Friday Roundup: Lions seniors Howard, Benz sent out in blaze of glory in Wellsville’s 52-6 Senior Night rout of Red Jacket; Fillmore volleyball advances to D2 Semis, B-R, C-R, Houghton end seasons
WELLSVILLE — On the final night of the regular season, the Wellsville Lions did not disappoint on the gridiron.
All they needed was the first 24 minutes to make an immediate impact, as the team’s two seniors — JJ Howard and Terrence Benz, were both sent out in a blaze of glory, as each found the end zone at least once to help generate a powerful 52-6 Senior Night victory over Red Jacket on Friday.
Out of their 52 total points on the board, Wellsville found the end zone six different times across the first half to account for 40 points — 20 in each of the first two quarters of play. All of the scores were conducted by Brennen Geffers under center, who threw for five touchdowns and ran in the game-opening score on Wellsville’s first drive of the game from nine yards out — that, being set up by his long 32-yard scamper just a couple of plays prior.
Geffers then took his talents through the air following the first of two Red Jacket interceptions in the contest, which was secured by Derek Coleman, capitalizing off the turnover with a 20-yard touchdown throw to JJ Howard for his first of three connections several plays later.
Of their next four scoring drives, Wellsville went on to score off just one single play under center on back-to-back possessions. Bookending Red Jacket’s first and only score of the game from Aldric Smith-Fee, Geffers used his arm to find Trent Green both times on the run, delivering long balls of 48 and 52 yards from the end of the first quarter, into the beginning stages of the second to extend their advantage out to 28-6.
JJ Howard would finish off a hectic first half of offense for Wellsville with his final two scores from Geffers, scoring from 31 yards out for his second touchdown, and then from 21 yards on his last — a score that stemmed off a David Clark interception to send the offense back out. A 29-yard run from Xander Outman moments later from the backfield was the driving force towards the tail end of the second quarter to set up Howard’s third touchdown.
After both teams came up empty in the third quarter, Wellsville would go on to finish off the victory with two more scores on the run in the last 12-minute frame, as Benz provided a goal-line rush and Matt Ritter connected on a 13-yard run down the homestretch to conclude a dominant Senior Night win over Red Jacket.
In-depth statistics were not made available to report upon publication.
The Lions will now rest up and prepare for 8-Man Sectionals, which will begin next week, as they wrap up at 4-4 overall.
Red Jacket 0 6 0 0 – 6
Wellsville 20 20 0 12 – 52
Scoring Summary
1st
WLSV – Brennen Geffers 9-yard run, 2-pts failed (6-0 WLSV)
WLSV – JJ Howard 20-yard pass from Brennen Geffers, 2-pts good (14-0 WLSV)
WLSV – Trent Green 48-yard pass from Brennen Geffers, 2-pts failed (20-0 WLSV)
2nd
RJ – Aldric Smith-Fee 49-yard run, 2-pts failed (20-6 WLSV)
WLSV – Trent Green 52-yard pass from Brennen Geffers, 2-pts good (28-6 WLSV)
WLSV – JJ Howard 31-yard pass from Brennen Geffers, 2-pts failed (34-6 WLSV)
WLSV – JJ Howard 21-yard pass from Brennen Geffers, 2-pts failed (40-6 WLSV)
3rd
None
4th
WLSV – Terrence Benz 1-yard run, 2-pts failed (46-6 WLSV)
WLSV – Matt Ritter 13-yard run, 2-pts failed (52-6 WLSV)
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Class D1 Quarterfinals
No. 5 Notre Dame-Batavia 3, No. 4 Bolivar-Richburg 1
BOLIVAR — The No. 4 Lady Wolverines of Bolivar-Richburg were pushed to the brink early on Friday night, with a chance to navigate into the Class D1 Semifinal round hanging in the balance. They fought back to remain alive, but No. 5 Notre Dame-Batavia’s next push was over the edge, as they went on to end their season in four sets with a 25-19, 25-18, 21-25, 25-20 win over the road.
“We saw the best version of our team on the court tonight,” Lady Wolverines coach Tina Loucks said. “They played absolutely incredible and I couldn’t be more proud. Notre Dame-Batavia was just the better team this evening. My four seniors have been the backbone of this team, and have made my first year of coaching volleyball one I will never forget. Carmen (Crowley), Willow (Worth), Joey (Danaher) and Hannah (Mascho) are a special group of girls and they will be leaving behind a huge void next year.”
Leading the way for Bolivar-Richburg was an unbelievable final game from Carmen Crowley, who recorded game-highs in kills and digs with 16 and 15, respectively, to pair with four blocks and two aces. Jayna Thomas chipped in with 12 digs along with five kills and three aces. Joey Danaher had five more digs, three kills and a pair of aces to add in, while setter Willow Worth contributed 22 assists, 15 digs and three more kills on offense.
The 2024 campaign is over for the Lady Wolverines, as they wrap up with a record of 15-4. The team will graduate four seniors at the end of the year, in Crowley, Worth, Danaher and Hannah Mascho.
No. 2 C.G. Finney 3, No. 7 Cuba-Rushford 1
ROCHESTER — Despite outstanding games from both Lilah Stroud and Kendall Tompkins for the seventh-seeded Lady Rebels of Cuba-Rushford, their campaign on the volleyball court reached its conclusion to the hands of No. 2 C.G. Finney, who navigated choppy waters in the early stages before finishing Friday night’s Class D1 Quarterfinal match strong with a four-set home win with a 25-18, 25-22, 19-25, 25-9 decision.
“They were the best high school team I have coached against,” said Lady Rebels coach Josh Tompkins. “Our girls played tough, and played probably one of their best matches of the season. C.G. Finney was that much better tonight. My hat goes off to them, but I’m very proud at how much our girls have improved and shown what they were made of. Our seniors were a big part of that. They were a special group and they put their best foot forward every single day whether it was on the court or off it. They will be missed.”
Lilah Stroud led all Lady Rebels on the floor with her team-leading 15 kills, pairing them with a duo of blocks at the net. Arlah Shaffer kept the ball off the floor with a tremendous effort, recording 12 digs. Rounding out the scoring was Kendall Tompkins, who handed out 25 assists to her teammates, chipping in four digs and two aces along the way.
The 2024 season is now over for Cuba-Rushford, as they conclude with a record of 12-7. The Lady Rebels will graduate five seniors when the end of the year comes in June, in Stroud, Skylar Gadley, Kaylin Smith, Sarah Stadler and Natalie Burrows.
Class D2 Quarterfinals
No. 4 Fillmore 3, No. 5 Marion 1
FILLMORE — A ferocious attack was dispatched by the No. 4 Lady Eagles of Fillmore on Friday.
From within the surrounding walls of The Rock against No. 5 Marion, the Lady Eagles showcased just a little bit of everything — stellar offense, clutch defense, as well as some tough serving from the back line. As a result, the team concocted a four-set, 25-15, 21-25, 25-12, 25-12 victory over the Lady Black Knights to chart their course to the Class D2 Semifinal round after the weekend ahead.
The Lady Eagles (13-7) were captained by Mya Keeler on the attack, as she recorded 15 team-leading kills to pair with six digs and four aces. Annalisa Bialek followed with 11 kills of her own to go with two digs. Michaela Lewis recorded eight kills and three aces. Eevie Cox kept the ball off the floor tremendously behind 28 massive digs, pairing them with three aces, while Eleanor Reitnour continued to keep the ball off the floor with 23 additional digs to couple alongside 18 assists.
Rounding off the Fillmore scoring was Kaitlin Troupe, who had 21 assists and five service points.
“In many ways tonight, this was the best and most consistent game we’ve played all season,” said Lady Eagles coach Lacie Fuller. “Our attacks were on point all match, and our passing was sound. Even in the set we dropped, I thought it was more a product of Marion playing very well as opposed to a ton of mistakes on our part. We’re excited to be moving on, and we are hopeful that we can continue to play our best volleyball at the right time.”
Fillmore has clinched their spot in the Class D2 Semifinal round, where they will now take on top-seeded Avoca-Prattsburgh on Tuesday for an opportunity to battle for a Section V Championship next week.
Time and venue of the Semifinal contest has yet to be announced.
No. 2 Arkport-Canaseraga 3, No. 7 Houghton Academy 1
CANASERAGA — No. 2 Arkport-Canaseraga finished the job on Friday to punch their ticket to the Class D2 Semifinal round after this weekend, as they went on to score a big four-set home win in Canaseraga over the visiting seventh-seeded Houghton Academy Lady Panthers in the Class D2 Quarterfinal round.
Set scores for the match were not provided.
Paving the way for Houghton Academy was Julia Winkens on offense, as she recorded nine kills to go with a pair of aces. On defense, Abby Reitnour kept the ball off the floor to the best of her ability, as she posted a team-high 19 digs to go with two kills. Up front at the net, Ellie Brubaker helped establish the offense’s presence behind 25 assists, chipping in a trio of aces along the way for the Lady Panthers.
“While it was the end of the road for my girls tonight, they didn’t go down without a fight. I am proud of the hard work they put in this season and the progress they have made. Arkport-Canaseraga has some good hitters, and their serving made my girls work hard to get good passes around the floor.” said Lady Panthers coach Kathie Hilsher.
Houghton Academy’s 2024 campaign on the court is now officially over, as they put a wrap on a record of 11-8 overall. At the end of the school year, the Lady Panthers will graduate three seniors in Reitnour, Rebekah Qian and Christa Nguyen.
