football

Press Release:

In a game that came down to the final play, the Genesee County Spartans defeated the Ithaca Warriors, 12-6, on Saturday night in Northeastern Football Alliance semipro action at Pembroke Town Park.

Linebacker Marley English and defensive backs Jzon Henderson and Max Rapone stopped Ithaca quarterback Joshua Mims just three yards from the end zone as time ran out to secure the victory for the Spartans, now 4-2, and still alive for a playoff berth in the league’s Western Conference.

The top two teams in each conference will advance to the playoffs. The Lockport Wildcats lead at 7-0, followed by the Spartans at 4-2 and Rochester Chargers at 3-3.

The Spartans are off until Aug. 3 when they will host Rochester for a 5 p.m. contest. Rochester has a home game next Saturday against the unbeaten Wildcats.

“We escaped with a win tonight, but we’ll have to be much better against Rochester and, hopefully, for the playoff game against Lockport,” said Spartans Head Coach Harry Rascoe. “We need to avoid turnovers and capitalize on our opportunities. Tonight’s game should not have been that close.”

Against Ithaca, the Spartans’ points came as a result of a field goal, safety, touchdown and point-after-touchdown kick.

Julia Petry opened the scoring midway through the first quarter by kicking a 22-yard field goal, capping a short drive set up by Marley’s interception at the Ithaca 25.

Neither team scored again until the 3:55 mark of the third quarter when Spartans’ defensive tackle Gunner Rapone and English tackled David Crow, Ithaca’s other QB, in the end zone for a safety, making the score 5-0.

The safety came one play after Genesee County was thwarted on four straight running attempts from the 1-yard line.

The Spartans increased their lead to 11-0 with four minutes left in the fourth quarter when QB Corey Turpin connected with wide receiver Deyonci Farley for a 34-yard TD. Farley caught the ball in the right flat, avoided a defender and sprinted to the end zone. Petry’s extra point kick made it 12-0.

Ithaca struck back quickly, however, when Mims hit Patrick Twum for a 45-yard touchdown. A pass for the two-point conversion fell incomplete, leaving the score at 12-6.

Genesee County ran six plays, taking two minutes off the clock, but turned the ball over on downs with 1:31 to play. Taking over at the Spartans’ 40, Mims completed a couple passes to get the ball to the 8-yard line, stopping the clock with five seconds left.

From there, Mims scrambled before taking off down the middle of the field and running into the trio of Spartans’ defenders who combined for the potential game-saving tackle.

Statistically, Spartans’ running back Jed Reese had a busy night, carrying 22 times for 106 yards. Turpin completed nine of 13 passes for 114 yards, a TD and two interceptions.

Defensively, Henderson and lineman Steve Kowalczyk had interceptions, linebacker Kaden Marucci recovered a fumble and Gunner Rapone recorded a sack.

Rascoe, noting his team’s statistical advantage, credited both lines for “controlling the line of scrimmage” but said he’s looking for his team’s skill position players to dominate going forward.

Press Release:

The undefeated Lockport Wildcats had an un-Fair advantage on Saturday night on their way to defeating the visiting Genesee County Spartans, 36-14, in Northeastern Football Alliance semipro action.

Veteran quarterback Willie Fair II passed for four touchdowns and ran for another TD to lead the Wildcats, now 6-0 in league play, past the Spartans, who drop to 3-2. Both teams compete in the league’s Western Conference.

Against Lockport, the Spartans were victimized by six turnovers – three fumbles and three interceptions, the big-play ability of Fair, who converted two 4th-and-20 situations into touchdowns, and a 75-yard kickoff return for a TD by Darren Thompson.

“Just too many mistakes on both sides of the ball,” said Spartans’ Head Coach Harry Rascoe. “We were unable to contain Fair, who can throw the ball 70 yards in the air, and we committed too many turnovers.”

Fair completed just 10 passes but four of them resulted in points as Jordan Evert and Sultani Campbell each had two TD receptions. The Wildcats’ ground game was effective with Fair gaining 53 yards on 11 carries and Sean Marshall picking up 52 yards on 11 carries.

For the Spartans, QB Corey Turpin completed 16 of 29 passes for 100 yards, with receivers Tai Reffell-Pugh and Deyonci Farley finding the end zone. Halfback Jed Reese carried 10 times for 42 yards.

The Spartans are back in action at 5 p.m. Saturday against the Ithaca Warriors, 4-2 in the Eastern Conference, at Pembroke Town Park.

This Saturday’s game has been designated “Youth Football Night” with all youth football program players and cheerleaders wearing their jerseys/uniforms admitted at no charge.

Press release:

The Genesee County Spartans improved its record to 3-1 on Saturday night with a 15-6 victory over the host Watertown Red & Black in Northeastern Football Alliance semipro action.

Quarterback Corey Turpin passed for 230 yards, halfback Jed Reese ran for 94 yards on 23 carries and a pair of touchdowns and wide receiver Deyonci Farley caught five passes for 143 yards to lead the Spartans.

“This is the biggest win in our organization’s history,” said Head Coach Harry Rascoe. “Our first-ever game was there (against Watertown), and we didn’t fare very well. The score of this game was not indicative of the way we controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.”

Genesee took a 6-0 on its opening drive, with Reese running it in from five yards out. On the extra point attempt, Keith Neureuter picked up a bad snap and burst over the goal line for two points to make it 8-0.

The Spartans upped their lead to 14-0 on their first drive after intermission, set up by a long pass to Farley from Turpin, who completed 14 of 25 attempts. Reese scored from a few yards out to set up the extra point kick by Julia Petry.

Rascoe credited injured QB Alex Rood for his effort filling in as offensive coordinator for Jermaine Henderson, who could not make the trip to Watertown.

The Red & Black, 2-2, scored with about three minutes left in the game.

Defensively, Jzhon Henderson and Tre Woods had interceptions, and Gunner Rapone, Max Rapone and Steve Kowalczyk recorded sacks. Kaden Marucci was in on 11 tackles.

Next up for the Spartans is a home contest against the Rochester Chargers at 5 p.m. this Saturday at Pembroke Town Park. Genesee defeated the Rochester squad, 19-12, on June 8 at Franklin High.

A 3-on-3 basketball tournament fundraiser to benefit the Spartans is set for July 6 at Ri-Dan’s Sports Park on West Main Street Road. To register for the event, which includes youth and adult divisions, go to bit.ly/SpartansBball

Press release:

Quarterback Corey Turpin threw for a pair of touchdowns on Saturday to lead the Genesee County Spartans to a 19-12 victory over the host Rochester Chargers in Northeastern Football Alliance semipro action at Franklin High School.

The Spartans, 1-1, built a 19-0 lead with scores in each of the first three quarters.

Turpin connected with Deyonci Farley and found Rayshawn Huitt for a score to make it 12-0 at halftime before halfback Jed Reese burst into the end zone to put the visitors up 18-0. Kicker Julia Petry converted on the extra point to round out the Spartans’ scoring.

Genesee racked up 300 yards of total offense with Turpin passing for 150 and Reese running for 100.

Defensively, the Spartans held the Chargers, 1-1, to 200 yards of total offense, with three interceptions – two by Kaden Marucci and one by Marley English – and four sacks.

“The game marked a huge improvement from our first game (a 16-6 loss to Lockport), which I really felt we let slip away,” said Head Coach Harry Rascoe. “We controlled the line of scrimmage for most of the game. Credit to our secondary of Tre Bucci, Max Rapone, Jazon Henderson and Cody Wenner for holding down a very talented passing offense.”

Rascoe also credited coordinators Jermaine Henderson (offense) and Craig Tiberio (defense) for coming up with solid game plans.

The Spartans are off this weekend but will receive a forfeit victory since the East Coast Blue Devils have withdrawn from the league.

The team is back in action at 7 p.m. June 22 at the Watertown Red & Black.

Press release:

The Genesee County Spartans will be looking to get their offense in gear this Saturday when they travel to Franklin High School to take on the Rochester Chargers in Northeastern Football Alliance semipro action.

Corey Turpin will be handling all of the quarterback duties for the Spartans due to an injury to the team’s other QB, Alex Rood. Head Coach Harry Rascoe said that Rood will be out for at least eight weeks – likely all season.

The Spartans dropped their season opener last weekend, 16-6 to the Lockport Wildcats.

“Our defense played very well against Lockport, now we just to need get our offense clicking,” said Rascoe, noting that the Spartans held the Wildcats to just 118 yards passing and 90 yards rushing.

The Chargers received a forfeit victory last week as they were scheduled to play against the East Coast Blue Devils, which has opted out of the NFA this season.

Game time on Saturday is 5 p.m. Franklin High is located at 950 Norton St., Rochester.

Admission is $10. Youths 10 and under will be admitted at no charge.

The Genesee County Spartans gave the Lockport Wildcats all they could handle on Saturday afternoon before falling, 16-6, in their Northeastern Football Alliance semipro opener at Pembroke Town Park.

The Spartans’ defense kept the Wildcats, who went 9-1 last season, in check for most of the game except for a 60-yard touchdown pass from strong-armed quarterback Willie Fair III to Jason Thurman on the opening drive and a four-yard TD run by Fair with 1:18 to play.

Lockport was able to run for both two-point conversions.

Genesee’s offense sputtered in the first half, losing the ball twice on botched snaps, but put together its only scoring drive to begin the third quarter.

Halfback Jed Reese (Notre Dame graduate) gained 12 yards on two plays up the middle before wide receiver Deyonci Farley picked up 10 yards on a sweep.

On third down, quarterback Alex Rood threw a deep ball intended for wide receiver Rayshawn Huitt, who drew a pass interference penalty – putting the ball at the Lockport 7-yard line.

The Wildcats stiffened on the next two running plays and a false start penalty on the Spartans moved the ball back to the 15. From there, Rood found Huitt in the end zone for a touchdown, pulling Genesee to within two at 8-6.

Another pass intended for Huitt for the two-point conversion fell incomplete, however.

Both teams punted three times until the Spartans took possession at their own 47 with 4:39 to play. Following a couple of short gains, Rood hit Farley for a first down but a fumble on the play and long return gave the ball back to Lockport at the Spartans’ 26, setting up the visitors’ final scoring drive.

Spartans Head Coach Harry Rascoe said he was proud of the way the defense shut down the 6-5, 250-pound Fair for most of the contest. LB Marley English had an interception for Genesee.

“This was the best QB in the league and one of the best teams,” he said. “We’re close and we’re going to get better.”

Fair credited the Spartans for their defensive game plan.

“I want to take my hat off to their defensive coordinator (Craig Tiberio),” he said. “His schemes and stuff were a little tricky and we didn’t make the right adjustments.”

Reese said he saw a lot of good things, mentioning the Spartans’ effort and togetherness.

“This is our second season, and we will improve. I really like the way that everyone is more positive (this season) and willing to work with each other,” he said. “We’re playing like a team, not a bunch of individuals.”

The Spartans next game is against the Rochester Chargers at 5 p.m. Saturday at Franklin High School in Rochester.

Press release:

The Genesee County Spartans open their Northeastern Football Alliance semipro season this Saturday afternoon against the visiting Lockport Wildcats.

Kickoff for the “Iron Reps Gym Night” contest is scheduled for 5 o’clock at the Pembroke Town Park field on Route 77.

Head Coach Harry Rascoe said he feels good about the team’s chances this season. He bases his optimism on what he’s seen in practice and the squad’s 34-6 victory over Auburn in a scrimmage game a couple of weeks ago.

“We’re looking for big games from our quarterbacks, Alex Rood and Corey Turpin, and for the defense to put pressure on Lockport’s QB, Willie Fair,” Rascoe said. “Willie (who is listed at 6-foot-5, 260 pounds) is a great quarterback with a great arm. If we stay disciplined and win the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, we’ll be OK.”

Steve and Christy Deleo, owners of Iron Reps Gym in Le Roy, will take part in the coin toss. The Deleo family has signed on as “silver” sponsors of the Spartans.

“Bronze” level sponsors this season are House of Bounce, Wescott Motors, T.F. Brown’s Restaurant and Get Sealed. Additional supporters are Extended Sound, TJ Henderson, Perfect Piece LLC, WBTA, Ri-Dans, and Go Art!

The team was supposed to have an eight-game schedule, but it has been cut to six due to the East Coast Blue Devils not playing in the league this season. Rascoe said the Spartans may pick up another match along the way and is also hoping that a playoff game is in the mix.

Tickets are $5 per person and free for kids 11 and under.

Genesee County Spartans’ schedule:

• June 1 Lockport Wildcats
• June 8 at Rochester Chargers
• June 22 at Watertown Red & Black
• June 29 Rochester Chargers
• July 13 at Lockport Wildcats
• July 20 Ithaca Warriors

All home games will be at Pembroke Town Park.

Press release:

Otis Thomas, a member of Notre Dame High School Class of 1997, has been named Head Varsity Football Coach at his alma mater. 

A lifelong resident of Batavia, he attended St. Anthony's parochial school before graduating from Notre Dame, where he excelled in Football, Baseball, Basketball and Track and field. 

Otis won the prestigious Nick Salvador Football MVP award twice. His basketball teams played in three sectional finals, winning in 1995 and 1997 when they won the Western Regional title, which advanced them to the NYSPHSAA Final Four. In Baseball, he was on Sectional winning teams in 1996 and 1997. His excellence as an athlete earned him recognition as ND’s Co-Athlete of the Year in 1997 and also led to his induction into the Notre Dame Athletic Hall of Fame in 2021

Mr. Thomas has held a variety of coaching positions at Notre Dame since 2009. His Football coaching experience includes being the head JV Football coach, a JV Football Assistant, a Varsity Assistant, and most recently, the varsity football defensive coordinator. 

Otis has also been both the Boys' and girls' basketball JV Head Coach and a Varsity assistant for the past 8 seasons while also serving as ND’s varsity softball coach for 6 years, winning a sectional title last year.

When asked to comment on his hiring, Otis said, “ I believe in this school and everything about it. Notre Dame, my coaches, my classmates and their families, along with my own family, have made me into the man I am today. I was coached by two legendary coaches, Mike Rapone and the late Bill Sutherland, both of whom had an impact on me and are a big part of why I got into coaching. I always wanted to be the head football coach of my alma mater and consider myself blessed to have this opportunity. I will work hard from day 1 to maintain the standard and teach the culture built by those who have preceded me. Go IRISH!!

Mr. Thomas is currently employed by Aerosafe Global in Rochester as a manufacturing supervisor. He and his wife Nicole live on Otis Street in Batavia with their three children: Teagyn, Nya, who graduated from Notre Dame in 2021 and Gunnar, who is currently a seventh-grade student at Notre Dame.

Press Release:

Long-time Notre Dame football coach Jimmy Fanara has decided to retire ending a 22-year stint coaching football at his alma mater. 

Coach Fanara had planned that 2022 (his son Jimmy’s Senior year) would be his final season before he stepped up to take the head varsity coach position when Joe Zambito’s job took him out of the area.

Fanara held a variety of coaching positions, spending most of his years on the coaching staffs of Notre Dame HOF coaches Bill Sutherland and Rick Mancuso before taking over the Varsity reins in 2022. 

His final team team advanced to the Sectional semifinals before losing a hard-fought contest to York-Pavilion. 

AD Mike Rapone commented “When I coached Jimmy in basketball during his high school years, he demonstrated the leadership, determination, passion for athletics, and the love of Notre Dame that he displayed for his 22 years coaching football at ND. Any of the young men who were fortunate enough to have been coached by him have benefited greatly from the experience. He will be missed!”

Anyone interested in applying to be the next Varsity football coach at Notre Dame should email a letter of interest and a resume to michael.rapone@ndhsbatavia.com. Applicants must have or be willing to pursue NYS Coaching Certification.

The rivalry was once among the most legendary in Section V - Caledonia-Mumford vs. the Oatkan Knights of Le Roy.

The rivalry waned when leagues were realigned a few years ago, and starting next season, the once fierce fighters on the field will be brothers on the gridiron. 

Both school districts have approved, pending Section V approval, a merger of the two football programs.  The merger will affect all levels of football in both communities.

The Knights are coming off a 2023 campaign in which the team won its record-setting 16th Section V title.

The Le Roy Central School District said in a statement on Tuesday evening:

Please know that this decision was made with the best interests of our students and our school district in mind and keeps the mission of our shared services committee central to our decision-making. The decision to merge football teams with the Caledonia-Mumford CSD reflects the collaborative spirit and commitment to providing exceptional opportunities for our student-athletes.

The statement acknowledged the rich football history in both communities and said the merger would strengthen football opportunities for all age groups and help both districts sustain 11 main football programs.

The district said there would be future announcements about the plan to carry out the merger, practice and game schedules and locations, and a selection of a head coach and additional coaching staff.

"The team name, mascot, and colors will also be determined by student-athletes in partnership with our athletic directors and coaching staff at a later date," the statement read. 

It concluded, "We are excited about this merger and the future of the Caledonia-Mumford and Le Roy football program."

Over the past few seasons, Cal-Mum has been merged with Byron-Bergen for football and cheerleading.  On Tuesday evening, Athletic Director Rich Hannan and Superintendent Pat McGee issued the following statement.

We are writing to update everyone on a developing situation with our football and fall cheer program here at Byron-Bergen. Last week we were made aware that Cal-Mum is exploring a new partnership for their football and fall cheer squad that does not include Byron-Bergen. While we did not initiate this change, we are already actively exploring possibilities for our student-athletes to continue competing in their chosen fall sports.

In the eight-man state football championship on Saturday, the Pembroke Dragons jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead and didn't look back on its way to its 13th win of the season by a score of 36-0 to capture the title.

It's the second consecutive state title for Pembroke in eight-man football.  It's the first time a Pembroke football team finished the season with a perfect 13-0 record.

The Dragons once again topped the half-century mark in total yardage with Tyson Totton gaining 401 himself on the ground and scoring five touchdowns. He finishes the year with more than 4,000 yards and 70 TDs.

Fullback Caleb Felski had 102 yards rushing as well as converting on three two-point conversions. 

Defensively the Dragons were led by Felski with 16 tackles and an interception, while Totten, Sean Pustulka, Jayden Mast, Jayden Bridge, Octavius Martin, Hayden Williams, and Vijay Dhanda all had five or more tackles.  Jayden Bridge also added a sack and a blocked punt.

Submitted info and photos.

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.

Photos by Debra Reilly

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

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.

Submitted info and photos.

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.

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.

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. 

Submitted info and photos.

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.

Submitted photos and info.

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.

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.

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.

For the Aggies: 

• Senior QB/DL Austin Pangrazio - 19 carries, 113 yards, 5-14 passing, 54 yards, one TD
• Junior RB/LB Avery Watterson - 19 carries, 50 yards, one TD.
• 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.