Leading off today: Juston Johnson's 67-yard punt return touchdown highlighted a 28-point second quarter that enabled unbeaten
West Seneca West seize control and earn a 42-6 win over Whitesboro in the NYSPHSAA Class A football semifinals Friday.
Johnson also caught three passes for 67 yards. Quarterback Matt Myers went 12-for-23 for 172 yards and two TDs, and he also rushed seven times for 86 yards and a score. John Speyer rushed for two touchdowns in the win.
Nick Knowles recovered a Warriors fumble at their 34 late in the first quarter and Myers scored on a 17-yard run five plays later to start the second quarter. The WSW defense forced a punt on Whitesboro's next series, and Johnson brought it all the way back to extend the lead.
West Seneca West's opponent in the final at the Carrier Dome will be Yorktown, a 34-19 winner over Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake. Brandon Meyreles celebrated his 17th birthday by scoring a pair of touchdowns, and Brett Makar rushed 23 times for 182 yards and a touchdown.
The Huskers will be playing for their first championship since winning back-to-back championships in 1993 and '94.
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't feeling the pressure to get this done," Yorktown coach Mike Rescigno said. "I wanted this badly to give back to the community that has given me so much support."
Leading 20-13, the Yorktown offense engineered a 15-play, 90-yard scoring drive to begin the second half. After a long kickoff return by Burnt Hills, Meyreles recovered a fumble and raced 71 yards for a 34-13 lead.
Class D semifinals: Nick Fabrizio's third touchdown of the game with 3:09 left put Maple Grove ahead for good, and Carson Crist's fumble recovery 21 seconds later ended Tioga's last bid for a comeback as the Red Dragons triumphed 32-27.
Fabrizio rushed 24 times for 116 yards. His 29-yard TD run in the fourth quarter concluded the scoring.
Tioga took a 27-26 lead in the fourth quarter as Nick Klossner (nine catches, 164 yards, three touchdowns) caught a pair of both long TDs. The first was a 58-yarder from Connor Hutchinson 23 seconds after a Maple Grove score. The second was a 53-yarder with 7:55 left.
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Maple Grove's opponent in the final will be Cambridge, which routed Millbrook 56-8. Cambridge defeated Maple Grove in double OT in the 2016 final.
Cambridge needed just 26 offensive plays to score its eight touchdowns, all before halftime. Tommy English and Colton Dean each scored twice. Defensively, the Indians
