Kicking off: Lancaster, ranked No. 4 in Class AA by the NYSSWA, survived a huge comeback bid and edged Depew 41-40 Friday in Western New York football action.
Depew, ranked fifth in Class B by the New York State Sportswriters Association, rallied from a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter to tie the game and force OT. The teams traded touchdowns in the first OT, and Depew played for the win with a two-point conversion attempt that failed as Anthony Emmanuele (149 rushing yards, three TDs) came down out of bounds with a throw from sophomore QB Aaron Ertel.
"If I had to go in battle, I'd want to go with those guys -- they just played their hearts out," Depew coach Dan McGrath told The Buffalo News.
Lancaster's Justin Juda opened the OT scoring with an 8-yard run, and Alex Debbins kicked the extra point. Depew answered as Aaron Rybak (five catches, 123 yards and three TDs) reeled in a throw from Ertel (17-for-29, 244 yards).
Zack Maryniewski ran for 124 yards and three touchdowns and also scored on an 84-yard kickoff return in the win.
First down: Manny Magliocco threw 20 yards down the middle to Chris Bostick, who went in untouched for an overtime TD as No. 3 Aquinas edged No. 11 McQuaid 31-24 in Rochester-area Class A action before an overflow crowd at St. John Fisher College.
"All I can say is 'Wow,'" Aquinas two-way starter Anthony Bianchi Jr. told the Democrat and Chronicle. "Both teams went back and forth. They jumped out to a lead, and we came back hard."
Magliocco finished 17-for-23 for 209 yards, three TDs and one interception as the Little Irish rallied from a 10-0 deficit midway through the second quarter.
Mike Messina (22 carries, 157 yards) roared 76 yards for a TD that put Aquinas up 24-16, but McQuaid drove 80 yards in 12 plays to tie. Pat Jenkins carried 5 yards for the TD, and Brian Parker snared a high throw from Kent Kozar on the two-point conversion throw to the back of the end zone.
Aquinas missed on a late field goal but Bostick scored his second TD on the first OT possession. McQuaid picked up a first down on the subsequent possession but Nick LoBrutto made a fourth-down interception at the goal line.
Second down: Hamburg pulled off a 23-22 upset of Class A No. 12 Williamsville South. Both teams are now 6-1 after linebacker Michael Davison tackled Mark Coppola in the open field to foil a two-point conversion attempt with 17 seconds left.
Hamburg QB Nico Zarcone rushed for 185 yards and two TDs and threw for 85 yards and another score. Counterpart Joe Licata went 16-for-37 for 215 yards, two TD and two interceptions. He has thrown for 1,999 yards and 29 TDs through seven games.
Third down: In Troy, LaSalle made two defensive stands, and Tyler Washington (17 carries for 75 yards, two catches for 80 yards) scored two second-half touchdowns for a 12-0 victory over Schenectady to sew up its first 7-0 regular season since 2000.
LaSalle drove 60 yards in 10 plays to break a scoreless