Sunday, Nov. 4, 2018: Class B shaping up as most interesting

   Leading off today: Batavia running back Ray Leach atoned for a fumble on his first team's possession by finishing with 344 rushing yards and six touchdowns Saturday at Batavia won the Section 5 Class B football championship with a 49-14 win over Wayne on Saturday.

   Leach scoring runs of 56 and 82 yards in the first half helped the Blue Devils build a 28-7 lead.

   The victory by Batavia, ranked fifth last week by the New York State Sportswriters Association, was a reminder of how interesting the final three weeks of the Class B season figure to be. Top-ranked Chenango Forks was the NYSPHSAA runner-up a year ago, NO. 2 Skaneateles earned a state crown in Class C a year ago, No. 4 Ardsley began its season by rolling past defending class champ Pleasantville and hasn't looked back since.

   Further, No. 7 Marlboro's only loss has been to Section 9 Class A champ Cornwall, No. 9 Cheektowaga just avenged its only loss by ending previously unbeaten Pioneer's season and No. 10 Glens Falls is just two years removed from a state championship season.

    • Skaneateles dominated Cazenovia 41-10 as quarterback Patrick Hackler completed 16 of 21 passes for 200 yards and a pair of touchdowns apiece to Nick Wamp and Nate Wellington. Areh Boni carried 19 times for 137 yards and a TD.

    • Chenango Forks blanked Maine-Endwell 15-0 for the program's seventh consecutive Section 4 championship.

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   The game was scoreless until the closing moments of the first half. Jeremiah Allen's 36-yard reception set up Jake Topa's 4-yard TD throw to Ethan Brown with under :10 to play, and Topa ran in the 2-point conversion for an 8-0 lead.

   Forks built a cushion early in the fourth quarter, driving 80 yards in 14 plays and converting three third downs en route to Matt McDonald's 10-yard scoring run.

   Observation: Editor Neil Kerr points out that we may have two de facto state championship games in next weekend's NYSPHSAA quarterfinals.

2018 NYSPHSAA football brackets Football weekly schedules 2018 NYSPHSAA boys soccer brackets 2018 NYSPHSAA girls soccer brackets 2018 NYSPHSAA field hockey brackets

   The Chenango Forks vs. Skaneateles game pairs the top two teams in the NYSSWA Class B rankings and Class D No. 1 Clymer/Sherman/Panama has an appointment with No. 2 Alexander.

   Such quirks happen in various sports each year. It's just one of the inconveniences associated with having such a large, oddly shaped state in which geography has to take priority over seeding.

   Late heroics: Holland Patent scored 14 points in the final 4:00 to pull out a 21-14 win over General Brown for the Section 3 Class C crown.

   Golden Knights Nick Herringshaw hit Jeff Sobel for a 12-yard TD pass with 3:53 left to tie the score at 14, then Holland Patent recovered a fumble and drove to another score on a 2-yard keeper by the quarterback.

   Warrensburg loses RB, wins game: Warrensburg lost 1,200-yard rusher Jesse Griffin to a collarbone injury early in the contest but defeated Hoosic Valley 28-6 for the Section 2 Class D title.

   QB Evan MacDuff rushed 18 times for 49 yards and two touchdowns, carrying the load once Griffin left after dominating the Burghers' opening 10-play, 80-yard drive with eight carries that included a 24-yard scoring scamper.

   Scoreboard: You can check out all of the Week 10 scores on our Road to Syracuse website and also view how ranked teams fared.