By JOHN LIKANJE
Section V continued to be well-represented in the New York State football rankings with 15 teams being recognized in this week’s New York State Sportswriters Association poll. Five squads rose in their respective classifications while one new contender cracked the rankings for the first time.
McQuaid (No. 3 NYSSWA Class AA) continued to stay hot on the heels of the top two teams in the state, Iona Prep (Catholic High Schools Athletic Association) and Canisius (Monsignor Martin). Despite having to play at 8 p.m. last Friday night due to Fairport holding Senior Night for its cheerleaders, the Knights spoiled the occasion with a 42-7 thumping of the Red Raiders. The Knights are fifth in Section V with 206 total points scored (41.2 PPG) and seventh with 39 total points allowed (7.8 PPG). Bobby Bates’ squad meets a familiar foe this week as they host Hilton, Friday at 7 p.m. The Knights took down the Cadets, 42-14, in the season opener back on September 3rd.
Aquinas (No. 8 NYSSWA Class AA) saved its best performance of the season for this past week and it bolstered them three spots into the top 10. Thanks to Will Benjamin’s four touchdowns, the L’il Irish exploded for a season-high 50 points in last Friday’s win over Rush-Henrietta. Derek Annechino’s new and improved balanced offensive scheme has his squad bought in to the tune of 36.2 points per game and 181 points scored through five games. With Mykel White commanding the air with 384 passing yards, the ground game is split among three fullbacks with over 100 rushing yards: Benjamin (588 yards and nine touchdowns), C.J. Cammack (108 yards and two touchdowns) and Eimaj Giddens (452 yards and five touchdowns). The L’il Irish also face a familiar foe as they take on Victor, Friday at 6 p.m. The L’il Irish beat the Blue Devils, 19-12, in overtime in the season opener.
While Brighton (No. 12 NYSSWA Class A) and Canandaigua (No. 3 NYSSWA Class A) stood pat in the rankings, Spencerport (No. 18 NYSSWA Class A) continued its climb towards the top by sliding up three more spots. The Rangers took their explosive offense to Greece Athena and pounded the Trojans, 46-6, for their largest win of the season. John Dowd’s squad continues to post video game numbers on their opponents as they have scored 208 points and only allowed 71 so far this season. If the Rangers continue winning and moving up three spots every week, they should finish in the top 10 by regular season’s end.
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Now it’s time to see how those numbers stack up against a team who has basically matched them tit for tat: the Braves. This is one of quite a few highly-anticipated matchups coming up over the final three weeks of the regular season. The Braves and Rangers square off Friday at 7 p.m. at Canandaigua Academy.
UPrep made its official debut in the Class A state rankings at No. 27. After a tough loss to Brighton in Week Two, the Griffins have rebounded with three straight wins to re-establish themselves among the cream of the crop. Despite not displaying as explosive an offense as they did in the spring (37.3 points per game), Isiah Young’s squad is still producing 28.4 points and features an extremely stingy defense (46 total points allowed for 9.2 PPG). Clyde Davis, Jr. leads the offense with 773 passing yards and 12 touchdowns with his favorite receivers being Dekahri Carter (111 receiving yards and two touchdowns), Todd Gillam (146 yards and one touchdown) and Mark McClary (231 yards and six touchdowns). Raykim Chenier dominates the trenches with 721 rushing yards and five scores while contributing to the defense with 18 tackles. Sharod Watkins commands the defense with 29.5 tackles.
The Griffins will be put to the test immediately against a team with an identical record: Webster Schroeder. The Warriors are coming off a defensive slugfest in which they came out on top, 7-6, over crosstown rival Webster Thomas. Game is scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m. at Webster Thomas.
Another highly-anticipated matchup comes in Class B between Batavia (No. 5 NYSSWA Class B) and Honeoye Falls-Lima (No. 4 NYSSWA Class B). The Cougars received a brief reprieve this past week as they dismantled winless Bishop Kearney/Rochester Prep/Rochester Academy, 35-6. Brody Young continued his strong season with two touchdown passes to increase his total to eight through five games. The senior quarterback leads a battle-tested Cougars squad which has wins over Livonia and Wayne.
Meanwhile, Batavia continues to be the wrecking ball of the classification after a 41-12 drubbing of Dansville/Wayland-Cohocton. The Blue Devils feature a run-heavy offense with five players over 100 rushing yards: Aidan Anderson (457 yards and seven touchdowns), Cameron McClinic (159 yards and two touchdowns), Carter McFollins (112 yards), Jesse Reinhart (121 yards and three touchdowns) and Jamison Richardson (215 yards and two touchdowns). Reinhart has thrown for 650 passing yards from the pocket as well with his favorite receivers being Anderson (101 yards), Vincent Arroyo (143 yards and one touchdown), Carter McFollins (166 yards and six touchdowns) and Javin McFollins (161 yards and three touchdowns). Kaden Marucci commands the defense with 30 tackles, including 10 for loss, two interceptions, including a pick-six, and a fumble recovery.
The rematch of this past spring’s sectional final will be on Friday at 7 p.m. at VanDetta Stadium in Batavia.
East Rochester/Gananda (No. 6 NYSSWA Class C) accomplished three things this past weekend: take care of business with a 42-0 shutout at Waterloo, move up two spots in the Class C state rankings and be the lone Section V representative in the classification. The Bombers were led by Chaunsey Gilbert (two rushing touchdowns) and Carter Lathrop (two bombs to Manuel Sepulveda). Brian Touranjoe’s squad is second in Class C in scoring with 168 points right behind Le Roy (170). The Bombers get another favorable matchup this upcoming week in winless Mynderse on Friday at 7 p.m. at East Rochester High School.
NYSSWA RANKINGS
CLASS AA
No. 3 – McQuaid (5-0)
No. 8 – Aquinas (5-0)
CLASS A
No. 3 – Canandaigua (5-0)
No. 12 – Brighton (5-0)
No. 18 – Spencerport (5-0)
No. 27 – UPrep (4-1)
CLASS B
No. 4 – Honeoye Falls-Lima (5-0)
No. 5 – Batavia (5-0)
CLASS C
No. 6 – East Rochester/Gananda (5-0)
CLASS D
No. 2 – Avon (5-0)
No. 10 – Alexander (4-1)
No. 13 – Bolivar-Richburg (4-1)
8-MAN
No. 1 – Red Jacket (3-0)
For the full list of rankings, go here.
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