By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Less than seven minutes of game time had elapsed in Monday night’s Section V Class A matchup, and the scoreboard at Greece Athena High School indicated a combined 41 points.
The pace favored visiting Canandaigua.
Seeing only first-half action, Dominic Comella totaled more than 200 yards of offense and scored five touchdowns to lead the Braves past host Athena 48-21.
“For him to have a game like that is great to see,” Canandaigua head coach Jeff Welch said.
Sam Bennett returned the opening kickoff 64 yards to the Athena one-yard line. Comella finished it off with a one-yard plunge on the next play.
Sam Bennett takes the opening kickoff and returns it to the Athena 1. pic.twitter.com/VHA5HuIufq
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) April 19, 2021
The Braves defense stopped Athena on three downs. Jaxon Grant took the ensuing punt and ran it to the Trojans eight-yard line. Comella had runs of seven and one yard for the score this time.
Dominic Comella punches it in from a yard out. PAT is good. @CABravesSports 7-0 pic.twitter.com/mDKf2PyOIO
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) April 19, 2021
“We came out ready to play and defensively we were swarming the ball,” Welch noted.
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Canandaigua needed five plays to go 61 yards on its next drive. Junior quarterback Brian Boldrin connected with Brady Comella from six yards out. After a conversion of the point-after try, Canandaigua led 21-0 with 6:23 remaining in the first quarter.
Play action Bryan Boldrin rolls out and finds Brady Comella. PAT is good. @CABravesSports 21-0 pic.twitter.com/TFNlxtFvpA
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) April 19, 2021
The offenses, or rather special teams, were just getting warmed up.
Athena’s Jiamere Munson took the Braves kickoff and returned it for a touchdown.
Not to be outdone, Dominic Comella ran back the Trojans kickoff for another six, plus the PAT.
And Munson had an encore left in him with a 92-yard dash for another six points.
That’s right, back-to-back-to-back kickoff returns all in the span of :44 seconds.
“Obviously, we have good kids carrying the ball, but it’s a full-unit performance,” Welch said of Canandaigua’s effort. “All 11 guys are doing their job.
“On the other end of it, we gave up two kickoff returns back-to-back. That’s unacceptable. That will be addressed.”
How about 3 TD Kickoff Returns in just 44 seconds?!?! That’s what @atrojanfootball‘s @MunsonJamiere & Canandaigua’s @ComellaDominic did in tonight’s game! 👀⚡️ @AthenaHigh @GreeceCentral @SecVFootball pic.twitter.com/OWMlXlzIvM
— Varsity Media (@VarsityMedia) April 20, 2021
The opening flurry made Canadaigua’s later drives of six and five plays seem a little stodgy. Comella scored on runs of 28 and nine yards to push the advantage to 35-13.
The senior running back came into the contest with five touchdowns on the season. His night was finished after 24 minutes played with 17 carries for a 156 yards from scrimmage and the 80-yard kickoff return.
Play action Bryan Boldrin rolls out and finds Brady Comella. PAT is good. @CABravesSports 21-0 pic.twitter.com/TFNlxtFvpA
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) April 19, 2021
“There were some pretty big holes to run through,” Welch said commending Canandaigua’s offensive line. “And he has great vision. He has great acceleration. He’s been doing it a long time. He just has those innate running back skills. When you have a great running back in front of you, that’s a recipe for success.”
Canandaigua improved to 5 wins without a loss. The victory came after COVID-19 protocols cancelled their most recent game. The layoff didn’t slow the Braves attack.
“It was a longer layoff, but it wasn’t like two weeks or three weeks,” Welch said. “Honestly, we were a little banged up. We looked at it in a positive way. It certainly was an interesting situation, but with this team and such mentally-tough kids we had no doubt that they’d be ready to play.”
Boldrin connected with Bennett on a 24-yard touchdown reception for Canandaigua’s final score of the game with less than a minute remaining in the first half. The Braves led 48-13.
Athena’s Daquan Perry scored from two yards out early in the fourth quarter. Josh Ranalletta and Quamel Jarvis converted a two-point conversion for the final score.
Athena closed the regular season 4-2.
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