football

Friday night, under the bright lights of Hamilton Field, a clash of two historic rivals, the Oatka Knights of Le Roy and the Red Raiders of Caledonia-Mumford, was once again its own kind of Fall Classic.

The game was a back-and-forth battle between two well-stocked teams already guaranteed slots in sectional play. It was a fight to the end with the outcome uncertain until the Knights final drive stalled with 30 seconds left on the clock.

Only then, were the Raiders (6-1) assured their six-point lead would hold for a 34-29 victory over Le Roy (6-1).

"I thought it was a great atmosphere for high school football," said Brian Moran, in his 25th season as head coach for Le Roy. "It's just great for both communities. Obviously, we hate to come out on the down side of this, but you know what, it's great for the kids, it's great for the communities and I just thought it was a great atmosphere for high school football and this is what it's about."

The player of the game was Cal-Mum senior QB Kurtis Haut, who rushed for 248 yards and three TDs on 24 carries.

Play after play, it seemed at times, Cal-Mum called QB keepers and Haut would find a hole and exploit it.

Arm tackles couldn't stop Haut who ran through defenders like they were turnstiles in a packed subway station.

Asked for the key to the game and Moran said that was it: Haut.

"Hey that five is pretty good, isn't he?" Moran said. "That's the game right there. The whole story line is him. He's a great athlete and he played a great football game tonight. They made a few more playes than we did and they deserve the win."

Le Roy played well, but not quite good enough. Moran acknowledged the Knights needed to execute a little better, make a few more plays, play better defense, make better tackles and finish off the game offensively.

"We've got to finish it that's the main thing," Moran said. "In a game like today, you've got to be able to make those plays and you've got to be able to go to the last second. I thought we had a chance late but we just didn't make the play when we needed to."

Junior QB Mike McMullen showed a lot of poise with the game on the line, getting the ball with two minutes left and bringing his team deep into Raider territory, but with a minute left on the clock, one last completed pass to advance the ball eluded the Knights' offense.

McMullen finished 18 for 33 for 192 yards and four TDs.

The knights opened the scoring with 3:56 left in the first quarter on a nine-yard pass from McMullen to Jon Pierce, who had six receptions for 86 yards and two TDs on the night.

Cal-Mum answered near the end of the quarter on a 16-yard run by Haut, and so the game went until the fourth quarter, with both sides trading scores.

In the fourth quarter, the Raiders put together the only back-to-back, unanswered scoring drives of the game and that proved pivotal in this match.

A 30-yard field goal by Pierce with 3:09 left in the 4th brought the Knights within six points and a chance for a win those final minutes.

Tom Kelso helped carry the offense with 13 carries for 102 yards. Peter Privitera had 11 carries for 27 yards and Nick Egeling gained 17 yards on five touches. Egeling also had five receptions for 48 yards.

Ryan McQuillen scored twice on four receptions for 43 yards.

On defense, Zack Fitzsimmons had seven tackles, Anthony Paladino, five, Egeling, four, Kelso, four, Lamkin, four, and Steve Cappotelli, four, and a fumble recovery.

Also on Friday night:

Alexander (6-1) beat Pembroke 41-0. Dylan Scharlau, 17 carries for 141 yards and one TD. Will Burke seven carries for 52 yeards. Tristan Alding nine touches for 75 yards. Tyler Laird scored a TD and had 25 yards on four rushes. Burke was 5 for 8 passing for 105 yards and 3 touchdowns.  Sam Browne, 2 catches for 61 yards and a TD.  He also had a 65 yard punt return for a score. Zach Laird had an 11-yard TD reception and Jacob Riggs had a 15-yard TD reception. Pembroke had only 49 yards total offense. Tyler Laird had seven tackles and one sack and one fumble recovery. With a share of the GR league title, it's the first time Alexander has come out on top in the division since 1977.

Elba/Byron-Bergen plays at Finney today. Oakfield-Alabama is at Holley. Batavia is at Olympia.

Lamkin forces a Joe Cappotelli fumble in the second quarter.

Haut scores on a 50-yard TD run late in the second quarter.

Pierce hauls in 52-yard TD pass from McCullen early in the third quarter.

McQuillen looks for and gets a pass interference call during the Knights' final possession in the closing minutes fo the game.

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Attica took home a share of the Genesee Region League championship after defeating Notre Dame, 28-14.

Notre Dame came into the contest with a chance to finish undefeated in the regular season, and win the league outright for the first time since 2002. For Attica, a win would guarantee them at least a share of the league title. It would also guarantee them home field advantage in the first round of sectionals, and it would avenge a loss to the Fighting Irish almost exactly one year ago that cost them the league championship.

It would be Attica who would come out on top in this game, forcing a three-way tie with Notre Dame and Alexander.

The Blue Devils saw the return of star running back Matt Perry, who missed the last two games due to injury, and they felt his impact immediately. Perry ripped off a long run to put Attica deep into Notre Dame territory, before he finished off the drive with a 24-yard touchdown run less than five minutes into the game.

Notre Dame would respond a few minutes later after their star, quarterback Tim McCulley, took off on a 58-yard touchdown run to knot the game at 7.

Neither team could gain the upper-hand throughout the second quarter, with Attica getting the best opportunity of the frame after they stopped an Irish fake punt attempt inside their own 20 with five seconds left in the half. The Devils would miss a field goal as time expired and the score remained tied at halftime.

Perry would strike again, ripping off a long run to set up another seven-yard touchdown scamper early into the third quarter to take a 14-7 lead. Attica would strike again less than two minutes later after Jake Dollard scored on a 40-yard run to take a two-score lead.

The Irish refused to go away, however, as they cut the lead in half just before the end of the third quarter as McCulley found Jason Hart in the end zone on a six-yard pass just after McCulley found Josh Johnson on a 32-yard pass and catch on third down to move the chains.

Attica would once again respond, as they began their ensuing possession at midfield. Jake Strzelec, who scored two touchdowns a week ago, would scamper 23 yards to regain their 14-point lead just a minute into the fourth quarter.

The Blue Devil defense would hold strong in the fourth quarter, keeping Notre Dame out of the end zone, including a big stand on fourth down at the Attica 16-yard line with just four minutes to play in the game.

“We challenged our team,” said Attica Head Coach Rob Cusmano. “We had worked hard all season. It has been 366 days since [Notre Dame] beat us. They thought about that and worked very hard since then.”

Notre Dame struggled to find their rhythm on offense all night, as the Attica defense held the Irish to 163 yards of total offense, including 35 on the ground.

After throwing six touchdown passes a week ago, McCulley was held to just 12-of-34 passing for 128 yards and was sacked eight times.

“We didn’t execute,” said Notre Dame Head Coach Rick Mancuso. “We dropped a couple of balls, missed a couple of blocks and they played well defensively. We didn’t make good of the opportunities when we had them, they are a very good ball club.”

The return of Perry was a key factor for the Blue Devils as he picked up 162 yards on 29 carries, and also caught two passes for 44 yards.

However, Attica’s team attack was just as potent on the ground as they racked up 302 rushing yards, 69 from Strzelec.

“Matt [Perry] makes a huge difference,” Cusmano said. “They were keying him in the second half so we hit Stzelec and Dollard for long runs. Perry is a great runner, but we have two other great guys, too.”

While the Irish failed to win the league outright, they still claim a share of the crown along with Attica and Alexander, who defeated Pembroke 41-0. The Trojans defeated Attica three weeks ago, while Notre Dame beat Alexander earlier this season. All three teams finish the regular season with a record of 6-1.

Notre Dame should also still maintain the top seed in Class D as they hold the head-to-head tiebreaker with Alexander.

“Our goal was to make sectionals,” Mancuso said. “That’s our goal: to make sectionals and then win it, and hopefully we go a little bit further than we did last year.”

Information and photo provided by John Borrelli.

The JV football squad for Notre Dame beat Alexander yesterday to finish out the season with a 7-0 record.

If the varsity beats Attica tonight, it will be the first time in school history that both JV and varsity went undefeated in the same year.

The team is comprised of the following players and coaches:  Peter Daversa, James Farmer, Larry Infantino, Connor Logsdon, Casey Midwick, Chris Morris, Michael Muehlig, Ethan Osborn, Charlie Stevens, Jack Sutherland, Robin Zhang, David Bohn, Freddie Cunningham, Carson Decarlo, Isaiah Flow, Jordan Lyons, Brad Misiak, Tyler Reese, Jake Weatherwax, Jordan Weatehrwax, Caleb Wolcott, Jimmy Zickl, Nico Zambito, Head Coach John Borrelli, Assitant Coaches Chuck Tomaszewski, Bill Sutherland, Bob Zickl, Otis Thomas and Mikey Rapone.

Norte Dame's senior quarterback Tim McCulley set a new school single-season touchdown pass record today as the Fighting Irish beat Finney 66-24.

McCulley tossed six TD passes, giving him 24 on the season, surpassing the record of 18 set by Doug Condidorio in 1979.

The 24 touchdown passes put McCulley at sixth on Section V's all-time list for a single season. The record is 31, set by Shawn Mizro of Newark in 2002.

McCulley completed 14 of 20 passes for 226 yards, giving him 1,217 on the season. He's completed 68 passes so far this season.

Norte Dame next faces Attica to end the regular season, 7 p.m. Friday in Attica.

With the victory, the Irish (6-0) secure the #1 seed in Class D sectionals.

McCulley also rushed for 50 yards, scoring once on the ground.

Cam Chamberlain carried the ball nine times for 108 yards and two TDs. Peter Daversa also had a rushing touchdown and had 55 yards on two carries.

Leading the receivers was Luca Zambito with 83 yards on four receptions and three TDs scored. Charlie Hebert had four receptions for 61 yards and a TD. Jason Hart grabbed three passes for 31 yards and a TD. Josh Johnson converted two of his receptions into a TD and had 37 yards gained on the day.

Hebert had eight tackles and Joe Zickl had 7.5 tackles. Jack Sutherland, six, Jason Hart, six, Rui Han, five, and Johnson, four and a half.

Time of possession in the game was lopsided in Finney's favor, 36.33 to 11.27. Mike Jones rushed for 224 yards and scored twice on 28 attempts.

In other football action Saturday, Attica beat Elba/Byron-Bergen, 28-6. Attica pulled off the victory even without star running back Matt Perry.

Attica and Alexander are tied for second in the Genesee Region League with records of 5-1, while ND is in first with a record of 6-0.

Batavia beat Greece Arcadia 43-19. Brandon Stevenson gained 72 yards and scored a TD and nabbed an interception. Greg Mruczek was 5-7 passing for 92 yards and two TDs, both pulled in by Jacob Radka.

Alexander kept their hopes alive for a share of the Genesee Region League crown with a 36-8 victory over Oakfield-Alabama on Senior Night.

The Trojans used their muscle to dominate the tempo right from the start, marching 55 yards on 11 plays on the opening drive before recovering a Dylan Scharlau fumble in the end zone to take a 6-0 lead.

Oakfield-Alabama got off to solid start as quarterback Allen Chatt completed his first two passes for 34 yards. The drive, however, was derailed after Alexander recovered a Chris Nanni fumble on their 36-yard line.

From that point on, the Trojans rode their senior Scharlau for the rest of the night.

Scharlau capped off an eight-play drive that took over four minutes off the clock with a 10-yard touchdown run to go up 14-0.

Following a Hornet three-and-out series, Alexander marched 80 yards on 16 plays, taking nearly nine minutes off the clock before Scharlau plunged in from three yards out for his second touchdown of the night, sending the Trojans to halftime with a 22-0 lead.

The senior running back finished the night with 187 yards on 40 carries and three touchdowns in his final home game.

After holding the Hornets to a three-and-out to start the second half, Scharlau finished another 12-play, 65-yard drive that took over seven minutes off the clock, with his third touchdown of the night.

“We always joke about giving [Scharlau] the ball 40 times, but we hadn’t done it yet,” said Alexander Head Coach Tim Sawyer. “By giving him the ball, we were able to dominate time of possession and the first down total in the game.”

Alexander held the ball for over 34 out of 48 minutes of the game, including 18 out of 24 in the first half. The Trojans also out-gained Oakfield-Alabama 363 to 110 for the game.

In a battle of two of the top quarterbacks in the Genesee Region League, Alexander’s Nelson Burke went 5-of-7 passing for 94 yards, including a 26-yard touchdown pass to Sam Browne, while also rushing for another 40 yards on the ground.

Hornet sophomore Chatt, struggled to find his rhythm all night, finishing 5-for-17 for 90 yards, with a 16-yard touchdown to Jon Korzelius, and an interception.

Oakfield-Alabama drops to 3-3 on the season and will play at Holley next Saturday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Alexander (5-1) keeps their hopes alive for a share of the Genesee Region League crown and possible top seed in Class D.

“This was a big win for us,” Sawyer said. “Had we lost, Oakfield-Alabama would have swapped places with us in the standings because of a tie-breaker, but the kids really worked hard this week and really wanted to win this game. It has been a pretty magical season so far.”

Alexander travels to Pembroke next Friday night.

Other Friday night games (update by Howard Owens):

Le Roy 13, Wellsville 0. Peter Privitera rushed for 113 yards and one TD on 30 carries and Nick Egeling carried the ball nine times for 92 yards. Kody Lamkin had 11 tackles. Le Roy is now 6-0 and plays Cal-Mum next.

Pembroke beat Holley 23-20.

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Four games this weekend, two going to Medina and two to Alexander. The rain held out, but a soggy field led to muddy jerseys and slippery runs up the middle.

Beginners:

Scoring for the beginners were:

Alexander - Tyler Marino (Extra point by Tyler Marino)

Medina - Kaedon Hangartner (Extra point by Kaedon Hangartner)

Alexander - Clayton Bezon (Extra point by Clayton Bezon)

Alexander - Tyler Marino (No extra point)

Medina - Sawyer Kingsbury (Two-point conversion caught by Kaedon Hangartner)

Mini:

Going into the game Medina was 6-0 and the Tri-town trojans were 4-2. Alexander threw everything they had at Medina and prevailed, breaking the Medina unbeaten streak.

Scoring for the mini division:

Medina - Aiden Pitts (Extra point by Aiden Pitts)

Medina - Joshua Wilson (No extra point)

Alexander - Nick Kramer (No extra point)

Alexander - Connor Scott (Extra point by Matthew Jasen)

Alexander - Connor Scott (No extra point)

JV

It was all Medina on offense and defense today.

Scoring for JV:

Medina - Brian Fry (Extra point Brian Fry)

Medina - Brian Fry (Two-point conversion throw from Zachary Blount to Carson Dusett)

Medina - Interception by Brian Fry returned for a touchdown (Two-point conversion from Zachary Blount to Aron Seefeldt Jr.)

Medina - Brian Fry (No extra point)

Medina - Fumble recovered by Emmanual Taylor, who ran for a touchdown (Extra point by Brian Fry)

Varsity:

Medina Varsity squad held Alexander scoreless for the entirety.

Scoring for the varsity squad:

Medina - Damon Bloom (Two-point conversion throw from Izaiah Rhim to Johnethan Salone)

Medina - Damon Bloom (Extra point by Damon Bloom)

Medina - Ronnie Koonce III (Two-point conversion throw from Izaiah Rhim to Trenton Jones)

Medina - Trenton Jones reception from Izaiah Rhim (No extra point)

Medina - Trenton Jones fumble recovery, ran in for a touchdown (No extra point)

Medina - Trenton Jones reception from Izaiah Rhim (Extra point by Vincent Montague)

More pictures from this weekend's games can be found here: NOFA Alexander - Medina

Batavia’s struggles in Monroe County League play continued as they fell to Eastridge on senior night, 38-14.

The Lancers got off to quick start after Batavia’s opening possession stalled after three plays, and Jametrius Lewis returned the Blue Devil punt 54 yards for a touchdown to go up 6-0 just a minute into the ballgame.

Batavia showed some signs of life though, taking the ensuing drive 57 yards on 12 plays and was capped off on a Greg Mruczek 1-yard quarterback keeper.

The Blue Devils also cashed in on a two-point conversion pass from Brandon Stevenson to James Cryer to take an 8 to 6 lead in the first quarter.

Eastridge would respond, however, going 73 yards on just five plays before freshman C.J. Turner darted 29 yards for the go-ahead touchdown.

Disaster would strike on Batavia’s next possession.

After another three-and-out, Eastridge recovered the ball at Batavia’s 16-yard line after the punt snap was too high to handle. The Lancers only needed two plays before Jay’Von Hampton scored on a 14-yard touchdown run to go up 18-8.

Batavia’s defense held strong in the second quarter as each team traded punts. The Blue Devils figured to have the Lancers pinned inside their own 10, but Lewis ripped off another big play. This time, he sprinted down the left sideline 92 yards for a backbreaking touchdown.

Bad luck continued for Head Coach Brennan Briggs’ squad as Mruczek was intercepted on the final play before halftime and Eastridge took a 24 to 8 lead into the locker room.

The Lancers would score on the opening drive of the second half, and then pick up another touchdown from Turner to put the game out of reach.

Senior Ryan Budlong made the most of his final home game for Batavia, rushing for 69 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Batavia star Stevenson was held in check for most of the game, rushing for 38 yards and throwing for another 10. Mruczek went just 5-of-14 for 47 yards, two interceptions and was under duress for most of the night. Senior Nick Canzoneri ran for 48 yards and had another 27 receiving.

Turner went 4-of-5 passing for 61 yards and a touchdown for Eastridge (3-1).

Batavia falls to 1-4 on the season and will play at Greece Arcadia next Saturday. 

Other games on Friday and Saturday (added by Howard Owens):

Notre Dame (5-0) remains the only undefeated team in the Genesee Region after scoring all the points it would need in the first half to put away Pembroke 32-13. QB Tim McCulley continued his dominance over opposing defenses this season going 12-22 for 140 yards and two TDs. He also carried the ball 16 times for 65 yards and a TD. Andrew Mullen had seven carries for 56 yards and a TD. Charlie Hebert had four receptions for 75 yards and TD, and Josh Johnson had three catches for 35 yards and a TD. On defense, Tim Taylor at 7.5 tackles and a sack. Hebert, seven tackles, Joe Zickle 6.5 and Tyler Stroud 4.5. Hebert also had a sack. ND had 285 yards total offense to 162 for Pembroke.

Le Roy (5-0) also preserved his undefeated record trouncing Avon 34-17. QB Mike McMullen was an efficient 11-15 for 138 yards and three TDs. Ryan McQuillen hauled in four of those passes for 62 yards and a TD. Tom Kelso had a TD reception among this three catches for 58 yards. Nick Egeling also scored on a McMullen toss. Peter Privitera carried the ball 24 times for 89 yards. Kelso rushed for 70 yards and a TD on 11 carries. Leading the defense was Kody Lamkin with 11 tackles and one sack. Brandon Van Grol had five tackles. With four tackles apiece were Tom Kelso, Ryan McQuillan, Zack Fitzsimmons and Brian Hodges. 

Alexander's impressive 2013 campaign continued Saturday with a shutout victory over Holley, 42-0. The Trojans are now 4-1 on the season. Dylan Scharlau had 30 carries for 256 yards and two touchdowns. Nelso Burke was 9-for-15 passing for 157 yards and three TDs. Jake Riggs had four receptions for 62 yards and two TDs. Sam Browne gained 71 yards on four catches and scored a TD. Riggs and Browne also had two interceptions on defense. Tyler Laird led the defense with 14 tackles, including two for a loss.

It's been a few years since Oakfield-Alabama made it through the fifth week with a winning record, with but with Saturday's victory over Elba/Byron-Bergen, the Hornets are now 3-2 on the season. The Lancers drop to 2-3 with the 20-15 loss. Allen Chatt was 11-15 for 145 yards and a TD. Chris Nanni gained 58 yards on the ground and scored once. Chase Manzella had 10 tackles.

In week six: Wellsville (2-3, coming off two consecutive shutout victories) is at Le Roy, 7:30 p.m., Friday; Oakfield-Alabama is at Alexander, 7 p.m. Friday;  Holley is at Pembroke, 7 p.m., Friday; Notre Dame is at Finney, 1 p.m., Saturday; Attica is at Elba/BB, 1:30 p.m., Saturday; Batavia is at Greece-Arcadia, 2 p.m., Saturday.

Notre Dame ended its three-game losing streak to Elba/Byron-Bergen with a dominating 40 to 7 victory.

For the second consecutive week, Tim McCulley scored five touchdowns for the Fighting Irish, this time all through the air as Notre Dame controlled the game from start to finish.

The Irish opened the scoring as McCulley hooked up with Josh Johnson for a 13-yard TD strike in the first quarter to go up 6-0.

McCulley would later find Jason Hart on a one-yard toss to give the Irish a 13-0 lead. In total, McCulley would throw four touchdown passes in the first half, two more to Johnson on plays of two and 51 yards respectively.

The senior quarterback went 18-for-27 passing for 335 yards and also picked up another 61 on the ground.

The Lancers would get on the board just before the end of the half on a three-yard pass from Garrett Chapell to Chad Kowalik.

Charlie Herbert was on the receiving end of the fifth and final touchdown pass from McCulley late in the third quarter. Herbert racked up 134 yards on six grabs, while Johnson had 161 on seven catches.

The Fighting Irish defense was stout all game, holding Chapell to just 13-of-33 passing for 127 yards and intercepting him four times, once by Johnson.

“Our skilled guys had a good game today, although we did have a couple of lapses,” said Notre Dame Head Coach Rick Mancuso. “I’m really proud of the overall effort, of the great effort that got us to this point, but we have a lot to work on and we are going to get back at it on Monday.”

Brandon Naylor had a strong game for Elba/Byron-Bergen (2-2), carrying the ball 16 times for 100 yards. The Lancers will next travel to Oakfield-Alabama next Friday night.

Notre Dame (4-0) is the only remaining unbeaten team in the Genesee Region League, and they will take on Pembroke next Saturday.

Also Saturday, Batavia lost to Canandaigua Academy 49-12.

Photos by Howard Owens.

To purchase prints of photos, click here.

For the first time in a reported 20 years, powder puff football has returned to Alexander High School.

The Freshmen (red) took on the Juniors (pink) in the first game. Freshmen came out ahead 22 to 6.

The second game featured the Seniors (white) and the Sophmores (purple). The Sophmores took the game 14 to 0.

In the championship game the Sophmores eked out a win against the Freshmen 6 to 0.

Homecoming parade starts at 6 p.m. Friday, with Alexander Varsity football team hosting Attica at 7 p.m.

Pictured above: Kaylee MacIntyre, Alexa Merle, Marissa Scharlau.

Pictured above: Hanna Barnaby kicking off.

More after the jump (click on the headline):

Pictured above: Olivia George, Alex Holderer, and Francesca.

Pictured above: Olivia George and Alex Holderer.

Pictured above: The Junior team.

Pictured above: The Freshmen team.

Pictured above: Karli Phillips, Stephanie McBride.

Pictured above: Sophmore team.

Pictured above: Seniors!

Pictured above: Ryan Dunbar as the Trojan (acting as Freshmen mascot) being chased by Ricky Amico (as the Sophmore mascot)

Pictured above: Senior Coach Zach Laird.

Pictured above: Lydia Spiotta.

For more pictures of the game and festivities please visit:  Francletography Powder Puff Game

This week the Alexander Tri-Town Trojans hosted the Oakfield-Elba Titans in Attica. The rain was persistent throughout the day, causing more than the average amount of turnovers. The beginners started the morning off. (Scores are not kept at this level.)

The mini division saw two teams marching up and down the field, and two defenses making great goal-line stands.

Only one team made it into the end-zone today. Gage Brewmister from Oakfield-Elba scored. The extra point attempt was stopped, leaving the game at 6-0 Oakfield-Elba.

The JV division saw a lot of offense, on the ground and in the air. Only one team capitalized on the yardage though.

Scoring for Oakfield-Elba:

Ty Mott (Extra point by Ty Mott)

Mason Randall (Extra point by Ty Kropelin)

Gabe MacDonald (No extra point)

Bryce Yockel (No extra point)

There was not a varsity division game this week.

Next week Oakfield-Elba hosts Albion in Oakfield and Alexander has a bye.

More pictures from this week may be found here: Francletography - NOFA

Tim McCulley accounted for five touchdowns as Notre Dame routed Alexander 41 to 12.

Both teams entered the contest with 2-0 records, and went toe-to-toe for the first quarter, until the Fighting Irish opened things up.

McCulley started the scoring by capping a 17-play, 88-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run. Alexander would quickly respond though, scoring on a 75-yard drive, finished by a Dylan Scharlau one-yard run.

However two plays later, the Notre Dame senior quarterback ripped off a 63-yard touchdown run and the Irish never looked back. McCulley would hook up with Josh Johnson on a 30-yard touchdown pass to head into halftime with a 20-6 lead.

Notre Dame received the ball to start the third quarter and proceeded to march 67 yards on 11 plays, capped by a 24-yard touchdown toss from McCulley to Luca Zambito.

McCulley would later intercept a Nelson Burke pass, and capitalize with one more touchdown pass to Charlie Herbert to put the game on ice.

One bright spot for Alexander was the play of Scharlau, who ran for 166 yards and two touchdowns, while the Irish defense held Burke to just 2-of-10 passing for 12 yards and two interceptions.

Notre Dame got one final touchdown after Johnson returned a Trojan onside kick 54 yards for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

McCulley finished the game 10-of-21 passing for 171 yards, three touchdowns and an interception, while also rushing for 108 yards and two scores.

Senior Andrew Mullen had a solid game for the Irish, rushing for 124 yards on 21 carries, while Zambito added four catches for 50 yards and a touchdown.

The Fighting Irish improve to 3-0 and will travel to Elba/Byron-Bergen next week. The Lancers have beaten Notre Dame the last two seasons, keeping them from an undefeated record.

Alexander (2-1) will host Attica next Friday night. 

More stats: Scharlau had seven tackles and one sack. Zach Laird had seven tackles. Jonathan George had eight tackles. Kelsey Patten also recorded a sack for Alexander. For Notre Dame, McCulley rushed for 107 yards on 19 carries. Luca Zambio had four catches for 54 yards and a TD. Charlie Hebert had two receptions for 60 yards and a TD. Josh Johnson gained 35 yards on two receptions and scored. Joe Zickl led the defense with 13 tackels. Dakota Weidman notched the team's only sack.

In other football action today, Elba/Byron Bergen moved to 2-1 with a 41-6 over Holley on in the first game on Holley's brand-new football field. Garrett Chapell, who was 3-6 for 67 yards, threw for two TD and ran for one. Brandon Naylor carried the ball in twice. Austin Yockel snatched his third interception on the season. The Lancers had 315 yards total offense to Holley's 50. Mike Shanley had 11 carries for 107 yards. Andy Underhill had 14 tackles and half a sack. Naylor, 10 tackles, Hunter Taylor 11 and 11 for Steel Truax.

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Photos by Howard Owens.

To purchase prints of photos, click here.

Le Roy looked like a team with barely a weakness during the first half of Friday's 41-14 victory over Letchworth.

The Indians were held to minus two yards of total offense during the half and ran only 19 plays without notching a single first down.

The Oatkan Knights (3-0) had six possession in the half and scored five offensive TDs with a total offense of 248 yards.

The one glitch was a Mike McMullen interception when the Knights seemed to be marching toward another inevitable touchdown. It was McMullen's first interception of the season.

"I thought we played well," Head Coach Brian Moran said. "I though we did a lot of things well tonight. I thought our first team played extremely well. They got off the ball well. We just did a lot good things."

McMullen tossed three touchdown passes and had a total of 118 yards through the air on the night. He was 10-16 passing. Ryan McQuillen caught all three of the TD passes.

Peter Privitera gained 145 yards on 18 carries, scoring twice.

"Peter ran very well today," Moran said. "As you know, he came off the ankle surgery and tonight he showed the Peter of old. He started to get that speed back, and acceleration."

Tom Kelso carried the ball seven times for 42 yards and one TD. Nick Egeling ran for 45 yards on six carries. Kelso also caught three passes for 42 yards.

Jake Henry had six tackles and a sack. Chandler Winling, five tackles, and with four tackles each were Brandon Van Grol, McQuillen and Egeling. Anthony Paladino had two tackles and a sack.

Letchworth came into the game with a 1-1 record, with a 30-26 win over Warsaw and a 33-0 loss to Cal-Mum.

The Indians' only real offense came late in the game with two scoring drives against mainly second-team players. The Indians were also running more stunts and option plays, opening up the offense a bit.

Moran said this week the focus during team practice will be the play of the second team.

"You've got to pay a little more attention in practice and understand what we're trying to do and play a little better," Moran said. "Our expectation is that everybody improves on our team."

Next up for Le Roy, Warsaw, which is off to an 0-3 start on the season. Game time is 7:30 at Le Roy.

For our coverage of the Batavia game, click here.

Also, last night, Pembroke (1-2) lost to Attica (3-0), 41-7. Attica's Matt Perry gained 288 yards on 17 carries, scoring six times. Perry is now the school career leader in TDs with 50 and total yards at 2,866.

Oakfield-Alabama (1-2) beat Finney (0-3) 61-0. Alan Chapp was 12-14 for 252 yards and two touchdowns, adding 72 yards on the ground. Chase Manzella gained 63 yards and scored three times. Chris Nanni added 31 yards on the ground and two TDs.

Today, two undefeated teams, Alexander and Notre Dame, clash at Notre Dame. Game time, 1:30. Elba/Byron-Bergen is at Holley.

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Coming into the season Batavia Head Coach Brennan Briggs knew that his team faced a tough challenge by joining the Monroe County League. This week was an example of why, as Brighton wore down the Blue Devils, spoiling homecoming in route to a 34 to 6 victory.

Batavia hung with the Barons through the first half, entering the break only down 7-0, but Brighton’s size and speed was just too much to overcome in the second half.

“It’s tough because nobody wants to hear moral victories,” Briggs said. “But every single week I want to tip my cap to these guys because every single week they are outmanned and outnumbered. There was no brilliant scheme that Brighton threw at us; they just ran the same play over and over. When it comes down to it, they were just bigger.”

The game was scoreless deep into the second quarter until Brighton mounted a 16-play, 88-yard drive that took nearly seven minutes off of the clock before fullback Gordon Truesdale plunged in from three yards out. The Blue Devils appeared to be nearing a score with under a minute left after Brandon Stevenson ripped off a 27-yard run deep into Brighton territory. However, an offensive pass-interference call doomed the Batavia drive and the Barons entered the intermission with the lead.

The Barons received the ball on the second half kickoff and proceeded to impose their will for the remainder of the game.

Brighton opened the third quarter with another 16-play, 67-yard drive that took over seven minutes off the clock before Matt Stone, who ran the ball 19 times for 114 yards, finished off the march with a three-yard touchdown run.

Stevenson was then intercepted at midfield by Stone on the ensuing possession, and the Barons capitalized again with another goal line plunge by Truesdale.

The Blue Devils would turn the ball over on downs, and Brighton would score a back-breaking touchdown on a 27-yard scamper by Christian Jones to put them up 27-0 with just over nine minutes to play in the game.

Brighton seemed to be just too much up front for the undersized Batavia team, as they did not attempt a single pass in the second half, while running the ball 63 times for 432 yards on the evening. An even more telling statistic was the Blue Devils only held possession for 3:32 in the second half and only attempted 11 plays from scrimmage.

“The worst situation to be in is when a team is grinding the ball,” Briggs said. “When a team is throwing the ball you think you can get some stops, but when they are just grinding it and physically beating you up, there’s not much you can do.”

One bright spot was once again the play of Stevenson, who scored the lone Batavia touchdown on a 77-yard dash in the fourth quarter. He would finish with a game-high 139 rushing yards on 11 carries.

The Barons would get one more score, a 58-yard run from Jones to seal the game.

Jones would finish with 114 yards on nine carries and two touchdowns, while Truesdale added 65 yards on 11 attempts to go with his two scores for Brighton (1-2).

Batavia falls to 1-2 on the season and will travel to Canandaigua next Saturday for a 2 p.m. start.

“We have to turn the page, we can’t make any excuses, and we have to come out and work hard,” Briggs said. “Football is going to teach lessons to make you a man. They know that they are going to be in a dog fight every week and they are going to better for it.”

Coming into the second half Saturday in Elba, it seemed like anybody's game.

Turnovers helped stymie both offensives in the first two quarters of the Elba/Byron-Bergen vs. Pembroke matchup and the Lancers held a slender 7-0 lead.

Mike Cintorino, head coach for Elba/BB, said his team made some adjustments at the half and came out ready to play.

That play included two key interceptions by Austin Yockel. On one, Yockel returned the ball to the red zone, setting up a core and in the other he went the distance himself for six.

The Lancers were dominant in the second half in a way they weren't last week in a 23-6 loss to Alexander.

"It's a home opener," Cintorino said. "Just like Alexander was fired up last week to open up at home, I think our guys were excited to open up at home. We've always opened up better at home. I think we've never opened up on the road and won a game, at least since I've been here."

Turnovers are what doomed the Dragons, Head Coach Justin Loeber conceded.

Twice in the first half, Pembroke snagged the ball from the Lancers only to give it right back, and turnovers in the second half were directly related to Elba/BB scores.

"We played a good, young football team," Loeber said. "They hit hard. They're physical. We made too many mistakes on the defensive side and too many turnovers on offensive. Too big plays on defense, other than that, it's a 13-7 ball game."

Lancers QB Garrett Chapell was 6-12 for 172 yards and three TDs. He had one interception and one fumble. Kyle Dougherty caught four passes for 135 yards and two TDs (including the first quarter score in the top picture). Yockel had two catches for 37 yards and a TD. Brandon Naylor rushed for 76 yards on 16 carries with one touchdown. Steele Truax had 13 tackles and two forced fumbles. Dougherty had 13 tackles. Andy Underhill had 11 tackles and one forced fumble. Hunter Tayler had six tackles and two sacks. Mike Shanley had three tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery.

On offensive for Pembroke, Tyler Bruning was nine for 17 for 79 yards and one TD. He threw three interceptions. Dakota Swimline carried the ball 16 times for 28 yards. Zack Kelsey had one 14-yard TD reception.

One of Yockel's two second-half interceptions.

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A pick six with a 70-yard return by Andrew Budlong in the fourth quarter felt like a game changer.

The Batavia Blue Devils cut in half their 14-point deficit against the Cougers of Honeoye Falls-Lima and the energy level on the sidelines and in the stands kicked up a notch.

Even Head Coach Brandon Briggs was thinking "win" as the refs signaled touchdown.

"We always talk about X plays, the big plays, and you've got to win the big play battle," Briggs said. "When he was running that back, first I've got to look to make sure we don't clip anybody, and when he was crossing that goal line I was saying in my mind, 'we're going to win this football game.' Momentum swings."

Alas, with two minutes left in the came the momentum dissipated as quickly as it had swung to Batavia.

The Blue Devils were knocking on the door for another six when sophomore QB Greg Mruczek flicked a pass into the end zone that only found white jerseys.

From there, HFL was able to run out the clock. Final score, HFL 27, Batavia 20.

At no point during the four quarters of football did Batavia have a lead.

The Cougers scored in the first quarter on a seven-yard run by Ryan Olivo. At the top of the second quarter, HFL made it 13-0 when Cougers QB Dan Hart hit Jovan Alcorn on a 24-yard TD pass.

Brandon Stevenson finally put Batavia on the board with a 13-yard run, but the Blue Devils went into the locker room down 20-6 at the half.

"We told them when we were down a couple of scores last year at half time against Albion, we came back to beat them," Briggs said.

And the Blue Devils fought back, even after the Cougers opened the third quarter with another score, Batavia never said quit.

Mruczek answered HFL with a 38-yard strike to Stevenson to make Budlong's eventual pick six meaningful.

The defense tightened up and the cause seemed far from hopeless.

"Our theme is to keep chopping," Briggs said. "We're a small team. We're a blue collar team. We've got to come out no matter what and keep chopping away."

The game, like any early season game for a good, young team, is a learning experience, Briggs said.

"Monroe County football is a different horse," Briggs said. "I think our guys found that out tonight. I don't think they're going to pack it in at all. I think we're going to come in with our lunch boxes on Monday and we're going to do a good job."

UPDATE: Stats from the game: Stevenson, 18 carries for 105 yards and a TD, and two catches for 40 yards and one TD. Mruczek was 4-10 for 90 yards, a TD and three interceptions. Tom Garlock had 4.5 tackles and one sack. Budlong has a 77 interception return for a TD.

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In other Friday night football action:

Alexander scored 64 points against hapless CG Finney for a 64-0 victory. Alexander had 509 yards of total offense, including 452 yards rushing. Dylan Scharlau had 22 carries for 239 yards and three TDs. Scharlau also blocked a punt and recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown. Tristan Aldinger filled in at fullback and had three carries for 118 yards and two touchdowns. Will Burke also played fullback and gained 58 yards on six carries and scored once plus three two-point conversion runs. On defense, Burke had 10 tackles. QB Nelson Burke was 2-5 passing for 57 yards and one TD with no interceptions. Zach Laird scored on a 41-yard reception. Cody Trzecieski has five tackles and two interceptions. John George had six tackles and he picked off a screen pass that he returned 28 yards to set up another Alexander score. Alexander is now 2-0 on the season and plays Notre Dame next Saturday.

Notre Dame moved to 2-0 with a 35-21 win over Oakfield-Alabama (0-2). Andrew Mullen carried the ball 18 times for 62 yards and one TD. QB Tim McCulley was 7-18 for 116 yards and four touchdowns. He also carried the ball 13 times for 99 yards. McCulley was 5-5 in PATs. Charlie Hebert had three receptions for 36 yards and one TD. Josh Johnson had two TD receptions and gained 53 yards. Joe Zickl also caught a 22-yard pass for a score. Hebert and Zickl led the defense with 8.5 tackles. Mullen had 7.5 tackles, as did McCulley. Tyler Stroud, 8. Dylan Cory recorded a sack. For the Hornets, QB Allen Chatt was 7-16 for 88 yards and one TD. Chris Nanni carried the ball 31 times for 167 yards and one TD. Nanni also had three receptions for 56 yards and a TD. Chase Manzella had 15 carries for 95 yards and a TD. Dominic D'Alba caught two pases for 15 yards. Manzella led the defense with six tackles and a sack. Jon Harris had four tackles as did D'Alba.

Le Roy moved to 2-0 with a 47-8 win over Bishop Kearney. We did not receive any stats for this game.

The only local game today is at 1:30 when Elba/Byron-Bergen (0-1) hosts Pembroke (1-0).

The Lyndonville Tigers, a semi-pro football team that plays its home games in Pembroke, host the Troy Fighting Irish at 4 p.m. today, in the NFA championship game.

Olympic gold medalist Jenn Suhr will perform the opening coin toss.

Fireworks will follow the game at 8 p.m.

In their 10th season, the Tigers are looking to win its first NFA championship against a Troy team that has won four consecutive championships. Both teams are 9-2 on the season.

Story by Mike Wertman. Photo By Cheryl Wertman. Orleans Hub. Used with permission.

PEMBROKE – Earning a shot at that elusive first ever overall league championship, the Lyndonville Tigers blanked the Nickel City Kings 14-0 Saturday for the Northeastern Football Alliance West Division playoff title at Pembroke Town Park.

Touchdowns by Rob Williams and Gary LeFrois provided just enough offense for the Tigers whose shutout defensive effort was highlighted by two interceptions by Brad Ralph and one each by AJ Clevleand and Kyle Fiegel.

Lyndonville will now host the league playoff championship game at 4 p.m. Saturday against the Eastern Division playoff winner (either the Troy Irish or Glove Cities Colonials).

Lyndonville, after failing to capitalize on two early scoring opportunities inside the Kings 30 yard line, grabbed an 8-0 lead early in the second quarter on a 31 yard touchdown run by Williams and an extra point run by Derrick Adams.

It remained a tight 8-0 game until early in the fourth quarter when LeFrois caught a 30 yard touchdown pass from quarterback Matt MacIntosh on a key fourth down play.

The Tigers defense did the rest stopping three of the Kings final four drives with interceptions, two by Ralph and one by Fiegel. Defensive back Mike Manicki halted the other late Kings drive by breaking up a fourth down pass. Cleveland’s pick stopped a Kings drive just before half-time.

The victory was the ninth in a row for Lyndonville which is now 9-2 on the season.

The Tigers split a pair of regular season meetings with the Kings.

One year makes a big difference in high school football.

To start the 2012 season, Elba/Byron-Bergen had the size and experience over Alexander. The final score that opening game was 40-13.

The way Lancers Head Coach Michael Cintorino sees it, the Alexander players didn't forget that smackdown.

Yesterday in Alexander, the tables were turned and the Trojans came out on top 23-6 victory after dominating a rain-drenched second.

"I think the key to the game is Alexander returned an awful lot of guys who are very well coached," Cintorino said. "Their guys came ready to play. Not that we didn't, but they had a little fire in them from what happened to them last year against us. I think that stayed with those young guys and they put their time in during the off season."

The Lancers were powered last season by the legs of Zach DuBois and the arm of Zac Gillard. Both players graduated.

All but three of Alexander's 19 varsity players hit the weight room hard during the off season, said head coach Tim Sawyer. This year, the Trojans may lack the roster size of some other teams, but they can put some big guys on the field.

Senior running back Dylan Scharlau is 6' and 195 lbs. Quinn Furlong, at TE and LB, is an inch shorter, but the same weight. Alton Rupp and Will Burke check in on offense and defense at 190 and 195 lbs. On the offensive and defensive lines are anchored by Kelsey Patten (225 lbs.), Jonathon George (230 lbs.), Damien Hargraves (200 lbs.) and Alex Jewett (245 lbs.).

With Nelson Burke at QB and Zach Laird at wide out, the Trojans can also run and catch.

"Elba is a physical team," Sawyer said. "But we have some pretty good size this year combined with strength. I thought it was a good, even match-up."

The key to the game may have been the start of the second half, which didn't result in a score for Alexander (penalties killed their drive), but it did help turn the tide.

Up by three after Scharlau's 30-yard field goal gave Alexander a 9-6 lead to end the second quarter; the Trojans had the first possession of the third.

"This doesn’t show on the scoreboard but I think this is huge," Sawyer said. "To start the third quarter, we’re going into a strong wind into a driving rain and possessed the ball for seven minutes. We didn’t get any points, but it chewed up their offensive advantage of the wind and all."

The rain and the wind stayed steady throughout the fourth quarter, when the Lancers offense was facing the western end zone. With the wind at their back, the Trojans were able to engineer two touchdown drives.

Burke hit Laird for a 17-yard pass for a TD and Scharlau pushed the pile forward on a goal line TD run, followed by a two-point conversion pass from Burke.

Elba/BB's lone score came on a pass from Garrett Chapell to Kyle Dougherty, giving the Lancer's a quick 6-0 lead.

Last season the 2-6 Trojans had a tendency to get down early and then find it difficult to battle back, so Sawyer as much pleased with the way his team won as he is with a 1-0 start to the season.

"They boys believed in themselves and kept battling," Sawyer said. "To be down early and finish the game 23-6, that’s a big step for our football program."

Both coaches said they have work to do with their teams.

For the Lancers, there's no one glaring issue, Cintorino said. There's a lot of little things, but mainly the mental errors need to be addressed.

Two fumbles in the second half were costly for the Elba/BB.

"I have confidence in this group and I think we can work on those kinks, coach them up, and get them were they need to be," Cintorino said.

It feels good, Sawyer said, to go into the next week trying to improve the team coming off a win.

"We made some mistakes," Sawyer said. "We have some things to work on. It's nice to get the win, but when I got into the team room, it's going to be like, 'Hey, we've got to shore some things up here.' "

On the game Scharlau carried the ball 26 times for 157 yards and two TDs, plus the 30-yard field goal. Burke was six for 11 for 178 yards and one TD pass. Burke also gave up an interception. He ran the ball four times for 29 yards. Laird caught the ball three times for 44 yards and a TD.  He had six carries for 36 yards. On defense, Patten had two sacks and four tackles. Laird had a sack, four and a half tackles and a forced fumble.

For Elba, Brandon Naylor gained 78 yards on 17 carries. Chapell was 4-13 for 40 yards and one TD. Austin Yockel caught two passes for 25 yards and Dougherty's one catch was the nine-yard TD reception in the first quarter. On defense, Naylor had 16 tackles and one forced fumble. Andy Underhill had 13 tackles and a forced fumble. Austin Hynes Fisher had six tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Dougherty had four tackles and an interception.

Other football action:

• Pembroke beat Charles Finney 41-0. The Dragons gained 300 yards on the ground. Dakota Swimline had 14 carries for 150 yards and three TDs. Cal Neurhor had eight tackles, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.
• Batavia beat Edison Technical 22-0 taking command of the game in the first quarter, scoring 16 points. Nick Canzoneri carried the ball 16 times for 81 yards and two TDs. Brandon Stevenson gained 215 all-purpose yards. Dominick Mogazero and Trevor Rittstersback each had 12 tackles.
• Notre Dame crushed Holley 52-0. Tim McCulley came up big throwing for 229 yards and four TDs. He was seven for 10 passing. McCulley ran the ball eight times for 92 yards and one TD. Andrew Mullen taking over as lead man out of the backfield gained 151 yards and scored three times. The Irish had a total of 270 yards on the ground. He had one catch for 49 yards. Notre Dame scored 39 first-half points and notched one TD on Mullen runs in the third and fourth quarters. Cam Chamberlain gained 25 yards on eight carries. Josh Johnson had two TD receptions and gained 83 yards. Luca Zambito caught the ball twice for 47 yards and scored once. Chamberlain had eight tackles. Joe Zickl had five and a half.
• Oakfield-Alabama lost to Attica 45-6. Chris Nanni carried the ball 21 times, gained 72 yards and scored once. Chase Manzella notched 17 tackles. Attica, part of the Genesee Region League, returns with workhorse running back Matt Perry, now a senior, who ran for 228 yards and two TDs on 28 carries.

Football next Friday and Saturday:

• Finney is at Alexander, Friday, 7 p.m.
• Notre Dame at Oakfield-Alabama, Friday, 7 p.m.
• Le Roy at Bishop Kearney, Friday, 7:30 p.m.
• HF-L at Batavia, Friday, 7:30 p.m. (we'll cover this game)
• Pembroke at Elba/BB, Saturday, 1:30 p.m.

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