By JOHN LIKANJE
Similar to last week, 14 Section V teams were recognized in the second installment of the New York State Sportswriters Association weekly poll. Thirteen more were selected as Honorable Mentions. The top-ranked teams solidified their position with victories this past week while others either in the middle of the pack or towards the bottom moved up. Although some squads may not have moved up as much as they would’ve liked, a few Honorable Mentions were snubbed from the official rankings yet again as well.
If it wasn’t obvious why McQuaid (No. 3 NYSSWA Class AA) deserved to be the highest-ranked Section V team, it certainly should have been after this past weekend. In a rematch of the Class AA sectional final, the Knights dominated on both offense and defense and left no doubt in a 29-6 win at Victor. John Mahar continued his impressive season with an air raid attack consisting of 324 passing yards and four touchdowns. The senior quarterback has thrown for 650 yards and 11 touchdowns through three games so far. His favorite receiver, Xaye Collier, has reeled in four of those scores. The Knights have outscored their opponents, 120-32, so far and continue to establish themselves as the juggernaut of Section V football.
The Knights should have no problem this upcoming week against a Rush-Henrietta squad which has scored 20 points in its past two games. This contest is slated for Friday at 7 p.m. at McQuaid Jesuit High School.
Aquinas (No. 13 NYSSWA Class AA) had little to no problem taking care of Pittsford in an undefeated matchup. Will Benjamin, Terrell Richards and Mykel White all scored three touchdowns to lead the L’il Irish to a 42-21 victory. Unlike previous years in which the offense primarily ran through Tyler Szalkowski, the L’il Irish feature a steady diet of passing and running the ball. This has allowed Benjamin to display his abilities to find seams through the line of scrimmage and catch the ball in the backfield. The senior running back has 404 rushing yards, 46 receiving yards and six touchdowns in three games.
Although the L’il Irish have an easier game this week in Monroe, they shouldn’t take this matchup lightly. Despite having yet to win a contest, the Red Jackets took Pittsford to overtime and only lost to Rush-Henrietta by two points. Game is scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. at James Monroe High School.
Spencerport (No. 24 NYSSWA Class A) must be thinking that something has to give regarding its spot in the Class A rankings. The Rangers went on the road, last Thursday, and convincingly beat Eastridge, 41-18, to increase its record to 3-0. All three of their victories have been by 20-plus points and they have outscored their opponents, 122-38. The Rangers are hoping that a home win on Saturday afternoon over Brockport will move them up more than one spot in the state rankings. Game is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Brighton (No. 13 NYSSWA Class A) is playing inspiring football right now. Despite finishing with a 3-2 record and No. 6 in an extremely competitive Class A in the spring, the Bruins weren’t expected to make much noise in the fall. Yet the Bruins proved that their road win over UPrep was no fluke with a 21-14 victory over Webster Thomas to move up four spots in the rankings. Senior quarterback Brennan Clasgens continued to lead the charge with two rushing touchdowns while Tahj Jackson burst for 178 yards and a score.
It doesn’t get any easier for the Bruins as they put their streak on the line against another undefeated team in Webster Schroeder. The Warriors shut out Churchville-Chili, 21-0, on the road to make their way into the poll as an Honorable Mention. A win over the Bruins on Friday evening could bolster their stock and make their case to be in the official rankings next week. The clash is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Webster Schroeder High School.
Another team playing inspiring football is East Rochester/Gananda (No. 8 NYSSWA Class C). With their 54-18 domination of Bishop Kearney/Rochester Prep/Rochester Academy, the Bombers have already matched their win total from the spring with three. Chaunsey Gilbert (203 rushing yards), Carter Lathrop (439 passing yards, nine touchdowns) and Manuel Sepulveda (319 receiving yards, eight touchdowns) have ignited the Bombers into top-10 in the state and right behind Livonia (No. 7 NYSSWA Class C). The Bulldogs seem to have regained their swagger after a 40-7 road victory at Midlakes, Friday night, for their second straight win.
The Bombers host Attica on Friday night at 7 p.m.
Until it sees its name in the official rankings, Oakfield-Alabama/Elba will continue to pummel opposing squads and prove why it deserves to be in the Class D Top 15. The Aggies settled for 34 points instead of 60 in a 34-7 win over Notre Dame Batavia, Saturday afternoon. Gaige Armbrewster leads a quartet of players who have rushed for over 100 yards this season with 410 yards and seven touchdowns. The other three rushers are Noah Currier (216), Bodie Hyde (149) and Aidan Weisbrodt (117). Something will have to give as the Aggies’ next game is against a York/Pavilion team which hasn’t scored in three contests so far. The contest is slated for Friday at 7 p.m. at York High School.
NYSSWA RANKINGS
CLASS AA
No. 3 – McQuaid (3-0)
No. 13 – Aquinas (3-0)
CLASS A
No. 3 – Canandaigua (3-0)
No. 13 – Brighton (3-0)
No. 24 – Spencerport (3-0)
CLASS B
No. 5 – Honeoye Falls-Lima (3-0)
No. 6 – Batavia (3-0)
CLASS C
No. 7 – Livonia (2-1)
No. 8 – East Rochester/Gananda (3-0)
CLASS D
No. 3 – Avon (3-0)
No. 10 – Alexander (2-1)
No. 13 – Bolivar-Richburg (2-1)
8-MAN
No. 1 – Red Jacket (2-0)
No. 4 – Pembroke (2-0)
For the full list of rankings, go here.
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