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John Moriello's NYSSWA blog
Sunday, Nov. 11, 2007: Wrapping up a hectic weekend of New York high school playoffs
   Hitting a few highlights from the most important weekend of the 2007-08 high school sports season thus far:

   (1) Salvaging a lost weekend: When the history of Section 6 sports gets written, this weekend will not rate a mention in the highlights. Eight of 10 Western New York soccer teams lost NYSPHSAA quarterfinals to Section 5 teams, only the East Aurora girls (first) and boys (second) pulled off top-three finishes in 10 races at the state cross country championships and the first four football teams to hit the field at PAETEC Park lost in the quarterfinals by a combined 142-55 margin.

   And then along came Orchard Park, led by junior tailback Jeff Tundo.

   Tundo was the story of the night on a chilly Saturday as the Quakers beat Canandaigua in Class AA, 49-27. He scored five touchdowns and ran the ball 35 times for 368 yards in a battle of 10-0 teams and put to rest years of frustration for OP, which had been 0-7 all-time in state playoff games.

   Canandaigua's Kaheem Gist finished with 21 carries for 179 yards and scored his 40th and 41st touchdowns of the season, but the Braves fell behind by two TDs in the first quarter and had to play from behind the remainder of the night.

   Canandaigua entered the game ranked eighth and Orchard Park ninth in Class AA according to the New York State Sportswriters Association.

   (2a) Champagne, again: Senior Mary Kate Champagne of Plattsburgh Seton Catholic earned her third straight Class D cross country title in the NYSPHSAA championships in Norwood.

   She covered the 3.1-mile course in 18 minutes, 3.8 seconds, well ahead of teammate and runner-up Genna Hartung. Champage will attend Providence College next fall.

   A pair of other champions, East Aurora's Catherine Lusardi in Class B and Greenwich's Caitlin Lane in Class C, helped their teams to girls crowns.

   (2b) Nearly perfect: TullyRunners.com nailed nine of the 10 team winners in its pre-meet analysis of the NYSPHSAA cross country championships, missing only in the very competitive girls Class D race. In fact, 28 of the 30 teams projected to finish in the top three came through.

   But the feat of the day came in the girls Class AA race. TullyRunners correctly predicted the order of finish of the nine-team field. Not bad, considering there were 362,880 possible combinations.

   (3) Back for more: The Horseheads girls volleyball team has reached the Final Four for the 15th time in 18 years, having downed John Jay in four games on Saturday. Horseheads, which graduated its entire starting lineup from the 2006 season, wllh be seeking its first championship since 2001 when the tournament resumes next weekend in Glens Falls.

   Nikki Conover served for six straight points, including two

  
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    • aces, to give the Blue Raiders an early lead in the fourth game. She finished 26-for-28 on serves with six aces.

       (4) Still alive at 4-5: I was ready to write a three-loss Auburn team's obituary four straight weeks a year ago, so don't look toward me for a prediction of impending doom for Haldane's football team.

       The Blue Devils rallied past Eldred for a 19-14 victory yesterday that launched Haldane into the state Class D semifinals with a 4-5 record. Haldane will play Ticonderoga on Saturday at Dietz Stadium in Kingston.

       The Blue Devils won it when senior Rob Percacciolo connected with Matt Giachinta on a 35-yard TD pass with 0:22 to go. Eldred had been stopped on fourth-and-2 from its own 40 one play earlier.

       (5) South Side keeps rolling: I don't know whether I'm ready to say that the Rockville Centre South Side girls are in a class of their own. But whatever class that soccer team does inhabit certainly has a mighty short roll call.

       South Side (19-0) dominated play yesterday but still needed Molly Bralower's goal with 0:29 to play to eliminate Islip and move into the state Class A semifinals next weekend in Cortland.

       South Side, a three-time defending state champion, will be trying for its 14th NYSPHSAA crown, which would tie Saratoga girls cross country and West Genesee boys lacrosse for New York's all-time lead in trophies.

       (6) LeGrande commits: Quarterback Dominick LeGrande of Staten Island Curtis has announced that he'll accept a scholarship to play for Boston College next year.

       Rutgers coach Greg Schiano was on hand Saturday for Curtis' PSAL playoff game in which LeGrande made an 11-yard tackle for loss while on defense, ran 18 yards for a TD and returned a punt 46 yards for another score — all in the first six minutes.

       LeGrande has been a four-year starter at quarterback, and he has thrown for 16 TDs and run for 16 more this fall. Connecticut and Syracuse were among the other schools pursuing him.

       (7) Sayville strikes quickly: Will Slevin set up Chris Hendrickson for the tying goal and then booted him the winner himself 1:57 later with 14:08 left in regulation, as Sayville (18-0-1) downed Great Neck Noth and reached the boys Class A soccer semifinals.

       Awaiting Sayville is Byram Hills (21-1-1). The Bobcats beat Cornwall, 4-0, in the quarterfinals behind a hat trick from senior Will Ogden. Ogden has five goals in his last two games and 23 for the season.

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