Kicking off: The numbers would be impressive minus any extenuating circumstances, but what Donald Davis did last night was an attention-getter.
The senior fullback rushed 29 times for 278 yards and also intercepted a pair of passes as No. 16 Nyack defeated No. 6 Rye 28-7 in a Section 1 clash between state-ranked teams. Nyack was coming off a short week, having downed Eastchester 41-27 on Sunday as Davis went for 27 carries and 159 yards.
"He had the best game I've ever seen him play," Nyack coach John Castellano told The Journal News. "We knew we had to go right at Rye, and we went right at them."
Davis' third TD of the night came on a 67-yard carry in the third quarter two plays after Rye scored its touchdown.
First down: No. 11 Sayville was in danger of plunging out of the state rankings before rallying from a 21-9 deficit to beat Deer Park 29-21. Deer Park was playing its first home game under lights.
Quarterback Steven Ferreira completed 18 of 25 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns, including a 16-yarder to Mike Hewson that gave Sayville its first lead at 22-21 on the final play of the third quarter.
Earlier in the quarter, Rob Newell and Justin Fronckwicz recovered fumbles to set up Sayville scores.
Second down: As New York Post columnist Cindy Adams is fond of saying, "Only in New York ..."
Campus Magnet’s 16-6 win against Boys & Girls in PSAL action was halted with 3:37 remaining and security officers threatening to slap handcuffs on a Kangaroos coach.
PSAL football commissioner Al Arbuse, who was in attendance, told The New York Post that game officials invoked the league's unsportsmanlike conduct policy to halt the game.
The fireworks started with Campus Magnet extending its lead to 14-6 on a 3-yard run by Wavell Wint (21 carries, 147 yards). On the two-point try, Raeshawn Lewis fumbled at about the time he crossed the goal line, and there was no immediate signal from the officials on whether the conversion was successful.
Boys & Girls coaches sent out their kick return unit thinking the 'Roos were still in a one-possession game, but the game officials then broke their huddle and signaled the conversion was good. Boys & Girls coaches ran onto the field to protest, leading to the ejections of head coach Barry O’Connor and assistant Clive Harding, the paper reported.
“You can’t wait that long to tell us the 'two' was good,” Harding told the paper. “Either it’s good when the play happens or it’s not.”
As the dispute dragged on, school safety officers ran out onto the field and one of them pulled out handcuffs. “Why is he on the field with handcuffs?” O’Connor said. “This is a football game.”
While this was going on, other 'Roos assistants began jawing with Campus Magnet fans, and one of the coaches allegedly pulled down his pants down and mooned the crowd.
Halftime: There's a school of thought developing that says BAldwinsville and Rush-Henrietta could face off in mid-November with a berth in the NYSPHSAA Class AA final on the line. What happened last night did little to dispel such a notion.
Sophomore Tyler Rouse broke loose for 278 yards on 26 carries and scored five Bees TDs as No. 3 Baldwinsville walloped Nottingham 56-14. Rouse is averaging three TDs a game in a 4-0 start for B'ville, while piled up 446 yards on the ground and did not attempt a pass.
No. 8 Rush-Henrietta was decidedly more balanced, led by all-state QB Ashton Broyld in a 52-20 rout of Brockport. Broyld ran 12 times for 181 yards and two touchdowns and also completed 10 of 13 passes for 185 yards and three touchdowns -- two to Devon Maio.
Third down: It was a night of monster performances in Section 9, started by Tyler Lawlor throwing three TDs to Joe White as Cornwall blanked Saugerties 50-0.
For sheer volume, though, Highland running back Mike Forte was the star. He scored six TDs and finished with 385 all-purpose yards in a 59-14 win over Onteora. His portfolio included an 89-yard interception return and a 63-yard punt return, both for TDs.
