The Penfield boys basketball team proved last season that it could climb to the top of Section V.
This year, the Patriots are busy building a brand name in the state.
Ranked No. 1 in the state among Class AA schools since December, Penfield is in the final four of the state tournament. Get past No. 2 state-ranked Seton Catholic of Binghamton on March 20, and the Patriots are one win away from becoming state champions for the first time in team history.
“Ever since I’ve joined Penfield basketball, it feels like we’ve pushed away from the stereotype that Penfield is not a basketball school,” Patriots guard Jackson Green said. “We’ve been proving to people the last couple of years.”
Fairport in Class AAA, a Monroe County league rival of Penfield, and Lyons in Class C also have made it to final four weekend in Binghamton, and can add to their teams’ history in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association championships.
Fairport advanced to the 2017 Class AA state final with current coach Scott Fitch, and lost to Mount Vernon, an unquestioned state powerhouse located downstate, north of New York City in Section I. Fitch also is a coach in the USA Basketball system.
Lyons won state championships back in 1989 and 1980. The Lions also reached state finals in 1997 and 1982. Penfield, a team that ended a 72-year wait for another Section V championship last year, has never advanced to a state final.
Now, the Patriots are not that far away from changing this.
“The boys themselves, they’re gamers, high school kids who are just fearless,” Penfield coach Jason Ellis said after the team’s victory in the 2026 state quarterfinals. “Being the hunted gave me gray hair, but it made them really tough, able to handle every situation.
“I’m very impressed by the poise and tenacity they have, to constantly get after each other so that they are prepared.”
Here are all the state-ranked teams in Section V, according to the lists put together by the New York State Sportswriters Association. There also are details for what is next for the Section V teams playing during state final four weekend:
Section V Class AAA boys basketball
No. 6 Fairport (last week No. 6)
Next up: The Red Raiders (22-1) vs. Corning-Painted Post (21-1), the Section IV or Elmira/Binghamton region champion, state semifinal game, 1:30 p.m. March 20 at Visions Veterans Memorial Arena, Binghamton.
Fairport, a 66-51 winner over Jamestown, appeared to control its state quarterfinal game from start to finish . . . 6-foot-3 inches tall senior guard/forward No. 10 Alex Grejda scored 14 points and was active defensively in the Jamestown backcourt . . . 6-4 senior forward No. 24 Hadi Dergham (13) led Fairport with 16 points and senior guard/forward No. 12 Jonathan Roessel nailed 3-pointers to finish with 15 points . . . “We’re peaking at the right time,” Fairport coach Scott Fitch said. “We were pretty banged up (at the end of the regular season), so the period we had to get healthy helped us. We got our legs and we’ve played at a high level the last three games.”
Corning-Painted Post Hawks: No. 11 in state rankings . . . This is the first appearance in state semifinals as a merged team . . . Corning-Painted Post’s state quarterfinal game: defeated William Floyd in overtime 72-64 . . . 6-2 sophomore guard No. 23 Nolyn Proudfoot scored 40 points, grabbed 21 rebounds. This is his fourth varsity season, and he is already a prospect to play Division I college basketball . . . 6-1 junior guard No. 3 Carter Proudfoot finished with 11 points against William Floyd . . . 6-2 senior guard No. 5 Kyler Stevenson had 11. Nolyn Proudfoot told Corning television station WETM that Stevenson is a “knockdown shooter,” and that 6-1 junior Kohl Hogue is the best point guard in Section IV.
Section V Class AA boys basketball
No. 1 Penfield (last week No. 1)
Next up: The Patriots (22-1) vs. Seton Catholic Saints (21-1), the Section IV or Binghamton/Elmira region champion, state quarterfinal game, 10 a.m. March 20 at Visions Veterans Memorial Arena, Binghamton.
Patriots advanced to the state semifinal round by pulling away to a 62-49 win over a stubborn North Tonawanda team from the Buffalo region . . . 6-5 junior guard No. 4 CJ Johnson again led the Patriots in scoring with 21 points . . . 6-9 junior center No. 32 Jake McCarthy had 18, and appeared to have a presence on defense . . . Penfield coach Jason Ellis praised the two-way play of 6-6 junior guard No. 1 Jackson Green, who has been assigned to guard the leading scorer of opponents during the postseason. Green finished with 11 points against North Tonawanda. . . Seton Catholic Saints: No. 2 in the state rankings . . . Seton Catholic is a private school in the city of Binghamton, a little more than a mile from Visions Veterans Memorial Arena, site of a total of Section IV boys and girls basketball championship games.
Seton Catholic’s state tournament quarterfinal game: defeated East Syracuse Minoa, a team that received an at-large bid to the state tournament, 65-60 . . . 6-4 senior shooting guard No. 5 Brian Dempsey led the Saints with 21 points, with four 3-pointers. Scoring average is 16.3 points, 5.6 rebounds a game . . . 6-3 senior forward No. 21 Allan Eagles scored 14 points, scores 18.9 points per game, 9.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists . . . 6-3 senior shooting guard No. 11 Liam Kozel scored 15 points, scores 11.4 points per game, 5.1 rebounds . . . 6-3 junior shooting/point guard No. 3 Malik Wimberly scored 7 points, scores 12.4 points per game.
No. 9 Pittsford Mendon (last week No. 4)
Along the baseline: The Vikings (22-2) won the Section V Class AA2 championship, their first sectional title since 2022. Mendon’s season ended after a loss to Penfield in a state tournament qualifier game.
Section V Class A boys basketball
No. 11 Monroe (last week No. 9)
Along the baseline: Monroe (17-6) won the Section V Class A championship, the first time the team finished at the top of a sectional class since 1982. Grand Island of Section VI or Buffalo region stopped Monroe’s season in a state tournament pre-quarterfinal.
No. 14 East High (last week No. 14)
Along the baseline: The season came to an end for East High (14-5) during the Section V Class A Tournament semifinals, leaving the Eagles without a sectional championship since 2014.
No. 21 Wayne (last week No. 21)
Along the baseline: The Eagles (19-4) were one win away from a third sectional championships in three years.
Section V Class B boys basketball
No. 9 Bishop Kearney/Chesterton (last week No. 7)
Along the baseline: The Kings (21-4) won the Section V Class B2 Championship and a state tournament qualifier game, before falling in a state tournament pre-quarterfinal.
No. 13 East Rochester (last week No. 13)
Along the baseline: The Bombers’ season was stopped in the Section V Class B2 Tournament semifinals. East Rochester was a sectional champion in 2025.
No. 14 Canisteo-Greenwood (last week: No. 14)
Along the baseline: The Chargers (18-4) were one win away from their first Section V championship. Instead, it was Bishop Kearney/Chesterton that won the section’s Class B2 title.
No. 21 LeRoy (last week: No. 21)
Along the baseline: The Oatkan Knights won a Section V title for the first time since 2003, the second championship in the team’s history. Their season ended in a state tournament qualifier.
Section V Class C boys basketball
No. 3 Lyons (last week No. 4)
Next up: The Lions (24-2) vs. Cooperstown (25-0), the Section III or Syracuse/Utica region champion, state tournament semifinal, 1:30 p.m. March 21 at Visions Veterans Memorial Arena, Binghamton.
Lyons dominated on its way to a 76-43 win over Buffalo Global Concepts in the state tournament quarterfinal round . . . 5-8 senior guard No. 12 Contrell Parker Jr. 27 points, 5 assists, 8 steals . . . 6-6 senior center No. 34 Jamire “JJ” Johnson, a 2025 Democrat and Chronicle All-Greater Rochester Team member, 17 points, 7 rebounds . . . 6-foot-2 senior forward No. 4 Stephen LeBrecht 6 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 8 steals . . . 5-10 senior guard No. 5 Stevell LeBrecht 10 points . . . Cooperstown Hawkeyes: No. 1 in the state rankings . . . Score 81.5 points a game, according to the Herkimer Times Telegram . . . Have put together consecutive undefeated seasons through sectional play . . . Won a state championship in 2019 . . .
Cooperstown’s state tournament quarterfinal game: defeated Elmira Notre Dame, 60-57 . . . 6-0 senior guard No. 23 Miles Nelen scored 24 points. Scoring average is 27 points, 4.2 assists per game, 2.2 steals . . . 6-5 senior forward No. 44 Jackson Crisman scored 18, averages 18 points, 11.6 rebounds . . . 5-9 senior guard No. 2 Christian Lawson averages 10.9 points, 3.5 assists, 2.8 steals . . . 6-3 junior forward No. 24 Brody Murdock scores 10 points a game, 4.3 rebounds . . . 6-3 senior forward No. 30 Ben Lewis 4.9 rebounds.
No. 6 Honeoye (last week No. 2)
Along the baseline: The Bulldogs, state finalists in 2025, won the Section V Class C1 Championship. Lyons, now a state tournament semifinalist, stopped Honeoye’s season in a state tournament qualifier.
No. 8 Geneseo (last week No. 8)
Along the baseline: Geneseo (21-3) fell one win short of becoming sectional basketball champions for the first time since 2017. The Blue Devils lost to Lyons, a team in the Class C state tournament semifinals.
No. 10 Gananda (last week No. 10)
Along the baseline: The Panthers (19-4) lost to now state tournament semifinalist Lyons in the semifinals of the Section V Class C1 Tournament. Gananda’s only sectional title came in 2007.
No. 12 York (last week No. 13)
Along the baseline: The Golden Knights (17-7) lost to Honeoye in the Section V Class C2 Tournament Final, leaving the Golden Knights one win from taking sectional championships in back-to-back seasons.
No. 13 Cuba-Rushford (last week No. 14)
Along the baseline: The Rebels (19-3) lost in the Section V Class C2 Tournament semifinals. The Rebels last won a sectional basketball in 2017.
No. 17 Pembroke (last week No. 17)
Along the baseline: The Dragons lost in the Section V Class C1 Tournament semifinals. Pembroke last won a sectional championship in 2023.
No. 20 Fillmore (last week No. 20)
Along the baseline: A drive by Fillmore (19-3) to win sectional titles in back-to-back years ended in the Class C2 tournament quarterfinals.
Section V Class D boys basketball
No. 9 Andover/Whitesville (last week: No. 3)
Along the baseline: Andover/Whitesville (21-2) lost to Clymer (16-6), the Buffalo region champion, during the state tournament quarterfinals. The Section V championship won by Andover/Whitesville is the first in the team’s history.
No. 10 Elba (last week No. 6)
Along the baseline: Elba (17-7) was one win away from winning a Section V basketball championship for the first time since 2017.
No. 17 Jasper-Troupsburg (last week No. 18)
Along the baseline: The Wildcats (14-8) lost during the sectional semifinals while in pursuit of the team’s first sectional championship since 1998.
— James Johnson, who grew up in the city of Rochester, has worked as a full-time journalist covering high school sports for the Democrat and Chronicle since 1996. His career began as an intern during the summer of 1990, before the start of his senior year at Edison in the Rochester City School District. He has become a two-time winner of the Rochester Press-Radio Club’s Sports Media Excellence Award.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Latest state rankings set stage for Section V teams at final four
Reporting by James Johnson, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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