Sunday, Nov. 26, 2017: Stepinac wins CHSAA football championship

   Leading off today: Trill Williams scored three touchdowns and Archbishop Stepinac rolled up 520 yards of total offense on the way to a 49-28 win over Canisius for the Catholic High School Athletic Association state football championship Saturday.

   Stepinac scored 40 points in the second half to wipe out a 14-9 deficit. Michael Nicosia hit Williams with a 61-yard touchdown on third down to give Stepinac a 16-14 lead on the third play of the second half. Malik Grant scored from 25 yards out on Stepinac's next possession and then Tyler DeCrecenzo stripped the football and raced 45 yards to the end zone for a 29-14 lead midway through the third quarter.

   Malik Grant led Stepinac with 130 yards rushing. Nicosia threw for three TDs and 182 yards to finish with 2,689 yards for the year.

   PSAL semifinals: Junior receiver Justin Mitchell hauled in a 32-yard touchdown catch on fourth down with :49.3 left to help Curtis return to the City Conference final with a 42-35 win over Abraham Lincoln.

   "We work on that all the time," QB Quincy Barnes said. "We say if the guy is in front of you, I'm throwing to the back shoulder. I threw it and I gave him a chance. He's always going to make plays and he's a dude."

   Quincy finished 7-for-11 for 153 yards and 3 TDs). Ty Son Lawton rushed 31 times for 152 yards.

   With the score 28-28, Amad Anderson made a 50-yard reception to set up the Purdue recruit's own 8-yard scoring run with 4:56 left, but Lincoln needed just 27 seconds to respond. Javari Matthews made a 61--yard reception to put the ball at the 2-yard line and Jonathan Cato scored the tying TD.

   On the winning drive, Barnes rushed for 18 yards to convert one fourth down and made the deciding throw to Mitchell for the winning points. Curtis sealed the game by recovering the ensuing kickoff.

   "I am speechless, man, to be honest. I didn't want my seniors going home without a 'chip' and without going to Yankee Stadium so I just did what I could do," Mitchell said.

   Curtis' opponent in the final on Dec. 5 will be Erasmus Hall, a 34-6 winner over Midwood.

   More PSAL: Bayside booked its first championship appearance since 1988 by defeating Springfield Gardens 28-6 in a PSAL Bowl Conference semifinal.

   Senior Robert Williams returned a kickoff 87 yards for a TD and made five receptions and a touchdown catch for the Commodores, who last won the city title in 1981. QB Tequan Evans was 8-for-12 for 186 yards and 2 TDs.

   Bayside's final next Saturday will be against Lehman Campus, which downed Bayside 12-9 in Week 6.

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   Mario DeLaCruz scored five touchdowns in the other semi to power Lehman to a 49-0 victory over Eagle Academy II. The Lions have won 20 consecutive games.

    • In the PSAL Cup semifinals, Franklin K. Lane scored a 39-20 victory over KIPP NYC College Prep, and Far Rockaway downed East Harlem Pride 36-6.

   NXN regionals: Stop us if you've heard this one before, but ...

   Fayetteville-Manlius qualified its boys and girls cross country teams for the Nike Cross Nationals finals for the 10th

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year in a row by scoring a pair of wins at the regional qualifier at Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls on Saturday.

   The finals are Saturday at Portland, Ore., where the girls will be looking for their fourth consecutive championship and 11th in 12 years.

   The F-M boys (50 points) and Corning (98) earned the automatic national berths, with Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake (133) taking third and Northport (152) fourth.

   F-M junior Garrett Brennan, hampered by injuries until late in the season, was the top boys individual in 15:54.3 for five kilometers, with Burnt Hills junior Tyler Berg second in 16:00.1. Ben Otis and Matthew Tripp also cracked the top 10 in team scoring for the winners.

   The F-M girls placed their five scorers in the top 12, led by Claire Walters (third, 18:17.3), Sophia Ryan (fourth, 18:20.1) and Phoebe White (fifth, 18:24.3).

   North Rockland sophomore Katelyn Tuohy remained unbeaten for the season, hitting the tape in 17:01.0. The time was 8.6 seconds off her course record set a week ago at the Federation meet but still convincingly bested Tully's Brooke Rauber (18:03.9).

   "I went out pretty hard to just say, 'This is my race.' I wasn't messing around," Tuohy said.

   In the team competition, F-M (23 points) and Liverpool (84) ran well ahead of the field to punch tickets to Portland, with Saratoga (136) and Shenendehowa (139) next. In a mild surprise, Saratoga learned Saturday evening that it had been awarded one of four at-large berths in the national meet. It will be the Streaks' 10th trip west in 11 years.

   Foot Locker regionals: Three New York harriers qualified for the Foot Locker finals at Balboa Park in San Diego on Dec. 9 with strong showings at Van Cortlandt Park.

   Pittsford Mendon senior Nathan Lawler was fifth on the 5K course in 15:40.7 seconds, eight seconds behind champion Tristan Shelgren of St. John's Prep in Boxford, Mass. St. Anthony's senior Mason Gatewood pulled down the final spot in nationals by placing 10th in 15:54.8.

   "There were people calling out places, so I knew I was 10th," Gatewood said. "It was a tough race, so I was just trying to get in the top 10."

   The girls champion was Marlee Starliper of Wellsville, Pa., in 17:47.5. Shoreham-Wading River senior Katherine Lee earned her spot in San Diego by placing second in 17:50.0.