Waterville’s Eagles traded touchdowns with the West Canada Valley Nighthawks at the start of the fourth quarter Friday and departed with a 26-22 eight-player football victory.
Waterville (6-1, 3-1 8 South/East) had trailed by one point at halftime but led 19-14 when the third quarter ended with West Canada Valley (4-3, 1-3 8 South/East) on the Eagles’ 6-yard line and threatening to score.
Caleb Grabowski, freshly returned to the injury-depleted West Canada Valley lineup, ran the ball to the 1 on the first play of the fourth quarter, and quarterback Sam Stewart ran a sneak for the touchdown. Tyler Dibble ran in the conversion, and the Nioghthawks led 22-19.
Not for long.
Waterville’s Rylan Stanton took the ensuing kickoff, found a hole, and ran through it 79 yards for his third touchdown of the game.
“That was huge,” Waterville coach Brad Dunlay said. “We’ve been waiting all year for our special teams to pop one. … (Stanton) was watching his blocks on the kick return and saw a hole, and he went for it.”
Kian Mayne’s kick gave the Eagles a four-point lead with 11:01 remaining in the game, and neither team would add to the 26-22 score. West Canada Valley drove to the Waterville 26 and threw incomplete in fourth down with five minutes to go, and Waterville ran out the remaining time, taking a knee at the West Canada Valley 10 for the final 30 seconds.
“It was the the right play,” West Canada Valley coach Todd Hobin said of the fourth down pass. “If we put the ball in the right spot, is we complete the pass, we get another shot.”
Dibble had touchdown runs covering 29 and 35 yards in the first half, and added a two-point run after his second score.
Waterville countered with Ian Carney throwing 14- and 5-yard scoring passes to Stanton. The kick after the second touchdown was low and into the linemen with 13.2 seconds remaining in the first half.
The start of the second half was eventful. West Canada Valley kicked off, opted for an onside kick, and came up with the ball, but possession was awarded to Waterville by officials who ruled the ball had not traveled 10 yards when kicked before being touched by West Canada Valley. The Eagles drove for an apparent touchdown that was nulllified by a holding penalty; they shook that off and drove back to the 4-yard line where they fumbled on third-and goal and turned the ball over.
Waterville took its 19-14 lead on a 1-yard Mayne touchdown run after he caught a pass and was stopped at the goal line by Dibble on the previous play. The Eagles threw incomplete on a two-point try with 2:36 left in the third quarter.
Waterville finishes the regular season at home against Sauquouit Valley October 24; West Canada Valley is also home that night for its game against unbeaten Frankfort-Schuyler, a 48-14 winner over Cooperstown Friday.
New Hartford 42, Vernon-Verona-Sherrill 22
New Harford’s undefeated Spartans clinched first place in Class B East Friday with a 42-22 win over the Vernon-Verona-Sherrill Red Devils.
The Spartans (7-0, 3-0 B East) trailed after the first quarter and pulled away from a 14-all halftime tie. They took the lead when Cory Case recovered a fumble for a touchdown in the third quarter. Liam Noonan caught a Peyton Way touchdown pass late in the third, and Niko Martinez scored twice in the fourth quarter, first on a pass from John Vitullo and later on a 10-yard run, to give New Hartford a 42-14 lead.
Way, the leading receiver for the Spartans, ranked sixth in the state in Class B by the New York State Sportswriters Association, threw for a touchdown on the first pass of his varsity career, he also caught six passes for 75 yards and a first quarter touchdown.
Vitullo passed for 134 yards and two touchdowns, and also ran for a touchdown. Martinez, a junior, led the team with 105 yards rushing on 19 carries and went over 1,000 yards for the season.
Vernon-Verona-Sherrill (5-2, 2-1 B East) took a 14-0 lead with two touchdown runs in the first quarter.
New Hartford will try to complete a third consecutive unbeaten regular season with a game at Camden October 24. Vernon-Verona-Sherrill plays at home October 24 against Chittenango.
Whitesboro 36, Watertown 0
Connor McDonald scored four touchdowns Friday in Whitesboro’s 36-0 shutout victory over the Watertown Cyclones.
The win was the sixth in a row for Whitesboro (6-1, 4-0 A National) which is ranked fourth in the state in Class A by the New York State Sportswriters Association and had held three previous opponents to single touchdowns.
Frank Zupancic threw three touchdown passes in the first half, two to McDonald and one to Mike Hill, and Whitesoro led 25-0 at the intermission.
McDonald opened the scoring with a 69-yard touchdown reception, and Zupancic added a 14-yard scoring pass to Hill later in the first quarter. McDonald ran 26 yards for one touchdown in the second quarter and caught a 38-yard pass for another.
McDonald added a short touchdown run in the second half and Simon Kichuk kicked a 27-yard field goal.The loss was the fourth in a row for Watertown (2-5, 0-4 A National).
Whitesboro closes the regular season with an October 24 trip to Carthage where the Comets had been unbeaten before Friday’s 21-12 loss at Fayetteville-Manlius.
Utica-Notre Dame 22, Herkimer 16
Utica’s Notre Dame Jugglers made it four wins in a row Friday when they defeated Herkimer’s Magicians 22-16 on the road.
The Jugglers (4-3, 3-3 D-1) trailed 10-8 at halftime and scooped a fumble and scored to take the lead in the third quarter. They extended the lead late in the fourth on Owen Bougourd’s touchdown pass to Clyde Taylor.
Herkimer (2-5, 1-5 D-1) countered the touchdown pass with a touchdown run 30 second later. The Magicians’ kick was blocked on the conversion try, and they were unable to recover an onside kick, allowing Notre Dame to run out the clock.
The Magicians had opened the game’s scoring with a safety. Notre Dame took an 8-2 lead with a touchdown and two-point conversion, and Herkimer want back in front on a Carl Pace-to-Braysen Richard touchdown pass.
Herkimer plays at Dolgeville October 24, and Notre Dame completes the regular season with an October 25 home game against Mt. Markham.
West Genesee 49, Rome Free Academy 14
The West Genesee Wildcats ended their four-game losing streak and extended Rome Free Academy’s to four Friday with a 49-14 victory.
Alej Molina threw three touchdown passes and ran for a score for West Genesee (2-4, 2-3 AA-1), and X’Zavion Streiff added a touchdown pass. Brody Knox caught two touchdown passes, Jayden Maeweather run for the touchdown that got the scoring started, and Samir Abroshreak returned an interception for a score.
Quarterback Mark Barone ran for one touchdown and passed for another for Rome Free Academy’s Black Knights (2-5, 1-5 AA-1).
The Black Knights play on the road October 24 at Section IV Elmira.
Morrisville-Eaton 66, Thousand Islands 0
The Morrisville-Eaton Warriors topped 60 points for the third time in four weeks Friday when they defeated Thousand Islands 66-0 in their fifth consecutive victory.
Brody Chapman, Wesley Dimperio and Taiden Eaton each ran for two touchdowns for the Mavericks (5-2, 3-0 8 North/West) who led 22-0 after the first quarter and 36-0 at halftime. Dimperio ran for 100 yards on seven carries, Eaton for 87 on two, and Chapman 86 on on three.
Mason Marland ran for one touchdown, and Landen Highers ran for one and threw to Gavin Baker for another on Morrisville-Eaton’s lone pass completion.
Defensively, Morrisville-Eaton intercepted three passes thrown by Thousand Island (3-4, 2-1 8 North/West) and shut out its third consecutive opponent.
Morrisville-Eaton, ranked fifth in the state by the New York State Sportswriters Association among eight-player teams, finishes the regular season with an October 24 home game against Clinton.
Camden 41, Cortland 14
The Camden Blue Devils led 27-0 at halftime Friday on the way to a 41-14 Class B crossover win over Cortland that snapped a five-game losing streak.
Trevor Warren ran for 70 yards and three touchdowns on seven carries for Camden (2-5) while Adam Gonzalez passed for 110 yards with two of his three completions going for touchdowns to Alex Lallier and Landon Loomis. Gonzalez also intercepted a pass on defense and scored a touchdown on a fumble recovery.
Cortland is now 0-7.
Camden plays at home October 24 against New Hartford.
Elsewhere Friday:
This article originally appeared on Times Telegram: Waterville wins with kick return TD at West Canada Valley, more football recaps
Reporting by Jon Rathbun, Herkimer Times Telegram / Times Telegram
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