By John Schiano
MaxPreps.com
They could have spent their time sulking, cursing their misfortunes.
But that’s not the way winners handle adversity, and that’s why Kyle Hoppy and Chris Secky will be among the 10 starting quarterbacks leading their teams into the Carrier Dome in Syracuse this weekend for the New York State Public High School Athletic Association football finals.
Hoppy points to Orchard Park’s 30-27 loss to West Genesee in the 2007 Class AA semifinals as the genesis for this season’s success. Secky looks back to an 11-7 setback at the hands of a two-loss Randolph squad in last fall’s Section VI Class D semifinals.
“That night we were depressed because the seniors had been playing together a long time and we didn’t make it to the final,” Hoppy recalled recently. “But the next day we came back and said, ‘Hey, we came this close and we’re coming back with pretty much our whole team so we have to do it next year.’”
With Hoppy at the helm, Orchard Park has rolled to 12 straight wins and the No. 1 spot in the New York State Sportswriters Association rankings heading into Sunday’s Class AA final against Monroe-Woodbury.
Maple Grove, quarterbacked by Tom Secky, held a No. 2 ranking in the state a year ago when disaster arrived in the form of the loss to Randolph, a squad the Red Dragons had already beaten 14-0 in their only close game of the regular season.
“We expected so much and it was really our fault,” Chris Secky said. “We came in with big heads and, walking off that field in my brother’s last season on the football field, I can’t explain how bad that felt.”
Maple Grove, which will play Moriah in the Class D final to kick off the weekend on Saturday, has something else in common with Orchard Park. Both schools have a core of younger athletes who could very well lead their team into contention again next fall.
Orchard Park is coming off a Section VI Class A lacrosse championship last spring; Maple Grove won the NYSPHSAA Class C championship in Glens Falls last March.
“I always wanted to win one championship; it’s every kid’s dream,” Secky said. “It is honestly the best feeling any kid can have. I just want to win every single state championship from here on out. That’s my dream.”
The Southwestern-Maple Grove Connection
One of the stories coming out of the weekend state football semifinals was the ease with which Maple Grove downed defending state champion Walton in Class D at PAETEC Park in Rochester.
Coach Curt Fischer's Red Dragons broke to a 28-6 lead in the first half and won going away, 49-14. Afterward, Fischer placed a phone call to sixth-year Southwestern coach Jay Sirianni, who was his second-year assistant coach at Maple Grove in 1998 when the Red Dragons won their only NYSPHSAA championship.
"I haven't felt like this in 10 years since I was at Maple Grove," Sirianni said Saturday after his Trojans beat Elmira Notre Dame in the Class C semifinals. "Curt Fischer called me last night after they won here and he said, 'You're going to do it because we both have to go back.' So this is pretty special."
Sirianni attended Southwestern and then went on to play at Mount Union in Ohio before returning to Western New York to coach at Maple Grove in 1997.
"I think what I learned 10 years ago was to savor it," he said. "I was right out of college, my first coaching job. It was pretty special. I guess I didn't realize it was all I had. I was two years out of college in coaching and we won a state championship. Now to go back, I'm just going to enjoy it. There are so many special coaches that don't have this kind of opportunity."
Here’s a look at this weekend’s championship games at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse:
Class AA: Orchard Park vs. Monroe-Woodbury, Sunday, 1 p.m.
About Orchard Park (Section VI, 12-0): The offense is led by RB Jeff Tundo and QB Kyle Hoppy, both seniors. Tundo ran for 2,253 yards and scored 29 TDs a year ago en route to winning the Connolly Cup, symbolic of the best football player in Western New York, and has comparable numbers this fall. His two-game total for the quarterfinals and semifinals: 57 carries, 358 yards, seven TDs . . . Senior LB Cameron Hicks blocked three punts in the 37-21 victory against Binghamton in the semifinals . . . The Quakers have outscored their opponents by 437-96.
About Monroe-Woodbury (Section IX, 11-0): QB Dan Scalo has rushed 192 times for 1,322 yards and 16 TDs. He’s 43-for-91 throwing the ball for 918 yards, eight TDs and two INTs . . . Andrew Tolosi has 114 carries for 589 yards and five TDs. Trevor Officer has rushed 41 times for 330 yards and four TDs . . . M-W has outscored its opponents by 369-145.
Class A: Sweet Home vs. Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, Saturday, 5 p.m.
About Sweet Home (Section VI, 12-0): Though Sweet Home is hardly one-dimensional, junior RB/LB DeShanaro Morris means everything to the Panthers. He rushed for 118 yards vs. Aquinas and 106 vs. Corning West in the state tournament, making 10 tackles in each game. He’s scored 10 TDs in his last three games . . . Senior QB Casey Kacz had a six-TD passing game in Week 4 vs. Williamsville South and is 13-for-18 for 201 yards in two state tournament games . . . The Panthers have outscored their opponents by 396-136.
About Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake (Section II, 12-0): The Spartans have outscored their opponents by 505-78 . . . Senior QB Paul Layton leads the way with 1,206 passing yards (on 69-for-118 accuracy) and 116 carries for 1,111 yards and 19 TDs . . . Layton’s top target is Keaton Flint with 28 catches for 528 yards and eight TDs . . . The offense has piled up 3,274 yards on the ground, led by Layton and backs Erik Vuillaume (96 carries for 634 yards), Nick Henderson (56-534) and Brandon Beatty (45-392). Vuillaume has punched in 11 TDs.
Class B: Oneida vs. Rye, Sunday, 4 p.m.
About Oneida (Section III, 11-1): Quarterback Ryan Kramer is 80-for-133 for 1,634 yards and 19 TDs. He’s been picked off seven times. He’s also run 85 times for 608 yards and scored 14 TDs. . . . Senior running back Rick Rossi has carried 155 times for 898 yards and 10 TDs but has been limited recently by a foot injury. Senior Joe McCormick is also over 300 yards for the season . . . Kramer’s favorite target is Brandon Miles, who has 35 catches for 631 yards and 10 TDs . . . Miles leads the defense with five sacks, and 6-2 senior LB Wade Kline has picked off four passes . . . The Indians have outscored their opponents by 392-114 . . . The loss was to Norwich, 14-9.
About Rye (Section I, 12-0): QB Connor Eck has been the model of efficiency, going 61-for-94 for 1,104 yards and 12 TDs with only 3 INTs . . . The double-barrel rushing attack consists of Kyle Ramalho (148 carries for 761 yards and 19 TDs) and Cole McCormack (85-810-6) . . . Donald Keough is the top receiver with 24 catches for 444 yards and five TDs . . . The Garnets have outscored opponents by 417-105 . . . Topher Triano leads the defense with seven sacks and a fumble recovery.
Class C: Jamestown Southwestern vs. Croton-Harmon, Saturday, 2 p.m.
About Southwestern (Section VI, 12-0): The Trojans have outscored opponents 433-112. . . Junior QB Zack Sopak was 10-for-10 for 216 yards and two TDs as the Trojans held on for a wild, 38-35 victory against LeRoy in the quarterfinals, then he did it on the ground – 20 carries, 156 yards, two TDs – when miserable cold made throwing difficult on the semifinals last weekend vs. Elmira Notre Dame.
About Croton-Harmon (Section I, 11-1): QB Nick Mainiero is 31-for-62 for 687 yards with 12 TDs and three INTs, but he has 1,029 yards and 18 TDs in 120 carries to head up an explosive ground game. Dan Luntz has carried 182 times for 941 yards and Tyler Keppler has 74 attempts for 543 yards. . . . Joe Tralli is the deep threat with 18 catches for 532 yards and nine scores . . . The defense has picked off 15 passes, led by Tyler Dorien with six and Tralli with five . . . The Tigers have outscored opponents by 355-168 . . . The loss was to Westlake, 28-13. The Tigers avenged that with a 23-7 win in the rematch.
Class D: Maple Grove vs. Moriah, Saturday, 11 a.m.
About Maple Grove (Section VI, 12-0): Junior QB Chris Secky is 71-for-111 for 1,575 yards, 20 TDs and just one INT . . . Jake Larson is the top back with 137 carries for 1,451 yards – an average of 10.6 per attempt – and 28 TDs . . . Adam Hover has run for 682 yards and 10 TDs, and four other Red Dragons have at least 100 yards . . . Secky’s favorite targets are Joe Caporale (39 catches, 952 yards, 11 TDs) and Josh Micek (19-430-8) . . . Caporale has brought back three punts for TDs and well as two kickoffs . . . Matt Fox tops the defense with 121 tackles, four fumbles forced, three fumble recoveries and an interception . . . Micek has made 97 stops and three INTs . . . Maple Grove’s 606-107 scoring margin includes a 209-6 advantage in the first quarter . . . The Red Dragons have a plus-29 turnover differential (42-13).
About Moriah (Section VII, 12-0): Moriah depends heavily on senior RB Jim Carlson, who rolled to 152 yards and two TDs on 27 carries in a 21-6 win last weekend over Tuckahoe in Kingston. He’s at 1,620 yards and 24 TDs for the season, including 193 yards vs. Rensselaer in the quarterfinals . . . Moriah has shut out four of its last seven opponents. The Vikings have outscored opponents 323-79 and posted six shutouts.
John Schiano, who has written about high school sports in western and central New York for more than 25 years, covers New York for MaxPreps. He may be reached at johnschianosports@gmail.com.