Class A2’s top-seeded teams will face off once more with the title on the line. Here’s what you need to know:
No. 1 seed EAST/WOIS EAGLES (10-0/No.6 NYSSWA Class A)
vs.
No. 2 seed CANANDAIGUA BRAVES (8-2/NYSSWA Honorable Mention Class A)
How they arrived here: East/WOIS opened with a 50-8 win over No. 8 Wilson/Early College before defeating No. 5 Brockport 27-3. Canandaigua started with a 34-8 win over No. 7 Greece Arcadia, and went on to beat No. 6 Eastridge 33-19 to earn a sport in the sectional finals.
Players to watch for East/WOIS: Zymier Jackson Jr. QB 1865 passing yards, 18 passing touchdowns, 100-of-165 attempts, two interceptions, 223 rushing yards, 33 rushing attempts, one rushing touchdown; Anthony Diaz Jr. WR/DB 1,145 all-purpose yards, 15 total touchdowns, five kick-return touchdowns, 43 tackles, five tackles for a loss, 12 pass breakups, four interceptions; Amari Young Sr. RB/OLB 1,177 rushing yards, 125 rushing attempts, 15 rushing touchdowns, 23 tackles, 3.5 sacks; Kelvin Shepard So. WR/DB 576 receiving yards, 22 receptions, nine receiving touchdowns, 995 all-purpose yards, 11 total touchdowns; Ervin Wiggins Jr. WR/OLB 440 receiving yards, 24 receptions, five receiving touchdowns, 80 tackles, 10 tackles for a loss, one interception, one fumble-recovery touchdown; Edwin Spencer Sr. MLB 104 tackles, seven tackles for a loss, three sacks, three forced fumbles; Marcus Moore Sr. DB/WR 337 receiving yards, 20 receptions, four receiving touchdowns, 34 tackles, 17 pass breakups, one forced fumble, four interceptions, one defensive touchdown; Brandon Franklin Jr. DT/OG 28 tackles, five tackles for a loss, three sacks; Nigel Copeland Sr. DE 56 tackles, seven tackles for a loss, five sacks.
VIEW MORE PHOTOS FROM CARISSIMO MEDIA HERE.
Players to watch for Canandaigua: Tysheed Crockton Sr. WR/LB 316 rushing yards, 2 rushing touchdowns, 30 tackles, one forced fumble, two interceptions, 250 kick return yards, two kick return touchdowns; Drew Williamee So. QB 1,621 passing yards, 19 passing touchdowns, 107-of-171 attempts, four interceptions, 83 rushing yards, 30 rushing attempts, one rushing touchdown; Dom Gullace 20 rushing yards, 10 rushing attempts, 182 receiving yards, 15 receptions, two receiving touchdowns, 55 tackles, 24 tackles for a loss, eight sacks, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries; Tyler DeRue Jr. OL/DL 49 tackles, 12 tackles for a loss, five sacks, one forced fumble; Tre’Mell Coleman So. RB 975 rushing yards, 177 rush attempts, 13 rushing touchdowns; Jude York Jr. RB 256 receiving yards 19 receptions, three receiving touchdowns, 157 kick return yards, eight kick returns, 23-of-27 on extra point attempts; Lucas Delforte Jr. LB 74 tackles, eight tackles for a loss, one sack.
Coaches: Steve Flagler and James Vann (East/WOIS), Jeff Welch (Canandaigua)
Last Meeting: East/WOIS outlasted Canandaigua for a 26-21 victory on September 23rd.
History 101: Friday’s championship will mark the third time in the past four seasons that these two schools have met in the final. Canandaigua has taken the past two matchups with a 21-13 win in 2019 and 32-7 victory in the spring 2021 campaign. The Braves have won three straight titles and 11 overall since 1983. East has three sectional titles since 1977 (’98, ’04 and ’05) all in AAA.
What’s next: The winner will advance to regionals with the opponent to be determined. Section V will have two Class A representatives in the New York State tournament. The Class A1 and A2 champions both advance. The team with the most points in the sectional index will advance to the Far West Regional against the Section VI champion, either Jamestown or Williamsville North. The at-large representative (team with a lower sectional index) will play the Section II winner.
An 8 p.m. kickoff is scheduled for Friday at Fairport High School.
*Preview was updated to include accurate scoring numbers for East’s Amari Young.
Amari has 15 rushing touchdowns. lol
Thank you. Updated!