By BOB CHAVEZ
GATES — Go figure. The kid who throws his body around the field to make tackles is the kid who throws his heart out in front of himself for everyone to see.
“This is incredible,” Canandaigua Academy sophomore linebacker Max Foster said with soft, moist eyes. “It’s surreal. I grew up in Canandaigua. I was a ballboy for this team and I went to games at Evans Field. I looked up to all those guys who won championships and now, it’s me.”
Yes, Max. It’s you. You and all your teammates.
The Gray Wolves of Canandaigua Academy are football champs of Section V for the 13th time in school history thanks to a dominating 35-6 win over Greece Athena in the Class A2 final on Friday night at Gates Chili High School.
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The Gray Wolves used a punishing ground game to pile up the points and an even nastier defense to contain Athena’s big-play potential. And if Foster’s emotions weren’t enough, imagine the conversation at home this weekend for sophomore quarterback Brady Davern.
“It’s pretty cool,” said Davern.
No doubt, deeper conversations will take place between Brady and his father Jim, who along with his twin brother Jon helped Canandaigua win the 1999 Section V Class A title along with a state championship. How much more football to be played by Canandaigua in 2026 remains to be seen but on Friday night, the Gray Wolves celebrated not only the school’s newest title, but all those that came before it.
“Mike texts me every Saturday so we do everything we can to make him proud,” Canandaigua coach Jeff Welch said of former CA football coach Mike Foster, who won seven Section V titles. “We have generational kids on this team and at Canandaigua, that’s what it’s all about. And I grew up in that atmosphere in Ithaca so I understand and I couldn’t be more proud of these kids.”
For those asking, the 2026 title is the fifth for Welch. And while most may say it started with the first of four Aleks Hawryschuk touchdown runs, it actually got started with the Canandaigua defense on the series before that.
The Gray Wolves (9-1) went three-and-out after taking the opening kickoff and Athena (4-6) started its first possession at the Canandaigua 46 following a punt. The Trojans drove to CA 6 yard line, powered in part by the strong arm of sophomore quarterback Owen Figler. His passes helped the Trojans convert on 3rd-and-15 and 3rd-and-8 to keep a promising drive alive, but it stalled when CA forced a turnover on downs with 4:59 left in the first quarter.
“That was huge,” said Welch, who stopped short of calling it a turning point. “It was too early for it to be a turning point, but it was definitely a huge play.”
That energy fed the CA offense, which got to work with plenty of carries from Hawryschuk. The Gray Wolves adjusted some personnel after the opening drive and the new matchups paved the way for a 94-yard drive capped by Hawryschuk’s 2-yard TD run with 11:49 left in the opening quarter.
But the CA defense still had plenty of its own energy to expend and it paid off six plays later when senior Brandon Dowitsch intercepted an Athena pass to set up the offense at the Athena 28. The Gray Wolves couldn’t cash in on and lost the ball on downs following a measurement, so Declan Cooney made his interception on Athena’s ensuing drive count.
The Canandaigua junior picked off an Athena pass at the 13-yard-line and returned it for a touchdown to give CA a 14-0 lead. The Athena offense had no answers on its next possession and after punting to the Gray Wolves, the lead grew to 21-0 on Hawryschuk’s second TD, this one from seven yards out with 2:54 left in the half.
That’s the lead the Gray Wolves took into halftime and the sides traded punts to open the second half before Athena’s second drive with another punt, a fortunate outcome considering CA dropped what could have been a third intercepted pass. Still, the Gray Wolves took over with 1:01 left in the third quarter and a 10-yard run from Hawryschuk gave the Gray Wolves a 28-0 lead before the Trojans avoided the shutout with a short TD run by senior Travis Portis.
Athena tried an onside kick after that but Canandaigua recovered, giving it a short field to work with and 5:23 left, Hawryschuk broke free for a 30-yard TD that all but sealed CA’s 13th title.
“We just shoved the ball in Aleks’s chest and he ran it down their throats,” said Davern of Hawryschuk, who finished with 206 yards on 36 carries.
“(Athena) sent a lot of pressure but we adjusted and from there, everything was wide open,” said Hawryschuk. “I was so nervous before the game so I needed to calm myself down. And once I get that first pop, it gets me going.”
Hawryschuk certainly was not alone in the “going” part of things.
“Dude, I’m ecstatic,” he said. “This is everything I’ve dreamed of. Ever since third grade, I’ve looked up to this team and it’s great to bring it back.”
It’s the first Section V title for Canandaigua since 2022 and fifth since 2019.
“This is a group of kids who deserve this success,” said Welch. “The character, the work ethic, their coachability and the fact that they all love each other. It’s a huge factor because it makes every day enjoyable.’
Junior Isaac Dolph gained 80 yards on 10 carries for Canandaigua and Foster finished with nine tackles. Dowitsch had two interceptions, Joel Lloyd broke up six passes and made five tackles and Derrick Smith had five tackles for the Gray Wolves.
Canandaigua plays Class A1 champion Hilton in next Friday’s Class A qualifier game. Hilton defeated Brighton in Friday’s late championship game, 49-42.
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