Pickin' Splinters

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Miller, White lead UPrep past R-H

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Kamari Miller (4) rushed for 103 yards on 15 carries including a 49-yard scoring rush that gave UPrep a 30-14 lead. (Photo: STEVEN TWARDZIK)

By PAUL GOTHAM

HENRIETTA, N.Y. — One play into the fourth quarter of Friday’s Section V Football matchup, and Brendan Mangone found teammate Imani Wagstaff Jr. for a four-yard touchdown to pull Rush-Henrietta within eight points of UPrep at 22-14.

R-H had stopped UPrep on fourth down deep in their own territory on consecutive drives before converting on the second opportunity.

And with nearly a full quarter yet to play, the Royal Comets had taken the game’s momentum away from their opponent.

All that changed on one play from scrimmage.

Kamari Miller took a handoff from Gavin White cut to his left and rumbled 49 yards down the sideline for a UPrep touchdown. After a 2-point conversion, the Griffins had a commanding 30-14 lead.

“I just trusted my line and ran the ball like I always do,” Miller said. “You can’t do anything without trusting your line. They played a big part for me.”

That Miller was in the game was due in part to an injury that limited teammate C.J. Robinson.

Head coach Isiah Young wasn’t sure if his senior running back had it in him to stay in the game.

“Right before the play, he looked at me and he was gassed. I asked him ‘are you good? Can you go?’ Then he busts off a big run. I was like, I guess you were good.”

In a game that saw both teams put together drives of 10 plays or more, Miller’s touchdown was UPrep’s longest from scrimmage on the night.

“Kam’s a dude,” Young said. “He’s a big, strong, physical kid. The offensive line did a great job of getting movement upfront. One cut and go, and he got downhill.”

With the win, UPrep improved to 2-2 on the season. This after starting with losses in the first two games of the season.

“I’m just happy to bring the win home for my team,” Miller said after UPrep’s 36-20 victory. “We went O-and-2. We just turned it around. Happy to see that. Practice has been paying off.”

Aside from Robinson getting just one carry on the night, UPrep was also without starting quarterback, Tavion Byrd who was sidelined with an injury.

White didn’t skip a beat under center finishing 9-of-12 through the air for 145 yards and a touchdown. The sophomore also rushed for 93 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries.

“He’s one of the best athletes in Section V,” Young said of White who was a starter on the school’s Class AA champion basketball team last winter. “It’s nice to have someone that athletic to back up a really good player.”

White scored on runs of 5, 6 and 18 yards. He also connected on 32-yard pass play with Jayvon Johnson to set up the Griffins inside the R-H 10-yard line. The pair then combined for a touchdown and a lead that UPrep did not surrender at 14-7.

UPrep’s Gavin White was 9-of-12 through the air for 145 yards and a touchdown. The sophomore also rushed for 93 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries. (Photo: STEVEN TWARDZIK)

“He knew he had some big shoes to fill, and he listened to us. I can’t say enough about how coachable he was this week. He stepped up and made a lot of plays.”

R-H fell to 1-3 with the loss.

“It’s not out heart; it’s not our heart at all,” said Royal Comets’ head coach Joe Montesano echoing the words to his team after the game. “We’re playing really hard. We’re playing good teams. We just can’t complement all three phases of the game right now. That’s part of the process. It’s Week 4, and we want to be peaking in weeks 8,9 and 10.”

Mangone scored from three yards out on a fourth down play for an early 7-6 lead. The sophomore later connected with Jackson Koppers on a 33-yard strike along with the touchdown to Wagstaff.

“Our guys are doing a nice job with our horizontal spacing,” Montesano said. “Brendan’s taking care of the ball and putting it where it needs to go. Where we do have to be more efficient is our ability to run the football when it’s a one-score game.

“I know we’re getting loaded boxes and stuff, but we got to find a way to do that. If you were to look at us over the last two weeks, our inability to finish drives in the red zone is a major issue. We’re going to watch film. We’re going to go back to work. We’re going to practice the heck out of it, and we’re going to get better at it.”

Rush-Henrietta’s Brendan Mangone threw for two touchdowns and ran for another. (Photo: STEVEN TWARDZIK)

Penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct and roughing the punter also worked against the Royal Comets.

“We’re playing good teams, and you can’t do that stuff,” Montesano said. “It’s just hurts us, right now.”

UPrep’s Miller finished the night with 103 yards on 15 carries. Johnson had four receptions for 78 yards. Cashmere Williams led the defense with 7.5 tackles including 1.5 for a loss. Chauncey Sherman had 5.5 tackles.

Rush-Henrietta travels to play at Fairport next Saturday. A 7:00 p.m. kickoff is scheduled.

UPrep hosts Hilton for a 5:00 p.m. start time also on Saturday.

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