Leading off today: The state's two top-ranked Class AA football teams remained on a collision course toward a potential NYSPHSAA championship game in the Carrier Dome by winning their respective sectional titles Friday.
Top-ranked Troy earned its 23rd consecutive victory by defeating Saratoga Springs 28-6 in the Section 2 final as senior running back Joey Ward ran 20 times for 109 yards and two touchdowns in between bouts with leg cramps.
Troy took a commanding 21-0 lead before the half with a 19-play, 97-yard drive capped by quarterback Joe Casale's 5-yard touchdown pass to Dev Holmes.
"We prepared them for everything except their actual speed," Saratoga Springs Coach Terry Jones said. "Both of them (Ward, Holmes) the whole team, they have great team speed and we knew that coming in, but you can't replicate in practice and on turf they're even quicker and faster."
Meanwhile, Lancaster rolled past Williamsville North 35-6 in the Section 6 final behind a defense that surrendered just 41 yards.
Joe Andreessen, who moves between offensive line and quarterback, scored on a pair of 1-yard runs out of the Wildcat set, the second on the final play of the first half. Starting quarterback Ryan Mansell broke the school record for career passing yards.
Somers eliminated : Yorktown rallied to its first Section 1 championship since 1998 with three touchdowns in the second half to eliminate defending state champ Somers 21-7.
Senior Brett Makar rushed 32 times for 219 yards, including a 50-yard touchdown. Seniors Brandon Meyreles and Alex Ujkaj added fourth-quarter TDs.
Second-ranked Yorktown limited No. 11 Somers to 97 yards, including just 30 in the second half.
"Our defense played their hearts out. It was the greatest I've ever seen them play," Ujkaj said. "This was really a defensive game. I have to take my hats off to them."
Whitesboro three-peats: No. 22 Whitesboro won its third straight Section 3 Class A championship and 11th title overall with a 34-14 win over Indian River. Zach Hoage racked up 118 yards and a touchdown on nine carries, and Phil Gilberti had 106 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries.
No. 17 Indian River lost in the final for the third straight season.
More Class A: Rochester Wilson won its first Section 5 crown with a 40-19 win over No. 6 Irondequoit. Junior running back Desi Floyd (18 carries, 239 yards) scored four touchdowns, including a 26-yard fumble return to put an exclamation point on the win.
With Wilson up 20-19 early in the fourth quarter, QB Dasjon Dash tried to push his way into the end zone. By the time the action stopped, Irondequoit said it had the ball and heard no whistle indicating that Dash was down.
Floyd scored one play later, with 8:56 remaining. "That's the game," Irondequoit coach Dan Fichter screamed to an official.
Wilson, ranked 14th in the state, is the first Rochester City School District team to win a sectional championship since Marshall in 2006.
Class B: Junior Sam Mongelli rushed for two touchdowns and threw for two as No. 7 Marlboro edged No. 14 New Paltz 27-27 in the Section 9 final.
