Monday, Oct. 31, 2016: Victor, Pittsford advance to Section 5 final

   Leading off today: Top-ranked Victor and No. 5 Pittsford are heading to a rematch Saturday with the Section 5 Class AA football championship on the line.

   Those teams combined to rush for 785 yards Sunday in the semifinals at Rhinos Stadium. Victor blanked McQuaid 28-0 and Pittsford eliminated No. 21 Fairport 27-7.

   Bucknell-bound Pittsford senior Marquis Carter carried 35 times for 187 yards and two touchdowns. Before that, Victor's Zack Estabrooks ran for two scores and Mitch Spindler carried 18 times for 141 yards, including a 74-yard run for a touchdown.

   Victor defeated Pittsford 42-15 in Week 3.

   "We each have a big chip on our shoulders, we feel like not a lot of teams respect us," Victor senior Mike Novitsky told the Democrat and Chronicle. "We're trying to make it very clear again."

   Cross country: St. John the Baptist won its first CHSAA boys cross country championship since 1971 by edging St. Anthony's 43-56 at Sunken Meadow State Park.

   SJB's Patrick Kain won the 5-kilometer race in 17 minutes, 4.85 seconds, just ahead of Chaminade's Patrick Conklin (17:06.49) and Connor Fitzpatrick (17:11.42).

   Hempstead Sacred Heart freshman Maggie Maier won the girls race in 20:30.25. Kellenberg won its third straight team championship.

    • Ursuline's Sarah Flynn and Briarcliff's Ryan Gallagher earned individual honors at the Westchester County meet at Woodlands High School. Team honors went to the Somers boys and John Jay girls.

   Soccer semifinals on hold: A lightning delay that began shortly after halftime led to the Section 8 boys Class AA soccer semifinals being suspended. The contest between Massapequa and Syosset was scoreless with 31 minutes to play and the other scheduled semi between Hicksville and Calhoun at Adelphi was postponed.

   They'll try again Monday at a site to be determined.

   State tennis tournament: The Ursuline doubles team of Laina Campos and Vanessa Ciano defeated Katherine Orgielewicz and Julliette Nask of Mamaroneck for the third time this month to reach Monday's final in the NYSPHSAA girls championships in Port Chester.

   Campos and Ciano will take on Friends Academy's Calista Sha and Morgan Wilkins in the final.

   In singles at Sound Shore Indoor Tennis, Yorktown sophomore Caitlin Ferrante will take on Our Lady of Mercy's Julia Andreach.

   Girls soccer: Nardin Academy edged Nichols 5-4 in penalty kicks after overtime ended in a 2-2 tie for the Monsignor Martin Association Class A championship at Niagara University.

   Nardin goalkeeper Emma Zielinski' only save in penalty kicks came in the first round, but that's all the junior needed as her teammates connected on all five attempts.

   The Gators will return to Niagara on Saturday for a state Class A semifinal game.

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    • Arlington won the Section 1 Class AA title 2-0 over Suffern. Meggie Buttinger's goal 14 minutes in stood up as the winner.

   In Class A, Pearl River defeated Somers 2-1 as Katherine Carstenson made eight saves in a contest delayed an hour by a lightning delay.

   In Class B, Bronxville captured the title with a 1-0 win vs. Albertus Magnus as midfielder Mason Warble blasted home a 35-yard free kick late in overtime.

   "I just knew I had to give everything I had left to get the ball in the goal," Warble said. "We were all tired."

   Following up: Top-seeded Woodlands beat Rye Neck 32-0 in Saturday's Section 1 Class C football semifinals, but the Falcons will return to a fifth straight title game without senior quarterback/linebacker Amari Bilal, who was ejected midway through the first quarter for kicking a player while both were on the ground.

   The ejection brings with it an automatic one-game suspension, which means Bilal will miss Friday's contest against Dobbs Ferry. Bilal, who leads the team in passing and rushing, rushed for three touchdowns, threw another and recorded a team-high 11 tackles when Woodlands beat Dobbs Ferry 33-0 on Sept. 10.

   Extra points: Scott Welch has stepped down as girls hockey coach at Nichols, citing new job responsibilities that will make it difficult for him to devote the time necessary to coaching. Welch was 162-33-20 record at Nichols.