Leading off today: Jordan Dunbar intercepted a pass in the end zone with 56 seconds remaining, wrapping up
Iona Prep's 36-35 victory over Archbishop Stepinac on Saturday in another memorable battle between Catholic High School Football League rivals.
Gaels quarterback Darius Wilson, who had thrown a fourth-down touchdown pass to Alex Williams with just over 2:00 to go, faked a handoff on the 2-point conversion and raced for the goal line. He was hit and fumbled, but the ball one-hopped to Williams, who scooped it for the winning points. After a brief conference, the officials ruled that Wilson fumbled short of the goal line and that it was a live ball when Williams recovered.
Stepinac, which held a 35-21 lead in the second half, then drove to the Iona Prep 21 before Dunbar ended the threat.
Iona Prep junior Jarel Washington accounted for 183 yards on seven offensive touches, including a 68-yard TD run in the second quarter and 61 yards into Stepinac territory on a hook-and-ladder play on the winning drive. Wilson finished 16-for-30 with two TDs.
Section 4 skirmish: Fans went to a football game and a chess match erupted.
Chenango Forks, ranked second in the state in Class B, edged No. 12 Maine-Endwell 7-6, but not before an intriguing sequence in the fourth quarter beginning with an interception by Forks' Jack Zimmerman with 3:19 left.
Leading by a point and starting at its own 17, Forks moved the ball 22 yards when Maine-Endwell decided its best chance might be to allow a touchdown in order to get the ball back with enough time to counter. Fullback Lucas Scott (25 carries, 193 yards) was allowed to ramble 51 yards from his own 39. But rather than taking the ball to the end zone, Scott slid to a stop at the M-E 10 and Forks subsequently ran out the clock.
More Section 4: Seventh-ranked Walton overcame a 21-point deficit and defeated No. 12 Delhi 38-35 in Class D action.
Senior Dylan Jacob threw for a score, rushed ran for one and made a key interception with time ticking down in regulation.
"To be able to come back from a 35-14 score in the second half against a good football team says a lot about the guts of our kids," Warriors coach Adam Hoover said. "But we don't want to put ourselves in that situation where we have to do that very often."
Big second half: Sweet Home scored 30 points after intermission and defeated Class A No. 16 Starpoint 46-36. Jamel Lucas rushed 23 times for 219 yards and three touchdowns and completed 7 of 15 passes for 144 yards and two scores.
East Islip now 3-0: Derek Burrell scored on an 80-yard run on the first play of scrimmage to start East Islip, ranked 15th in Class A, on its way to a 63-14 rout of previously unbeaten Kings Park.
East Islip scored on seven first-half possessions to take a 49-7 lead in their tuneup for next week's game vs. No. 13 Sayville.
Class C developments: Fifth-ranked Dobbs Ferry suffered a Week 4 loss.
Class B Pearl River outgained Dobbs Ferry 390-125 and rolled to a 45-0 victory. Quarterback Matt Daly had 166 yards and two TDs through the air plus a rushing TD. Logan Flaherty made five catches for 100 yards and a pair of scores.
Leading 7-0, Anthony Sassano made the 23-yard field goal and recovered the ensuing kickoff when his line drive struck a Dobbs Ferry player and bounced back to him. The Pirates then drove to another score and a 17-0 lead at the half.
