Leading off today: If I had a nickel for every time a New York high school football game ended like this ... I'd probably have a nickel.
Buffalo's Nichols School played Villanova (Ont.) to a 15-15 tie Saturday. If you think a tie in the current era of high school football is somewhat unusual, then you'll love how they arrived at that outcome.
The Buffalo News reports Nichols led 15-14 when Villanova missed a 32-yard field goal with 29 seconds left. A Nichols player fielded the miss but was unable to bring the ball out of the end zone. Under Canadian rules, Villanova was awarded one point for the rouge.
With Villanova treating the matchup as a scrimmage, the teams agreed to not play overtime.
Sec. 1 showdowns: There were three head-to-heads Saturday in Section 1 between state-ranked teams:
• In Class A, No. 12 Rye defeated No, 22 Sleepy Hollow 38-21 as Tim DeGraw caught two Andrew Livingston TD passes in the second half.
Sleepy Hollow QB Joey Good had thrown for three touchdowns in the first half to build a 21-17 lead, but he was intercepted twice after halftime and faced constant pressure.
"I was really proud of what we did in the second half, our adjustments," Rye coach Dino Garr told The Journal News. "They're a really talented team. Their quarterback is tough. They have some great athletes who can make things happen."
Livingston, a Brown recruit, threw for 219 yards and carried 14 times for another 81.
• In a rematch of the last two Section 1 Class B finals, defending champ No. 12 Pleasantville was limited to 113 yards of offense in a 23-0 loss to No. 6 Our Lady of Lourdes.
• Bronxville, seventh in Class C this week, blanked Class D No. 7 Tuckahoe 23-0.
Bronxville got on the scoreboard with converted soccer player Sam Connors' 43-yard field goal just before halftime, then Brendan Carty (110 yards on the ground) scored on the opening drive of the third quarter and Graham Klimley threw two TD passes to Charlie Tarry.
Bronxville faces Class C No. 2 Rye Neck next weekend.
Don't write Aquinas off yet: Terrance Richards ran 13 times for 90 yards and three TDs as Aquinas defeated Buffalo St. Joseph's 39-7. Junior QB Jamir Jones, a Division I prospect at linebacker, went 9-for-16 for 124 yards and a touchdown and added 65 yards on the ground in place of 2013 NYSSWA Class AA player of the year Jake Zembiec, who broke his non-throwing wrist last week.
The Little Irish held St. Joseph's to 97 yards of total offense and recorded two safeties.
