Leading off today: Two Fulton Central School District runners and an employee were injured after a school bus taking the cross country team to the McQuaid Invitational in Rochester was hit head-on by a car and caught fire Saturday morning.
Oswego County Sheriff's deputies responded to the crash on State Route 3, in Hannibal shortly after 9:30 a.m. The department's preliminary investigation said a sedan heading eastbound crossed the center line and struck the school bus, WSTM-TV reported.
The bus passengers were taken to Oswego Hospital with minor injuries. The driver of the sedan, Joely Lapage, 20, was transported to Upstate Hospital with serious injuries, Syracuse.com reported.
"We feel fortunate that there were not more serious injuries as a result of this accident and are thankful for the first responders who took care of our students and staff," Fulton Superintendent Douglas Lawrence said in a statement. "District administrators and Golden Sun Bus Service staff were able to respond at the scene to help families reunite with their children. We will continue to check with our student athletes and families to see if they need additional support."
East Aurora boys, Guilderland girls top McQuaid field
East Aurora put on a dominating display at the 61st McQuaid Invitational in Rochester, winning the showcase race against a deep field with just 107 points.
Minutes earlier, Guilderland (76 points), Saratoga Springs (92), and Shenendehowa (110) turned the Bob Bradley Premier Race for Girls into a Section 2 party.
Led by juniors Jonah Seybolt (15:02.5) and Max Fraser (15:10.8) on the 3.0-mile course, East Aurora, a Class C school, convincingly held off Saratoga Springs (151), Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake (159), and Pittsford Sutherland (165). Four other schools came in under 200 points.
Corning junior Christopher Lawson had the race and the day's fastest time at 14:37.3 in near-perfect conditions at Genesee Valley Park. Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake senior Ethan Owen was second in 14:39.1.
Fairport, Hamburg (led by individual winner Jacob Mason in 15:13.1), and Beaver River also brought home titles for New York schools.
Guilderland's performance marked the third straight year a Section 2 school came away victorious in the elite girls division. Junior Teagan Davis led the five Flying Dutchmen scorers across the line in a gap of just 24.2 seconds.
Riley Lynch of Shenendehowa won the race in 16:41.4, the fastest time of the day.
Other girls team champions included West Seneca (led by individual champ Bellarose Milligan in 18:01.0), Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, Springville-Griffith Institute (Elke Melnik, 18:27.5), and South Lewis.
Frantic football finishes over the weekend
Mamaroneck got to overtime when a North Rockland field-goal attempt with two seconds left missed and then pulled out a 42-41 victory as safety Cole Dorfman wrestled a Red Raiders receiver out of bounds short of the end zone on a 2-point conversion attempt.
Mamaroneck opened OT with a James Fitzgerald touchdown and a successful extra-point kick, but North Rockland responded with a Christopher Norman TD. The Red Raiders opted to play for the win, and Dorfman -- who recovered two first-half fumbles -- stopped it short.
"That play, this game, it has to rank at or at least near the top for us," coach Anthony Vitti told LoHud.com. "That's a really good team and we couldn't stop them."
Mark Lebowitz scored four TDs for the winners.
• Evan Greenough blocked a 35-yard field-goal attempt as time expired to preserve St. Francis' 32-29 victory over Canisius in a Monsignor Martin Association battle that saw five lead changes.
St. Francis coach Jerry Smith said Greenough did what he had been coached to do.
"We keep telling him the old Steve Tasker trick: Dive for the foot, don't dive for the ball," Smith said.
Tyrone Clark Jr. (18 carries, 197 yards) put St. Francis in front for good with a 50-yard TD run, his third score of the day, with 3:15 left.
• Half Hollow Hills East kicker Noah Reinstein drilled a 27-yard field goal in overtime to secure a 17-14 win over Northport in Suffolk Division II action.
More football
Hilton's
Rich Lipani became the winningest coach in Section 5 history with the Cadets' 56-19 win vs. Webster Schroeder, but his 231st triumph was almost a footnote. Senior Tyler Reger scored seven touchdowns, one short of the sectional record.
• Monroe star Terrell Cunningham Jr. moved into the top spot in career passing yards in Section 5 history with 275 yards on 17 of 23 accuracy against Gates Chili.
• Ward Melville QB Hudson Philbrick rushed 10 times for 161 yards and four touchdowns and completed 7 of 13 passes for 225 yards and a TD during a 44-27 win over William Floyd.
The best football-related story of the weekend
The Grimsley High marching band traveled 200-plus miles from Greensboro, N.C., to Henrico, Va., for the Whirlies' non-conference game against Varina ... and got
thrown out of the stadium during the second half after repeated warnings not to play music while the ball was in play.
However, WGHP-TV reported it learned Varina's marching band was playing while the ball was in play during the first half, and Grimsley's leaders consulted with the head referee, who told them he would not penalize either band for playing while the ball was in play.
According to Virginia High School League policy, bands are not allowed to play during live-ball situations. Violations can trigger a $300 fine for unsportsmanlike conduct.
By the way, Grimsley won 24-17.
The worst football-related story of the weekend
Law enforcement authorities in Eden Prairie, Minn., said a
shooting that injured two people during Friday's homecoming football game was gang-related.
Eden Prairie police said there was a large altercation west of Aerie Stadium before the shooting. Officers stopped the fight and removed several people from the grounds, but gunfire erupted in the parking lot moments later.
Police said the two people injured, males aged 17 and 18, were believed to have been targeted.
Anothy scary situation
The Coweta Cup Cross Country Championship two weekends ago in Newnan, Ga., took a frightening turn when a man emerged from the woods mid-meet and
attacked a runner.
According to reports, the assailant was wearing an East Coweta High cross country jersey, and carrying rocks. He pushed the runner to the ground during the early-morning race, hit him, and fled.
Police said the assailant surrendered to officers in a nearby parking lot shortly afterward. Officers found the jersey in his car and confirmed his identity as a 19-year-old University of Georgia student.
Aiden Dombrowski was charged with battery and booked into the Coweta County Jail.
