The best of the weekend’s rash of fantastic finishes also put an end to a fantastic streak.
Eastchester made a goal-line stand in the closing moments on Saturday, denying QB Connor Eck on fourth down from the 2-yard line to beat Rye 13-7 and hand the Garnets their first Section I football loss in 60 games.
Rye, which moved up to Class A this fall, had also been riding a 27-game winning streak overall but was coming off an unexpected bye week because Yonkers Saunders could not field a team.
Eck had driven the two-time defending New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class B champions 62 yards in the final three minutes by converting three third downs with completions to set up the decisive moment. The ball squirted loose as Eck hit the ground inches short of the end zone with 15 seconds to go.
Eastchester coach Fred DiCarlo gambled big and lost with a 13-0 lead midway through fourth quarter, opting to go for a first down on fourth-and-1 from the Eastchester 24. Rye made the stop, and Cole McCormack scored on a 7-yard run six plays later.
"We threw a snap over the punter's head earlier, so I had that in the back of my head," DiCarlo told The Journal News. "I figured if we got first down there, it would put a nail in the coffin, and I took a chance. Looking back, am I second-guessing myself? Absolutely. The kids bailed me out."
* In Section VI action, Hamburg played for the win with 27 seconds left, but junior lineman Jeff Sley foiled a two-point conversion attempt with a hit on QB Nico Zarcone to preserve Iroquois' 20-19 win in more Class A action. Hamburg, coming off a 1-8 season to start this year 3-0, forced five turnovers and had closed to within a point on Zarcone's 14-yard TD run.
"I was actually going to go for one (point) originally, but they worked their butts off, and to a man, they all said they wanted to go for two, and I wanted to leave it to them," Hamburg coach Mike McFadden told The Buffalo News.
Iroquois took a 20-13 lead with 2:14 left as tight end Andrew Wagner caught a 50-yard pass from Calvin Sluberski. Hamburg got the ball back with 2:03 remaining and overcame a sack with a Zarcone 61-yard pass to Gavin Collins to set up the final points of the game.
* Williamsville North broke a 15-game losing streak with a goal-line stand to wrap up a 17-13 win over Kenmore West. Senior linebacker Josh Halter caused a fumble and sophomore lineman Andrew Berg recovered the ball to end the game as Kenmore West tried to punch the ball in from the 1.
* Jordan Frysinger's two-point conversion run completed Corning East’s 30-29 win in overtime vs. Elmira Free Academy. Trailing 29-22 in OT, the Trojans converted fourth-and-goal from the 6 into a TD. QB Brandon Griffin scrambled to his right and lobbed a throw as he was hit. A defender batted the ball into the hands of sophomore running back Zach Moore in the end zone. Frysinger ran 17 times for 110 yards and two scores.
* Letchworth, ranked 14th in Class C by the New York State Sportswriters Association, edged Class D No. 3 Avon 14-7 on Bucky Hendrickson's 1-yard run with 10 seconds to play. Hendrickson scored on a 5-yard run in the third quarter to tie the game.
Quentin Gause, Bishop Kearney
Photo by Chris Cecere
* Jake Meek (11-for-20, 272 yards, two TDs) found junior Quentin Gause – fresh off a scholarship offer from Syracuse University – for an 82-yard scoring pass with about four minutes left to lift Bishop Kearney past Canisius, 24-23. The clock ran out on Canisius inside the Kearney 5 to end the game. The Crusaders had rallied from an 18-0 deficit to lead 23-18 on the strength of three Ricky Pringle scoring runs before Gause's winning TD.
St. Joseph by the Sea knocks off a heavyweight
Winning at St. Anthony’s is hard under any circumstances because the Friars have had one of the best teams in the state for more than a decade. Winning there in a night game – on homecoming weekend – is confirmation that St. Joseph by the Sea has arrived at the top of the Catholic High School Football League.
The Vikings earned a 28-24 victory as Lyle McCombs (27 carries, 172 yards) and QB Joe Lane scored on runs of 53 and 23 yards, respectively, before the half. Lane hit McCombs from seven yards late in the third quarter, and Lane scored again on a short run two plays after McCombs recovered an offensive fumble deep in Friars territory.
"When it comes to New York State high school football, it don’t get much better than St. Anthony’s," McCombs told The New York Post. "This is a top program and we’ve never beaten this team before, so we just made history in St. Joseph by the Sea football. We came here, on their homecoming, and beat them. That’s huge."
Setting up Week 5 showdowns
Some of the weekend’s victors were working with an eye toward important games next weekend:
* Brockport rallied past ranked Class A foe Greece Athena 19-10 to set up a showdown of undefeated Class AA clubs with Hilton next weekend. Marlin Myers returned an interception 75 yards in the third quarter and Dylan Brown brought back a fumble 75 yards midway through the fourth for the Blue Devils, who played the first half minus two starters benched for disciplinary reasons.
* Running backs Zay Richardson (10 carries, 222 yards, five TDs) and Renel Potter combined on five first-half TDs and seven for the game as Albany Academy dominated Johnstown 53-7 to tune up for next week's showdown with Class B No. 1 Lansingburgh. QB Hunter McCarthy, who injured his right thumb during the week in practice, did not play but the Cadets still piled up 498 yards in just 35 snaps.
Lansingburgh scored on its first three possessions en route to a 43-6 halftime lead and routed state-ranked Hudson 56-6. The Knights rolled up 308 first-half yards in just 28 rushing attempts, led by senior Tyrone Nichols' six carries for 95 yards and two TDs.
* Lancaster prepped for next week's game against defending NYSPHSAA Class AA champion Orchard Park with a 31-8 triumph against West Seneca West as Andy Mrozek caught TD passes of 27 and 47 yards from Justin Juda.
More football
* Playing minus injured QB Mark Seager (sprained ankle), Ballston Spa was still able to turn back Albany 28-14 in Section II action. Senior Nick Tubolino took a kickoff handoff from Josh Fabian and went 86 yards for a TD to break open a 14-7 game in the second quarter, and Fabian tacked on a 76-yard punt return for a score just before the half.
* Troy has scored 200 unanswered points since allowing a TD and extra point to Queensbury early in its opener. The Flying Horses' Jordan Canzeri had 224 all-purpose yards in a 53-0 win vs. Mohonasen.
* In Section III, Baldwinsville is celebrating its 100th season of football in style. Coach Carl Sanfilippo’s Bees are 4-0 after a 27-14 victory over Liverpool in a matchup of unbeaten Class AA squads. The Bees never trailed after recovering a fumbled opening kickoff and moving 30 yards on six plays, capped by Niko Manning’s 12-yard TD pass to Ben Messmer.
* Jimmy Miller's 53-yard scoring run ignited a 20-point second quarter and carried Chenango Forks past Walton 27-6 in a Section IV Class C game between top teams. Chenango Forks recovered a deflected punt at the Walton 35 following Miller's TD and drove eight plays to a Jordan Barnett 1-yard TD run for a 14-6 lead.
* Binghamton pulled out an 18-13 victory over Union-Endicott as sophomore J.J. Jones rushed for two fourth-quarter TDs on 164 yards overall to celebrate his 16th birthday. Sophomore cornerback Rahiem Feggins intercepted three passes in the fourth quarter.
* Waverly fullback Kevin Gorman collected five TDs and 250 yards on the ground in 14 carries during a 49-14 victory over Trumansburg. Waverly rushed for 415 yards.
* In Section V, Webster Schroeder senior Pete Noto scored five touchdowns and gained 163 yards on 17 carries to beat Canandaigua 42-28. Noto returned the opening kickoff 86 yards to put the Warriors ahead for good and added two rushing TDs in the first quarter.
* Rush-Henrietta junior QB sensation Ashton Broyld threw three TD passes and scored on a 55-yard run, as the Royal Comets, ranked 10th in Class AA by the NYSSWA, beat No. 15 Pittsford 35-21. A 2-yard run by Dom DeLucia (17 carries, 107 yards) after a Broyld personal foul gave Pittsford a 21-20 lead with 4:44 left in the third quarter. The Royals Comets then drove 80 yards to Broyld's 3-yard toss to Shaquille Barnes for the lead.
* Unbeaten Buffalo Lafayette downed Grover Cleveland 26-8 as Toddre Rogers (29 carries, 227 yards) ran for two touchdowns and Jerell Hall (5-for-5, 152 yards) threw for one for the Mighty Violets.
* Jamestown Southwestern, ranked No. 1 in Class C following its 2008 NYSPHSAA championship, routed Class B No. 14 Lackawanna 49-8. The Trojans limited the Steelers to 102 yards in total offense, and Justin Funcell returned an interception for a TD.
* Sweet Home ran its winning streak to 17 with an 18-13 win over West Seneca East. Ralph Neasman rushed for 138 yards and Pat McMahon threw for 113 yards on 6-of-11 accuracy.
* Williamsville South downed Amherst 35-6 as Joe Licata threw five TD passes to up his four-game total to 21 scoring strikes. Licata, who threw for 492 yards last week, was 13-for-21 for 150 yards, and Phil Stasiak and Mark Coppola had two TD receptions each.
* Syracuse recruit John Kinder helped Lawrence beat Hewlett 52-22 in Section VIII action with 316 yards of offense and five rushing touchdowns. Kenny Barnett ran for 188 yards and a TD for Lawrence, which gained 640 total yards.
* Plainedge blew past North Shore 51-7 as Anthony Tardelo rushed just five times for 119 yards.
* Barry Surrett ran for 161 yards and scored six TDs as Newburgh Free Academy outlasted Cornwall 46-34 by converting four first-half turnovers into touchdowns in the Section IX schools' first meeting since 1920. Cornwall junior Tyree Smallwood rushed for 226 yards and posted five scores of his own but could not rally his team from a 39-14 deficit.
* Rian White hit John Babin for TD passes covering 6, 7, 13 and 41 yards as Warwick mowed down Valley Central 41-14.
* In Section XI, Sachem North rallied from a three-TD deficit at the half to beat back Longwood 25-21. Davon Lawrence's 43-yard TD run with 2:36 left capped the comeback.
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.
