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Gill staying at Buffalo

By Brian Hillabush

After not getting the head coaching job at Auburn, University at Buffalo coach Turner Gill has taken his name out of the running for any other coaching positions.

Gill, this afternoon, signed a contract extension with a raise, that will make him one of the highest paid coaches in the Mid-American Conference.

 "On the day I came here to be the head coach I told my team that one day we would be successful here at the University at Buffalo," Gill said in a statement.

 

 

 

"Now, more than ever, I have never been more proud to be the head coach of this program at this great academic institution. This program has proven it can win now and it is built to continue to win in the future. I am grateful to president John Simpson and athletic director Warde Manuel for their continued support and faith in me as a football coach and leader of young men."

Many teams, including Syracuse, have expressed interest in Gill after he lead the Bulls to an 8-5 season and won the school's first MAC Championship. Pembroke graduate Chris Lauzze is the starting center on that team.

University at Buffalo will be playing in the International Bowl on Jan. 3 in Toronto.

GR boys standings

By Brian Hillabush

 Yes, the season is very early. But the current Genesee Region League standings are out and the top teams are getting their due.

Oakfield-Alabama already has a big lead in Division I, with a 4-0 record. Pembroke and Attica follow with a 3-2 record.

Notre Dame is 2-0 and lead Division II. Elba is in second at 2-2.

There is a ton of basketball left to be played, but the Hornets and Fighting Irish have impressive leads early on.

Attica wins thriller over Pembroke

By Brian Hillabush

 A lot of people that follow Genesee Region League basketball had Pembroke, Oakfield-Alabama and Notre Dame is a category all their own - top three teams in the league.

Well, you can throw Attica into the mix after the Blue Devils won a thriller at Pembroke, 52-48, proving that the team can move on from the Derek Wolfley era and be one of the better teams in the league.

Pembroke's Andrew Wright and Attica's Shawn Dupuis had six points apiece in the opening frame with the visiting squad holding a 14-9 lead after the first eight minutes of play.

But by halftime, Attica opened up a 10-point advantage because of some sloppy play by the Dragons. The score was 14-10 before Bryan Thompson scored two consecutive buckets to open things up a bit. This happened when Pembroke big men Andrew Wright and Ken Babcock were trying to avoid serious foul trouble.

The lead got as big as 12 points because Matt Sheffield and Tate Westermeier had back-to-back baskets.

Had Matt Phelps not gotten a steal and basket in the final seconds of the half, the Blue Devils would have been up 12 at the break.

With Sheffield in foul trouble in the third quarter, Pembroke got back in the game.

Wright had seven points in the third quarter and Babcock pitched in six, giving the Dragons a 38-37 lead by the end of the period.

Babcock scored in the first minute of the fourth to give Pembroke its biggest lead, 42-39.

Westermeier had consecutive baskets a few minutes later and the game wound up seeing Attica take a 45-43 lead. Babcock tied the game at 45 with a pair of free throws with 1 1/2 minutes left. 

There was a confusing call just after that when it appeared Sheffield was called for a blocking call, and then it was overturned and the Blue Devils got the ball back.

Attica converted after getting another shot with the ball.

Shawn Dupuis was waving his hands in the air right in front of the Attica bench and he got the ball, knocking in a 3-pointer with just 48 seconds to go.

Pembroke missed a shot, then Attica turned the ball over on an over-and-back call.  

When the Dragons tried to get the ball in the basket for a two--pointer, Dupuis came through again with a blocked shot. He was immediately fouled and hit a pair of free throws, giving Attica a 50-45 lead.

Pembroke's Matt Seward hit a running 3-pointer with just over two seconds on the clock, but Westermeier hit both foul shots at the other end to ice the victory.

Westermeier led all scorers with 20 points, with Thompson getting 16 and Dupuis adding 11 for the Blue Devils (2-2).

Babcock scored 17 points with Wright pitching in 14 for the Dragons.

 

Pembroke girls are quick and can shoot

By Brian Hillabush

 The Pembroke girls basketball team doesn't have much size. In fact, they have three players listed as forwards on the roster and all have the height of a guard.

But that lack of size isn't going to be the worst thing in the world for the Dragons, who are expecting to run and outshoot other teams.

Coach Guy Gabbey has enough talent on the roster that Pembroke could easily go 10-deep, which will hurt some of the teams with smaller rosters in the league.

Returning to lead the squad is Nicole Sharick, who is a senior and is on her third varsity season. She scored 10 points with two assists and three steals per game a year ago and was a GR honorable mention last season.

Sharick isn't the most vocal player on the floor, but leads by example and could end up as one of the top players in the league.

Juniors Kelsey Lewis and Danielle Smith could also be strong scorers while senior Laura Moser transfered from Mount St. Mary's in Kenmore to add depth to the squad.

Guard Jackie Dubois is a vocal leader that scored five points with four boards and two dimes per game last season and Katie Hackett will help push the ball in transition for the Dragons.

The Pembroke program has become solid in recent years and the players are playing together in the offseason, which means it will remain in the mix.

The Dragons went 14-6 last year and return many players from that squad. Those players have been haunted since the crushing 44-42 loss to North Rose-Wolcott in the Class B quarterfinals last season.

Pembroke missed a potential game-tying shot with less than five seconds left in that game and have had a long time to think about the disappointing loss.

 

Lauzze gets to live a dream at UB

By Brian Hillabush

When Chris Lauzze filled out information for his University at Buffalo football profile, he put that one of his dreams was to play in a bowl game.

After red-shirting one year, Lauzze is a fifth year senior at UB and now that dream is going to come true as the Bulls will be playing in the International Bowl on Jan. 3. It is the first Bowl game UB has played in since becoming a Division I school in 1999.

"This is really amazing," said Lauzze, who is a Pembroke graduate. "I said on my profile that it was my goal to play in a bowl game. It's kind of fun to accomplish that. It wasn't the easiest trip - there was a lot of losing in my first three years, but to win a MAC championship and go to a bowl game is huge."

Lauzze graduated from Pembroke in 2003 when he led the Dragons to a share of the Genesee Region League title. He is one of the most dominant offensive lineman ever to come out of the GR.

He redshirted his freshman year and worked out with the UB scout team. Lauzze spent the next season working with the scout team, but was considered a freshman on the team.

As a sophomore, he appeared in five games, and then earned the back-up center position in his junior year. He played in 11 games that year and was the team's long-snapper.

"It was kind of a weird situation," Lauzze said. "I was going into winter workouts last January and I was competing with another kid. During spring ball I was battling with him and after spring I had a meeting with coach (Turner) Gill, and he said I was the clear-cut winner. That was a great thing."

Lauzze has been the team's center all season long as the Bulls compiled a 7-5 record en route to earning a trip to the MAC title game. Buffalo shocked previously undefeated Ball State 42-24 to claim the first title since joining D1.

"It was real crazy because we were big underdogs," Lauzze said of playing the 12th ranked team in the nation. "I keep thinking about how far we've come, with this being my fifth year here. It is crazy."

A big reason why the Bulls have turned around is coach Turner Gill, who has completely turned the program around.

Buffalo had won just 10 games in seven years before Gill was hired. The Bulls went 2-10 in his first year, then 5-7 last season. UB had not won five or more games since 1996, when the team went 8-3 while playing a Division I-AA schedule.

Gill - who is one of just three black head coaches to lead a Division I team - is now getting serious looks from a lot of schools. He played football and was an assistant coach on NCAA championship teams at the University of Nebraska. 

The head coaching job was open for the Cornhuskers last year and Gill was one of the top candidates. Right now he is being considered as a top choice for the Syracuse and Auburn jobs.

"He brought a different attitude to the (UB) program," Lauzze said. "In terms of building relationships with players, he did that. He brought in new coaches and a new system. He's a players coach, I'd say."

Lauzze has been taking one class this semester, finishing up his business degree. He already has job offers and is continuing to look for what's best for his future.

But right now, he's enjoying being one of the few Genesee Region League athletes to play sports at the Division I level.

"There aren't that many guys playing college football at any level." Lauzze said. "Many guys play Division III for a year and then quit. To play Division I and start in my final year is definitely rewarding."

HS highlights for Saturday

By Brian Hillabush

Dylan Versage had a pair of goals, including the game winner 7 1/2 minutes into the third period for Notre Dame as the Fighting Irish beat Immaculate Heart, 3-2, in the consolation game of the Radier Classic.

Jason Harasimowicz dished out three assists and Ivan Madafferi added a goal with a helper for Notre Dame (2-1).

Thomas Dehr had 21 saves.

The other local hockey team did not come away with a victory Saturday.

The Batavia hockey team fell to 1-2 with a 3-2 loss to Hilton.

Corey Gurski scored the game-winning goal at the 9:32 mark of the third period as Hilton improves to 3-0-1. 

Dan Kellman and Andrew Harris had the assists on the winning goal, with Harris and Collin Sawdy each getting a goal.

Pat Finnell  and Josh Moir had a goal each for the Blue Devils.

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Freshman Keri Soppe dropped in 20 points with three boards to earn tournament MVP as West Irondequoit downed Pembroke 48-36 in the finals of the Alden Tournament.

The Eagles had a seven minute long, 13-point run in the third quarter to pull away as Cecilia Sigrist pitched in seven points and 10 rebounds.

Danielle Smith led the way for the Dragons (1-1) with 10 points while all-tournament team selection Nicole Sharick pitched in eight points, 14 rebounds and three steals.

Kelsey Lewis had eight points with Natasha Powell and Katie Hackett pulling down seven boards apiece.

Irondequoit is 2-0.

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The Oakfield-Alabama boys basketball team captured the Barker Tournament title with a 64-46 drubbing of the host squad.

Tournament MVP Noah Seward had 20 points and 11 rebounds with Tim Smith adding 14 points and seven boards.

Brad Riner dished out eight dimes.

Ray Paul had 15 points for the Raiders (1-1). O-A is 2-0.

Eric VanWycke's 13 points and nine boards were not enough as Lyndonville lost to Holland 81-28 in the consolation game.

The other local boys team in action was Alexander, and the Trojans improved to 1-2 with a 50-47 win over Genesee Valley.

Kyle Woodruff scored 16 points and Jared Quinn pitched in 10.

HS highlights for Friday

By Brian Hillabush

One defending state champion down, one to go.

Andrew Hoy scored nine of his 20 points in the fourth quarter - seven of which came from the charity stripe - as the Batavia basketball team had a 19-8 advantage in the fourth quarter to beat defending Class C champion Maple Grove 61-49 in the opening round of the Olean Tournament.

The Blue Devils had a 42-41 lead at the end of the third quarter, but Maple Grove took a lead early in the final period before the big run.

Hoy also had nine rebounds and five assists in the game, with Robert Hoy pitching in 10 points and Marcus Hoy adding five.

Dakota Irvin hit three 3-pointers in scoring nine points and Adam Pettinella pitched in seven.

Batavia (1-0) will be playing Olean in the championship game Saturday night as the Huskies escaped Hornell 51-46 in the opening round.

Olean attempted 24 foul shots, while the Red Raiders did not attempt a single one. Jesse Champman scored 17 points while Ryan Crane added 12 for Olean.

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The Pembroke girls basketball team is moving on to the finals of the Alden Tournament after thumping the host squad 57-31.

Nicole Sharick had a huge game, popping in 13 points with 10 steals, four assists and six rebounds.

Katie Hackett and Danielle Smith had 10 points apiece, with Hackett getting five swipes. Natasha Powell grabbed eight rebounds.

The Dragons will play West Irondequoit in the finals at 6 p.m. Saturday.

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Three area boys teams lost non-league contests Friday night.

Elba had a rough start, getting outscored 37-24 in the first half, then couldn't come back and lost to Albion 63-58.

Phil Ostroski led the Lancers with 24 points and seven boards as Elba dips to 1-1.

Brian Mitchell was amazing for Holley, but the Hawks lost to Greece Odyssey 61-55. Mitchell scored a game-high 29 points with 13 rebounds, but the Hawks fall to 0-2.

Le Roy could still be recovering from the football team's trip to the Far West Regionals and lost a road game at York, 63-55. Eric Valentino (18 points, 12 rebounds) and Jesse Galvin (12 points, 10 rebounds) both had double-doubles for York (1-1).

Mike Humphrey scored 21 points with Andrew Alexander getting 11 and Eric Stella following with 10 for the Oatkan Knights (0-1).

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The Notre Dame hockey team lost to Fayetteville-Manilius 6-1 in the opening round of the Fulton Tournament.

Brett Perfitt scored his first career goal for the Fighting Irish (1-1), and Thomas Dehr stopped 27 shots.

ND will play Immaculate Heart in the consolation game at Noon Saturday.

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Hillary Bates tied the game after a steal when she drained a 3-pointer with 35 seconds left in regulation. Then Brynn Perfitt hit a pair of free throws for the deciding points in a 31-29 win for Oakfield-Alabama over Geneseo in the opening round of the Geneseo Tournament.

Perfitt scored a game-high 17 points for the Hornets (1-0).

The other local girls teams stuggled.

Le Roy lost to York 46-27 and Churchville-Chili crushed Byron-Bergen 70-43.

Buffalo wins MAC title

By Brian Hillabush

 The University at Buffalo claimed its first ever Mid American Conference ever Friday night with a shocking 42-24 win over previously undefeated Ball State.

Former Pembroke lineman Chris Lauzze is the starting center on that team.

The Bulls took advantage of four Cardinals turnovers and knocked off the 12th ranked team in Division I in convincing fashion. It is the first time UB has ever beaten a ranked opponent and this is the first time the squad has won the MAC title since joining NCAA Division I.

The biggest plays of the game were a pair of fumble recoveries returned for touchdowns, one for 92 yards and the other for 74, late in the third quarter. Lauzze and the other lineman did a nice job protecting quarterback Drew Willy, who passed for 206 yards with three touchdowns, making him the first UB quarterback to ever throw for more than 3,000 yards in a season.

Ball State falls to 12-1 while Buffalo improves to 8-5 and accepts  a spot in the International Bowl on January 3 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. Tickets can be ordered here.

"To have the game an hour and a half away is a reward for our fans," coach Turner Gill said.

The Bulls will be inviting members of Buffalo's 1958 team to enjoy the experience. Members of that team refused to play in the Tangerine Bowl because the black players on the team would not be allowed to play in the game.

Lauzze playing in MAC championship game tonight

By Brian Hillabush

Former Pembroke star offensive lineman  Chris Lauzze paid his dues and became a starter on the University at Buffalo football team this season. Now he's getting a chance to win a conference championship.

The 6-foot-2, 309-pound center was a backup center and starting long-snapper last season for the Bulls, but has moved into the starting lineup this year.

UB will be playing Ball State for the Mid American Conference championship game tonight. 

Lauzze's job will be to protect quarterback Drew Willy, who is a Unitas Golden Arm award nominee with 33 touchdowns and just five interceptions in his last 18 games played.

Coach Turner Gill has turned the Bulls into a winning program and has a shot to end Ball State's undefeated season tonight, and win the team's first MAC championship. UB is a two touchdown underdog.

Buffalo is 5-3 in the conference and 7-5 overall, while Ball State has gone 8-0 in conference and 12-0 overall. The two teams played during the regular season last year, with Ball State winning 49-14.

"We don't want to make it more than it is," Gill says on the UB Web site. "We will continue to do our thing. We've been exposed to any and every situation you can be exposed to as a football team."

Buffalo is bowl-eligible for the first time since the school started playing Division I football in 1999 and will probably be playing in the International Bowl in Toronto. UB had only won 10 games in seven years before Gill took over the program in 2006.

The game will be on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. tonight.

HS highlights for Wednesday

By Brian Hillabush

This year's Batavia wrestling team has the potential to be one of the best the school has ever had, and the season started off on a very positive note Wednesday.

The Blue Devils beat Victor 35-28 as Batavia had two pins and another tech fall win.

Ryan Darch had a huge pin fall victory at 160 pounds, beating Nick Payne in 1:40. Trey Henderson had the other Batavia pin as he dropped Dakota LaRue in 5:16 at 130 pounds.

Joe Muoio had the tech fall victory at 135 pounds, taking care of Matt Acquilano 17-0.

You can see the rest of the results here.

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After dropping its season opener, the Pembroke boys basketball team has gotten hot, winning the next two games.

The Dragons thumped visiting Holley Wednesday night 53-34 as Ken Babcock scored 14 points and pulled down 15 boards to lead the way.

Andrew Wright scored a game-high 16 points with Matt Phelps pitching in nine.

Holley lost its season opener and was led by Jeff Lutes, who scored 10 points. Brian Mitchell added nine. 

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No player scored in double figures for Attica as the Blue Devils lost a road game at Midlakes 54-34.

Brad Clark had nine points with Tate Westermeier and Craig Wolfley adding eight apiece.

Derek Reafsnyder had 15 points to pace Midlakes (1-0).

Attica falls to 1-2.

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A total of five Holley wrestlers pinned Alexander grapplers as the Hawks scored an easy 61-17 win.

Defending state champion Quenton Murphy led the way with a :58 pin over Brandon Toporczyk at 125 pounds.

Tim Banks, Dillon Murphy, Kyle Steadman and Sean Baylor had the other pins for the Hawks, who improve to 1-0 while the Trojans dip to 0-2.

 

HS highlights for Friday

By Brian Hillabush

The Batavia girls basketball team is already feeling the impact of hiring Bill Wade.

The Blue Devils were down 22-14 at halftime, but went on a 12-0 run in the third quarter and went on to beat Alexander 57-48 in the opening round of the Attica Tournament Friday.

Brittany Mazurkiewicz scored all 16 of her points in the second half and Jaycee Shirk pitched in 19 points with 10 rebounds, five steals and three blocks. Mazurkiewicz also dished out five dimes and had six steals.

Brittany Wormley and Kristen Klein added six points apiece for the Blue Devils (1-0), who will play Dansville in the finals.

Anna Dominick had 16 points to pace the Trojans (0-1), with Chelsea Turcer adding 11 points and Rachel Pettys finishing with 10.

The Mustangs (1-0) advance to play Batavia after thumping host Attica 55-25.

Ashley Amidon led the way with 17 points, with Margaret Infantino pitching in 14.

Jackie Algiers scored seven points to lead the Blue Devils (0-1).

The finals are at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

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The Pembroke boys opened up with a non-leaguer against host Penn Yan and fell short, losing 57-54.

The Dragons got big games from stars Ken Babcock and Andrew Wright, but not much else. Wright had 23 points with seven boards and Babcock poured in 21 points with nine rebounds, but the only other players to score were Kyle Stocking (7 points) and Andy Gabbey (3).

James Wilson led Penn Yan (1-0) with 18 points and 13 boards.

Pembroke starts off 0-1.

Dragons only have seven on roster, but have talent

By Brian Hillabush

 When you look at the Pembroke bench, you are not going to see a lot of players wearing uniforms.

The Dragons only have seven players on the roster. But even with those low numbers, expect Pembroke to be one of the top teams in the Genesee Region League this season.

The reason is because of two returning GR all-stars, both big men. Ken Babcock and Andrew Wright combined for over 50 points in a game three times last season and will probably do it a bunch of times this year.

Babcock is 6-foot-5 and a rock in the paint. He scored 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds per game last season.

Wright is listed as a 6-foot-2 guard/forward and is a natural scorer. He picked up 18 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and four dimes per game last season.

Those two are givens and will garner most of the attention of other squads this season.

The third scoring option is also a returner in guard Andy Gabbey. Gabbey is a solid shooter and does not take it to the hole much, but can hit the three as well as anybody in the league.

Matt Seward, Eric Leffel, Matt Phelps and sophomore Kyle Stocking are the other players that are on the roster, and will all see significant playing time.

Pembroke went 10-11 last year after losing in the Class B quarterfinals.

 

ND, Pembroke represent area well at Cross Country States

By Eric Geitner

The fantastic season of the Notre Dame Boys Cross Country Team wrapped up with a third place finish at the New York State Cross Country Championships at Sunken Meadow State Park in Long Island.  Beaver River was the winning team with 57 points and Barker squeaked ahead of ND by one point.  Junior Kevin Pawlak was the top Irish harrier, finishing in 18th place in 18:05.  Freshman Quin O'Connor, ND's #1 man, was injured on the first downhill of the race after the mile mark, but fought through the final two miles to finish in 24th place in 18:15 (it was discovered yesterday that he fractured his heel in the race.  He will be back on his feet in late December).  Senior Eric Shormann had another great race and finished 40th, with Seniors Matt Jackson 44th, and Taylor Alexander 55th.  Junior Nate Flumerfeldt came in 71st and Freshman Marshall Argenta was 109th. 

The Pembroke team ran to a seventh place finish with 156 points.  Newark Valley won a one point decision with 62.  Colin Bartholomew taking 24th place.  Matt Seward was 48th, Adam Mahaney 69th, Kyle Mauer 70th, Mark Riegel 91st, Ben Farley 103rd, and Ethan Burns 108th. 

Other area racers included:  Class C Girls: Kristina Martin of Holley placed 21st, Katie Piechowiak of Attica placed 60th.  Class D Girls:  Kim Mills of Oakfield placed 7th, Liz Valento of Pavilion placed 10th.  Class B Girls:  Angela Jarvela of Batavia finished in 23rd place.  Class C Boys:  Frank Johnson of Letchworth placed 14th, Jaked Krautweist of Leroy placed 34th and Jack Bennett of LeRoy placed 51st.  Class D Boys:  Kevin Grazioplene placed 8th, Justin Richardson of Pavilion placed 17th, and Craig Cicero of Perry finished 25th.

Congrats to all the Cross Country runners from the area on a great season!

 

Notre Dame, Pembroke moving on to State Championships

By Eric Geitner

The Cross Country Programs at Notre Dame and Pembroke are celebrating as both will be representing Section V in the Boys New York State Cross Country Championships at Sunken Meadow State Park in Long Island. 

The Pembroke Team won a close one over Greece-Odyssey and Leroy, who tied for second in the Class C race.  Pembroke and Odyssey have been back and forth all year, but Pembroke got it done on Saturday.  Colin Bartholomew of Pembroke took second in the race with Matt Seward behind in 5th place.  Odyssey made a surge taking 7th, 9th 10th and 11th place, but Pembroke got their next three runners in, Kyle Maurer 13th, Adam Mahaney, 15th and Ethan Burns 16th to seal the win for Pembroke. 

In the Class D race, Notre Dame won its third consecutive sectional title, and outdistanced Oakfield by 15 points in the merged D/DD resutls to earn the school's first ever Boys Cross Country Team representation at the State Meet.  Freshman Quin O'Connor battled Kevin Grazioplene of Oakfield the whole way, finally breaking away with 1/2 mile to go in the race to break the tape in first.  Notre Dame put their top five in the top ten of the Class D race to easily win the Class D title.  Kevin Pawlak placed 5th, Eric Shormann 7th, Matt Jackson 8th, and Taylor Alexander 10th.

The Genesee-Livingston Cross Country League won ever class that it represented and has many representative moving on to the State Meet.  Here is a rundown:

Boys Team Championships:  Class B -- HFL,  Class C -- Pembroke,  Class CC -- Bath-Haverling,  Class D -- Notre Dame,  Class DD -- Oakfield

Girls Team Championships:  Class B -- HFL,  Class C -- Byron Bergen,  Class CC -- Attica,  Class D -- Geneseo,  Class DD -- Oakfield

Along with the Pembroke and Notre Dame Boys Teams qualifing for the state meet, HFL Boys and Girls Team also qualified.  Many league individuals also qulaified for the State Meet.  The boys that will be representing Section V and the GR/LC League are:  Frank Johnson of Letchworth Jake Krautwuist and Jack Bennett of Leroy, Cohen Miles Rath of Wayland-Cohocton, Kevin Grazioplene of Oakfield, Ben Strickland of Geneseo, Craig Cicero of Perry, Justin Richardson of Pavilion,

The girls that will be representing Section V and the GR/LC League are:  Kristina Martin of Holley,  McKenzie Bennett of Dansville, Katie Piechowiak of Attica, Abby Decker of Wayland-Cohocton, Kim Mills of Oakfield, and Liz Valento of Pavilion.

 

Athoe's interception puts Hornets in finals

By Brian Hillabush

 

Josh Athoe wasn't even supposed to be on the field Saturday afternoon.

The Oakfield-Alabama junior suffered a horrific broken leg at the start of last baseball season and was told he wasn't going to play baseball last year, or football this year.

But midway through the season, he got cleared from the doctor and has been seeing quality time for the Hornets as both a fullback and defensive back.

That alone makes for a great story.

Add in the fact that his interception was the biggest play of the game in O-A's 14-0 win over Pembroke in the Section 5 Class C semifinal game at Aquinas High School, and you've got a blockbuster.

The game was everything you would expect from the Pembroke/Oakfield-Alabama rivalry as both squad's defenses were stingy and scoring opportunities were few and far between.

The Dragons had one realistic chance to put points on the board in the first quarter, but turned the ball over on downs at the O-A 26-yard line.

The Hornets started marching early in the second quarter, but Andrew Wright intercepted an A.J. Kehlenbeck pass at the Pembroke 7.

There was some controversy soon after that as Chris Williams seemed to pull down Pembroke quarterback David Kleckler in the end zone, but officials said Kleckler got the ball away first and ruled it an incomplete pass.

After a short punt, O-A had great field position and set up a 33-yard field goal attempt by Jon Fisher, who set the Section 5 single game record for PATs in last week's 63-34 victory over Dansville. Fisher's kick missed its target and there was still no score.

After Kleckler ripped off a 22-yard run, the Dragons were in business with very little time left before the break. Kleckler tossed one up towards the end zone, but Tim Smith pulled it down for the Hornets with just five seconds left in the half.

Pembroke received the second half kickoff and immediately began moving the ball down the field as Kleckler and Wright hooked up on a 20-yard pass.

But that drive came to a quick stop and wound up giving Oakfield-Alabama its first score of the game.

Kleckler tossed up a pass for Ken Babcock that Athoe snagged and returned about 60 yards for the TD. The extra point failed and O-A led 6-0.

There were three straight possessions without a first down before the third quarter ended.

The Hornets started a drive near the end of the frame and carried a five minute long drive into the fourth quarter before being faced with a fourth down. Fisher had an amazing put that rolled out of bounds at the Pembroke 1-yard line, giving the Dragons nearly impossible field position.

Kleckler found Babcock on a 10-yard pass and then ran for 11 yards, but Smith broke up a pass intended for Babcock on a fourth-and-4 at the Pembroke 29, with about four minutes left.

The Hornets marched down the short field, taking time off the clock, and wound up drawing Pembroke offsides on a fourth-and-2 inside the 5. 

Smith scored on a 1-yard run a few plays later, then ran in the two-point conversion for the final tally.

Pembroke falls to 7-2, with both losses coming at the hands of rival Oakfield-Alabama.

The Hornets are a perfect 9-0 and will be playing top-seeded Le Roy (9-0) in the finals next Friday night at PAETEC Park. 

 

Le Roy overcomes turnovers, moves on to finals

By Brian Hillabush

 The Le Roy football team turned the ball over five times, missed two field goals and nearly gave up a 21-0 lead, but managed to hold on and beat Letchworth 21-14 in the Section 5 Class C semifinals Saturday at Aquinas High School.

Andrew Alexander was a big reason why, rushing for 336 yards and two touchdowns on 32 carries.

The Oatkan Knights were dominant early with a high-powered rushing attack, but wound up seeing it turn into a game in the second half.

Le Roy marched right down the field and Andrew Alexander had his first touchdown of the game 3 minutes in on a 7-yard run.

After the Indians went three-and-out, Alexander broke off a 30-yard run and eventually scored on a 10-yard rush.

Le Roy had a 14-0 advantage after the opening period of play as Alexander picked up 139 on the ground in the first 12 minutes.

The game appeared to start becoming a blowout in the second quarter when Travis Fenstermaker scored on a 13-yard run. 

Alexander had an interception right before the half and the Oatkan Knights had a 21-0 lead.

The Oatkan Knights fumbled the ball away at the start of the second quarter, but Mike Humphrey saved a score when he picked off a pass.

Le Roy turned the ball over again when freshman Chris Nevinger caught a tipped pass and returned it 20 yards for a TD.
 

The Oatkan Knights coughed the ball up again, with the Indians recovering the ball. Quarterback Travis Tones scored a little bit later on a 1-yard TD run.

Le Roy had a shot to score early in the fourth quarter, but missed a second field goal attempt.

Letchworth failed to drive on its first series of the final frame, but forced Le Roy into a three-and-out.

Letchworth moved the ball into Le Roy territory and came up just short on a third down attempt, setting up a fourth-and-1. Nevinger took the handoff and was stopped inches short, allowing the Oatkan Knights to run out the clock and move on to the finals next week at PAETEC Park.

Tones finished with 103 yards rushing to lead the Indians.

Letchworth falls to 5-3 while Le Roy improves to 9-0.

 

Football fun day

By Brian Hillabush

 Today is the big day.

Notre Dame is playing Dundee at PAETEC Park at Noon in the Class D finals while Le Roy plays Letchworth and Oakfield-Alabama and Pembroke do battle in Class C semifinal action at Aquinas High School.

Keep checking in to The Batavian today for results, photos and video from these games.

Class C, semifinals: Pembroke vs. Oakfield-Alabama

By Brian Hillabush

 Pembroke (7-1) vs. Oakfield-Alabama (8-0)

4 p.m. Saturday, at Aquinas

Here we go again.

Oakfield-Alabama and Pembroke is the best Genesee Region League rivalry and the buildup for the regular season game was huge, the game was even better than could be imagined and now the two powerhouse squads are matching up in the Section 5 Class C semifinals.

Tim Smith scored a late touchdown and Brad Riner ran in a two-point conversion as the Hornets won the regular season contest 25-24 in Week 6, giving fans the best show in the rivalry game's history.

O-A went on to beat Holley in the final week of the regular season and won the league title outright, going undefeated for the first time since 1986. Pembroke beat Attica in the final week of the season and finished one point away from the title and a perfect season.

The Hornets thumped Dansville 63-34 in the opening round of the playoffs and the Dragons had a big second half to beat Bishop Kearney 32-12. Now the scene shifts to Rochester, as the game will be played on the turf at Aquinas High School.

Smith and Riner were the stars in the first game and will be the focal point of the O-A offense yet again as the two GR all-stars are having monster seasons.

Smith has 112 rushing attempts for 971 yards and 15 touchdowns while Riner has tallied 817 yards and 12 scores on 108 rushes. Joe Natalizia, Jason Stanley and Josh Athoe will also see the ball.

The Hornets didn't have to throw the ball much in the regular season game, but if Pembroke is successful in stuffing the run, look for A.J. Kehlenbeck to put the ball in the air. The quarterback has a great arm but has had not had to use it much this year because of O-A's run-first approach.

Kehlenbeck has thrown to seven different receivers while completing 18-of-41 attempts for 271 yards and six touchdowns.

Some people might give Pembroke's offense the advantage because of the playing surface with speedster Andrew Wright and cutting-runner Mike Dibble.

Wright can do it all and has excelled on special teams, running the ball and catching it. He is looking forward to running on turf and adding to his 896 rushing yards with 10 touchdowns and 340-plus receiving yards with three scores.

Dibble is over 800 yards rushing with 10 touchdowns.

Quarterback David Kleckler and tight end Ken Babcock are a great passing duo, with Kleckler completing 33-of-62 attempts for 733 yards and 11 scores.

The Dragons are dealing with some injury issues, most notably starting center Josh Hanel, who is out for the game. O-A has some minor injury issues, but comes in mostly healthy.

Oakfield-Alabama is ranked eighth in the state while Pembroke comes in at No. 17.

 

 

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