Kicking off: Getting into the spirit of the season, the Irondequoit football team stepped into the voting booth last night and elected to provide the crowd with the most memorable finish in Section 5 postseason history.
The Eagles, ranked No. 24 in Class AA by the New York State Sportswriters Association, pulled out a 31-28 victory over Webster Schroeder on the final play of the game but executing a fake field goal to perfection and scoring on Emmy Poccia's 13-yard throw to Joel Miller.
Irondequoit was going to try kicking a game-tying 30-yard field goal with four seconds left until Schroeder used a timeout to try to ice Poccia, who had converted a 36-yarder in the second quarter. Given time to think it over, coach Wade Bianco put the idea of a fake to a vote. The players said yes, and the Eagles then did their best imitation of Michigan State vs. Notre Dame.
Miller took the snap and made a blind flip over his head to Poccia. As defenders pressured Poccia a few steps to the right, Miller slipped around to the left flat, where Poccia hit him with a floating heave at about the 10. Poccia outraced the lone pursuing defender to the end zone, triggering a wild celebration during which fans stormed the Rhinos Stadium Field.
It was Irondequoit's first sectional crown since 1987 and moved the Eagles into next week's qualifier vs. No. 6 Rush-Henrietta for a berth in the state Class AA quarterfinals.
Rush-Henrietta won its Class AAA title game over Pittsford 38-7 as Ashton Broyld ran for three scores and threw for two.
First down: Senior James Lenahan blocked a 26-yard field-goal attempt with :45 left to preserve No. 18 Mahopac's 6-3 victory over Clarkstown North in Section 1 action and propel his team to its first sectional final since the state tournament era began in 1993.
Lenahan broke through the left side of the line to block the attempt by Marco Cavaliere, who had made a 32-yarder in the first half. It was Mahopac's second heroic effort in a little more than a minute. Frankie Langella chased down Brian Rinciari at the 18-yard-line after a 60-yard pass play to keep North out of the end zone.
Second down: Tevion Cappe's amazing season continues.
The senior running back carried 36 times for 283 yards and five TDs as Watertown beat No. 15 Indian River 42-22 in the Section 3 Class A semifinals. It avenged a 50-32 loss win Week 4.
The 5-foot-9 Cappe, who also converted three two-point conversions, scored on runs of 52, 14, 73, 7 and 33 yards. He has season totals of 2,080 yards and 35 TDs on 190 carries.
Watertown quarterback Tyler Augliano went 12-for-19 for 148 yards and a TD.
The Cyclones will get a rematch Friday with Whitesboro, a 48-34 winner in their regular-season contest. Whitesboro, the defending sectional champ, went on a 28-0 run in the second half and beat Cortland 48-13 in Week 6. Cornerback Mike Bunal took an intercepted pass out of his own end zone and ran 101 yards for the second Whitesboro score of the night.
Halftime: Fredonia's Shane Smith threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more as the No. 10 Hillbillies beat No. 8 Grover Cleveland 45-20 in a Section 6 Class C semifinal. It sets up a rematch with two-time defending state champ Southwestern, which beat Fredonia 28-21 in Week 6.
"Not too many teams get a second chance at a team like Southwestern," Smith told The Buffalo News. "To get an opportunity to play at The Ralph and possibly end their long win streak is great. We're real excited."
Southwestern beat Salamanca 37-0 for its 38th straight win, the last three via shutout. Jimmy Rauh was 14-for-20 for 276 yards and three TDs, with 10 of the throws to Nick Austin for 210 yards and two TDs.
Third down: Ravena took advantage of an ejection en route to a 27-14 win against Hudson Falls in the Section 2 Class B semifinals.
