By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — UPrep head coach Isiah Young admitted that he was unsure if his squad could qualify for sectionals. A win on Sunday was necessary to keep those post-season hopes alive.
And a big third quarter helped reach that goal.
Three different players scored a touchdown apiece in the nine minutes following halftime as UPrep pulled away for a 30-2 victory over Brockport in Class A action.
“Once they started to focus themselves up and get past the celebrations of senior day, things changed for us,” Young said noting the pre-game ceremony honoring six players who will graduate later this year. “That was the biggest thing for us, focusing on the game itself.”
Senior Scott Parr scored from six yards out on the first drive of the second half. Less than three minutes later, Shaheed Smith recovered a blocked punt and ran it into the end zone. Brandon Lucas, Jr. capped the scoring when he grabbed a fumble and ran it back 77 yards.
The Griffins had turned a one-score game into a 28-point advantage.
“I’m big on a body language,” Young said when asked what the difference was coming out of halftime. “You could see the body language change, and guys realized they were letting a team kinda hang around.
“With our guys, they tend to be a little aloof every once in a while, like high school kids tend to do. It was a matter of taking what you’re doing seriously.”
Leading 9-2 after the first two quarters of play, UPrep started the second half on its own 45-yard line. LaVari Smith broke off runs of 15 and nine yards while Clyde Davis, Jr. connected with Jordan Jackson for a 16-yard reception to get UPrep inside the Brockport 10-yard line. Parr took a direct snap and scored to finish off the eight-play drive.
Scott Parr on the keeper from the 6. PAT is good. 9:04 to go in the third @UprepFball 16 @BCSDBlueDevils 2 pic.twitter.com/sGhMeV3lxe
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) April 18, 2021
UPrep’s defense stopped Brockport on the ensuing drive including a sack by Sharod Watkins and RaeJougn Yeomas to push the Blue Devils back to their 26-yard line.
Jackson blocked the Brockport punt, and Smith scampered into the end zone for another UPrep score.
Blocked punt from @UprepFball Shaheed Smith recovers and runs it back for 6. PAT is good. Griffins 23-2. pic.twitter.com/sEAQy0wFTk
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) April 18, 2021
Brockport moved the ball 43 yards on its next drive highlighted by a Ryan Judd pass completion to Shamone Johnson for 19 yards.
But Jackson forced a fumble on a third down play at the UPrep 23, and Lucas took over from there running the ball the length of the field for UPrep’s third touchdown of the quarter.
Jordan Jackson gets in the backfield and forces a fumble. Brandon Lucas, Jr. scoops up the ball and goes 77 yards. 3:09 to go in the third @UprepFball 30-2. pic.twitter.com/dsRAVCwklS
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) April 18, 2021
“Knowing what the quarterback was doing and identifying where he was,” said Young when asked what his defense emphasized. “Sometimes, he (Judd) wasn’t even lined up at quarterback. He’s definitely their best athlete, their best player. It was key for us to identify where he was and what they were trying to do with him.”
Ryan Judd to Shamone Johnson as @BCSDBlueDevils convert on the fake punt. pic.twitter.com/po1oapX9Xi
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) April 18, 2021
Jackson stopped Brockport’s next drive with an interception on UPrep’s 12-yard line. The junior finished the day with three receptions for 47 yards on the offensive side to go along with three-and-a-half tackles (1.5 for a loss), one pass break-up, one forced fumble and a pair of situations in which he got in the backfield to pressure the quarterback.
“In my opinion, he’s the best receiver in Section V,” Young said of his player. “Some of the things he does can change a game in the snap of a finger. Now defensively, too, some things people haven’t seen. We’re happy to have him for one more year.”
Davis threw for 114 yards on 10-of-19 passing and rushed for a touchdown. Sincere Burroughs made three catches for 32 yards. Christopher Jean had one reception for 17 yards.
Parr collected three catches for 18 yards while rushing for eight yards on two carries. The senior also had 7.5 tackles, two for a loss.
Fourth and goal from the three. Clyde Davis rolls right and finds a blocker. PAT is good. @UprepFball 9 @BCSDBlueDevils 0 pic.twitter.com/hIFhAhGEYh
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) April 18, 2021
Smith rushed for 53 yards on nine carries. Nazir Winn gained 23 yards on two carries.
Watkins led the UPrep defense with seven tackles, two for a loss. His pressure forced an intentional grounding call from the end zone for a safety early in the first quarter. Watkins also forced a fumble.
Lucas and Mark McClary had 4.5 tackles apiece.
Davyeone Whitcomb converted 4-of-4 extra-point attempts.
Brockport got on the scoreboard with second-quarter safety.
“We took care of what we needed to do,” Young said. “Now we got to sit back and see what happens.”
UPrep improved to 5-1 on the season. Three undefeated teams (Canandaigua, Irondequoit and Spencerport) sit atop the Class A standings while Greece Athena and East enter the final week of the regular season with records of 4-1. UPrep also trailed Brighton (3-2) coming into the day’s action based upon the points system used to determine playoff qualification.
East hosts Brighton, Monday night.
“We’ve calculated some scenarios,” Young explained. “We could be wrong. We’re not mathematicians, so we could be wrong. It’s a pretty crazy system. There is a path, and we’re just going to hope for the best at this point.”
Sectionals open on Saturday (April 24th) with the top four teams in each class qualifying.
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