One squad enters the championship game for the first time in almost a decade. The other is a win away from its first as a merged program. Two teams ranked in the state top 10 will clash when Hornell/Arkport-Canaseraga and Caledonia-Mumford/Le Roy meet this weekend. This will get you ready:
No. 1 seed HORNELL/ARKPORT-CANASERAGA (9-1)
vs.
No. 3 seed CALEDONIA-MUMFORD/Le ROY RIVALS (9-1)
Saturday, St. John Fisher University, 12:00 pm
How they arrived here: Hornell/Arkport-Canaseraga (No. 9 NYSSWA Class C) opened its run with a 49-14 win over Bloomfield/Marcus Whitman in the quarterfinals before taking down East Rochester/Gananda 35-7 in the semis. Caledonia-Mumford/Le Roy (No. 7 NYSSWA Class C) beat Letchworth/Warsaw/Perry 35-15 in the opening round of sectionals. In the semifinals, the Rivals shoutout Alexander/Pembroke 20-0.
Players to watch for Hornell/Arkport-Canaseraga: Matt Karr Sr. RB (1,190 rushing yards, 17 rushing touchdowns, nine receptions, 189 receiving yards), John Flaitz Sr. RB/LB (330 rushing yards, 10 rushing touchdowns, 113 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, two sacks), Tyrone Buchanan So. RB/WR (544 rushing yards, six rushing touchdowns, eight receptions, 156 yards, one receiving touchdown), Brenton Booth Sr. QB (74 CMP%, 1,275 passing yards, 15 passing touchdowns), Dylan Czaernecki Sr. WR (16 receptions, 412 receiving yards, six touchdowns), Patrick Wing Jr. TE (nine catches, 196 receiving yards, six touchdowns)
Players to watch for Caledonia-Mumford/Le Roy: Brady McClurg Sr. QB/S (501 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, 1,175 rushing yards, 24 rushing touchdowns, 33 tackles, two interceptions, four pass deflections), Roland Goodenough So. RB/LB (449 rushing yards, three touchdowns, 75 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss) Jude Christ Jr. RB/LB (388 rushing yards, five touchdowns, 29 tackles, two interceptions, two pass deflections), Zach Boop Sr. RB/LB (338 rushing yards, four rushing touchdowns, 58 tackles), Brennen Weber Jr. RB/LB (337 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns, five catches, 100 yards, 38 tackles, 12 tackles for loss) Colton Halladay Jr. LB (45 tackles, 11 tackles for loss)
Coaches: Ismail Mehr (Hornell/Arkport-Canaseraga), Mike Humphrey (Caledonia-Mumford/Le Roy)
History 101: It’s the first championship appearance for Hornell since winning the Class B title in 2017. The Red Raiders have won 13Section V titles in program history, which is the fifth most of all time. Neither Arkport or Canaseraga have ever won a sectional title. For the Rivals, a win would be the first since merging in 2024. Le Roy has won 16 sectional titles, while Caledonia-Mumford has won 15 titles. The two teams met in September, and the Rivals claimed a 47-32 win.
What’s at stake: A spot in the NYS Class C Far West Regional against the winner of Barker/Roy-Hart (VI) and Chautauqua Lake/Westfield/Brocton (VI).
Article has been updated.
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