football

The watchword for the Batavia Blue Devils this football season has been relentless. Coach Brennan Briggs has it stenciled on the back of his game day windbreaker. But there's another word that can apply to the 2015 edition of the team: dominating.

Over the past six games, no opponent has been able to finish a game within three touchdowns of the Blue Devils. Whether on the ground or through the air, the Batavia offense has scorched every defense they've faced and the defense has been, well, relentless.

The Blue Devils started the year ranked #1 in a coaches' poll, but Briggs wouldn't discuss on the record how much confidence he had in his team. After today's win over Livonia by a score of 52-20 for the team's second straight Class B Section V title, Briggs admitted he believed this team was that good all along.

"It's what I expected," Briggs said. "I downplayed it all year because there was a lot of hype. I don't like the high expectations. I just like to out there and get the job done. The kids have answered the bell every single week."

Briggs (top photo with the trophy) is in his fourth season as head coach and he becomes the first head coach in school history with back-to-back sectional titles in football to his credit.

A lot of credit for today's win goes to the ground game led by Dom Mogavero and Ray Leach, and senior QB Greg Mruczek's performance was certainly title worthy, but what it really comes down to, the players say, is the play of the offensive and defensive lines.

"They've been incredible all season for us," said Mruczek, who was 9-11 passing for 158 yards and two TDs. "They work hard every single day at practice. They work hard. The trenches are where football games are won and I think people overlook that sometimes."

Mogavero put together another stellar performance, rushing for 177 yards on 14 carries, scoring twice, and he gave all the credit to the linemen.

"Those guys work hard in the trenches," Mogavero said. "They played their tails off."

Danny Williams, who has been a team leader on defense all season and had eight tackles today, said it's an amazing feeling to be part of a winning team that works so hard together.

"We're such a family," Williams said. "I've never been on team that's got my back more than this team does. However I play, they've got my back. If I mess up, there's somebody right there to make the tackle. If I don't mess up, I make the tackle or they make the tackle. It's so easy to get down, but they just help me pick up. It's great."

Batavia came ready to play a tough, physical game, Briggs said.

"The nice thing is, they're (Livonia) a smashmouth team and we wanted to show that 'hey, we can beat people up in the trenches and we can do a great job,' " Briggs said. "Our kids just played relentless football all day long. They wanted it and nobody was going to take it from them."

Trevor Sherwood had three catches for 32 yards and a TD, Malachi Chenault had two grabs for 15 yards and Anthony Gallo scored on a 60-yard TD reception, which was the second play of the game and set the tone for the day.

"It was definitely huge," Mogavero said. "It definitely gave us a little kickstart."

That well-balanced game is part of what makes Batavia hard to beat, Briggs said.

"We have athletes all over the field and we also have tough guys in the trenches, and if we want to run the ball we can run it," Briggs said. "If we want to throw it, we can throw it. A lot of it comes down to what we're seeing, what we think we can do and what we can do to open other things up. Our line, our receivers and our running backs -- all of them together just make a great football team."

Next week, we get to find out if Batavia is indeed that good. They will play Cheektowaga for the Far West Regional Championship, a stepping-stone to a shot at a state championship game. The Blue Devils went into last season's regional with high expectations, only to bump into the reality of the Warriors, losing 35-18. The 2015 edition of the Warriors are 12-0 and have as many dominating wins as Batavia.

They players are eager to go against the Warriors, they said, with some thoughts of avenging last year's loss and some just out to prove they deserve the victory.

"We're going to want some revenge, but we've got play hard just like we played today and then we'll see what that score, what that outcome, is," Williams said.

Mruczek is excited at the prospect of matching up with Cheektowaga again.

That's definitely going to be a fun game," Mruczek said. "We're all looking forward to the opportunity to play them again for sure."

Asked if the team was looking for a chance for revenge, Mogavero wouldn't go there, not quite.

"We're definitely grateful for the opportunity to play them again this year," Mogavero said.

Briggs downplayed any talk of revenge, even after saying, "we feel like we owe it to them."

"They're a great football team," Briggs said. "We're going to have to come prepared and I know they're going to come prepared."

Game time for the regional is 1 p.m., Sunday, at Sahlen's Stadium.

Anthony Gallo made a 60-yard TD reception on the second play of the game, and after that, there was no more looking back for the Blue Devils.

Dom Mogavero scores on a two-point conversion after Gallo's TD reception.

Ray Leach on the carry.

Ray Leach headed for the end zone.

To purchase prints of game photos by Howard Owens, click here.

Slide show of photos by Howard Owens:

Slide show of photos by Jim Burns:

If a number of photos in this post seem to feature a bit too much of the Bath, well that was pretty much the story of the game Saturday as the Le Roy Oatkan Knights dropped a Class C sectional playoff game to Bath 44-0.

Josh Laurie was held 105 yards passing and Nick Egeling gained only 15 yards on the ground.

For four quarters, it was pretty much all Bath, with the Rams amassing 353 yards of total offense.

Reed Kacur had three receptions for 28 yards and Ryan Boyce, two for 37 yards.

The way Greg Mruczek sees it, the challenge Hornell gave Batavia in the first quarter of Saturday's sectional semi-final for Class B gives a Blue Devils team that has faced little adversity all season long a taste of how tough advancing in the post season will get.

Mruczek and his teammates adjusted and ended up smashing the Red Raiders 43-7.

Four second-quarter touchdown passes from Mruczek sealed the deal. He hit Anthony Gallo on a 16-yard route, Ray Leach on 46 yards, Ryan Hogan on 24 yards and Malachi Chenault on 41 yards.

"We had to pick up some blitzes in that first quarter," Mruczek said. "We definately had some adversity, but we definately fought through the adversity. We definately got a feel for playing in a close game and that's definately going to happen in the finals."

In the finals, Batavia will face Livonia, and while that's a 6-3 team (compared to Batavia's 9-0 record), they scored 70 points yesterday against Penn Yan, who ran up 60 points.

The diversity of receivers Mruczek called upon for those four second-quarter TDs demonstrates the array of weapons any defense must try to counter when playing Batavia, and the ability to strike quickly from anywhere on the field gives the team a lot of confidence, said Dom Mogavero.

"We a dynamic team," Mogavero said. "Every single person on this team can play football, the twos, the threes, everyone on the depth chart can play football and we all know we're really talented atheletes.

"We stick together as a family. The only stat that matters to us is wins and losses."

Mruczek was coming off a stretch over two games where he was 19-20 passing, including a 10-10 performance last week, with his only prior missed pass a throwaway under pressure two weeks ago. Those blitzes of Hornel had Mruczek a little off balance in the first quarter and he gave up a rare interception.

Still, he went on for a 12 for 25 performance for 303 yards and four TDs.

Batavia's other two touchdowns came on runs of 56 yards by Leach and 47 yards by Caleb Burdett.

 Mogavero had 77 yards on seven carries and Ray Leach rushed for 79 yards on five carries for the Blue Devils.

Gallo caught four passes for 126 yards.

In additional to his TD reception, Hogan had two interceptions. His steller performance came less than a week after his father's death.

"He's a gamer," Mruczek said. "He's got a lot of heart. I love that kid. He works hard every day."

Malachi Chenault said the team was there for Hogan throughout the week.

"He's a tough player," Chenault said. "We knew his situation and we just tried holding him up as much as we can and be as supportive as possible, that's all."

Defensively, Danny Williams had 10 tackles (two for loss) and Trent McGraw had eight tackles (two for loss) for the Blue Devils.

Top photo: Leach celebrates his second quater TD, which came off a tipped pass (second photo).

Hogan with one of this two interceptions.

Gallo with a TD reception.

Leach on a run play.

Leach.

Leach on defense.

Gallo with a reception.

Mruczek with a second quarter pass

Williams buries Hornell's Trenton Smith.

To purchase prints of photos by Howard Owens, click here.

Jim Burns was also at the game and took photos:

(Submitted photo of Batavia Bulldawgs Mini Division 2015 NOFA Champions.)

(Submitted photo of Batavia Bulldawgs Varsity Division champions T/K)

Press release:

The Batavia Bulldawgs youth football and cheer are excited to announce that they are the 2015 NOFA Champions in the Mini (8-9 yr. olds) and Varsity (12-13 yr. olds) Division!

In the Mini division the Mini Bulldawgs battled Attica youth football to the very end for a 13-7 win. The Bulldawgs pulled off the exciting win on the final play of the game Oct. 24 with only eight seconds remaining. The Mini team was coached by Head Coach Brian Mruczek, along with Otis Thomas, Kenny Griffin and Tom Domboroski.

“As coaches we emphasized on becoming a family and the drive to never give up.” Mruczek said. “Over the course of the season, this team became family and learned to believe in each other. The championship game was exactly how our season went. Hard work, dedication, the will to never give up and the ability to believe in each other!”

The Bulldawgs finished with a record of nine wins and only one loss.

In the Varsity division, the Bulldawgs took on undefeated Newfane youth football. In another close game, the Bulldawgs sealed a 13-6 win to take home the championship. The Varsity team coached by head coach Barry Warner, assisted by Paul Grazioplene, Jason Pratt, Matt Beach and Mike Dillon.

“This team has laid the foundation of the Bulldawgs and its future success,” Warner said. "The Varsity team consisted of many of the remaining players from the inaugural season of the Bulldawgs. It was a great way for the kids to end their Bulldawgs career with us."

The team finished with eight wins and two losses for the season.

The Bulldawgs would like to congratulate all the players, cheerleaders, coaching staffs, and Bulldawg families on an amazing season. We would like to also thank all our corporate sponsors and community leaders that have supported us all season.

We are looking forward to concluding our season next Saturday, Nov. 7^th, with the CheerDawgs competing in the 2015 NOFA Cheer Zone, which takes place at Attica High School starting at 10 a.m. Please come out and support our CheerDawgs!

Notre Dame lost in first round playoffs to the Clyde-Savannah Golden Eagles by 41 to 20.

It was a cold night in Clyde but the Golden Eagles offense and defense were both red hot in the first half of the game, out scoring Notre Dame 28 to 0. Consistent ground drives by the Golden Eagles and two interceptions by their defense put Notre Dame behind.

The second half was a different story. Notre Dame scored 20 points to Clyde’s 13. The offense was able to move the ball on the ground and air, and ended the game with nearly twice as many offensive yards as Clyde, but a total of six interceptions made a come-from-behind win impossible.  

More pictures of the game are here http://jimburns.org/p574779137#h5e40d0f5

Attica scored on their first three possessions in their Class C Section V playoff match against Le Roy on Friday night in Attica, but then the Oatkan Knights defense tightened up, including stopping the Blue Devils twice in the red zone, so Attica never got past those initial 19 points.

In the end, Le Roy pulled out a 20-19 victory.

Nick Egeling gained 115 yards on 17 carries. He scored on a 41-yard run. Nate Flint also scored on the ground, while going for 31 total yards on five rushes.

Josh Laurie was 7-12 passing for 113 yards and TD. He gained 18 yards on the ground on seven rushes.

Reed Kacur hauled in that TD pass, one of three catches for 79 yards. Ryan Boyce had two receptions for 18 yards and Flint had two for 16 yards.

On defense, Benny Piazza, nine tackles, Anthony Natrigo, eight, Kacur, eight, and Egeling and Luke Hogle had six each.

Photos by David Boyce.

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Jim Nigro remembers well the night the Batavia Blue Devils scored 63 points. In was 1962 and he was a freshman on the squad that squared off against a team from the Syracuse area. The fans came into town with banners and shouting about beating the farmers, and the Blue Devils buried them 63-20.

The 2015 Blue Devils came two points shy Friday night of tying that school record in a 61-0 victory over Midlakes in the first round of the Section V Class B playoffs.

Batavia advances to the semi-finals against Hornell at 1:30 p.m., Saturday, at Cal-Mum.

QB Greg Mruczek was a perfect 10 for 10 passing for 144 yards and three touchdowns.  Dominick Mogavero ran for 79 yards and two TDs on four carries. Ryan Hogan had three TD receptions, gaining 60 yards. Malachi Chenault caught four passes for 44 yards.  Ray Leach gained 97 yards, returning two punts for touchdowns. John Garlock and Cody Dioguardi each scored. Terren Lovria and Leach had seven tackles, Mogavero six and Trenton McGraw, six with two sacks.

To purchase prints of photos, click here.

John Reigle says that two of the Batavia Bulldawgs Youth Football teams will be playing in the NOFA championship games tomorrow in Medina. The Mini Team (8-9 year old division) will face off vs. Attica at 4 p.m. and our Varsity (12-13 year old division) will kick off at 8 p.m. vs. Newfane.

The games are held at Vets Park in Medina, located at 335 W. Oak Orchard St.

This is the first year two Bulldawgs teams out of the three divisions will represent the Batavia program and community in the championship games. The athletes, coaching staff, and parents are very excited about this opportunity. You are welcome to attend and show your Bulldawg pride!

Le Roy finished out the regular season with a loss to Livonia, 28-22.

The Oatkan Knights will head into sectional play with a 4-3 record.

Nick Egeling carried the ball for 176 yards and a TD on 22 rushes. Dom Filio gained 54 yards and scored 11 carries. Josh Laurie had nine carries for 43 yards and a TD. He was 4-20 passing for 20 yards. Ryan Boyce had a 35-yard reception and Benny Piazza caught one for 34 yards.

Nate Flint had seven tackles, and with six each are Piazza, Egeling, Dave Englert and Laurie.

Also on Friday night:

• Pembroke over CG Finney, 36-28
• Attica, 34, Oakfield-Alabama, 21
• Elba/Byron-Bergen, 35, Alexander, 32
• Cuba/Rushford, 47, York/Pavilion, 22

Notre Dame hosts Holley today at 1:30 p.m.

Le Roy game photos by David Boyce.

A cold steady rain for three quarters of last night's football game did not effect the undefeated Batavia Blue Devils as they took control before halftime and finished with a 42-16 win over the home team Geneva Trojans.

Batavia battled a tough first quarter but came up leading 14-8 on a key play by freshman Ray Leach pictured above.

Dominic Mogavero scored on this handoff from senior quarterback Greg Mruczek.

Ryan Hogan caught a long pass from Mruczek where he scored a touchdown to make it 28-8 at halftime.

In the third quarter, both Batavia and Geneva added touchdowns within minutes of each other. However Batavia scored again late in the third quarter that eventually was the final 42-16.

Batavia finishes the season with a perfect 7-0 record and will play home this Friday at Vandetta Stadium at 7 p.m. versus Midlakes or Pal-Mac pending the results of today's games.

Batavia High School Blue Devils contributed quite a bit to the spirit of Homecoming Week with a 54 to 0 win over Wayne Central. The score says it all defense and offence came to play and they did! From the opening drive to the last, a nearly overflowing Vendetta Stadium saw continuous action from turnovers, stops and scoring.

There were, however, a few fouls that could have caused Batavia some trouble if they were not completely dominant for the entire game. More pictures of the game here http://jimburns.org/p934431343#h5be14e4b

Perhaps the outcome of Friday night's 50th Le Roy vs. Cal-Mum matchup would have been very different if not for an interception deep in Le Roy territory by Reece Tresco. The Red Raiders seemed to be on an unstoppable, inevitable march toward a touchdown.

The Oatkan Knights were unable to move the ball on its set of downs and a poor punt gave Cal-Mum great field position, but the exchange seemed to give the Le Roy defense a chance to reset itself and the best Cal-Mum could muster was a field goal.

Cal-Mum never even sniffed the goal line the rest of the game and Le Roy waltzed away with a 28-3 victory.

Livingston County divisional realignment almost prevented this 50th meeting and without extrodinary efforts in the coming years, it could be the last time these two long-standing and storied rivals meet on the gridiron.

Nick Egeling and Josh Laurie led the team on both offense and defense. Egeling carried the ball 15 times for 85 yards, had one reception for 15 yards, and on defense had six tackles and an interception he returned for a touchdown that gave Le Roy its first lead. Laurie was 5-7 pasing for 159 yards and three TDs. He also rushed for 15 yards on seven carries. He had four tackles and an interception on defense.

Nate Flint's two receptions in the game, for 137 yards, accounted for two of Laurie's TD passes. The other went to Ryan Boyce on a 20-yard catch and run, giving Boyce his first score of the season (top photo).

Justin DiFalco had seven tackles, including a sack. Anthony Natrigo had five tackles. Luke Hogle had a fumble recovery to go with three tackles. 

Also on Friday night:

• Batavia won its homecoming match up over Wayne Central, 54-0. More coverage in a separate post later.
• Attica and Notre Dame went deep into the second quarter with a scoreless tie, before Alex Piechocki scored on an 11-yard run to give Attica a 6-0 half-time lead. With 14 more points in the third quarter, a fourth-quarter rally wasn't enough to save the Fighting Irish, who lost 20-13. Connor Logsdon was 9-15 passing for 116 yards and a TD and an interception. Jack Sutherland rushed for 105 yards and a TD on 19 carries. Luca Zambito and C.J. Suozzi each had three catches, with Zambito gaining 53 yards and scoring a TD and Suozzi going for 42 yards. Sutherland and Suozzi each had nine tackles, Logsdon five and a half, and Etan Ozborne and Caleb Wolcott, four apiece.
• Alexander beat Pembroke, 40-7. Jake Wozniak gained 165 yards on 13 rushes and scored three times. Zach Jasen gained 30 yards and scored on three carries. Jared Browne was 4-6 passing for 57 yards and a TD. Dustin Schmeider had a TD reception of three yards. Derrick Busch had 54 yards on three receptions. Busch also came up big on defense with three interceptions for 140 return yards, including a 65-yard pick six. He also had a fumble recovery.
• Avon beat York/Pavilion 26-14.

Le Roy and Cal-Mum also clashed at halftime in flag football action.

To purchase prints of photos, click here.

It's a big night for prep football, with Notre Dame (4-1) and Attica (4-1) battling in Attica in a game that could determine the Genesee Region title, Batavia hosting Wayne Central on homecoming night, and the biggest rivilary in WNY sports, Le Roy and Cal-Mum renews in Caledonia.

Perhaps this week's action will produce another Player of the Week, as last week did when Pembroke's Zach Von Kramer was named Section V's Defensive Player of the Week (#7 above in a game against Notre Dame). 

Pembroke hosts Alexander tonight.

Tomorrow, Elba/Byron-Bergen is at home against C.G. Finney and Oakfield-Alabama travels to Holley.

Five flags thrown against Le Roy when the Knights were within striking distance of Hornell's goal line may have made a huge difference in a battle that went into overtime and eventually to Hornell by a score of 14-7.

The Oatkan Knights controlled the ball all night, running 75 plays to Hornell's 25, but wins are notched by points, not plays.

Nick Egeling had 39 rushes for 157 yards and a touchdown. Dom Filio had 12 carries for 28 yards.

Josh Laurie was 3-11 passing for 49 yards.

Reed Kacur had seven tackles and Luke Hogle, four. Justin DiFalco had a sack to go with his three tackles.

Also on Friday night:

• Alexander tramples O-A in homecoming game
• Pembroke hauls in win over Holley
• Batavia topped Penn Yan, 50-20, to remain undefeated.
• York/Pavilion beat Perry, 20-12.
• Notre Dame suffered its first loss of the season, dropping a match to Bishop Kearny 30-15. Connor Logsdon was 4-9 passing for 85 yards and TD. Jack Sutherland rushed for 102 yards on 22 carries and Peter Deversa scored a TD on eight carries and 39 yards. Sutherland also had 85 yards on four receptions. C.J. Suozzi had eight tackles.

Photos by David Boyce.

A throng of fans turned out Friday night for Alexander's homecoming game and they went home happy after the Trojans secured a 46-12 victory over the Oakfield-Alabama Hornets.

On a night when the Trojans mostly kept the ball on the ground, they gained 327 yards on 43 carries.

The team was also 5-12 passing for 100 yards.

Jake Wozniak was an offensive powerhouse, tossing an 11-yard TD pass to Derrick Busch to close the second half and rushing 21 times for 219 yards and a TD, tacking on a two-point conversion.

Dane Heberlein scored four touchdowns (one of them pictured above) on 16 carries. He gained 100 yards. He also had a two-point conversion. On defense, he had six tackles and three interceptions. The junior free safety now has seven INTs on the season.

Dustin Schmeider had two catches for 44 yards. Josh Szymanski had a catch for 22 yards and six tackles on defense.

Zack Jasen had six tackles in the middle.

Alexander is now 3-2 on the season.

To purchase prints of photos, click here.

The Pembroke Dragons notched the team's first win of 2015 with a 27-12 victory over Holley.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish played their homecoming game under the lights Saturday night, defeating the Pembroke Dragons 34-7.

The Irish are now 4-0 on the season and alone atop the Genesee Region standings, with Attica losing this weekend to University Prep. 

Notre Dame and Attica square off Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. in Attica.

Against the Dragons, Notre Dame amassed 383 total offensive yards, with 360 coming on the ground. 

Jack Sutherland had 26 carries for 252 yards and three touchdowns. Peter Daversa added another 74 yards and a TD on 10 carries. Etan Ozborne had a rushing touchdown and 33 yards on five rushes.

Connor Logsdon was 3-6 passing for 23 yards, no TDs and no interceptions.

For Pembroke, Reid Miano was 6-12 passing for 105 yards and a TD. Jake Jasinski had 18 rushes for 21 yards. Zack Swank had four receptions for 93 yards. Zach von Kramer had Pembroke's lone TD reception.

On defense, C.J. Suozzi had six and a half tackles, Jake Weatherwax and Etan Ozborne had four apiece. Ozborne also had a sack. For Pembroke, Brian Seweryniak had seven, Dylan Miserantino six and a half, Brandon Kowalski, six, von Kramer, five and a half, and Jack Thomas, five.

At halftime, Notre Dame honored Bill Sutherland, a former head coach who won 111 games, eight GR titles and four Section V titles in 23 seasons. He's been with the school for 41 years. He's a member of the Notre Dame High School Athletic Hall of Fame and the Section V Football Hall of Fame. Standing alongside Sutherland is his nephew, running back Jack Sutherland. Presenting the award is current Head Coach Rick Mancuso along with Athletic Director Mike Rapone.

To purchase prints, click here.

Alexander beat Holley 51-22. QB Jared Browne was 10-16 for 194 yards passing and had a career-high four touchdown passes. WR Derrick Busch had six catches for 106 yards and four TDs. WR Josh Szymanski had four catches for 105 yards and a touchdown. RB Jake Wozniak had 12 carries for 147 yards and two TDs. Wozniak was 3-4 on PATs. Wozniak also had 72 return yards.

Le Roy and Bath entered Friday night's game at Hartwood Park with identical 3-0 records and tied for the lead in Livingston County Division I, but the game soon proved the simularities stopped there.

Amassing 361 total yards on offense, the bigger, faster, stronger Bath team took control of the game early and never let go, winning with a final of 32-6.

The Oatkan Knights are a good football team. Bath looks unstoppable.

Nick Egeling carried the ball for 119 yards on 18 rushes. Josh Laurie was four for 11 passing for 20 yards.  Dom Filio scored Le Roy's only TD and carried the ball 26 yards on five attempts. Reed Kacur had two receptions for 12 yards. On defense, Egeling had six tackles, Luke Hogle, six and Filio, four.

In other Friday Night Football:

• Batavia defeated Edison Tech, 42-0
• University Prep over Attica, 40-26
• Elba/Byron-Bergen over Oakfield-Alabama, 42-18
• Cal-Mum over York/Pavilion, 12-0

In today's action, Alexander travels to Holley. Game time is 1:30 p.m. It is homecoming for Notre Dame, so the school has rented lights for a rare night game on its home field. The Fighting Irish host the Pembroke Dragons. With Attica's loss, Notre Dame, at 3-0, sits alone atop the GR league.

Le Roy improved its season to 3-0 with a 40-6 win over Wayland-Cohocton.

Josh Laurie led the offense with nine carries for 100 yards and three TDs, plus he was seven for 11 passing for 120 yards and two TDs.

Nick Egeling had 58 yards on 13 carries and he scored a touchdown. Reed Kacur and Jason Doemling each had TD receptions.

On defense, Kacur, seven tackles, Laurie, seven, Egeling, five, Nate Montoya, five, and Gaven Cassidy, five.

Also on Friday night, Attica beat Alexander 20-13 and there's no score available for York/Pavilion against Bolivar-Richburg.

Photos by David Boyce.