Canandaigua establishes control early, powers past Victor in Teddi Bowl

BY STEVE BRADLEY

VICTOR – Drew Williamee and his fellow captains of the Canandaigua Academy football team walked to midfield for the pregame coin toss of Friday night’s Teddi Bowl with a purpose.

“We wanted the ball,” Williamee, the Gray Wolves’ senior quarterback, said. “Before every game we want that thing to set the tone, and we did exactly that. It was perfect.”

Indeed, it was.

After recovering a squib kick at its own 45-yard line, Canandaigua converted four third downs while manufacturing a 15-play opening drive that consumed 8 minutes and 41 seconds.

Junior Jackson Clark capped the series with a one-yard run that helped send the Gray Wolves to a 21-0 victory in front of about 2,000 fans at Victor’s Corbit Field.

“I think that any team would want to play like that,” Canandaigua coach Jeff Welch said. “You want big plays, but if you can put a drive together for the first eight minutes of the game to set a tone, that’s what I think any good offensive team would want. We were certainly pleased with that.”

The Gray Wolves (2-0) were also more than happy with a defense that turned Victor over on downs deep in Canandaigua territory twice in the first half.

“We knew that we had to fill the gaps inside and I think that we did that pretty well,” Canandaigua senior linebacker Mason DePew said. “We knew that we had to come out on the field and be physical the whole game and that’s what we did.”

“It was a bend but don’t break,” Welch added. “They have some skill kids that can score at any time, so as a defense we said, ‘let’s not give up the big play and make them drive the field.’”

Victor (0-2) did just that on its first possession, using a 46-yard pass from quarterback Gus Pappajohn to Steven Denner on its second play from scrimmage to reach the Canandaigua 25.

The Blue Devils eventually reached the Gray Wolves’ 7 where they faced third-and-goal, but back-to-back incompletions ended the drive.

Canandaigua turned around and went 93 yards for another score. Williamee’s 17-yard pass to Jaiden Pierce set up a first-and-goal and Trey Comella’s 2-yard run made it 14-0 with 5:49 remaining in the half.

“It was really good execution, it was a lot of grit,” Welch said. “I think we are more of a methodical, get-what-we-can offense and it’s led by our guys up front, for sure.”

Victor put together another impressive series late in the half, but the Canandaigua defense stiffened inside of its 20 in the final seconds to keep the Blue Devils off the board.

Williamee and Comella connected on a 44-yard screen pass midway through the third quarter for the Gray Wolves’ final touchdown.

Comella carried 26 times for 102 yards while Williamee added 56 yards on eight carries. He finished 6-for-9 passing for 79 yards and a TD.

Both were quick to credit the Canandaigua offensive line for the success of the offense.

“It was fantastic,” Williamee said of the line play. “All five guys up front were getting a push almost every single time. Trey Comella had all the holes to run through and he executed very well with those.”

“They’re great, I love running behind them,” Comella said.

The physicality wasn’t limited to the front five. Comella, Williamee and Clark, who converted all three of his PAT kicks, also initiated contact with defenders.

“You’ve just got to see what opens up,” Comella said. “If you see the opposite color in front of you, you just lower your shoulder and keep running.”

The game was the first regular-season gridiron clash between the two schools since the Blue Devils’ 31-14 victory in the 2019 season opener. Canandaigua, which won four straight Section V championships from 2019-22, defeated Victor 24-10 in the 2019 Class A quarterfinals and now leads the all-time series 32-13-1.

James Mack III had a fourth-quarter interception for the Blue Devils, who have a 12-8 record against Canandaigua since the 2000 season.

The renewal of the rivalry and the fact the game raised money for Camp Good Days made the event even more electric.

“We know the Teddi Bowl,” DePew said. “I watched it when I was younger and I just remember that the atmosphere was insane, so I knew that we were going to come in here and there was going to be a ton of fans. We just had to do our job and come out here and finish the game and that’s what we did.”

They also learned a few life lessons and walked off the field with a healthy dose of perspective. “When you have an honorary coach and an honorary cheerleader on the sideline, that’s the part of the game that’s awesome – knowing that you are giving back to somebody,” DePew said. “That’s what brings the energy – it’s entertainment for the crowd, entertainment for Camp Good Days and I find it awesome that we were able to raise so much money with all of the fans in the stadium tonight.”