football

 Just a reminder, we have two big local games tonight and I will be doing coverage of both.

Le Roy is looking to improve to 4-0 and get ready for a stretch of big games to end the regular season with a game against Canisteo-Greenwood at Hartwood Park.

I will be at this game with my camera and video camera to show you what the Oatkan Knights are all about.

Batavia is traveling to Midlakes and trying to even up at 2-2. Coach Dan Geiger will be calling me after the game and I will be relaying the details as soon as possible.

Make sure you check back to The Batavian tonight for the fastest, most in-depth coverage possible of these games.

History will be made in Elba on October 4.

The Elba/Byron-Bergen football team will be playing its homecoming game under the lights for the first time in the history of the program.

Elba has never had lights on its field and the Elba Sports Boosters will be bringing in temporary lights for the game against Alexander, allowing the Lancers to host a night game for the first time ever.

The Section 5 schedule still says the game has a 1:30 p.m. kickoff time, but it will actually be at 7 p.m.

 Canisteo-Greenwood (1-2) at Le Roy (3-0)

7:30 p.m. Friday

The Oatkan Knights are coasting after beating Wellsville 77-8 in Week 3 and should have a big advantage over Canisteo-Greenwood, which has only scored 66 total points through three weeks of the season.

The only way Le Roy could struggle in this game is if the players think past C-G with tough games against Avon (2-1) and Caledonia-Mumford (3-0) and Hornell (3-0) to end the regular season.

The Oatkan Knights - ranked fifth in the state in Class C - have the highest scoring offense and have allowed the least amount of points of all the teams in Livingston Conference Division II.

Le Roy is moving the ball on the ground and through the air as Andrew Alexander has rushed for 421 yards through three games and Travis Fenstermaker has thrown for 357 yards, most of which has gone to Mike Humphrey.

Humphrey and Fenstermaker are possibly the best passing duo in Section 5, hooking up for five touchdowns so far. Humphrey has been over 100 yards receiving in the last two games.

Batavia (1-2) at Midlakes (0-3)

7 p.m. Friday

The Blue Devils hit the road for the first time this season and have momentum after a big 41-28 win over Waterloo last week.

Batavia has given up a lot of points this season, but scoring has not been a problem. Dan Geiger's offense has put up 74 points over the last two games.

Rob Williams has been a big reason why.

The senior has 374 yards rushing, which is quite impressive when you throw in the 17 yards he was held to in a Week 1 loss against Le Roy.

Williams has also been a factor on the defensive side of the ball and special teams, so Midlakes will be looking out for him.

Enter Anthony D'Aurizio.

D'Aurizio is the perfect compliment to Williams and runs with a bruising style. He picked up 180 yards and two touchdowns last week.

Midlakes has struggled, scoring just 21 points while giving up 73.

Batavia enters this road game with momentum and as the favorite, with a chance to even up at 2-2.

Holley (0-3) at Alexander (0-3)

1:30 p.m. Saturday

This game features the only two winless teams in the Genesee Region League and two programs with new coaches.

Holley's Chad DeRock served as jayvee coach last year while the school did not field a varsity squad. He has some players on the line with some size and the Hawks look to pound the football.

Unfortunately, they haven't had much success doing it thus far, scoring just 30 points so far this season.

Holley had just 56 total yards of offense in last week's 41-0 loss against Pembroke.

Alexander's Dave Radley has a squad filled with juniors and has had the hardest schedule in the GR so far, having to play Oakfield-Alabama (3-0), Pembroke (3-0) and Attica (2-1).

The Trojans have done a so-so job of putting points on the board, netting 33. But the defense has been beyond porous, giving up 117 points. 

Both squads are going to look to play physical football, with the winner getting their coach a first victory. The losing team will fall to 0-4.

Oakfield-Alabama (3-0) at Notre Dame (2-1)

1:30 p.m. Saturday

This is a huge game in terms of the race for the Genesee Region League title after Notre Dame's lone loss coming to Pembroke and O-A still having the Dragons on the schedule.

The Hornets are doing it again, running the ball with several different runners behind a solid offensive line, led by Division I prospect Chris Williams. 

Tim Smith (304 yards, 4 TD), Brad Riner (279 yards, 6 TD), Joe Natalizia (192 yards, 2 TD) and Jason Stanley (162) all have the ability to go off at any time.

O-A - ranked 13th in the state for Class C - has already rushed for over 1,000 yards as a team and has scored a league-leading 153 points.

Quarterback A.J. Kehlenbeck can also throw the ball a little.. He has completed 7-of-14 pass attempts for 94 yards and two TDs this season.

The Fighting Irish have skilled players all over the field.

Mike Pratt went for over 100 yards rushing in a Week 2 win over Attica and Kevin Schildwaster went for over 100 in Week 3's 37-6 victory over Barker. Both will get carries and you can look for the one that is running the ball better to keep getting the ball.

But if O-A's stingy defense shuts down the run, Notre Dame has a great passing option with quarterback Nick Bochicchio and wide receiver Kevin Francis.

The last time these two teams met on Notre Dame's field two years ago, the game went into overtime during a rain storm, with the Hornets escaping with a win.

Attica (2-1) at Barker (1-2)

1:30 p.m. Saturday

Class B Offensive Player of the Week Andy Ruddock looks to lead the Blue Devils, who beat Elba/Byron-Bergen 40-6 last week.

Ruddock earned the honor after gaining 193 yards with a score on 18 carries in the game. He also caught a pass for 19 yards and returned a kick 43 yards.

Barker is probably going to focus on shutting Rudy down, so Blue Devil coach Jeff Cusmano might let his quarterback have a big day.

Brandon Rollins - who transfered to Attica this school year - has gotten better in each game this season and had a nice passing game last week. He went 8-of-12 for 85 yards and three touchdowns last week.

The Blue Devils always think defense first and it has shown as the team has given up a league-low 39 points.

That could be a problem for Barker, which has scored just 31 points this season. The only victory the Raiders have came against Holley.

Greg Brown is the top rushing option, gaining 238 yards with two TDs so far. Ray Paul has pitched in 136 yards with a couple of scores.

Anthony Porter and Ethan Dewart each have thrown for 57 yards this season.

Elba/Byron-Bergen (1-2) at Pembroke (3-0)

1:30 p.m. Saturday

The Dragons spread the ball around, but Andrew Wright has easily been one of the top players in the league so far.

He has nine total touchdowns so far this season and has been huge as a runner, a receiver and a kick returner.

Wright had two touchdowns and a 99-yard kickoff return for a score in Week 1, carried the ball just eight times for 185 yards and four touchdowns in Week 2 and then picked up 118 yards rushing on 10 carries with two catches for 55 yards in Week 3.

He has 18 rushing attempts for 283 yards and five touchdowns and has caught five passes for 180 yards and three scores.

Mike Dibble will spend the entire game in the backfield and does a great job of pacing the game. He has 47 rushing attempts for 240 yards and four scores.

David Kleckler has put up some very efficient passing numbers this season and also has the ability to run as a quarterback. He will typically look in tight end Ken Babcock's direction at least a couple of times in the game.

Kleckler has gone 11-of-23 passing for 317 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions. He has rushed for 127 yards and two TDs on eight carries.

Babcock has caught six passes for 137 yards with two touchdowns.

The Lancers have had no problem rushing the ball so far, but have only managed to score 57 points.

Brandon Spurling is at almost 400 yards rushing and Zach Green has about 200 yards.

Elba has also made the switch at quarterback, making Eric Kowalik the full time QB and moving Cody Torpey to wide receiver. He could also get some rushing attempts.

 Well, it took three weeks but a local football player was finally named Section 5 Player of the Week.

Attica's Andy Ruddock rushed for 193 yards on 18 carries as the Blue Devils beat Elba/Byron-Bergen 40-6 Friday night and he earned the offensive honor for Class B.

Ruddock also had a 2-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

Attica is 2-1 and will be playing at Barker this Saturday.

 Holley's defense was solid in the first half. Pembroke's was throughout the game.

That meant the Dragons picked up a solid 41-0 victory in Holley Saturday afternoon, holding the Hawks to just 56 total yards of offense.

While Pembroke started slow, a multitude of players put up solid numbers.

Mike Dibble rushed for 92 yards on 18 carries and Josh Phillips gained 56 on seven rushes.

Andrew Wright had another huge day, rushing the ball 10 times for 118 yards and catching a pair of passes for 55 yards.

Quarterback David Kleckler ended up going 4-of-10 for 104 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He also rushed for 28 yards.

The Holley defense had done a good job of holding the Dragons in check early on the opening drive, but the first score of the game came on a 45-yard touchdown pass from Kleckler to Wright on a fourth-and-15.

Holley punted the ball away, then managed to force Pembroke to do the same thing.

Guy Hills picked up a rushing first down for the Hawks and then Mike Pernicano picked up 25  yards on a rush, but the play was called back on a holding call. The Hawks wound up attempting a punt, which was blocked.

The Dragons started at the Holley 20 and Wright went for 15 yards and Kleckler scored from five yards out, giving Pembroke a 13-0 first quarter advantage.

Wright broke off a 25-yard run early in the second quarter before Ken Babcock made the play of the game a few plays later, hauling in a 25-yard TD pass.

Babcock actually caught another touchdown pass in the first half, but it was called back due to offensive pass interference.

With the Pembroke defense shutting down the Holley offense, the Hawks were almost able to get a score near the end of the half because of their defense.

Hills intercepted a pass near midfield with 39 seconds left, allowing Kyle Steadman to get a 10-yard run. Unfortunately, time ran out on the Holley offense.

Wright had a 15-yard touchdown run and Phelps added one from six yards out to give Pembroke a 34-0 lead at the end of the third quarter.

The Dragons did add a final score midway through the fourth quarter.

Backup quarterback Andy Gabbey found Dibble on a screen and he took it in for a 9-yard touchdown pass.

The Dragons improve to 3-0 and will be hosting Elba/Byron-Bergen (1-2) next Saturday.

Holley falls to 0-3, but is showing signs of life, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

They will be at Alexander (0-3) next Saturday in a matchup of teams looking to win for the first time this season.

UPDATED WITH VIDEO

A third straight home loss to start the season would have meant the Batavia football team was going to be looking at a nearly impossible climb to get into the Section 5 Class B Tournament.

But the running of Anthony D'Aurizio and Rob Williams made sure that that climb is going to be a little less difficult as the Blue Devils offense outgunned visiting Waterloo 41-28 at VanDetta Stadium Friday night.

The scoring output shows the ability of the offense, which put up 33 points in a difficult 34-33 overtime loss against Pal-Mac.

Williams rushed for 203 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries while D'Aurizio had 180 yards and two scores on 21 attempts.

After Rich Chilson kicked off the scoring for the Indians with a 15-yard run just 1 1/2 minutes into the game, Batavia got cooking.

D'Aurizio ripped off a 42-yard run that set up a 1-yard quarterback keeper for a touchdown by Joe Canzoneri. The Troy Ireland extra point gave Batavia a 7-6 advantage.

Kevin Sessler punched one in from two yards out and after the two-point conversion failed, the Indians led 12-7 to end the opening quarter.

D'Aurizio scored from 2 yards out and had a conversion run to put Batavia up 15-12 before Sessler capped off the first half scoring with a two-yard run for Waterloo, with the extra point making it 19-15 Indians at intermission.

Batavia owned the third quarter.

After receiving the opening kickoff, D'Aurizio had a 12-yard run, Williams ripped one off for 21 yards and D'Aurzio capped off the drive with a score from 10 yards out.

Ireland pounded the ensuing kickoff and Waterloo didn't get much of a return. That was compounded by a block in the back penalty, which meant the following drive started at the 5-yard line.

Waterloo didn't move the ball and had to punt. 6-foot-1 Joe Schlossel blocked that punt and Batavia took over at the Indian 2-yard line.

Williams scored on the next play, giving the Blue Devils a 28-19 lead.

After Batavia's defense caused another three-and-out, Waterloo had to punt and Williams put the nail in the coffin when he ripped off a stunning 75-yard touchdown run. Ireland's kick made the score 35-19.

The Indians did drive and Chilson scored on a 10-yard run to get the score within 10 points early in the fourth quarter.

Waterloo then recovered the onside kick.

Jordan Cook nailed a 29-yard field goal and it was a one score game with about 4 minutes left to play.

Batavia struggled to move the ball and was in a fourth-and-2 situation with 3:21 left

Coach Dan Geiger decided to punt the ball away - despite the urging of several players to go for it with the ball at their own 38. But Canzoneri drilled a perfect punt, which was downed at the Waterloo 13-yard line.

The Indians never moved the ball and turned it over on downs, allowing Williams to cap off the game's scoring with a 13-yard TD run.

Waterloo had very little time to attempt to get back into the game, but Devonte Rolle intercepted a Cook pass to ice the game.

D'Aurizio led the defense with 11 tackles, with Ireland making 10 stops and Adam Hausfelder getting nine. Vinny Pedro had seven tackles and blocked an extra point for Batavia (1-2).

Waterloo falls to 0-3.

UPDATED WITH VIDEO

 I just wanted to leave a reminder that I will be at the Waterloo at Batavia game tonight, so please check back shortly after the end of the game for complete coverage as well as results from other area games.

 Elba/Byron-Bergen (1-1) at Attica (1-1)

7 p.m. Friday

The Blue Devils lost a lead to Notre Dame last week and are probably going to be looking for a chance to make a statement.

Attica's Andy Ruddock has had two solid rushing weeks and will probably be the focal point of this contest.

If the Lancers are able to hold him in check, Brandon Rollins has demonstrated an ability to both run and throw the football. He had a couple of long scrambles against the Fighting Irish last week.

Elba/Byron-Bergen is a team on the rise, but will struggle in this road contest.

The rushing game is E/BB's best shot to win the game as Zach Green and Brandon Spurling have to get going early. Green rushed for 101 yards in the Lancers' 24-16 victory over Holley last week, with Spurling rushing for nearly 200 yards in a loss to Oakfield-Alabama in the opening week, then 60 more yards in Week 2.

Alexander (0-2) at Oakfield-Alabama (2-0)

7 p.m. Friday

The Hornets feel like they can beat every team in the league by 80 points - and why not.

The running game has been nearly perfect - minus a couple of turnovers last week - and is proving to be unstoppable. Tim Smith has put up absolutely sick numbers as a wingback and special teams player, and Brad Riner has quieted criticism that he wasn't big enough to be a fullback.

O-A was cruising past Elba/Byron-Bergen before taking the starters out in the second half, allowing the Lancers to start making a comeback with their first team players.

Barker had no such luck as O-A pounded them 49-0.

Alexander hasn't had much to be excited about on the field thus far, but with new coach Dave Radley, a new staff and many new starters, it's going to take time.

A bright spot has been the play of Ryan Piechocki, who has ran the ball well, including a 40-yard TD run in a loss against Pembroke last week.

Le Roy (2-0) at Wellsville (1-1 )

7:30 p.m. Friday

Travis Fenstermaker to Mike Humphrey for a touchdown - Le Roy fans are getting used to hearing that  as the two started getting hot last postseason and have continued into this year, hooking up on three TD passes so far.

Fenstermaker is very possibly the best small-school quarterback in all of Section 5.

He has the ability to take over a game with his feet, but also throws a pretty ball. It would be hard to argue against him being the best player in Livingston Conferece Division II after the first two weeks.

The Oatkan Knights have also had superior running by Andrew Alexander and when he's not in the game, Tyrone Wyckoff has shown that his ability is just as good. He would be a great featured back on almost any Section 5 team.

Wellsville typically is one of the weaker teams in Livingston, but started off the season with a 32-7 win over Bolivar-Richburg in the opening week. Then they got destroyed by Cal-Mum.

But a 1-1 start for the squad is pretty good, so Le Roy will be careful not to make any early mistakes that could start the ball rolling towards an upset.

Waterloo (0-2) at Batavia (0-2)

7 p.m. Friday

It really sucks to have your heartbroken. I'm sure that many people reading this can sympathize with that.

The players on the Batavia football team had their hearts ripped out by Palmyra-Macedon last week worse than anybody could imagine.

Pal-Mac came back to score with seven seconds left in regulation before scoring and hitting the extra point in overtime. Then Batavia scored, and missed the extra point. It really doesn't get much harder to take than that.

But when you are 0-2 - with both games at home - there is no excuses, especially when 0-2 Waterloo comes to town.

If the Blue Devils lose Friday night, you can basically forget about making the sectional tournament. 

Coach Dan Geiger and his players are well aware of this, so expect a huge effort.

Rob Williams didn't touch the ball much in the opening week, but after switching his number from No. 1 to No. 30 last week, he blew up like not many players I've ever seen.

He had 17 rushes for 154 yards and four touchdowns, recovered two fumbles, had an interception and had a key stop on a two-point conversion.

It is an abomination that he didn't earn either Offensive or Defensive Player of the Week for Class B.

Anthony D'Aurizo has been one of those backs that you can rely on to just pound the ball up the gut and get the tough yards and when defenses focus on him too much, watch out for Williams.

Quarterback Joe Canzoneri did get banged up a bit last week, but should be back for this week and I wouldn't be shocked to see him put up some passes.

Waterloo has been nowhere near as competitive as Batavia, so if this game isn't a blowout, it is not good for the Blue Devils.

If it is a loss, it is catastrophic.

Pembroke (2-0) at Holley (0-2)

1:30 p.m., Saturday

The Dragons have plenty of star power.

That program typically has a lot of players that can get the job done on both sides of the ball, but I'd imagine David Kleckler, Andrew Wright, Mike Dibble and Ken Babcock are a lot of fun.

I actually hope to make it out to this game to see these guys play.

I'm going to make the very early prediction that Wright and Babcock will be the best 1-2 combination during the basketball season, and I'm saying that those two are also big member of the football squad.

Wright's numbers were beyond stupid-crazy last week.

Who the heck gains 185 yards and scores four touchdowns on just eight carries? Wright that's who. He did it in a 56-13 win over Alexander last week.

Babcock hasn't put up any huge numbers yet, but he will. He is fighting O-A's Noah Seward as the top tight end in the league and he plays in an offense that isn't afraid to throw the ball.

Holley didn't have a varsity football team last year and it's going to take some time.

But they put up a valiant effort against a fast Elba/Byron-Bergen squad last week and only lost 24-16.

I haven't seen the Hawks, but I hear they run a lot of single wing, so it will be a lot of fun to see what they do with it, especially against a team that can contend for the Class C title.

Guy Hills is the name, if you are looking for a star on Holley's roster.

Notre Dame (1-1) at Barker (1-1)

1:30 p.m. Saturday

Barker has the reputation of playing everybody tough. They beat Holley in Week 1, but got spanked by Oakfield-Alabama in Week 2.

They are hosting a Fighting Irish squad that is pumped up after beating Attica last week and will give a great effort.

But Notre Dame should be the easy favorite.

Coach Rick Mancuso has done a great job of mixing the pass and the run as Nick Bochicchio was the star in a Week 1 loss against Pembroke, connecting on 27-of-34 pass attempts, while allowing running back Mike Pratt to go off for 115 yards and three touchdowns last week.

You can't predict what to expect from this squad week-to-week on the offensive side of the ball.

Barker is making a lot of strides under coach Bill Bruning, but is fighting numbers like a lot of smaller schools are.

You can basically throw the Week 2 loss against O-A right in the garbage, but you will get a better idea of what potential this team has when you look at the 25-14 Week 1 win over Holley.

Greg Brown had a special performance, scoring twice and rushing for 136 yards. Big man Ray Paul is also a factor in every game.

My children go to Elba and  I would just like to say that I think its great how the community of Elba and Byron-Bergen all came out to support the newly combined Football team . My sons both play 1 on the modified and the older on the JV which i might add won against OA Saturday morning.But then we attended the Varsity game and it was just great to see how many were their just to support them; some didnt have kids on the team it was just nice to see.

On September 4th at 7:00 p.m., the Holland Land Office Museum is proud to host a book signing for The Bills Are Due by Attica author, Rob Thompson.

 The book is a candid look at Western New York’s favorite football team, the Buffalo Bills. The book is full of personal interviews with Bill’s greats including Jack Kemp, Billy Shaw, Fred Smerlas and Frank Reich. There are interviews with 14 ex-Bills in all.

Thompson’s interviews of the former Bills are fantastic. He gets the players to open up about topics like,  the Bills possible move to Toronto, their favorite Western New York memories and how the NFL Players Union treats its former players.

In the book, Thompson pays tribute to the generation of players who made the Bills what they are today. It is a great insiders look at the team. The chapter on Fred Smerlas made me laugh out loud. The author successfully captures the attitude and personality of the players.

Scheduled to appear with Thompson that night are former Bills, J.D. Hill and Donnie Green. The book is available right now at the Joseph Ellicott Book and Gift Shop in the Holland Land Office Museum. We will have limited copies available for sale that evening. The price of the book is $20.95 and is a must read for any sports fan. Start your Christmas shopping early, pick the book up, have the author sign it, and who knows, maybe a couple of former players!

R-News has an interesting piece about Don Bosseler today.

Bosseler attended Batavia High School in the 1950s, and in 1957 he was a first-round draft pick of the Washington Redskins.  R-News says that makes him the highest ever NFL draft pick from the Rochester area.

"It was one of the better classes I can remember," says Bosseler of the 1957 draft. The facts back that up.

1957 produced nine Pro Football Hall of Famers. Paul Hornung, Len Dawson, Jim Brown and Jim Parker were taken before Bosseler; Tommy McDonald, Sonny Jurgensen, Henry Jordan, Don Maynard and Gene Hickerson afterwards.

Bosseler was no slouch. He played eight seasons for the Redskins and retired in 1964 as the franchise leader in rushing yards.

Bosseler was on the "70 Greatest Redskins" list celebrating the team's 70th anniversary in 2002. Don knew the game. He had to, rooming with the likes of Don Shula, Joe Walton and Tom Osborne.

According to Pro-Football Reference, Bosseler scored 23 touch downs (22 rushing) in his career.  His best season was probably his rookie year when he scored 7 times and gained 673 yards.