive side of the ball this week.

The 5-foot-11, 190-pounder had  eight solo tackles and six assists in Attica's 50-15 win over Holley Friday night.

Attica is 4-2 and will be playing Pembroke (5-1) this Saturday.