Leading off: Bryon Palmer's 30-yard field goal in overtime capped a rally from a two-TD deficit and carried Johnson City to a 17-14 victory over Maine-Endwell on Friday for the Section 4 Class B football crown.
Maine-Endwell won 6-0 when the teams met two weeks ago on a muddy field.
"Unbelievable. It's a dream; it really is a dream," Palmer told The Press & Sun-Bulletin.
M-E led 14-0 after Nate Reynolds ran 27 yards for his second touchdown with 46.4 seconds remaining in the third quarter. On the subsequent possession, JC's Troy Robinson scored on a 68-yard pass play on first down.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Josh Halladay scored on a 13-yard run, and Palmer added the two-point conversion with a catch off a deflected throw.
M-E opened overtime with a four-and-out series on a fourth-and-6 incompletion. Johnson City then picked up seven yards on three plays to set up the winning kick.
Class AA: Union-Endicott used big nights from running back Jordan Thomas and quarterback Mario Carroll en route to a 24-16 victory vs. Binghamton in the Section 4 final for its fourth title in five years.
Thomas rushed for 155 yards and a touchdown, and Carroll connected on TD passes of 34 and 22 yards to Lucas Ward that gave the Tigers to a 14-0 first-half lead. The U-E defense limited Binghamton to 142 yards.
In Section 2, Saratoga capitalized on Ballston Spa mistakes by converting four turnovers into 24 points and cruised to a 31-7 victory. Already down 7-0, Ballston Spa mishandled a punt return and Saratoga’s Andrew Brink recovered just outside the end zone to set up Tony DeLoatch's TD run.
Class A: Nick Mauro scored five touchdowns on 12 carries for 162 yards in Whitesboro's 60-30 upset of No. 4 New Hartford in the Section 3 final at the Carrier Dome.
New Hartford won 42-26 when the teams met in Week 7.
Senior Sean Jones hit Mike Sullivan for a 38-yard TD pass midway through the first quarter, and Mauro rambled 37 yards for a 13-0 lead. It was 19-12 in second half before Jones threw another TD pass and the sides traded TDs three times. The final Whitesboto score in the sequence was a back-breaking 80-yard punt return by Mauro.
In Section 6, No. 1 Sweet Home scored the only two TDs after haltime to rally past Grand Island 20-13 for its third straight crown at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
Mikal Coleman's 1-yard run tied the score on the first play of the fourth quarter, and Ralph Neasman ran 11 yards with 5:20 to play for the winning score.
Sweet Home's opponent in the state quarterfinals will be Aquinas for the third straight year. The Little Irish defended their Section 5 championship with a 31-17 win over McQuaid.
Mike Messina (25 carries, 134 yards) broke open a 7-3 game with a 66-yard TD run midway through the third quarter, and Manny Magliocco threw an in-stride strike to Chris Bostick for 66 yards to start the fourth quarter.
Messina finished with two touchdowns and credited the blocking. "We've had a great group of guys up there," Messina told the Democrat and Chronicle. "They worked hard in the offseason, and we jelled. We have something good going on."
In Section 4, Corning East QB Brandon Griffin ran for 177 yards, including a 38-yard touchdown with 1:59 remaining, as the Trojans earned a 44-38 win over Corning West. Griffin ran for two other touchdowns, and his 34-
