Leading off today: This isn't what Ernie Banks had in mind when he famously said, "Let's play two."
With lightning lighting up the sky across a wide stretch of upstate, many New York high school football teams squeezed in only two of the scheduled four quarters Friday in the season openers and will return Saturday or Sunday (the most common option because officiating crews are spread thin) to finish up.
In Section 5 alone, a dozen games were stopped at halftime or early in the third quarter. There were at least seven such situations in Section 6. Weather also affected a handful of games further east on the Thruway.
Milestone alert: Washingtonville senior Derek Deoul set the state record for career field goals and broke his own Section 9 record for longest field goal Friday during a 33-28 win over Middletown.
Deoul connected on kicks of 23, 31, 40 and 54 yards. He set a Section 9 record with a 52-yarder last season vs. Saugerties. He now has 24 career field goals. Skip Thomas of West Islip (1990-92) and Mike Chrystie of Oxford (1997-2000) had been tied in the state record book.
Rolling right along: Three-time defending NYSPHSAA champion Maine-Endwell notched its 39th straight victory, setting the Section 4 record with its 34-8 win vs. Union-Endicott.
The Spartans pulled away with three touchdowns in a span of under five minutes in the second quarter.
Big numbers: One certainty in the world of high school football is that there will be monster games by running backs every week of the season. Opening night of the 2014 season brought several big efforts, including a trio by backs who finished with five touchdowns.
In Section 2, Mechanicville's Chase DeLossantos rolled up 282 yards on 24 carries, ran for four scores and brought back an interception 40 yards for another TD. Mechanicville defeated Tamarac 48-22.
In Section 3, senior Josh Capers rushed for 248 yards and scored five straight Carthage touchdowns in the first half as the Comets topped Fulton.
In CHSAA action, St. Anthony's downed St. Joe's 49-16, battering the visitors from Buffalo with Jordan Gowins. The senior rushed for 250 yards on 13 carries and scored five touchdowns, including a 53-yard scamper on the Friars' first offensive play. Gowins' fourth touchdown, a 94-yard run in the second quarter, gave the Friars a 27-6 lead.
Huge comeback: Marcellus fought back from a 22-point deficit and defeated Solvay 38-28. The Bearcats led the Class B contest 28-6 at the half.
