The No. 1-ranked large school in Western New York will get its chance to make it an even dozen titles at Ralph Wilson Stadium as Orchard Park beat Niagara Falls, 49-19, in a Class AA semifinal on Friday.
The Quakers (9-0) blew the game open by scoring 28 points in the second quarter. Okoya Anderson rushed for 130 yards on 18 carries and had three touchdowns. Free safety Cole Robinson had two interceptions, one setting up a score, and Luke Hoppe recorded six tackles. Ben Holmes provided the highlight on special teams with an 85-yard kickoff return.
The undefeated Quakers will play the winner of today's Jamestown at Kenmore West game. Orchard Park has beaten both teams, but OP coach Gene Tundo doesn't want any part of being considered a heavy favorite at RWS.
"I don't pay attention to that, we've never gone into any contest thinking we're the favorite," he said. "We have to play well, play mistake-free. Our job is to prepare our guys to play well and do what they're coached to do."
OP has won at The Ralph in 11 of 17 appearances.
Depew 14, Cheektowaga 7: Brian Rybak caught a 3-yard pass from Aaron Ertel with 8:13 left as the visiting Wildcats earned a trip to The Ralph, where they will face Alden. The winning drive started on their own 43, took seven plays and was highlighted by a 26-yard completion to Drew Boyle that took them to the 5-yard line.
Joe Miller scored Depew's first TD and finished with 135 yards on 29 carries. Ertel completed four passes for 89 yards. Denzell Floyd scored for the Warriors on a 1-yard run in the third quarter. The game was a rematch from Week One, also won by Depew, 41-19.
Southwestern 27, Fredonia 24 (OT): Tanner Hoose kicked a 28-yard field goal as the Trojans rallied from a 17-3 deficit to pull out the win against last year's Class C champion. The Trojans had a chance to win it with two seconds left in regulation, but missed a 32-yard field goal. In OT, Fredonia gave up the ball on downs, while SW connected for the game-winning field goal.
"This is the most exciting game I've coached in terms of the end of the game," said Jay Sirianni. "To be honest with you, Fredonia's a little better team, but our character and perseverance came through. We didn't panic. Our kids battled back."
Southwestern's defense stopped Fredonia twice inside its own 20. Kevin Bellardo rushed for 89 yards on 17 carries. Jake Swan rushed for 80 yards, caught 10 passes for 85 yards and had an interception.
Maple Grove 28, Portville 0: Oliver Simpson rushed for a season-high 231 yards on 25 attempts and scored twice as the Red Dragons (8-0) won their third game by shutout. John Nickerson led the defense with 10 tackles, including two sacks and opened the scoring with a 1-yard run. The game was a rematch from Week One, also won by Maple Grove, 36-0.
"They're really good at the five-wide, that's so hard to defend, so the more we had the ball the longer we kept their offense off the field," said Maple Grove coach Curt Fischer.
Jason Pembridge kicked all four extra points. David Waterman completed the scoring with a 2-yard run in the fourth quarter.
Frewsburg 38, Randolph 24: Thad Johnson rushed for 232 yards and a score for the Bears. Dalton Peterson returned the opening kickoff 80 yards for a TD and had four catches for 80 yards. LB Nick Mitchell recorded 17 tackles and Chad Intihar added 12.
Steubenville (Ohio) 39, Cardinal O'Hara 0: Kyree Carter rushed for 122 yards on 23 carries and Devon Rose had eight tackles and a forced fumble for the Hawks (1-8).
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