Given the fact the Crusaders have won six straight championships, it's apparent that the road to Section IX large-school supremacy requires a trip through Monroe-Woodbury (Central Valley).
Interestingly, however, it's beginning to look as though anyone intending to earn a New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class AA football championship in November may also have to get by M-W first.
No one expected the Crusaders to be in rebuilding mode this fall despite the graduation of all-everything quarterback Dan Scalo, but M-W clearly is playing some of the best early-season football in the state. Monroe-Woodbury put up four touchdowns in the first nine minutes and blew out host Union-Endicott (Endicott) 55-7 in an intersectional matchup Saturday.
New quarterback Ryan Spelman ran for four touchdowns and passed for one for the Crusaders (2-0). He rolled 76 yards to the end zone two plays after U-E opened the game with a three-and-out series and then he drove the offense 72 yards in five plays to a 7-yard touchdown run by Andrew Tolosi.
Turnovers on the next two U-E possessions gift-wrapped touchdowns and put the game out of reach late in the first quarter, and it was 46-0 at halftime.
Spelman finished with seven carries for 134 yards and threw for 88 more yards. His debut a week earlier featured 237 yards and three TDs through the air plus 72 yards on the ground to help beat Middletown 48-13.
Spelman was being groomed last year as the heir to Scalo and gained extensive second-half playing time as the team cruised through the regular season. He's an excellent fit for coach Pat D'Aliso's keep-'em-guessing offense and gives the Crusaders the passing component that had been largely lacking because Scalo played the entire 2008 season with a damaged shoulder that required surgery shortly after a loss in the state final. Last year, Scalo played his senior season in considerable discomfort that took away much of the passing component even as he earned Gatorade State Player of the Year accolades.
Tolosi is an interesting story as well. He was in a serious car wreck in the summer before his senior season, leading to a series of surgical procedures, a drastic loss of weight and a lost year in the classroom. He successfully petitioned Section IX for an extra year of eligibility and has caught touchdown passes in both games this month and returned an interception for a score in Week 1.
GREAT FINISHES
* It doesn't rank up there with the "Miracle of the Meadowlands," the NFL stunner in which Herm Edwards returned a fumble for a score to lift the Philadelphia Eagles into the playoffs and shamed the New York Giants into an overhaul that eventually made the franchise a contender.
But the "Fumble in Fenton" was an attention-getter as what looked like a certain loss instead became a 31-27 victory for Chenango Valley (Binghamton) over Johnson City in Section IV action after the Wildcats had come within one minute and a pair of kneel-downs of winning.
Johnson City reeled off 20 straight points in a wild fourth quarter to take a 27-18 lead before the Warriors drove 76 yards in seven plays to a 2-yard touchdown catch by Zack Collins with 2:17 left. The Wildcats recovered the ensuing onside kick and were seemingly in control.
With Chenango Valley out of timeouts, Johnson City had possession of the ball and was on the verge of running out the clock. But the Wildcats fumbled the snap exchange at midfield, and Chenango Valley recovered the ball and scored the winning touchdown with three seconds to go on a Kevin Cox 25-yard throw to Conor Mahoney down the middle of the field.
Cox finished with 266 passing yards, three scoring throws and two rushing touchdowns.
* Timmy Wienclaw connected on a 27-yard field goal in overtime for Kellenberg Memorial (Uniondale) to help top Chaminade (Mineola) 24-21. Wienclaw caught touchdown passes of 52 and 74 yards from Nick Fiore in the second quarter and finished with six grabs for 142 yards.
* Buffalo Catholic schools and metro New York CHSFL squads split four games on the day after quarterback Paul Quadrato scored on a keeper from the 3 as time expired in a 21-20 Monsignor Farrell (Staten Island) win at St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute (Buffalo). Charles Kamara converted the decisive point after try with no time left on the clock.
The Marauders took the lead with 1:14 to go before Quadrato drove Farrell 80 yards in 10 plays without any timeouts. He was 5-for-9 (two spikes to stop the clock) for 77 yards on the winning drive.
* Junior Aaron Ertel hit Anthony Emmanuele for an 18-yard touchdown pass with :38.1 left to break a tie and lead Depew past Burgard (Buffalo) 12-6 in a clash of top-shelf small schools in Section VI.
* At Ellenville, Jose Aldarondo scored on a 2-yard run and ran for the conversion with 30 seconds left to lift the Blue Devils past Liberty 28-27.
* Ballston Spa fought off Saratoga Springs 21-20 as Jeremy Defibaugh batted down the potential tying extra-point kick with 2:02 to go.
ELITE EIGHT
* It was a great night to be a Watertown quarterback.
Watertown beat Mexico 50-26 as Tyler Augliano completed 10 of 13 throws for 325 yards and five scores in a road victory. Caleb Bettis made five catches for 254 yards and four scores.
Meanwhile, Immaculate Heart Central (Watertown) topped Thousand Islands (Clayton) 38-13 as Ryan Spicer went 17-for-26 for 329 yards and three touchdowns. Kyle Hauk rushed for 114 yards and scored three scores.
* Zay Richardson, an all-state running back for Albany Academy for Boys, scored on all five carries in Week 1 and continued his rampage with 20 carries for 262 yards and another half dozen touchdowns to beat Hudson Falls 55-32. He has season totals of 25 carries, 559 yards and 11 touchdowns. His latest effort offset the work of Dakota Drake, who rushed 33 times for 266 yards and three scores.
* Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains) beat Iona Prep (New Rochelle) for the first time since 2002, riding senior quarterback/linebacker Tyrell Goodman to a 23-6 triumph. Goodman posted 151 yards and a touchdown passing, 133 yards on the ground with another touchdown and a trio of fourth-quarter sacks.
* Michael Williams recovered four fumbles and scored in the third quarter on a 1-yard run for Holy Trinity (Hicksville) to help edge St. Francis (Athol Springs) 21-19.
* Middletown's Vinny Mortellaro threw six touchdown passes to five receivers to lead the way to a 67-41 victory over Monticello. The 5-foot-8 quarterback went 13-for-23 for 280 yards. Counterpart Shane Jackson of Monticello threw for 294 yards and had five touchdowns.
* Senior Zac Linsky rushed 11 times for 276 yards as Potsdam defeated Canton 38-14. His only carry of the second half was a 64-yard ramble to his fifth touchdown of the day for the Sandstoners.
* Gimmie Wilson Jr. rushed for 291 yards and three touchdowns and returned an interception for another score as DeSales (Geneva) topped Mynderse Academy (Seneca Falls) 26-6.
* Mike Pellegrino ran for five touchdowns — one on an 87-yard jaunt — as Connetquot (Bohemia) beat Northport 40-26.
MILESTONES
* Williamsville South senior Joe Licata threw four touchdown passes, ran for another and set the Western New York career record for completions while beating Grand Island 34-13. The University at Buffalo recruit went 19-for-30 with 248 yards and now has 342 career completions, five more than Mike Radon of St. Francis (1999-2001).
* Justin Buckley carried 20 times for 199 yards and four TDs as Seaford dominated Island Trees (Levittown) 40-14 to open its season with its 33rd straight win vs. Nassau County opponents.
* Wayne (Ontario Center) nipped Geneva 14-6 to get off to the first 2-0 start in school history. The Eagles forced six Panthers turnovers, with Tyler Graham recovering two fumbles.
* Clarence defeated Orchard Park 37-28 for its first win over the Quakers in a decade. Junior Michael Gelz ran for three touchdowns and senior quarterback Zach Lauricella tacked on two more.
EXTRA POINTS
Victory — the first for coach Tim Greene at Skaneateles — came at a cost.
Right-handed quarterback Troy Green threw for 179 yards and three touchdowns in three quarters of action (and ran for 43 yards and two scores) during a 34-14 win vs. Birdlebough (Phoenix), but his immediate future is in doubt due to an injured throwing arm. He may have suffered an avulsion fracture of the elbow three weeks after doctors warned that fluid around the joint indicated that ligaments might have torn loose bone fragments.
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 can be reached at johnschianosports@gmail.com.
