UTICA - “We're going to go out there and show them who's boss.”
Michelle Prego-Milewski / Special to The Citizen
Weedsport's Amy Sanchez, right, battles with a New York Mills defender on Friday night. The Warriors won 2-1 and advance to the Section III, Class D championship game.
Weedsport's Amy Sanchez, right, battles with a New York Mills defender on Friday night. The Warriors won 2-1 and advance to the Section III, Class D championship game.
A bold statement from Dolgeville's running back/defensive back Kyle LaGrange that was intended towards the Blue Devils' next opponent, but it was Weedsport that was shoved around for most of the Saturday's game, winning 54-8 at Utica Proctor High School in the Section III, Class D semifinal.
The top-seeded Blue Devils shut down nearly everything that the No.4 Warriors tried to do and have been successful at for most of the season. By controlling all phases of the game, the Blue Devils earned the right to face No. 2 Onondaga in next weekend's Section III, Class D championship game at Cicero-North Syracuse.
The Tigers and Blue Devils are familiar with each other in the playoffs, meeting twice in the title game in the last seven seasons and once in the semifinal round. The last time one of the two teams didn't play in the Class D title game was 1997. Three seasons removed from their own sectional and state championship, the Warriors played a smart first quarter, allowing just a Clay Ardoin 10-yard touchdown run 4:30 into the game. The score capped off the longest scoring drive of the afternoon for Dolgeville, who started on their own 42. Weedsport's responding drive began well, but ended quickly after it committed the first of six turnovers on the afternoon when LaGrange punched the ball out of Bryce Leitten's arms. Jeff Sutton recovered the first of two Warriors fumbles.
The second quarter also began well, when Jake Ekross sacked Kelsey Brandow for the first, and only time in the game.
Two possessions later, Weedsport put forth the best defensive effort of the game when, after Shane Lyon blocked a Leitten punt and then caught an 8-yard pass to land Dolgeville on the Weedsport 1-yard line. The Warriors then stuffed the run on four straight plays to get the ball back on downs.
On Dolgeville's next possession though, Ardoin caught a 45-yard score and it was a jailbreak from there. LaGrange took a punt back 53 yards for a score and Kyle Barnes caught another score, from 26 yards out, to give the Blue Devils a 27-0 halftime score.
“We couldn't do a lot. The turnovers, a blocked punt - all of it,” Weedsport coach Jason Trousdale said. “I don't know what else to say.”
Weedsport, who had posted three shutouts themselves this season, were no match for Dolgeville, who has allowed a Section III low 38 points heading into the finals.
The Warriors were without one of their best players for the game, Craig Meitz, who had gotten hurt the day before playing football in gym class.
“That didn't help matters,” Trousdale said.
Though the Warriors threw four picks, only one directly resulted in a Dolgeville score when LaGrange grabbed his second one with 6:24 left in the third quarter and two plays later, Ardoin took a handoff 48 yards for yet another touchdown.
“All week, our coach has been saying, 'You've got to be ready for this, you've got to be ready for that,'” LaGrange said. “I was just ready for it.”
Brandow, who sat out most of the fourth quarter, found four different receivers and finished 7-for-9, 125 yards. His first incompletion came late in the third quarter. Ardoin led the receivers with two catches for 75 yards (both for scores), while Barnes also had two grabs for 37 yards as well as five carries for 12 yards. He had two scores on the day, one rushing. On the ground, the Blue Devils racked up 182 yards from seven different runners. Andrew Johnston led with eight carries for 81 yards and Ardoin tallied 61 yards on nine runs.
“We just came out, stepped it up,” LaGrange said. “We don't really have key players - you've got to key our whole offense.”
“We've got guys that are incredibly athletic and a lot of it just seemed like luck,” Dolgeville coach Chris Connolly said. “We ran inside when they ran outside and we seemed to run outside when they were coming in. We scored once and then they stopped us twice and it was real close for awhile.”
Weedsport's score came in the third. Following a 41-yard halfback pass from Leitten to Sean Ashby, sophomore quarterback Jordan Abraham connected with Ashby for a 15-yard touchdown grab. Leitten ran in the two-point conversion to give the Warriors an extra lift.
Leitten completed seven passes for 110 yards and paced the ground game with 67 yards on nine carries. Junior Ashby led the receivers with 67 yards on six catches.
Weedsport finishes its season 6-2 and second in Class D West, behind Onondaga. The Warriors only two losses this season came to the Class D finalists.
“We've got some young kids coming back for next year's team,” Trousdale said. “We'll miss the seniors. It's unfortunate that someone's got to lose and today it was us. Today, they were the better team, by a lot.”
W 0 0 8 0-8
D 7 20 14 13-54
First Quarter
D #- Ardoin 10 run (Brandow kick)
Second Quarter
D #- Ardoin 45 pass from Brandow (kick failed)
D - LaGrange 53 punt return (pass failed)
D - Barnes 26 pass from Brandow (Sutton catch from Edick)
Third Quarter
D #- Ardoin 30 pass from Brandow (Brandow kick)
D #- Ardoin 48 run (Brandow kick)
W #- Ashby 15 pass from Abraham (Leitten run)
Fourth Quarter
D #- Brandow 1 run (kick failed)
D - Barnes 2 run (Robotham kick)
The top-seeded Blue Devils shut down nearly everything that the No.4 Warriors tried to do and have been successful at for most of the season. By controlling all phases of the game, the Blue Devils earned the right to face No. 2 Onondaga in next weekend's Section III, Class D championship game at Cicero-North Syracuse.
The Tigers and Blue Devils are familiar with each other in the playoffs, meeting twice in the title game in the last seven seasons and once in the semifinal round. The last time one of the two teams didn't play in the Class D title game was 1997. Three seasons removed from their own sectional and state championship, the Warriors played a smart first quarter, allowing just a Clay Ardoin 10-yard touchdown run 4:30 into the game. The score capped off the longest scoring drive of the afternoon for Dolgeville, who started on their own 42. Weedsport's responding drive began well, but ended quickly after it committed the first of six turnovers on the afternoon when LaGrange punched the ball out of Bryce Leitten's arms. Jeff Sutton recovered the first of two Warriors fumbles.
The second quarter also began well, when Jake Ekross sacked Kelsey Brandow for the first, and only time in the game.
Two possessions later, Weedsport put forth the best defensive effort of the game when, after Shane Lyon blocked a Leitten punt and then caught an 8-yard pass to land Dolgeville on the Weedsport 1-yard line. The Warriors then stuffed the run on four straight plays to get the ball back on downs.
On Dolgeville's next possession though, Ardoin caught a 45-yard score and it was a jailbreak from there. LaGrange took a punt back 53 yards for a score and Kyle Barnes caught another score, from 26 yards out, to give the Blue Devils a 27-0 halftime score.
“We couldn't do a lot. The turnovers, a blocked punt - all of it,” Weedsport coach Jason Trousdale said. “I don't know what else to say.”
Weedsport, who had posted three shutouts themselves this season, were no match for Dolgeville, who has allowed a Section III low 38 points heading into the finals.
The Warriors were without one of their best players for the game, Craig Meitz, who had gotten hurt the day before playing football in gym class.
“That didn't help matters,” Trousdale said.
Though the Warriors threw four picks, only one directly resulted in a Dolgeville score when LaGrange grabbed his second one with 6:24 left in the third quarter and two plays later, Ardoin took a handoff 48 yards for yet another touchdown.
“All week, our coach has been saying, 'You've got to be ready for this, you've got to be ready for that,'” LaGrange said. “I was just ready for it.”
Brandow, who sat out most of the fourth quarter, found four different receivers and finished 7-for-9, 125 yards. His first incompletion came late in the third quarter. Ardoin led the receivers with two catches for 75 yards (both for scores), while Barnes also had two grabs for 37 yards as well as five carries for 12 yards. He had two scores on the day, one rushing. On the ground, the Blue Devils racked up 182 yards from seven different runners. Andrew Johnston led with eight carries for 81 yards and Ardoin tallied 61 yards on nine runs.
“We just came out, stepped it up,” LaGrange said. “We don't really have key players - you've got to key our whole offense.”
“We've got guys that are incredibly athletic and a lot of it just seemed like luck,” Dolgeville coach Chris Connolly said. “We ran inside when they ran outside and we seemed to run outside when they were coming in. We scored once and then they stopped us twice and it was real close for awhile.”
Weedsport's score came in the third. Following a 41-yard halfback pass from Leitten to Sean Ashby, sophomore quarterback Jordan Abraham connected with Ashby for a 15-yard touchdown grab. Leitten ran in the two-point conversion to give the Warriors an extra lift.
Leitten completed seven passes for 110 yards and paced the ground game with 67 yards on nine carries. Junior Ashby led the receivers with 67 yards on six catches.
Weedsport finishes its season 6-2 and second in Class D West, behind Onondaga. The Warriors only two losses this season came to the Class D finalists.
“We've got some young kids coming back for next year's team,” Trousdale said. “We'll miss the seniors. It's unfortunate that someone's got to lose and today it was us. Today, they were the better team, by a lot.”
W 0 0 8 0-8
D 7 20 14 13-54
First Quarter
D #- Ardoin 10 run (Brandow kick)
Second Quarter
D #- Ardoin 45 pass from Brandow (kick failed)
D - LaGrange 53 punt return (pass failed)
D - Barnes 26 pass from Brandow (Sutton catch from Edick)
Third Quarter
D #- Ardoin 30 pass from Brandow (Brandow kick)
D #- Ardoin 48 run (Brandow kick)
W #- Ashby 15 pass from Abraham (Leitten run)
Fourth Quarter
D #- Brandow 1 run (kick failed)
D - Barnes 2 run (Robotham kick)
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