Pickin' Splinters

Rochester's Independent Sports Source

East/WOIS falls in NYS Class A semifinal

by Leave a Comment

By PAUL GOTHAM

CICERO, N.Y. — One week after using a big third quarter to clinch a regional title, the East/World of Inquiry football team had the tables turned in a 43-20 loss to Section III champion, Whitesboro in the NYSPHSAA Class A semi-final at Cicero-North Syracuse High School, Friday night.

Kyle Meier threw for one touchdown and scored another coming out of halftime as Whitesboro (12-1) pulled away from an eight-point game after two quarters of play.

“We got our stops that we needed in the first half,” East/WOI co-head coach Steve Flagler said. “The offense wasn’t clicking. We weren’t hitting things that we normally have.”

Whitesboro recovered an onsides kick to open the second half and then Meier hit Tony Dorozynski on fourth down with a 22-yard touchdown pass.

“It’s a grind playing against a team like this,” Flagler said. “When things don’t necessarily go your way, you don’t find the same type of grit you would otherwise.”

Whitesboro stopped East/WOI on the ensuing drive and then went 78 yards for another touchdown. Meier punched in his fourth of five scores on the day, and the Warriors had a commanding 36-12 lead.

The trip to the state semifinal was the first for East since 1996.

“It feels good to have everybody excited about East football again,” said East/WOI co-head coach James Vann. “We love our program. We love the school. We love the community. We love the support. It feels good all around.”

Meier scored from 80 yards out on the opening play from scrimmage to give Whitesboro a lead it did not surrender less than 20 seconds into the contest. The Warriors stopped East/WOI three-and out on the next drive and took possession on their own 48-yard line after a punt. Seven plays later, Meier found the end zone again with a one yard plunge and a 14-0 advantage.

East/WOI (12-1) rallied, though.

The Eagles pinned Whitesboro on its own one-yard line after a Zymier Jackson punt and eventually took possession on the Warriors’ 31-yard line.

Jackson hit Ray Diaz on a 23-yard pass, and Quamere Reynolds scored from three yards out to get the Eagles on the board. The extra point was blocked. East/WOI trailed 14-6.

“We got some confidence, guys were catching the ball,” Vann said. “We were playing well on defense. It was all about our mindset at the time. We started playing.”

Ervin Wiggins, Jr. capped a six-play, 61-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown for a 14-12 score with 4:00 remaining in the first half.

The Eagles didn’t get any closer.

“Our seniors put in so much work and they started with us at such a young age with us,” Flagler said. “I’m proud of where they brought this program. Seeing (Section V rival) Canandaigua celebrate last year in the sectional final, just getting back to work and taking it to the next level. They set the tone for the program for the future. I’m just proud of all these seniors. They just put in so much time and effort for this program.”

Whitesboro drove 67 yards and Meier scored as time expired in the first half to give the Warriors a 21-12 lead after 24 minutes of play.

Jackson hit Wiggins on a 48-yard strike late in the fourth quarter for the Eagles final tally.

Jackson finished the game 13-of-27 through the air for 185 yards. The senior signal caller amassed 3,011 passing yards for the season – good for second all-time on the Section V single-season passing list.

After giving up touchdowns on the first two possessions, the East/WOI defense held Whitesboro scoreless on the next four drives.

Jeremiah Tucker finished with 12 tackles including one for a loss. Perrion Williams had seven tackles and two passes defended.

East/WOI entered Friday’s action holding opponents under 12 points per game. The Eagles had allowed more than 20 points in a game just once prior to Friday’s matchup and that was in a 31-27 win over Canandaigua on September 22nd.

The Eagles led 14-7 in last Friday’s state quarterfinal before scoring 21 points in the third quarter on the way to a 42-7 victory over Section VI champion, Clarence.

East lost to Rome Free Academy in the 1996 state semifinal.

Whitesboro will play Somers (I) in the NYS Class A final. Somers will be making its third straight trip to the state championship game.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *