Leading off today: Palmyra-Macedon and Penn Yan have their offenses revved up just fine. They may want to spend a little time this week making defensive adjustments, however.
Stephen Morrell's fifth touchdown pass of the night, a 20-yarder to Josh Lennon to start the second overtime, proved to be the difference as Pal-Mac opened its season with a 65-57 win over the Mustangs.
Morrell, who also ran for two scores and a two-point conversion, finished 13-for-26 for 288 yards. His fourth conversion throw of the night, once again to Lennon, made the lead 65-57, and the Red Raiders intercepted a Penn Yan pass in the second OT to end the game.
The teams combined for 54 points in the second quarter, with Morrell accounting for the last three scores on TD passes.
What a way to finish: Zane Smith kicked a 29-yard field goal with 3.2 seconds left to help Utica Notre Dame edge Ilion 31-30. Notre Dame set up the dramatic kick by stopping Ilion on a fourth-down try with only 14 seconds left and getting a 28-yard rush from Jordan Chrobak plus a 15-yard flag for a late hit.
Chrobak ran seven times for 143 yards for the Jugglers, who gained all 403 of their yards on the ground.
What a way to start: J.D. Recor, starting in place of injured Adam DiMillo, ran 65 yards for a TD on the first offensive play of the game as Bishop Timon-St. Jude beat Williamsville South 21-14 in a rare clash between Monsignor Martin Association and Section 6 teams.
DiMillo, a Maryland-bound lacrosse player, is out for the start of the season due to an injury. The Tigers lost starting quarterback Ryan Dougherty (knee) and receiver Bryant Fulton (ankle) to injuries during the game. The severity of the injuries had yet to be determined, but early reports out of Buffalo were highly discouraging.
Surprise, surprise: Monroe-Woodbury has itself another quality quarterback.
Junior Kevin Carr was the star in a 38-26 intersectional win against Binghamton, rushing for 208 yards and a touchdown. New running back Mark Tooma tacked on 79 yards and two touchdowns and also returned a kickoff 90 yards for a TD.
And speaking of new faces in Section 9, running back Matt Weaver carried for 234 yards and three TDs as Warwick defeated Newburgh Free Academy 28-27. Weaver missed last season due to a lacerated spleen suffered in a snowboarding accident.
Quality win for Troy: Troy and Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, two Section 2 teams that typically are still playing right to the end of October -- or beyond -- opened against each other, and Troy walked away the 17-7 victor.
The Flying Horses took advantage of two second-half turnovers by the four-time defending sectional Class A
