Kicking off: Whoops.
A couple of teams expected to be in the mix for season-opening No. 1 rankings from the New York State Sportswriters Association misfired last night in losses.
In Class AA, Iona Prep surrendered five second-half touchdowns is a 38-2 loss to Bergen (N.J.) Catholic at Giants Stadium.
In Class D, defending New York State Public High School Athletic Association champion Maple Grove saw its winning streak snapped at 14 with a 12-7 loss to Frewsburg.
Matt Coe's interception of a Chris Secky pass with 1:13 left preserved the Bears' first win over the Dragons in 15 seasons. Andrew Dove's 3-yard run in the third quarter was the deciding margin.
Maple Grove was already living on borrowed time after a 7-6 victory against Randolph in its opener.
Frewsburg held Secky to 69 yards on 8-for-21 passing by generating four sacks, two interceptions, a fumble recovery and a blocked punt.
"Our defense was all over the place," coach Terry Gray told The Buffalo News.
Iona Prep is the defending CHSFL champion and widely regarded as the favorite again in 2009.
"I think in a small way we kind of embarrassed New York because we know we didn’t do the best that we could," QB Tyrae Woodson-Samuels told The New York Post. "We didn’t execute."
Bergen Catholic, ranked No. 7 in New Jersey by the Star-Ledger, took a 3-2 lead into halftime.
(See MaxPreps photo gallery here.)
First down: In its first game since moving up a class, six-time Section 1 Class B champion Rye polished off Ossining 21-6 by scoring on three of its first four possessions and playing strong defense.
Junior Connor Eck threw for 93 yards and two TDs to T.J. Storino as the Garnets extended their winning streak to 26 games. The offense finished with 342 yards as Cole McCormack carried 16 times for 131 yards and a TD. Junior Kevin Turco gained 94 yards on 17 carries, all after the half.
Rye sacked the quarterback four times and held Ossining to one first down in the second half.
I'd like to say we've established something here that's really good here," coach Dino Garr told The Journal News. "There were some doubts, but I knew we'd come to play."
Second down: Several upstate schools have announced themselves as Class AA contenders through two weekends of action.
North Tonawanda scored on its first seven possessions during a 63-0 victory against Williamsville North. The onslaught included 36 points in the first eight minutes with the help of a pair of TDs apiece by Aaron Davis and Darrik Bloomfield.
Hilton has put 102 points on the board in two games following its 40-12 romp against Rochester Wilson. Though Duell Smith upped his season total to six TD passes, it's been the rushing game getting it done for the Cadets heading into a gut check next week vs. Gates Chili.
Junior running back Mike Ingoglia carried 14 times for 100 of Hilton's 191 yards on the ground, including scoring runs in the second and third quarters as Liverpool downed West Genesee 36-21. The Cadets opened the second half with a five-play, 65-yard drive on the ground capped by Ingoglia's 5-yard run for a 21-0 lead.
Senior Greg Bell ran 28 times for 165 yards and four TDs to lift Liverpool past West Genesee 36-21. Liverpool piled up 418 yards as fullback Mike Donitzen carried six times for 80 yards and QB Cam Jones went 12-for-17 for another 143.
Third down: Travis Nardello kicked a 30-yard field goal with 2.1 seconds left as Sachem North upended highly regarded William Floyd 17-14 in the Section 11 opener.
William Floyd tied the game with a touchdown and two-point conversion with 3:03 to go, but Sachem North drove 57 yards to its first victory over the Colonials since 2000.
