Alexander

Critical mistakes at the start of the game put Alexander in a hole that it could never escape in today’s Section V semi-final game against Avon at Marina Auto Stadium in Rochester.

Alexander lost 34-0.

Alexander Head Coach Dave Radley agreed, the first quarter was where the game was lost.

“Definitely. Came out a little jittery, a little scared," Radley said after the game. "A lot of these kids have never been in the big show, any kind of sectional playoff, any kind of tournament. Definately, the first quarter killed us."

Even so, he said, it was a great year for his team and the Trojan players have a lot to be proud of.

"Hold your heads high, you played a hell of a season," Radley said he told his players. "You know, 5-3 for the first time, getting to the semi-finals of the sectionals for the first time ever in the history of the school – it hurts, but hold your heads high, learn from it. Learn from it."

From its first possession, the game didn't go Alexander's way.

The opening kickoff went to Alexander, and a combination of a penalty and a run play pushed back for a loss, had the Trojan’s kicking from the Avon’s 10-yard line. The fourth-down punt snap was fumbled and kicker Lucas Czechowski was sacked on the three-yard line.

Even though the Braves were handed a huge opportunity with the ball just three yards from the end zone, Avon came away with only a three-point field goal.

When the Braves kicked off to Alexander following the field goal, however, mere misfortunate turned into disaster when two Alexander players went for the high bouncing ball on the 40-yard line and both failed to find the handle.

Rich Welch would carry the ball in from the three-yard line just three plays later.

By the end of the quarter, after a 33-yard pass from James Stanton to Pat Campbell, Alexander was down 17-0, and the Trojans were down 20-0 at the half.

To start the third quarter, the Braves scored a TD again, making the score 27-0, where it stood with six minutes left in the fourth quarter.

The Trojans have been unable to make any headway on offense. Alexander managed only 49 yards and three first downs in the first half.

With less than four minutes left in the game, Alexander was again unable to move the ball and following a four-and-out, the Braves scored again when Derrick Quicken carried the ball 40 yards for the score. That made it 34-0, which is how the game ended.

"If you make mistakes against a tough team like Avon, it’s going to be hard to win," Coach Radley said.

In other related action: In Class C, #2 seed Attica beat #7 seed South Seneca, 28-0.

Also in Class C, #6 seed Marcus Whitman played at Holley against the #3 ranked Hawks at 3 p.m.. That score is not yet available.

Manuel Zuniga Perez, 28, of 10248 Brookville Road, Alexander, is charged with DWI, unlicensed operation of a vehicle, and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child. Perez was stopped in the City of Batavia by Officer Chris Camp after a domestic dispute was reported at his home in Alexander. Perez reportedly had two children in the car with him at the time he was stopped. He was jailed on $2,000 bail.

James S. Gibbs, 39, of Batavia, is charged with grand larceny, insurance fraud and offering false instruments for filing and a violation of the worker's compensation law. Gibbs is accused of collecting full disability related to an on-duty injury while drawing income from plowing driveways and sealing parking lots in Batavia. Gibbs was jailed on $10,000 bail.

Kathleen M. McBride, 44, of 115 State St., lower, is charged with assault and criminal possession of a weapon. McBride is accused of cutting her husband's face during a domestic dispute. Her husband was not seriously injured in the alleged attack. After he was cut, her husband allegedly pushed her onto the bed and held her there, not allowing her to get up. McBride was jailed on $3,000 bail.

Jean Marie Lorenz, 49, of 7907 Allegheny Road, Corfu, is charged with two counts of assault. Lorenze allegedly attacked and cut two people with a knife Saturday night. Lorenz was reportedly drunk at the time. She was jailed on $1,000 bail.

Karen Ann Garcia, 45, of 13535 Miller Road, Albion, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child. Gardia allegedly allowed her daughter to shoplift at Kmart. Garcia also reportedly lied about her daughter's name and age.

Jamie Luis Santiago, of 5057 Hundredmark Road, Elba, is charged with assault. Santiago was taken into custody for an alleged incident July 12. Santiago allegedly punched his wife in the face causing injury on that date.

Sath P. Dhanda, 29, of 219 Washington Ave., Batavia, is charged with disorderly conduct and assault. Dhanda allegedly instigated a fight. At the time of his arrest, Dhanda allegedly made verbal threats to a police officer. Dhanda was arrested at 7:48 p.m. on Friday.

Dylan A.J. Dembrow, 18, of 14 Pearl St., Akron, is charged with unlawful dealing with a child. Dembrow is accused of hosting an underage drinking party at a location on Akron Road in Pembroke on Saturday night.

James M. Wisniewski, 19, of Attica, was charged by State Police with harassment. The charge stems from a Sept. 19 incident in the Village of Alexander. No further retails are available at this time.

Thomas J. Preedom, 21, of Wyoming, is charged by State Police with rape in the second degree and acting in a manor to injure a child. According to the State Police blotter entry, Preedom is accused of raping an underage girl. The alleged incident took place in the City of Batavia on Sept. 25. He was subsequently charged with bail jumping, criminal mischief, escape and harassment. Cash bail was set at $50,000.

Ronald G. Albertson, 51, of Albion, is charged with DWI. Albertson was stopped by State Police in Elba on at 10:03 p.m. Saturday.

Up in Holley, an interesting story line is developing in the 2009 Genesee Region football season. A team that rarely won over the first few years of its young football program seems suddenly unbeatable.

The Alexander Trojans found out firsthand today just how invincible Holley seems to be at just past the halfway point in the season.

The Trojans were dominated on both sides of the ball for most of four quarters and dropped to 2-2 with a 32-10 loss.

The Hawks move to 4-0 and face a challenge next week to their seeming invincibility when they butt heads with the division’s only other undefeated team, the Fighting Irish, at Notre Dame.

Alexander Head Coach Dave Radley expressed some dissatisfaction with his team after the game saying his players didn’t come ready to play and seemed to take Holley for granted.

On the other side of the field, Chad DeRock said his team is bearing the fruit of three or four years of extra effort.

“Our focus this season was on making history,” DeRock said. “I don’t know what the past record was – two and 60 or something – but that doesn’t matter. I’m happy for my seniors who’ve put in the time. I promised them, if you put in the time, you’ll see results. They put in the time. My juniors put in the time. My sophomores and freshmen have put in the time. My seniors are the most dedicated group of I’ve ever worked with. I’m proud of them. They deserve it.”

Holley opened the game by methodically marching the ball down the field only to lose it on the two-yard line to a fumble.

The Trojans, however, were unable to capitalize on a potential shift of momentum, coughing up the ball on the 20-yard line a few plays later.

It didn’t take long, then, for Sean Baylor to put six on the board for the Hawks with a six-yard run.

Alexander made one last stab at making a game of it early in the second quarter when Lucas Czechowski booted an impressive 35-yard field goal to make the score 6-3, but except for a little spark late in the fourth quarter, the game was all Holley’s.

By the half, the score was 20-3 after TD runs by Baylor and Guy Hills.

Turnovers were a key factor (four total by Alexander), including an interception for a 40-yard touchdown return in the fourth quarter by Holley's Mike Pernicano, which pushed the margin to 32-3 (Baylor had another touchdown run in the third quarter).

After another Pernicano interception, Holley started moving the ball toward the end zone again when the Alexander defense managed to force a fourth down. 

Holley decided to try a long field goal, but the pop-up kick came up well short of the goal line and #88 Steve Schaffer found himself in an open field just waiting for the ball to come down. He then darted to the far sideline and carried the ball 80 yards before being forced out to put his team in the red zone.

Alexander capitalized on the opportunity, finally pushing the ball across the goal line on a one-yard run by Jared Quinn.

And that’s how the game would end – 32-10, Holley.

Notre Dame Head Coach Rick Mancuso had a keen eye on the game through all four quarters. It will be interesting to find out later this week what he thinks about the upcoming clash of two teams seemingly putting it all together in 2009.

More photos after the jump.

Oakfield-Alabama, already off to a slow start in 2009, will have its hands full tonight when it meets undefeated Notre Dame.

The Fighting Irish (3-0) has averaged 20 first-quarter points so far this season, while the Hornets are averaging only 3. Overall, Notre Dame's per-game scoring average is 26 points compared to 12.3 for the Hornets.

OA comes into the game with a 1-2 record.

"We're confident in where we're going and what we're doing right now," said OA head coach Brian Palone. "We're continuing to make progress each week. We lost a lot of experience from last year. We had only one returning player on defense. We really worked on defense this week, because the defense really struggled last week."

Alexander beat OA last week 42-17.

Notre Dame's head coach, Rick Mancuso, isn't taking the Hornets lightly, though.

"From our standpoint going into this game, Oakfield is always one of the perennial powerhouses in our league," Mancuso said. "Regardless of what their record is, like every team in our league, they work week in and week out to improve, and Oakfield is no different."

Mancuso praised the OA coaching staff and said he knows Palone will have his crew ready to play.

The Fighting Irish need to rebound, he said, from a sloppy effort last week.

"We made a lot of mental errors," Mancuso said. "Defensively, we did not play tight. We didn't play really disciplined. We need to be a more disciplined team going forward."

Norte Dame beat Barker last week 43-18. The 18 points represented the first scores against ND this season, after the team beat Pembroke 21-0 and Attica 14-0.

We'll have coverage posted by the morning. This weekend, The Batavian will also cover Alexander at Holley. Alexander comes into the game 2-1, but Holley is one of the surprises, if not THE surprise of the Genesee League so far this season. Holley is 3-0, opening a season undefeated for the first time in program history.

Gergory P. Hamm-Johnson, 19, of 10140 Brookville Road, Alexander, is charged with a felony count of DWI, aggravated DWI and illegal dumping. He was stopped by Deputy Kevin McCarthy at 2:52 a.m. for allegedly throwing trash from his vehicle onto Old Creek Road in Alexander. 

Brian T. Rushing, 24, of 3314 Eagle Harbor Road, Albion, is charged with DWI, DWI with a BAC of .08 or greater, driving left of pavement markings and unlicensed operation of a vehicle. Rushing was stopped on Townline Road in Bergen by Deputy Howard Carlson on Thursday at 5:33 a.m. for an alleged traffic violation.

Matide Maximino Luis, 21, no address, is charged with entering the country illegally. Luis was picked up last week following a traffic accident on Route 20 in Pavilion. Luis allegedly ran from the scene after deputies suspected he was in the country illegally. He was captured after a short foot chase. Luis was turned over to the Department of Homeland Security Border Patrol.

Four Genesee County men were arrested for alleged trespass on Sept. 19, according to a State Police blotter item released yesterday. The four men are apparently accused of trespassing at 2750 Maple Road, Oakfield. Arrested and charged were Ryan T. Schultz, 22, of Oakfield; Robert J. Maerten, 22, of Basom; Donald J. Maerten, 24, of Basom; and, Adam R. Bischoff, 22, of Oakfield. No further details are available.

Alexander continues to impress early in the 2009 football season.  Today, the team pushed its record to 2-1 with a dominating 42-17 when over Oakfield-Alabama.

It didn't take long for Alexander to get on the board today. On the third play of the game, Jay Schafer swept left while the Oakfield defense rushed right, giving Schafer open space all the way to the end zone.

The Hornets never closed the deficit.

On its first series, Oakfield was forced to punt, but it was blocked by Alexander's Troy Shelunt.

A few plays later, Lucas Czechowski scored on a pass and Shelunt crossed the goal line on a two-point conversion.

On the first play from scrimage in the second quarter, Alexander pushed the score to 21-0 with a pass to Stephen George.

During the second quarter, Oakfield got on the board with a field goal.

After the score, Oakfield attempted an on-side kick, but Alexander recovered on its own 40-yard line. Schafer carried it into the end zone on the next play.

When Oakfield got the ball back, Matt Smith fumbled, allowing the Trojans to mount another scoring drive.

On the subsequent kickoff, Oakfield's Matt Smith returned the kick for a TD, making the score 36-10.

On the next series, Oakfield forced Alexander to punt, but Brandon Topocrczky stripped the ball from the Oakfield returner and Alexander recovered the ball.

In the fourth quarter, Oakfield managed another TD on a rush by Matt Osmancickli, putting the score at 36-17.

Oakfield started to move the ball on the next series, but a fumble gave Alexander the ball back on its own 2-yard line. Alexander drove back down the field until Schafer scored again, making the score 42-17.

After the game, Schafer said, "It felt good to win because we haven't beaten them in a long time. We'll be taking it to Holley next week because they run the same type offense."

Oakfield's coach, Brian Palone told his team after the game "Don't get down.  Stay positive. We need to get better - and we will."

Alexander's coach said his team will work on "finishing the game."  He said they played well in the first three quarters.

Sharon M. Burns, 20, 14 Parkwood Road, Hilton, is charged with petit larceny. Burns is accused of shoplifting several items from Target.

A 16-year-old was arrested by State Police at Alexander Middle School, 3314 Buffalo St., Alexander. The youth is from East Bethany. He was arrested Wednesday about 12:30 p.m.  He was issued an appearance ticket. No further details are available.

Kyle Washington, 19, of Lake Road, Pavilion, is charged with assault. He is accused of punching another man in the face Saturday during an argument on Clay Street. The man reportedly suffered a broken jaw. Washington was jailed on $1,500 bail.

A tractor trailer is on its side on Route 20 just west of Route 98 in Alexander.

Deputy on scene says, "If any injury, very minor."

UPDATE: A heavy wrecker has been requested. The trailer reportedly has about 5,000 lbs of cargo.

UPDATE 8:30 p.m.: The trailer is just now upright on the road.

UPDATE: Route 20 reopened about 8:55 p.m.

The Genesee County Highway Department will be closing Walker Road in Alexander, between Hickox Rd and Gillate/Seward Rd for a bridge culvert replacement.  The road will be closed starting Monday, September 21st for approximately 2 weeks.

Expect a hard-hitting game this Saturday afternoon in Alexander when the Trojans take on the Hornets at 1:30. The teams have matching records at 1-1 so far this season, so it's safe to say they each have something to prove.

"Expect a better performance from us this week. We need to protect the ball better and cut down our turnovers," said Brian Palone, coach for the Oakfield Hornets.

Palone doesn't consider his team a "big" team. "We're a faster team."

Running backs Jason Stanley and Osman Citkli should be the ones to keep your eyes on for the Hornets in Alexander.

The Trojans' offense has the most points in the league so far this season, so it's no surprise that the Hornets coach has his team working especially hard this week.

The Trojans run a double-wing offense - a system based on misdirection and mechanical advantages. Senior Zack Burke will take the helm for the Trojans behind a powerful line.

"Zack understands and runs the offense very well with its misdirection and hidden plays behind our big guys," said Coach Dave Radley of his starting QB. "It should be a good game because Oakfield will come out ready to play."

Both coaches hope many fans will turn out for the game this Saturday afternoon to cheer on their teams and to show support for the football programs.