CENTRAL SQUARE - The Section III, Class D semi-final between No. 1 seeded Weedsport and No. 2 Watertown IHC wasn't over yet, but the celebration had started on the field at Paul V. Moore High School.
Chet Susslin / The Citizen
Weedsport defensive lineman David Chirco grabs Watertown IHC quarterback Tom Burgess' jersey as Weedsport defensive back Justin Rose comes at him from behind during the Warriors' Section III, Class D semi-final game in Central Square on Friday night.
Weedsport defensive lineman David Chirco grabs Watertown IHC quarterback Tom Burgess' jersey as Weedsport defensive back Justin Rose comes at him from behind during the Warriors' Section III, Class D semi-final game in Central Square on Friday night.
The Warriors were jumping up and down on the field, certain they had punched their ticked to next weekend's championship at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse.
Less than five minutes later, they would.
Moments earlier, a pass interference call against senior defensive back Jesse Schooley had been waved off, ending last-gasp 58-yard drive for the Cavaliers.
No. 8 state-ranked Weedsport won the game 20-14, and will now face No. 1 Westmoreland at 7 p.m. Friday at the Dome. The win was not without controversy. Watertown IHC trailed the entire game, but had a chance with 8:02 remaining to not only tie, but win it because of a missed Weedsport extra point at the end of the first half.
The backfield tandem of quarterback Tom Burgess and running back Kyle Hauk started to click, and Burgess completed passes to Alex Sexton, Ryan Spicer and Robert Kunz to set the Cavaliers up in Warriors' territory.
However, once Watertown IHC drove inside the 10-yard line, Weedsport defense stepped up, forcing the Cavaliers back to the 20. A pass to Kunz set Watertown IHC up with a fourth-and-goal at the 10.
Burgess dropped back to pass, looking for Andrew Hauk. The senior slipped in the end zone, with Schooley near him. When Schooley ended up on the turf too, a flag was on the ground.
“My heart stopped,” Schooley said. “It was scary.”
After the referees talked it over, the flag was waved off and the Warriors celebrated. It appeared that the referee had not been sure of his decision to call the penalty and according to Watertown IHC coach Paul Alteri, said as much after the play.
This is the second year in a row that Alteri has watched his season end when a flag was waved off. Last season his team lost in the Class D championship in a similar scenario.
“I'm upset it was waved off,” he said. “The call was in our favor. It was a pass interference call and the referee did not have the guts to make that call.
“I'm usually not the one to blame the officials, but this is two years in a row. They leave me with no other choice at all.”
Despite the controversy, Weedsport had played well enough to take the 20-14 lead. The Warriors sputtered on their first two drives but were set up with good field position late in the first quarter after a 16-yard punt return from Brian Quigley.
Weedsport used the short field to its advantage, eight plays later quarterback Abe Jordan found Justin Rose in the back of the end zone from 15 yards out.
Rose score again not long after his reception, but not on offense.
Watertown IHC was only able to must eight yards on its next possession, and was forced to punt on its 28-yard line. When Andrew Magovney tried to kick into the wind, Rose got a hand on it and bullied his way in for a touchdown.
“Our idea on that is to jam it and hopefully get a good return out of it, not to really block it,” Rose said. “I just went through and no one picked me up.”
“We don't necessarily go for the block,” admitted Warrior coach Greg Michaels. “(Magovney) fumbled it a little bit and we got a little push. He's (Rose) big and they couldn't keep him out. It bounced right into his hands and we scooped and scored.”
Weedsport wasn't done for the half just yet. Set up with good field position again the Warriors needed just eight more plays for Quigley (125 yards, touchdown) to go in untouched. This time, Rose's kick was blocked, leaving the door open for late-game dramatics.
Weedsport did leave 25.1 seconds left on the clock.
It was a perfect opportunity for the nimble Burgess, who scored from 25 yards out after a 37-yard kickoff return from Spicer. The score changed the momentum going into the second half.
“That kind of pumped them up and it deflated us,” Michaels said. “They had the ball the whole third quarter and we couldn't get on the field.
The Warrior defense would hold. Weedsport had two near-goal line stands, one in the third quarter and the game-sealing one in the fourth. Burgess was the only one to do any major damage for Watertown IHC (100 yards passing and rushing) but he couldn't connect on his last effort.
“We gave them the kickoff return at the end of the second half, but they never really drove the ball,” Michaels said. “Defensively everybody played well.”
With their most exciting game of the season behind them, the Warriors will have a week to prepare for the defending Section III, Class C champion Bulldogs.
Win or lose, one fact remains unchanged.
Weedsport is going back to the Dome for the first time since its state championship run in 2004.
“Next week is gravy,” Michaels said. “We got to the Dome and we're going to give it our best shot and let the chips fall were they may.”
IHC 0 7 7 0 -- 14
WCS 0 20 0 0 -- 20
Second Quarter
WCS Rose 15 pass from Jordan (Rose kick)
WCS Rose returns block kick for touchdown (Rose kick)
WCS Quigley 1 run (kick blocked)
IHC Burgess 25 run (Magovney kick)
Third Quarter
IHC Burgess 31 run (Magovney kick)
Less than five minutes later, they would.
Moments earlier, a pass interference call against senior defensive back Jesse Schooley had been waved off, ending last-gasp 58-yard drive for the Cavaliers.
No. 8 state-ranked Weedsport won the game 20-14, and will now face No. 1 Westmoreland at 7 p.m. Friday at the Dome. The win was not without controversy. Watertown IHC trailed the entire game, but had a chance with 8:02 remaining to not only tie, but win it because of a missed Weedsport extra point at the end of the first half.
The backfield tandem of quarterback Tom Burgess and running back Kyle Hauk started to click, and Burgess completed passes to Alex Sexton, Ryan Spicer and Robert Kunz to set the Cavaliers up in Warriors' territory.
However, once Watertown IHC drove inside the 10-yard line, Weedsport defense stepped up, forcing the Cavaliers back to the 20. A pass to Kunz set Watertown IHC up with a fourth-and-goal at the 10.
Burgess dropped back to pass, looking for Andrew Hauk. The senior slipped in the end zone, with Schooley near him. When Schooley ended up on the turf too, a flag was on the ground.
“My heart stopped,” Schooley said. “It was scary.”
After the referees talked it over, the flag was waved off and the Warriors celebrated. It appeared that the referee had not been sure of his decision to call the penalty and according to Watertown IHC coach Paul Alteri, said as much after the play.
This is the second year in a row that Alteri has watched his season end when a flag was waved off. Last season his team lost in the Class D championship in a similar scenario.
“I'm upset it was waved off,” he said. “The call was in our favor. It was a pass interference call and the referee did not have the guts to make that call.
“I'm usually not the one to blame the officials, but this is two years in a row. They leave me with no other choice at all.”
Despite the controversy, Weedsport had played well enough to take the 20-14 lead. The Warriors sputtered on their first two drives but were set up with good field position late in the first quarter after a 16-yard punt return from Brian Quigley.
Weedsport used the short field to its advantage, eight plays later quarterback Abe Jordan found Justin Rose in the back of the end zone from 15 yards out.
Rose score again not long after his reception, but not on offense.
Watertown IHC was only able to must eight yards on its next possession, and was forced to punt on its 28-yard line. When Andrew Magovney tried to kick into the wind, Rose got a hand on it and bullied his way in for a touchdown.
“Our idea on that is to jam it and hopefully get a good return out of it, not to really block it,” Rose said. “I just went through and no one picked me up.”
“We don't necessarily go for the block,” admitted Warrior coach Greg Michaels. “(Magovney) fumbled it a little bit and we got a little push. He's (Rose) big and they couldn't keep him out. It bounced right into his hands and we scooped and scored.”
Weedsport wasn't done for the half just yet. Set up with good field position again the Warriors needed just eight more plays for Quigley (125 yards, touchdown) to go in untouched. This time, Rose's kick was blocked, leaving the door open for late-game dramatics.
Weedsport did leave 25.1 seconds left on the clock.
It was a perfect opportunity for the nimble Burgess, who scored from 25 yards out after a 37-yard kickoff return from Spicer. The score changed the momentum going into the second half.
“That kind of pumped them up and it deflated us,” Michaels said. “They had the ball the whole third quarter and we couldn't get on the field.
The Warrior defense would hold. Weedsport had two near-goal line stands, one in the third quarter and the game-sealing one in the fourth. Burgess was the only one to do any major damage for Watertown IHC (100 yards passing and rushing) but he couldn't connect on his last effort.
“We gave them the kickoff return at the end of the second half, but they never really drove the ball,” Michaels said. “Defensively everybody played well.”
With their most exciting game of the season behind them, the Warriors will have a week to prepare for the defending Section III, Class C champion Bulldogs.
Win or lose, one fact remains unchanged.
Weedsport is going back to the Dome for the first time since its state championship run in 2004.
“Next week is gravy,” Michaels said. “We got to the Dome and we're going to give it our best shot and let the chips fall were they may.”
IHC 0 7 7 0 -- 14
WCS 0 20 0 0 -- 20
Second Quarter
WCS Rose 15 pass from Jordan (Rose kick)
WCS Rose returns block kick for touchdown (Rose kick)
WCS Quigley 1 run (kick blocked)
IHC Burgess 25 run (Magovney kick)
Third Quarter
IHC Burgess 31 run (Magovney kick)
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