A pair of state-ranked teams meet with the Class A Section V Football title on the line. Second-seeded East/WOIS faces fourth-seeded Brighton. Here’s the breakdown:
No. 2 seed EAST/WOIS EAGLES (10-0/No.7 NYSSWA Class A)
vs.
No. 4 seed BRIGHTON BRUINS (7-3/No. 29 NYSSWA Class A)
How they arrived here: East/WOIS opened with a 28-14 win over No. 7 Webster Schroeder before defeating defending Class A2 champion No. 2 Canandaigua in the semifinals 30-14. Brighton defeated No. 5 Irondequoit 15-13 to open sectionals and followed by knocking off No. 1 Victor 35-13 to reach the finals.
Players to watch for East/WOIS: Zymier Jackson Sr. QB 138-of-205 attempts, 2,434 yards (4th in Sec. V single-season history), 24 passing touchdowns two interceptions, 64 carries, 494 rushing yards, eight rushing touchdowns; Ervin Wiggins Sr. WR/OLB/DB 36 receptions, 728 receiving yards, 11 receiving touchdowns, six interceptions, five returned for touchdowns, 73 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss; Anthony Diaz Sr. WR/DB 42 receptions, receiving 702 yards, 1218 all-purpose yards, three punt return touchdowns, seven total touchdowns; Jeremiah Tucker Jr. DE/LB 120 total tackles, 18 tackles for loss, two sacks, one blocked punt for a touchdown; Perrion Willaims Sr. LB/WR 110 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss, six sacks, 15 receptions, 315 yards, four total touchdowns; Deandre Leonard Sr. OLB/WR 16 receptions, 300 receiving yards, three receiving touchdowns, 84 tackles, nine tackles for loss three sacks; Brandon Franklin Sr. OL/DL 69 tackles, eight tackles for loss, sack; Anthony Hampton Jr. LB/RB 84 tackles, five tackles for loss, sack, seven rushing touchdowns; Yusuf Abdi Jr. K 71 total kicking points, 56-for-59 extra points (all three misses blocked), 5-for-6 field goals, long of 38 yards
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Players to watch for Brighton: Tyler Martinovich Sr. QB 63-of-111 attempts, 1001 yards, 12 passing touchdowns, 114 carries, 529 rushing yards, six rushing touchdowns; Gavin Parks Jr. RB 220 carries, 1280 rushing yards, 14 rushing touchdowns; Kaleb Matthews Jr. OLB 83 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, sack, fumble recovery; Matthew Heininger So. LB 66 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, five sacks, two forced fumbles, fumble recovery; Wes Sturrup Jr. WR 14 receptions, 288 receiving yards, 25 carries, 165 rushing yards, six total touchdowns; Thomas Welker Sr. TE/LB nine receptions, 116 receiving yards, two receiving touchdowns, 41 tackles, six tackles for loss, four sacks, fumble recovery; John Ahrens Sr. WR 18 receptions, 234 receiving yards, four receiving touchdowns; Val Kondratenko Sr. OT/DL
Coaches: Steve Flagler and James Vann (East/WOIS), Steve Lian (Brighton)
Last Meeting: East/WOIS and Brighton have no documented matchups since at least the 1980s. With that, it is believed this will be the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
History 101: East/WOIS has won three sectional titles since 1977 coming in 1998, 2004 and 2005 in Class AAA. They appeared in the finals in 2019, 2020 and 2022, falling to Canadaigua all three seasons. Brighton is seeking to win its first sectional title in program history.
What’s next: The winner will advance into the Far West Regionals against the Section VI champion, either Clarence or Lockport. The game will be played Friday, at 8 p.m. at Williamsville South High School.
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