Leading off today: Tavon Granison scored on a pair of short runs in the third quarter to help
Greece Athena break open a close game and defeat Whitesboro 41-21 in the NYSPHSAA Class A football semifinals Friday at Cicero-North Syracuse.
Diamonte Raby also ran for two touchdowns for the Trojans, who broke a 14-14 tie with a 20-point third quarter.
Kenny Speed caught a 45-yard TD pass from Granison in the second quarter and set up the QB's second scoring rush of the third quarter with an interception. The Trojans subsequently recovered a pair of pooch kicks after kickoffs to control possession and help drain the clock.
Athena's opponent in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association championship game will be Somers, a 48-24 winner over Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake at Dietz Stadium. Messiah Horne rushed for 221 of his 251 yards and three of his four touchdowns in the final quarter to propel the Tuskers.
What Horne, who had 13 carries in the game, lacked in quantity in the final 12 minutes he made up for in quality. His four rushes in the fourth quarter covered 80, 52, 50 and 39 yards.
Somers' Matt Pires chipped in with three TDs, including a 61-yard reception. One of his scoring runs was a 74-yard end-around.
"All the moves, everything they do, I taught them everything," Somers coach Tony DeMatteo joked. "No, it's just wonderful to have two kids like that. Two great kids who work hard and have great ability. They work at it. I'm really proud of their commitment to this team. They don't care who scores. And they did it together."
Class D semifinals: Maple Grove's 56-20 rout of Sidney may have come at a cost, with star running back Brad Benson seen limping on the sideline during the second half.
The Red Dragons, returning to the Carrier Dome for the first time since 2008, rushed for 374 of their 411 total yards. Benson, who's over 1,500 yards for the season, paced the attack with 140 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries before suffering an ankle injury late in the first half.
Benson scored MG's first three TDs, and the Red Dragons were ahead 34-6 after Nash Nelson's 27-yard pick-six with 3:43 left in the second quarter.
In the other semifinal. Cambridge rolled past Haldane 61-6 on the strength of 606 yards of total offense. Ryan McLenithan (11 carries, 181 yards, 2 TDs) ran 62 yards for a score on the game's first snap and Cambridge scored on its first seven possessions to book its first trip to the finals since 2005.
"It's the most amazing feeling," senior tackle/linebacker Max Hoffer said. "In Cambridge, this is what you dream of from the first day you play football. The Dome is just an icon, it's everything that we dream about from the beginning of the season, so to get there is an amazing feeling."
Long Island games: William Floyd edged Ward Melville 28-21 to win a 10th Suffolk Division I championship as sophomore Nick Silva rushed for 161 yards and three touchdowns.
With Silva sidelined in the fourth quarter, junior James Taitt had a touchdown and a career-high 140 yards on 25 carries -- 117 yards coming in the second half.
In the Nassau Conference III championship game, Wantagh blanked Roosevelt 13-0. Wantagh won 28-0 when the teams met in the regular season.
The Warriors went ahead for good with 8:08 left in the first quarter as junior Gavin Casey broke off a 29-yard run to cap a 67-yard opening drive. Casey finished with 12 carries for
