One team has lost twice in the past 17 games while the other hasn’t lost in nine games. One streak will have to end when Victor and Clarence meet to decide who will represent the Far West in the NYS Class AA semifinals. Here’s the breakdown:
VICTOR BLUE DEVILS (19-5/Monroe County I)
vs.
CLARENCE RED DEVILS (15-8/Erie County Interscholastic Conference I)
Saturday, Grand Island Central High School, 4 p.m
How they arrived here: Victor began its postseason run with a 7-3 win over Gates Chili. The Blue Devils then picked up an 18-1 win over Spencerport before rallying to defeat Hilton 13-12 in the Class AA semifinals. An 11-1 win over Greece Athena earned Victor a trip to the Far West Regional. Clarence won 2-0 over Williamsville East, 9-4 over Orchard Park, and 8-2 against Williamsville North to make it to regionals.
VIEW MORE PHOTOS FROM JENNIFER LAEMLEIN.
Tempo and Trends: Victor on average scores 6.7 runs per game and allows 3.1 runs per game. The Blue Devils have won 15 of their last 17 games. Clarence averages 5.1 runs on offense, gives up 4.0 runs a game on defense, and has won nine straight games.
Players to watch for Victor: Nick Kriegelstein Jr. OF; John Swartz Jr. 1B/P/OF; Weston Elkovitch So. P/OF; Jameson Ricigliano Sr. OF/INF; Nate Power Sr. P/3B; Grady Kessler Sr. INF/P; Chris Swackhamer Sr. P/OF
Clarence: Jakob Denall; Tom Rook; Jackson Bugg; Jake Hughes; Matthew Ganschow
Coaches: Sean Rucker (Victor), Dave Smith (Clarence)
History 101: Victor has a 5-1 record in the regional round since 2004, the lone loss coming in 2013. This is the Blue Devils first appearance in the Far West Regional since 2018. Clarence has made it to the state quarter finals five times since 2009, with the last appearance and win for the Red Devils coming in 2017.
What’s at stake: A spot in the NYS Class AA semifinals against the winner of Hauppauge (XI) and Division (XIII).
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