Friday Roundup: Lions football honors 7 Seniors, but Cal-Mum/Byron-Bergen plays spoiler to finish regular season with 42-24 win; No. 2 Fillmore continues title defense with strong win vs. No. 7 Marion
WELLSVILLE — For seven Wellsville seniors, their last call on the gridiron had come Friday night. It was the final day of regular season play before Sectionals officially kicks into gear next weekend, as the Lions looked to send their senior leaders out on a good note.
In for a visit, Caledonia-Mumford/Byron-Bergen — a team looking to springboard back above .500 upon entering the second season. A team that also put the Lions on edge early out of the gate.
It would begin immediately on Wellsville’s opening drive, where the Raiders defense came up with a big fumble recovery and quickly rushed down the field to turn it into ice-breaking points. The momentum remained in their favor after they made their way down the field once again on their next possession to grab a 14-point edge after the opening quarter. A lead that would remain intact going forward, as Caledonia-Mumford/Byron-Bergen played spoiler on Senior Night to close their regular season on the right foot with a 42-24 victory.
The Raiders struck gold bright and early against the Lions (2-5) after a backwards pass on their opening drive caused the defense to pickpocket the loose ball, and take over shop deep in Wellsville territory. All the visitors would need was just two plays to find the end zone, as a well-disguised handoff in the backfield that was ultimately kept by quarterback Austin Pittman saw him gallop to the house untouched from 22 yards away to give the Raiders the lead.
The Lions fired right back though with a drive that would last nearly the entire first quarter, as they marched straight down the field with Matt Ritter and Derek Coleman providing excellent carries in the backfield to couple alongside a balanced pass game conducted by Brennen Geffers with connections to both JJ Howard and Jack Davis. The mixed bag of offense would allow them to reach Caledonia-Mumford/Byron-Bergen’s 9-yard line.
But the drive would eventually stall out, getting as close as the 3-yard line before the Raiders defense was able to stand its ground on 4th-and-goal, stopping Howard on a screen pass from Howard and sending him backwards to halt his forward progress to turn the ball over on downs. From near their own goal line, the Raiders would have to go to work to create some more room for the offense with less than three minutes to go in the frame.
Anthony Leach would go on to do just that for Caledonia-Mumford/Byron-Bergen from the backfield, as he broke a couple of big Lions tackles straight up the middle and straight down the field for a massive gain of 80 yards, down to the Wellsville 11 to set up a rewarding goal-line touchdown to extend the Raiders lead to 14 right at the end of the first quarter.
Wellsville would take over shop to begin the second quarter, and with it, they would coast down the field using over half of the quarter’s time to find the back of the end zone for the first time, sticking with their run game to deliver an 8-yard score from Derek Coleman — his first of two in the game for the Lions.
The Raiders were knocking back on the door once again to close the half out, using a stellar rush attack of their own led by a 30-yard carry by Malachi Smith into Wellsville’s red zone. After a series of rushes to lead them even closer to the end zone, the drive was finished off by Leach for his second of four total scores on the ground from the goal-line to give them a 20-8 lead on the Lions going into the break.
Leach would then score his last two scores in the third quarter to help close out a strong performance for Caledonia-Mumford/Byron-Bergen, with the first stemming off an 84-yard half-opening drive led by his rushes of 17 and 19 yards to help the Raiders work their way up the field straight to the goal-line, where he would finish off a massive second half debut with a 1-yard score.
After the Lions turned the ball over on downs on their first second half possession, Leach would net his last touchdown of the night on the very first play on the ensuing drive, carrying the ball directly up the middle and free from the Wellsville defense, flooring it all the way to the end zone for 55 yards to collect a 34-8 lead.
Wellsville would see two more scores come to fruition in the last 12 minutes of play, both on the ground, as Geffers connected from two yards while Coleman recorded his last touchdown from the goal-line on what was their last possession, all sandwiched in between Caledonia-Mumford/Byron-Bergen’s penultimate score — a 54-yard touchdown through the air from Pittman to Damon Linzy, as the Raiders put the finishing touches on their road victory in the Lion’s Den.
In-depth statistics for each team were not made available to report upon publication.
Wellsville’s regular season has concluded, as they now await their Sectional fate after wrapping up with a record of 2-5 overall.
Cal-Mum/Byron-Bergen 14 6 14 8 – 42
Wellsville 0 8 0 16 – 24
Scoring Summary
1st
CMBB – Austin Pittman 22-yard run, 2-pts failed (6-0 CMBB)
CMBB – Anthony Leach 2-yard run, 2-pts good (14-0 CMBB)
2nd
WLSV – Derek Coleman 8-yard run, 2-pts good (14-8 CMBB)
CMBB – Anthony Leach 1-yard run, 2-pts failed (20-8 CMBB)
3rd
CMBB – Anthony Leach 1-yard run, 2-pts failed (26-8 CMBB)
CMBB – Anthony Leach 55-yard run, 2-pts good (34-8 CMBB)
4th
WLSV – Brennen Geffers 2-yard run, 2-pts good (34-16 CMBB)
CMBB – Damon Linzy 54-yard pass from Austin Pittman, 2-pts good (42-16 CMBB)
WLSV – Derek Coleman 1-yard run, 2-pts good (42-24 CMBB)
BOYS SOCCER
Class D Quarterfinals
No. 1 Fillmore 5, No. 7 Marion 1
FILLMORE — A tough challenge was received earlier in the season when the Eagles of Fillmore first met No. 7 Marion, as the two foes fought tooth and nail across the entire first half battling for every bit of possession they could muster.
When the stars aligned in the Class D Quarterfinal round on a rainy, Fall-esque Friday for the defending State Champions to meet the Black Knights again in the Quarterfinal round, it was no different again.
The No. 2 seeds were able to capture a 1-0 lead on Marion the first time around, but this time, the Black Knights were able to create some even playing ground going into the half with a 1-1 tie. Although the Black Knights were right on the doorstep, history would repeat itself in the second half of play.
The Eagles accounted for three straight goals in the last 40 minute session before. This time, they went on to score four unanswered. Captaining that effort was Zach Sisson, who absolutely took advantage of everything that was given to him.
Along with holding the midfield down under his watch, the Fillmore senior used his defensive momentum to create a little bit of offense for his team, as he scored two of the team’s four second half goals to propel away from Marion’s grasp and eventually towards a berth in the Class D Semifinal round after the weekend, as the Eagles hightailed towards triumph with a 5-1 victory over the Black Knights to end their season.
“We knew coming into this game that it was going to be another tough battle with Marion. They play a difficult schedule against some bigger schools in the Wayne County league. It was a tight game the whole first half, and we traded chances, coming from the break tied at one,” Eagles coach Jarrett Vosburg said. “But following halftime, the boys came out on fire and created a ton of chances, finding the back of the net four times to pull away with it. We were able to win more balls in the center of the field, and capitalized on some of the chances that didn’t go our way in the first half.”
Vosburg continued by commending Sisson and his effort, noting that “Zach Sisson was a workhorse for us tonight, picking up two goals while dominating the center of the field. I couldn’t be prouder of him and all the seniors that played their final game on our home field. We’ll enjoy the result this weekend, but we get right back to work with another quality team in the Semifinals ahead.”
The ice was broken by Fillmore (18-0) just 1:53 into the game, as Isaiah Sisson helped the hosts get the advantage they wanted to have against the Black Knights, connecting with Henry Sardina on the way into the offensive zone to finish off the score. The lead would remain glued together until Aidan Miller provided some damage of his own for Marion to tie the game, blowing a big kick directly past Brayden Hennard and into the net on his direct kick with 13:52 left in a first half filled with opportunities to strike.
With the game deadlocked, it was on the Eagles to now break it. After scoring three big second half markers to pull away from Marion’s grasp back in the beginning of October, they went on to do it again in overwhelming fashion, as they took complete control of every chance they were granted, scoring four monstrous, unanswered goals beginning just 59 seconds into the half with the first of two Zach Sisson scores.
Approaching the 10 minute mark, Sardina would get one of his own — his team-leading 31st of the season off a pass fed along by Layton Sanasith. 10 minutes later, Sanasith would dig his way free in the middle of the Marion box to deliver a score of his own off a perfectly-placed corner kick straight on goal by Eben Schilke to up Fillmore’s lead to 4-1.
Sisson would then conclude the goal-scoring for the Eagles with under 20 minutes remaining, scoring his second of the game to finish off another immaculate second half on offense.
The five goals all stemmed from a 15-shot output against the Black Knights, as they ultimately outshot their opposition by a 15-6 count. In net, Hennard picked up the victory by making five saves.
Fillmore has now hopped onto the next stepping stone towards another return trip to the big dance, as they now settle in for Class D Semifinal action beginning Tuesday night, where they will meet No. 3 Northstar at a site and time that is yet to be determined.
The winner will face either No. 5 Arkport/Canaseraga or top-seeded Naples in the Finals, next weekend.
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Wellsville 3, Genesee Valley/Belfast 0
WELLSVILLE — A strong end to the regular season was had for the Lady Lions of Wellsville on Friday, as they welcomed in Genesee Valley/Belfast for their final game and ensured victory in the end, taking 25-8 decisions across all three sets to record the sweep in front of their home crowd.
The Lady Lions (11-3) were paced on the attack with a strong night from Averee Palmatier, as she recorded a team-high 11 kills to go with two aces. Following behind was an outstanding tenure of service from Lindsay Stuck on the back line, garnering 10 aces to pair with two more kills. Morgaen Howe chipped in with six aces and three kills of her own, while setter Maddy Parks (four aces) handed out 26 helpers at the front of the net.
Statistics for Genesee Valley/Belfast (4-14) were not made available to report upon publication.
After the conclusion of this weekend’s Allegany/Steuben County Tournament at Cuba-Rushford, both teams will begin preparations for Sectionals.
Cuba-Rushford 3, Fillmore 0
CUBA — With the Allegany County League title already in their back pocket after a dominant sweep of Wellsville back on Wednesday, the Lady Rebels of Cuba-Rushford were looking for another incredible feat to add to the wagon before the regular season reached its ultimate conclusion on Friday.
Like they have all season long, the Lady Rebels surfed the momentum wave. It was no different against the Lady Eagles of Fillmore from within the confines of the Wighthouse, as they recorded a straight-set sweep of their visitors in green and black to record a perfect 12-0 standing in Allegany County League play with a strong 25-16, 25-18, 25-15 victory.
Lauren O’Keefe continues to catch fire on the offensive front for Cuba-Rushford (13-2), as she posted a game-high 12 kills to pair alongside five digs and an ace. Chipping in with additional help for the attack was Jordyn Radomski, who had six more kills, four aces and three digs. Lilah Stroud also pitched in with six kills, collecting five big blocks at the front of the net in the process. Jacie Carney led the defensive efforts with 10 digs.
Helping set the offense up for big success was Kendall Tompkins up front, as she collected 28 helpers to couple with three kills, two digs and an ace to round off the Lady Rebels.
Fillmore (9-9) was led by Savannah Hosmer, who tallied four aces from the service line to go with a duo of kills. Bri Santiago dished out eight assists to further the cause for the Lady Eagles.
Both teams have reached the conclusion of regular season play, as they now await Sectionals after this weekend’s Allegany/Steuben County Tournament right back inside the Wighthouse, bright and early this morning.
Houghton Academy 3, Hinsdale 1
HINSDALE — On Senior Night, the Lady Bobcats of Hinsdale came out swinging against visiting Houghton Academy on Friday, as each team split the first two sets of action. After a second set win, the hosts looked to keep building momentum off of it down the stretch. But the Lady Panthers had other plans in order, as they rebounded in the biggest of ways to claim a four-set victory in the end by a 25-17, 20-25, 25-13, 25-12 count.
Statistics for both teams were not made available to report upon publication.
The regular season is now over for both teams, as Houghton Academy (8-8) and Hinsdale (1-16) now await Sectional play after the weekend.
