One squad is looking for its third title in the last four years. The other aims for its first since 2013. Batavia and Eastridge will clash on Sunday to determine who captures the Section V Class B championship. Here’s the breakdown:
No. 1 BATAVIA BLUE DEVILS (9-0 / 8-0 in class play)
vs.
No. 3 EASTRIDGE LANCERS (5-4 / 4-2 in class play)
How they arrived here: Top-seeded Batavia defeated Rochester Prep/EMHCS 56-6 in the Class B Semifinal to reach the title game. Eastridge took down Honeoye Falls-Lima (27-24) to advance to the championship game.
Players to watch for Batavia: Bronx Buchholz Sr. QB (72 completions, 986 yards, 17:4 TD/INT ratio, 93 carries, 729 yards, 13 touchdowns); Zailen Griffin Sr. RB (111 carries, 724 yards, eight touchdowns); Carter Mullen Sr. WR (18 catches, 373 yards, five touchdowns); Jameson Motyka Jr. DL (six catches, 155 yards, five touchdowns, 12 tackles, four TFL, four sacks, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, one defensive touchdown); Maggio Buchholz Jr. LB (82 tackles, three sacks, four TFL, one interception, six forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries); Brock Bigsby So. LB (54 tackles, one sack, three TFL); Karvel Martino So. OL (33 tackles, one sack, five TFL); Lakoda Mruczek Jr. LB (48 tackles, one sack, five TFL).
Eastridge: Benny Calixto Sr. QB (90 completions, 1,408 yards, 12 touchdowns, 36 carries, 248 yards, three touchdowns); Christian Beason Sr. WR (24 catches, 357 yards, two touchdowns, 12 carries, 147 yards, one touchdown, one punt return touchdown); Steven Masetta Sr. WR (30 catches, 479 yards, three touchdowns); Dwayne Collins Jr. WR (16 catches, 317 yards, seven touchdowns, four carries, 100 yards, one touchdown, one kickoff return touchdown); Ian Schneeberger Sr. (88 tackles, 19 TFL, 7.5 sacks, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries); James Dietz Sr. (61 tackles, five TFL, two sacks); Jayden Davy Jr. (41 tackles, four TFL, four sacks); Myles Halmond So. (35 tackles, two interceptions, one pick-six).
Coaches: Alex Veltz (Batavia), Vic Davidson (Eastridge)
History 101: Batavia looks to win its third title in the last four years. Since 2014, the Blue Devils have won seven titles, including five-straight from 2014 to 2018 and reached the Class B NYS Championship in 2018. Eastridge last captured a sectional title in 2013. The Lancers were crowned Class A champions that year, but fell to state runner-up Williamsville North (VI) in the Far West Regional.
Last Meeting: Batavia defeated Eastridge 7-0 in a defensive battle on October 11. In that game, Bronx Buchholz found Maggio Buchholz on a touchdown pass for the only points of the game.
What’s next: Winner advances to face the Section VI champion, either Health Sciences/BASC or South Park in the Class B Far West Regional.
Kickoff is slated for noon on Saturday at SUNY Brockport.
Leave a Reply