Leading off today: Seven teams holding top-10 rankings in the first set of state football rankings suffered defeats Friday. And while not all were upsets, there were most certainly some substantial surprises.
Chief among them was Lancaster venturing to the defending NYSPHSAA Class AA champion's home and beating eighth-ranked Jamestown 46-41. A week earlier, the Legends traveled to Toledo (Ohio) Central Catholic and were crushed 76-7.
Lancaster rolled up 638 yards in snapping Jamestown's 11-game winning streak. Zack Samborski rushed for 389 yards with five touchdowns on the ground and one in the air. Quarterback Dan Speyer was 13 of 22 for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the air.
One of the two other losses by Class AA top 25 teams was Buffalo St. Francis' 42-21 loss to Walsh (Ohio) Jesuit. The other was No. 24 Tottenville looking very good in a 35-21 win over No. 5 Abraham Lincoln.
Tottenville quarterback Peter Calabrese ran for 93 yards and four TDs against the defending PSAL champion Abraham Lincoln. The senior's 36-yard TD gave host Tottenville a lead it wouldn't relinquish midway through the first period.
"We needed a big, signature win early in the regular season and we're glad we got one tonight, Tottenville coach Jim Munson told The Advance. "The game (Calabrese) had tonight was ridiculous. He had a tremendous, tremendous game. He's playing with great confidence."
Class A: Defending state champ Indian River suited up without five suspended players (four starters) and lost to Carthage 14-13. Alex Mack caught a 28-yard pass from Mike Nevills, and Dustin Moyle kicked the decisive extra point.
Indian River, ranked second in the state in Class A, had been riding a 15-game winning streak.
In one of the biggest games of the early season, No. 5 Rye rallied past seventh-ranked Yorktown 31-20 in a rematch of the 2014 Section 1 final.
Junior linebacker Mat Bruno recorded 3½ sacks and blocked a punt that Santi Mascolo returned 37 yards for the go-ahead touchdown with 9:45 to go. He also threw an early touchdown to Mascolo.
"I always dreamed for this," Bruno told The Journal News. "Once I had my first sack, coach knew I was onto something. He just started sending me every play."
In other action, No. 15 Brockport continued its recent history of playing close games. The Blue Devils, 11-4 in games decided by eight or fewer points since the start of the 2011 season, edged Spencerport 32-28. Cory Gross (11 carries, 181 yards) scored on a 46-yard run with 4:32 left
Brockport trailed 28-19 going into the fourth quarter.
Class D: Portville forced five turnovers in a 28-20 upset of No. 2 Franklinville/Ellicottville/West Valley 20, which held a 400-150 advantage in yardage.
No. 11 Moriah scored three first-half touchdowns and rolled past No. 4 Ticonderoga 28-6. Senior QB Adam Jaquish went 12-for-20 for 198 yards and two touchdowns. Colin Harris ran 21 times for 147 yards and two scores.
Crossover matchups: The small schools roared in a couple of games involving ranked opponents from different enrollment classes.
Bath, ranked ninth in Class C, breezed past Livonia, the eighth-ranked Class B squad, 37-6. Patrick Brewer bookended the Rams' scoring with TD runs of 4 and 24 yards, and one of Noah Hockaday's two scores was a 37-yard interception return.
Deposit/Hancock, eighth in Class D, earned a 34-38 win against Greene, ranked 14th in Class C. Senior tailback Ronnie Ballard ran for 245 yards on 25 carries, including three touchdowns for the Eagles, who trailed 20-8 in the first half.
