THE END OF AN ERA: Fillmore scores late to end shutout, but fall in State Finals to Mount Academy to bring memorable final season under Mullen to a close
MIDDLETOWN — Allegany County’s last team standing made it all the way to the very end. If there was ever a chance to provide a storybook ending to an everlasting tale, Sunday night was the night. The Eagles of Fillmore were just one more win away from winning everything.
Just exactly how did Fillmore get to Middletown? Let’s do a quick recap.
In their first four games of the season, the Eagles provided a split which included victories over Cuba-Rushford and Scio, sandwiched in between a pair of defeats to the hands of Arkport/Canaseraga in the first game of the season, and to Section VI powerhouse Allegany-Limestone in the middle of September — a game that perhaps provided the team’s biggest turning point.
Since their 4-0 shutout at home to the Gators, Fillmore went on to win 17 straight games, five of them coming in the Sectional tournament, four via shutout, including defeating the Wolves one more time at Houghton College to win the Class D1 title, and a massive blanking of Ellicottville to win the Far West Regional, last week to earn their place in Middletown for the second time in three years.
Now the stage was set for Fillmore, as one of four teams left in New York State to vie for a Class D State Championship on the final weekend of their season, and the last for head coach Jamie Mullen in his illustrious head coaching career that spans over three decades with the Eagles.
What better way to do it than to bring home one more piece of hardware.
After surviving one of the hardest fought battles of their season in the Semifinal round late last night against Section VII’s Chazy in a shootout, Fillmore would have to hurdle their way past Section IX’s Mount Academy, who was looking to provide the weekend sweep of Class D titles after the girls squad defeated the Lady Eagles on Saturday in Cortland, and Section III’s Poland to win it all the next day.
The Eagles were locked into yet another battle, but in the end, Mount Academy’s electric offense would prove to be too much.
Despite falling behind by as much as three to the Section IX representatives, the Eagles would find a way toward the tail end of the night to end the shutout being put on the board, but their season would ultimately come to an end emptyhanded, as Mount Academy was crowned State Champions after defeating Fillmore by a 3-1 count to snap their 17-game regulation win streak.
Mount Academy would score a pair of goals to carry a 2-0 lead into the break, before extending their advantage later on in the second half by three. With eight minutes left in the game, the Eagles (19-3-1) would find a way to erase the zero on their side of the scoreboard with their final goal of the season. But the deficit in the end, would prove to be too much to overcome.
Further statistics and a comment from head coach Jamie Mullen were rendered unavailable to report upon publication.
The season is officially over for the Eagles of Fillmore, as they finish their best season in recent memory on the field with a record of 19-3-1 behind an Allegany County Division I title, their second Class D1 title in three seasons, as well as runners-up in the Class D State Finals.
The team will graduate seven Seniors when the school year ends in June, in Deen Muzaid-Omar, Carter Sisson, Graham Cahill, Alex Ellsworth, Matt Majoros, Mike McCumiskey and Lucas Hersee.
