By TIM IRVING
As Spencerport football has shown all season, their unique double-wing offense has a lot of advantages.
But as Canandaigua showed in the Class A2 Championship game, it has one big disadvantage, it is very hard to rally by running the ball.
The Braves took a 21-7 halftime lead and won their third straight Sectional football title, 41-14 at Webster Schroeder High School.
MVP Bryan Boldrin has been the quarterback on all three teams, throwing for 167 yards and two touchdown passes to Jaxon Grant.
The first quarter ended with Canandaigua driving to the Rangers five-yard line. On the first play of the second quarter, Boldrin threw a simple out pattern to Grant for a 7-0 lead.
After a defensive stop, the Braves took to the air again, Boldrin to Grant for 14 yards.
Elliott Morgan ran for 19 yards and on second down, Boldrin hit Eric Platten on a short out pass that the senior turned into a 35-yard score and a 14-0 lead.
The Braves only mistake came on the ensuing kickoff when they kicked to Cam Mesh and the junior ran up the right sideline 95 yards to cut the lead in half.
On the next drive for Canandaigua, on second and short from the Rangers 49 yard line, Boldrin took a shot downfield for Grant and drew a pass interference call.
Ryan Gavette took a handoff on the next snap and went 34 yards to the house and it was 21-7.
Boldrin then intercepted a pass on the sideline. The Braves held the Rangers to 11 yards rushing in the first half and no pass completions.
“Going into this weekend, we saw some adjustments we could make and that was really the difference here,” Boldrin said.
After Canandaigua’s first drive ended, Spencerport spend five minutes of the third quarter driving to the Braves 27-yard line where lineman Sam Bement intercepted a pass.
Boldrin hit Grant on a comeback route and he took off up the numbers 60 yards and Canandaigua’s lead grew to 28-7.
In the fourth, Brady Comella scored from three yards away as Canandaigua started to kill the clock with their own running game.
Mesh then busted off a 64-yard score and Spencerport tried an onsides kick which the Braves recovered at the Spencerport 49 yard-line.
Three plays later, Comella scored from 37 yards out for the 41-14 final score.
“It’s about hard you play and win at the point of attack,” coach Jeff Welch said about learning from playing Spencerport often over the past few years.
Gavette led the Braves with 123 yards out of Canandaigua’s 278 team total while the defense held the Rangers to 138 yards.
Boldrin becomes the first Braves quarterback since Bill Scharr in the 80s to win three straight titles.
“He saved his best for last, he’s played great all senior year. He’s the focal point of the offense, he’s performed and hopefully, he continues to do so,” Welch said of his signal caller.
The Braves play a Regional Qualifier game against University Prep next Friday.
MVP – Bryan Boldrin, Canandaigua
Outstanding Lineman – Sam Bement Canandaigua
Outstanding Defensive Player – Joey Marcello Spencerport
Outstanding Offensive Player – Jaxon Grant Canandaigua
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