Leading off today: Canisius, ranked No. 1 in the state all season, scored two touchdowns in the final 2:40 and beat visiting Youngstown (Ohio) Cardinal Mooney 24-17 on Saturday.
"I told our kids before the game, we can still win the Catholics, and championships, and the state, but this was the game that we really needed to win to kind of make a statement, coach Rich Robbins told The Buffalo News. "I'm not a big statement guy, but I do think we made a statement today: To beat that team, to beat three Ohio teams (earlier wins vs. at Walsh Jesuit and Bishop Watterson), to go on the road and to do the things that we've been doing this year ... Again, I'm just really, really proud of our kids and our staff."
Canisius trailed the eight-time Ohio state champions 17-10 with less than three minutes to go when senior defensive back Jack Seminara's hit flipped QB John Saadey on a third-down scramble and forced a fumble. Senior Mitch Thomas raced the loose ball 20 yards down the sideline for the game-tying touchdown.
After a defensive stop, Canisius got the ball back at the Mooney 47 with 1:11 to go and Thomas (19 carries, 82 yards) scored three plays later on a 26-yard run with :23.7 left.
More Class AA: Eighth-ranked Aquinas scored 21 fourth-quarter points to rally past St. Francis 42-28.
Terrance Richards (17 carries, 124 yards) scored on a 26-yard run and 46-yard pass from Jamir Jones, and then Earnest Edwards capped the rally with a 73-yard interception return for a score.
Richards scored earlier on a 31-yard run and Edwards on a 66-yard pass play from Jones as the Little Irish rallied from a 21-0 deficit.
Class A highlights: Sweet Home clinched its 11th straight division championship with a convincing 48-13 rout of Williamsville South.
Sweet Home is ranked fourth in New York and Williamsville South 15th this week.
Brandon Smiley finished with three TDs on five catches for 102 yards and three carries for 30 yards. On defense, he held top Williamsville South receiver Matt Foster without a catch on a day the Billies suffered 11 drops. Sweet Home QB Kevin Torrillo completed 12 of 16 passes for 173 yards.
"It was the most important game and I felt the whole team showed up," Smiley said. "Everybody just came to play."
