Kicking off: One week after setting a Watertown mark for rushing yards in a game, senior tailback
Tevion Cappe put the record out of everyone's reach for at least awhile.
Cappe carried 23 times for 457 yards and scored four touchdowns as the Cyclones routed East Syracuse-Minoa 58-16 last night in the Section 3 Class A football quarterfinals. It was the No. 6 effort in state history; Dale Ross of Westhill set the mark of 569 yards vs. Marcellus in 2007. (See list here)
Cappe ran for 391 yards and five TDs last week. His TD runs vs. ES-M were covered 24, 49 and 69 yards in the first quarter to help build a 30-0 lead, 68 in the second quarter and 14 yards in the third quarter. He has 1,797 yards and 30 touchdowns this season.
First down: The first Cato-Meridian playoff victory in 15 years was no small accomplishment. The Blue Devils went two overtimes to edge Utica Notre Dame 42-36 in the Section 3 Class C quarterfinals. Nick Lalone (239 yards, four TDs) threw a screen pass to junior Utah Perham for an 11-yard TD and the victory.
Both teams scored TDs and two-point conversions in the first OT. Lalone capped a three-play drive with a one-yard run, but ND's Colin Pastorella (10-for-16, 190 yards) tied it again on a 16-yard pass to Colin Hulser. In the second OT, ND turned the ball over on downs to set up Cato-Meridian's winning four-play drive.
The second-seeded Blue Devils advance to play No. 17 Immaculate Heart Central, which endured some drama of its own. Anthony Magovney kicked a 19-yard field goal with 3.8 seconds left to give the Cavaliers a 24-22 win against No. 16 Canastota.
It was Magovney's fourth field goal of the season.
Second down: In Class B, No. 17 Lackawanna bounced back from a loss to Eden and beat second-ranked Depew 12-6 as Shayne Daley scored on a 39-yard pass play from Christian Smith with 2:06 left.
The teams had been tied 6-6 since exchanging TDs on their first possessions.
In another upset, Oneida beat No. 15 Westhill -- a state semifinalist last fall -- 24-8 as sophomore running back Matt Barlow carried 42 times for 260 yards and two touchdowns.
"He was a man on a mission today,” Oneida head coach Bill Carinci told The Post-Standard. “He really gave us something special out there."
After intercepting a long pass on only the third play of the game, Oneida drove to a 36-yard TD run by Barlow off a pitch play for a 6-0 advantage.
Though never in danger after building a 27-14 lead at the half, No. 1 Hornell found itself in a 64-42 shootout vs. Batavia. Senior Sam Stonerock ran for 298 yards and five touchdowns on 37 carries to set up an interesting challenge next week against East Rochester/Gananda.
ER/Gananda beat Livonia 28-21 as J.J. Hudson (29 carries, 240 yards) ran for three touchdowns and Colin Dotterer went 15-for-21 for 158 yards.
In regular-season action between unbeaten Class B teams, two second-half touchdowns carried No. 16 Marlboro past No. 10 New Paltz 13-0.
New Paltz fumbled the ball away on the Marlboro 1 in the first quarter, was stopped on downs at the goal line in the second quarter and had a potential tying TD called back in the third quarter by a holding penalty.
Halftime: Backup quarterback Chris Trotta threw three first-half touchdown passes, and Joe Richards intercepted a two-point conversion pass with 7:16 left to preserve a 21-20 victory for Class A No. 9 Seaford vs. Class B No. 6 Long Island Roosevelt.
Seaford has, which has won 19 straight games overall and 39 straight in Nassau County Conference IV, was without starting QB Joe Kirincic (separated shoulder), center Matt Knudsen (knee) and tailback Justin Buckley (two carried before spraining an ankle).
"This was the best win in the history of Seaford football," Vikings coach Rob Perpall told Newsday. "I don't know how we did it."
Third down: QB Justin Mabus' fumble was scooped on a favorable bounce by teammate Brandon Trager (21 carries, 138 yards, three TDs), and the senior running back scurried 20 yards for the winning TD as Yorktown upended Class AA No. 12 White Plains 28-21.
"As I'm hitting the ground, my head banged against the turf," Mabus, who was 9-for-13 for 201 yards and a touchdown, told The Journal News. "Then I opened my eyes and Trager's just taking off, and I hear the crowd go nuts."
Also in Class AA, two touchdowns by Dan Macalena helped Clarkstown North -- fresh off its first division title since 1973 -- to a 23-7 win over Scarsdale to set up a semifinal vs. No. 19 Mahopac.
In other Section 1 action, Class A remained impossible to predict in the aftermath of visiting Somers' 35-14 domination of No. 8 Rye in the playoff quarterfinals.
"I felt that we could win this game, but I didn't think we could win it this way," Somers coach Tony DeMatteo told
