#4 Le Roy Oatkan Knights (8-1) vs. #3 Wayland-Cohocton Eagles (8-1)
Class C Championship, 5 p.m. Friday at Sahlen's Stadium
Le Roy will play for a Section V record 15th football championship when they take on Wayland-Cohocton on Friday night.
Currently the Oatkan Knights are tied with rival Caledonia-Mumford (who lost in the finals last week) and Clyde-Savannah, who won their 14th title last week, for the most championships in Section V.
It would be fitting for Le Roy to break the record, with this being Head Coach Brian Moran’s 25th season at the helm. Moran has led the Knights to 13 of their championships, but has not brought home a trophy since 2008.
The fourth-seeded Knights made it to the Class C finals a season ago, before losing to Hornell 21-7.
This season, they will face third-seeded Wayland-Cohocton in a battle of Livingston County schools.
Le Roy has garnered a lot of recognition for their passing game this season, but it has been the running game that has carried them during their sectional run, reminding fans of classic Knights football.
After carrying Le Roy a season ago, running back Peter Privitera got off to a slow start this season, in part due to an ankle injury. However, in the last two weeks Privitera has carried the ball 48 times for 245 yards and three touchdowns.
The senior has rushed for over 100 yards in each of the last two games after failing to eclipse that mark in three of the last four games of the regular season, including a 28-yard performance in a Week 7 loss to Cal-Mum.
“Peter is just getting to 100 percent,” Moran said. “He had ankle surgery and that’s not easy to come back from, but what impresses me most about Peter is that the four or five yards he gets are tough four or five yards. That’s what Le Roy football is all about, getting tough yards when you need it.”
Last week, Coach Moran relied heavily on his senior in the second half, and when Le Roy fell behind 14-13 late in the fourth quarter, it was Privitera who reeled off a 45-yard touchdown run to put the Knights ahead for good.
The Knights will be dealt with a tough task in stopping another tough running back on the other side of the field.
Wayland-Cohocton is led by Section V Class Player of the Year Devon Harris.
The junior running back has put up some impressive numbers this season, rushing for 1,531 yards and 29 touchdowns. Harris has also returned three kickoffs for touchdowns on the year and is a threat to score from anywhere on the field.
The Eagles also have a balanced attack, as quarterback C.J. Ellis has had an outstanding senior season.
Ellis has completed 75-percent of his passes this season for 1,023 yards, 13 touchdowns and only one interception.
Way-Co comes into this Class C title tilt outscoring opponents 88-14 in two sectional games.
Final Note: While this game will showcase two of the top running backs in Class C, it could be the passing game that decides the game.
Wayland-Cohocton’s duo of Ellis and Darren Becker was the fourth-best combination in Livingston County play, but Le Roy has their own superb tandem.
Ryan McQuillen has racked up 12 touchdowns on 25 receptions this season, and has caught a touchdown in each of the last five games.
Quarterback Mike McMullen has also tossed 25 touchdown passes this season and has thrown three or more in four games this season.
