by TYLER HATHAWAY
FAIRPORT, NY–The game had all the makings of a heavyweight bout.
UPrep and Fairport each scored on their opening possessions. The second half started with five straight scoring drives. Only once was a team ever on offense with the lead.
And as the game neared its end, it looked like Fairport was about to throw the knockout punch. The Red Raiders had put together a drive that got the ball deep into Griffins’ territory with less than 20 seconds remaining. Trailing by two points, Fairport’s field goal unit came out to kick the game-winner.
Enter Gavin White. He had already accounted for over 250 total yards and two touchdowns on offense, and with the game hanging in the balance, UPrep head coach Isiah Young made the decision to insert him on defense for the last drive.
“We’ve been trying to hold off on doing that,” said Young. “He’s an athlete, plays multiple spots. We’ve been trying to wait (to put White in on defense) but in crunchtime you got to get him in the game.”
And in the final seconds, the junior delivered. White came untouched off the right side of the line and blocked the game-winning field goal attempt, a counterpunch that allowed teammate Jayvion Sampson to scoop up the football and run it all the way for a touchdown to seal a 35-26 victory for UPrep (2-1) on Friday night.
“He is the best athlete in the state,” Young said of his quarterback. “Guys like that make plays when it matters. And he made a play.”
“On film we saw that the end person on kicks blocks down,” said White. “I knew there would be a gap open so I just took the gap and I blocked it.”
It wasn’t the only time in the fourth quarter that White was the hero. With the game tied at 20 with just under 10 minutes left, White evaded multiple Fairport defenders and fought his way into the endzone, barely extending the ball over the goal line to convert a fourth and goal and help the Griffins take a 28-20 lead.
“I always say that Gavin (White) is going to do something that gets us seven points that’s outside of what we scripted,” said Young. “At the end of your day, you get your best guys the ball, and we gave Gavin an opportunity to score with some guys he might be able to throw the ball to, and he did the rest.”
“Coming into the game they (Fairport) knew I was a dual-threat quarterback, but the whole game I was just passing the ball,” said White. “I knew that play was the time. I knew I had to run it and take the chance, and I got in the endzone.”
After White’s touchdown, Fairport got the ball and drove to midfield before facing a fourth and long. Senior quarterback Sam Roselli escaped the pocket, made time for himself, and delivered a 40-yard strike to Jonathan Roessel for a touchdown with five minutes left. A Briyceton Thomas interception on the two-point conversion attempt preserved UPrep’s lead.
“I was telling them (his players) that this is why you signed up for football,” said White. “Yeah, it’s fun blowing teams out every once in a while, but at the end of the day when you’re competing, you play the best. They (Fairport) are one of the best teams in Section V. We rose to the occasion and got the win.”
The game opened with a methodical UPrep touchdown drive. The Griffins’ first possession lasted for half of the first quarter and was capped off by a Kamari Miller 4-yard touchdown run. A 50-yard throw and catch from White to Thomas Levins III set up the score.
Fairport responded quickly, with Roselli completing a plethora of passes leading up to a 29-yard touchdown pass to tight end Ryan Sullivan to tie the game. After each team punted and turned the ball over, White picked up his first touchdown of the game on a gorgeous 55-yard pass to Levins.
Fairport got the ball back and once again put together a quick touchdown drive, scoring on Roselli’s second touchdown pass of the game. The play saw Roselli start off rolling to his left, changing direction to his right, and delivering an on-the-run throw to Roessel for a 51-yard touchdown. The 14-14 score would carry into halftime.
Fairport opened the second half with a six-minute drive that resulted in a 37-yard field goal by kicker Aiden Downs. UPrep responded with a three-minute touchdown drive, with Thomas carrying the ball 17 yards down to the two-yard line before running it in the next play. A missed extra-point made the score 20-17. Fairport would drive into the redzone on their next possession, but was forced to settle for a 34-yarder by Downs to tie the game at 20 just before the third quarter ended.
White completed 12-of-18 passes for 215 yards and a touchdown. He also ran the ball nine times for 42 yards and a touchdown. Thomas ran the ball seven times for 57 yards and a score. Miller got eight carries for 30 yards and found the endzone. Levans ended his day with nine catches, 183 yards, and a touchdown. Ja’Kai Moss had one catch for 15 yards and intercepted a pass on defense. Thomas and Miller each had six tackles on defense. Kayvari Griffin made four tackles.
The win was the second straight for UPrep after falling in its season opener.
“By taking the lessons we learned,” Young said when asked of how his team can keep momentum going. “(Fixing) self-inflicted wounds like penalties and negative plays. Use those lessons and watch film to see how we can get better.”
The Griffins continue their season with a road tilt against Rush-Henrietta next Friday.
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