SYRACUSE, N.Y. — For all the fireworks (68 points and 902 yards of offense) the championship game still came down to one crucial play on defense.
Never mind that it was turned in by the outstanding offensive player of the game – and for that matter the season.
With
Rush-Henrietta (Henrietta) clinging to a six-point lead and Troy poised to make one last run from its own 38-yard line, senior sensation
Ashton Broyld blitzed and rolled up Brian Marsh for an 11-yard sack to finally put the Flying Horses in a hole from which they could not escape.
Devin Wofford followed with another sack three plays later to force a turnover on downs, and Broyld tacked on his second touchdown of the day to wrap up a 40-28 victory Sunday in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class AA final at the Carrier Dome.
Besides his cameo appearance on defense in the second half, Broyld ran 23 times for 196 yards, threw for 94 yards and another score and earned game most valuable player honors. He fell 41 passing yards short of becoming the second quarterback in state history to throw for 2,000 and run for 1,000 in a season.
"He makes plays," Royal Comets coach Joe Montesano said. "That's what you expect out of your best kid."
It was a memorable performance in his scholastic finale, a raucous battle in which two high-octane offenses traded haymakers most of the afternoon and the marquee names justified their accolades.
The teams combined for 599 second-half yards, including 307 on the ground by Troy. To put the fireworks into perspective, consider that the Flying Horses rang up touchdowns on three consecutive offensive snaps in the third quarter but still only outscored R-H by 21-12 in the period.
"In my mind I was always prepared for the big plays — what's the worst that can happen?" Broyld said. "When you're prepared for that, in your mind you're like, 'Oh, well, let's go handle business.'"
Handling business began with Wofford bringing back the opening kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown and Broyld scoring from eight yards out two plays after a dynamic 45-yard run midway through the first quarter.
"We spotted them seven points to start the game," Flying Horses coach Jack Burger said. "They turned the scoreboard on and they had seven on their side."
Troy wasn't rattled. Instead, senior running back Jordan Canzeri ripped off a 56-yard scoring run just three plays after Broyd's touchdown, and the teams went to halftime with R-H up 14-7.
When Troy opened the second half with a 10-play, 75-yard drive capped off by Canzeri's 4-yard run and then forced Rush-Henrietta into a three-and-out, momentum started to shift. On the next play, the Flying Horses took their first lead when Shatiek Lewis got to the outside, tight-roped the sideline and made a nasty cut to leave defensive back Chauncey Scissum in his vapor trail en route to a 77-yard TD.
Rush-Henrietta answered one play after the kickoff as Broyld hit Justin Medley 30 yards downfield and the junior receiver finished off a 66-yard scoring play. But Troy countered on the next play with the same running play that Lewis had cashed in. This time, though, it was Canzeri covering 68 yards and Troy was ahead 28-20 with 5:00 left in the third quarter.
"Oh, it's a game," Broyld recalled thinking at that moment. "I was praying to God to help us find a way out."
The way out turned out to be a steady mix of Broyld and Wofford, who finished with 20 carries for 134 yards. They accounted for all nine carries in a 66-yard drive that ended with Wofford's 1-yard run and all nine carries on an 87-yard drive capped by Wofford's 8-yard run.
Though the 2-point conversion after the first of those two scores failed and left the Royal Comets still trailing 28-26, they had absorbed Troy's best shots and were in a position to win.
By that time, Broyld had been inserted on defense at safety. He'd been the nickel back all season, but this was his first extended duty there all season.
"We had some guys dinged up with ankles and stuff," Montesano said. "He had been practicing there all year and he was fresh. With the game on the line, you go with your best kid."
It was the right move at the right time. Troy would record just one first down in the next 16 minutes, on a run by Lewis (17 carries, 155 yards) with 3:20 to go. On the next play, Marsh dropped back to pass only to have Broyld run him down for the sack.
Finally, Broyld and the Royal Comets could relax and relish the final step to a 13-0 season.
Though the first basketball practice of the season is next on Broyld's to-do list, he has grand plans in mind.
"I've got something done at the high school level," said Broyld, now being pursued by multiple Division I teams after lukewarm interest as recently as September. "Hopefully I'll move on to bigger and better things. My goal is to win national championships. It doesn't matter where I'm at or what I'm doing. I just want to win one."
Click here to view MaxPreps' New York football playoff brackets.CLASS B: A REPEAT PERFORMANCEHornell came to Syracuse as the only team in position to defend its state championship, and the Red Raiders achieved their goal with a dominating first half en route to a 50-20 victory against Schalmont.
Sam Stonerock (27 carries, 173 yards) and
Scott McKibben (18-106) each rushed for a touchdown and game MVP
Dominic Scavo completed all four of his throws for 57 yards and two touchdowns.
Hornell raced to a 28-0 halftime lead, punctuated by Scavo's 18-yard scoring strike to
Jordan Schwartz after a defensive penalty on what would have otherwise been the final play of the second quarter.
The Red Raiders outgained Schalmont 389-208 and rolled up 24 first downs en route to extending their winning streak to 26 games – the longest in the state.
CLASS C: BRONXVILLE OVERWHELMS GENERAL BROWNDylan Mitchell ran for one score and threw for two more in the first 17 minutes to stake
Bronxville to a 21-0 lead en route to a 34-14 victory vs. General Brown. Mitchell finished 7-for-13 for 81 yards through the air and also gained 77 yards on 14 carries to gain game MVP honors.
Mitchell ran 29 yards for the first score 2:04 into the game and then threw scoring passes of 3 and 55 yards to
Jack Near 1:57 apart midway through the second quarter.
Ryan Grunseith kicked field goals of 32 and 29 yards in the final 2:04 to build the lead to 27-0 at the half.
Bronxville outgained General Brown by 232-38 in the first half.
LONG ISLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS* Class I: Junior quarterback Isaiah Barnes (23 carries, 206 yards) scored six touchdowns and passed for another as
Freeport rolled up 533 yards of offense and defeated William Floyd 62-35. The Devils scored nine touchdowns in 12 possessions, and Freeport broke the record for points in a Long Island final (55) set in 2004 by Sayville.
It was Freeport's fourth Class I championship and second straight.
Stacey Bedell (292 all-purpose yards) scored the first two of his four touchdowns, including a 91-yard return of the opening kickoff, to give William Floyd a 14-0 lead, and his third score tied the game at 21 before Freeport shook loose.
* Class II: Running back Travis Houpe scored on a 3-yard run with 1:23 to play as
Bellport (Brookhaven) edged Garden City 26-21. Houpe carried 25 times for 104 yards and two touchdowns as the Clippers secured their sixth Long Island championship, tying North Babylon for the most titles.
Garden City had taken a 21-20 lead on Patric Berkery's 1-yard run with 2:18 left in the third quarter and Ryan Norton's extra point. Berkery ran for 160 yards and a touchdown, caught seven passes for 108 yards and another score, and picked off a pass.
* Class III: Senior quarterback Paul Magloire ran for three touchdowns and a pair of 2-point conversions to lift
Lynbrook to a 42-27 win over Sayville for its first championship since 1992. Magloire finished with 120 yards on the ground.
John Haggart of Sayville registered 27 carries for 123 yards and three touchdowns.
* Class IV: Ryan Rielly rushed for 254 yards and three touchdowns and went 6-for-10 for 54 yards and another score through the air as
John Glenn (Elwood) beat Seaford 28-7. Justin Buckley ran for 111 yards and a touchdown for Seaford, which had its 23-game winning streak snapped.
PSAL FINAL SET FOR YANKEE STADIUMLincoln (Brooklyn) earned a spot in its first championship game since 1993 with a 22-14 victory over Campus Magnet as
Andrew Vital's harmless hitch route to
Ishaq Williams turned into a 56-yard scoring play.
In the other semi,
Fort Hamilton (Brooklyn) beat Tottenville 34-14 as
Brandon Reddish returned an interception 93 yards in the first quarter and Tigers quarterback
Marvin Centeno hit
James Howell for a 29-yard touchdown on fourth down with 28 seconds left in the first half.
Reddish also ran for a 53-yard score after Tottenville cut the lead to 20-14 with 4:00 left.
The Lincoln-Fort Hamilton final is Dec. 7 at Yankee Stadium.
