Canisius Beats St. Joe's to Complete Perfect Regular Season

Monsignor Martin League Champion Canisius Crusaders

            Any lingering questions about who is the best high school football team in Western New York were answered Saturday afternoon in front of more than 5,000 screaming fans at Robert T. Scott field.

            The Canisius Crusaders beat the St. Joe’s Marauders 28-21 Saturday to finish the regular season undefeated for the first time since 1976. Canisius (9-0, 5-0) was able to bounce back strongly after a disappointing first half to secure the victory.

            “It’s hard to put into words right now,” said Canisius head coach Rich Robbins after the game. “It takes us a while to get rolling, but we did when it counted, and (this was a) huge win for our program.”

            Robbins, who is usually pretty reserved after wins, let his emotions show after his team’s big win over their archrival.

            “We were down at half, and some of our kids, I questioned them at halftime.  I questioned our heart.  And they responded,” said Robbins. “I’m really, really proud of the way they came back, played a great second half and got a great win.”

            Canisius was able to come back in the second half due to the amazing performance of their star running back, junior Qadree Ollison.

            Ollison had 254 yards rushing in the second half alone. He finished the game with a single-game school record 344 rushing yards on 39 carries. Ollison had all four Crusader touchdowns on the day.

            “I wanted this as bad as anybody else on my team.  We all wanted it bad,” said a jovial Ollison after the game. “I tried to perform, and I tried to get my team the win.”

            Ollison was named game MVP for his record-breaking performance. His show of excellence was necessary on a day where heavy rain and high winds held the Canisius passing attack to zero yards for the game.

Qadree Ollison accepts his game MVP award

Senior offensive lineman Ryan Hunter was modest after the game, nodding toward Ollison before giving him all the credit for Saturday’s performance.

            “Qadree is a really good athlete," said Hunter. “Even if you don’t do your job properly, he’ll make you look good by making cuts and making people miss, and even just running people over.”

            Hunter was a key part of Canisius’ offensive line, which opened up huge holes in the second half for Canisius’ running game. After the game, Hunter issued a clear warning to Canisius’ playoff opponents.

            “We’re not going to be bullied this year, we’re going to be the ones bullying everybody else,” said the intimidating Hunter.

            The win Saturday snapped Canisius’ four game losing streak at the hands of the Marauders. St. Joe’s still leads the all-time series with a record of 47-31-3.

            Senior running back Ilo Noble had a big day for St. Joe’s, racking up 211 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown in the loss. Standout junior Rod Payne led the Marauders’ defense with 17 total tackles and a fumble recovery.

            The loss drops St. Joe’s (7-2, 3-2) to the third seed in the Monsignor Martin League playoff standings. The Marauders will host Cardinal O’Hara next week in the league quarterfinals.

            Canisius clinched the number one seed in the playoffs and a first round bye with the win.  Their next game will be a semi-final match in two weeks at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

            Hunter made it clear after the game that Canisius’ ultimate goal is to win a league championship, and anything short of that would not be acceptable.

            “We need to stay hungry and humbled, and look for what we really want which is a championship, and we don’t have that yet,” he said. “We’re going to be happy once we have that.”

Canisius Beats Timon/St. Jude to Remain Perfect on the Season

Canisius' players join hands after Friday's 26-14 win over Bishop Timon/St. Jude

            Paul Fitzpatrick field was loud and intimidating once again Friday night, but this week it was the away team’s fans that were celebrating into the night.

            Canisius beat Bishop Timon/St. Jude 26-14, preserving their perfect record on the season, and validating their ranking as the number one team in Western New York.

            “We struggled a little bit, they did some real nice things running the ball and some things that kept us off balance,” said Canisius head coach Rich Robbins after the victory. “But once we got our feet under us and played our kind of football, everything went our way.”

            Canisius coaches and players were excited to be able to go on the road, into a hostile environment, and come out with a gutsy win.

            “(Timon is a) tough place to come in and get a win, so I’m proud of my kids,” said Robbins.

            Junior running back Qadree Ollison led the way for the Crusaders, rushing for 203 yards and 3 touchdowns on 26 carries. After the game, a beaming Ollison was humble, complimenting his supporting cast for his success.

            “Everybody came out and played today,” said Ollison. “My entire offensive line played excellent today.”

            Robbins seemed awe-struck after the game when talking about his star running back’s performance.

            “Qadree Ollison was a beast running the ball tonight,” he said. “He wanted to come out tonight and perform well out here, and once we saw he was going and the look in his eye, we just kept ridding him.”

            Canisius’ defense also stepped up to the plate in the big win Friday. The Crusader secondary continued their dominant play of late, coming up with three interceptions. They now have 12 picks in their last four games.

            “All year our secondary has been great, and again tonight they made big interceptions,” said Robbins.

            Sophomore cornerback Josh Huffman recorded two interceptions, including one late in the first half while Timon was driving for a score.

            “I saw the ball go up, I just knew I had to make a big play for my team,” he said.

            After his second interception, Huffman was greeted by chants of “He’s a sophomore!” from the Canisius student section. 

            “All the hard work in practice, from the sprints to the weight room to film, everything we did, hard work pays off,” he said after the game. 

            Senior Kyle Abernathy had the other interception on the night, giving him seven picks on the season.

            The loss drops Timon to 5-3, but their 3-1 record in Monsignor Martin League play has them in a good spot in terms of the playoff picture. Timon wraps up its season next Saturday night on the road against St. Francis.

            Canisius improves to 8-0 with the win, and will meet rival St. Joe’s next Saturday in a huge game for both teams.

            Even through the celebration, Canisius players were cognizant of next week’s game against their bitter rivals.

             “Its definitely a big win for us, coming in to their house,” said quarterback Tyler Mascio. “Its hard to play here, its loud and we got Joe’s next week. That’s going to be a tough game too.”

Timon/St. Jude Beats St. Joe's to Remain Undefeated in League Play

           Bishop Timon/St. Jude beat St. Joe’s 17-14 in a hard-fought Monsignor Martin league battle Friday night at Paul Fitzpatrick Field.

            Senior kicker Tom Gioia stole the show, recovering his own onside kick, and hitting a game-winning 39-yard field goal with 10:10 left in the game.

            “I just tried staying calm, making sure I was loose,” said a beaming Gioia outside the animated Timon locker room after the game. “The snap was perfect, hold was perfect, and I just had to do the rest.”

            After the game, Timon head coach Charlie Comerford cracked a quick smile before talking about his faith in Gioia.

            “He’s a college kicker,” said Comerford. “When we put him out there, we have the utmost confidence that Tommy is going to make the kick.”

            The Tigers move to 5-2 overall, and 3-0 in league play with the victory. After the game, Comerford was already looking forward to next week’s showdown with Canisius.

            “We’re happy for the time being, and our kids are happy and they deserve this moment,” said Comerford. “But we come back Monday and the Joe’s week is over, we have to move on to Canisius.”

            Timon jumped out to a quick lead on St. Joe’s after Demone Harris blocked a St. Joe’s punt, and Brad Wellenzohn recovered for the Tigers in the end zone.  The play sent the hometown fans into a frenzy, which carried through for much of the game.

            From there, Timon turned to their ground attack.  Senior fullback Jackson Brown scored on a 2-yard run early in the second quarter to put the Tigers up 14-0.

            “I just lowered my head and said I’m getting in,” said Brown of his touchdown.

            Brown finished the game with 14 carries for 55 yards and a touchdown. Junior running back Adam DiMillo added 170 yards on 22 carries for the Tigers.

            St. Joe’s answered back to tie the game in the third quarter, on junior fullback Rodrick Payne’s second touchdown of the game.  Payne finished with 94 yards on 10 carries and two touchdowns.  He also had 12 total tackles on defense.

            Timon was able to hold its composure and move the ball down field on the ensuing drive to set up Gioia’s game-winning field goal.  The Timon sideline exploded as the ball went through the uprights, and the Tigers met Gioia with hugs and screams as he celebrated his way to the bench.  Their defense held strong from there, ensuring the Tigers their fourth straight victory.

            St. Joe’s moves to 6-1 with the loss, and will host St. Mary’s of Lancaster next Saturday.

            Timon plays Canisius next Friday night in a game that might determine the number one playoff seed in the Monsignor Martin league.

            “We beat a good team, but we have another good team coming up and we have to prepare for Canisius now,” said Brown.

Canisius Defeats Aquinas for the First Time in School History

 

            Canisius beat Aquinas 35-7 at Koessler Field Saturday, marking their first victory over Aquinas in school history.

            The win brought to an end the Crusader’s 21-game losing streak to the section V powerhouse from Rochester, which dated back to 1945.

            “Those guys have had our number for years and years and years, so this has been a long time coming,” said Canisius head coach Rich Robbins after the game. “The kids just said its our turn today.”

            With the win, Canisius moves to 6-0, and is home to Cardinal O’Hara next Saturday. 

            Aquinas drops to 4-2 with the loss.  Before this season, the last time they had lost two games in a row was in 2006. 

            The Little Irish came out strong on their opening drive, taking the lead on a Billy Lombardi 4-yard touchdown run.

            From there, it was all Canisius.  They scored 35 unanswered points en route to a decisive victory.

            “We really felt like if we tightened up and fixed some things that we could get them stopped,” said Robbins.

            Canisius’ junior quarterback Tyler Mascio was 10-12 for 209 yards and three touchdowns.  Senior Kyle Abernathy had a passing touchdown of his own, as well as a receiving touchdown and two interceptions on the day.

            Senior Denzel Benton was the star of the afternoon, catching five passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns, as well as an interception on defense.

            “We have to stay strong, we can’t rest,” said Benton after the game. “We have to stay at work, we have to come back next week and get it done again.”

            Canisius’ offensive line also stepped up to the plate today. Coming into the game, Aquinas’ defense had 22 sacks on the season.  Canisius surrendered only one sack this afternoon, bringing their season total to just three sacks allowed.

Jamestown Knocks Off No. 1 Ranked Orchard Park

        Jamestown beat Orchard Park tonight 35-28 in the Red Raider’s 2012 homecoming game at Strider Field.
        The win snaps Orchard Park’s 18-game winning streak, as well as their 12-game winning streak over Jamestown, dating back to 2003.
        “Our players played a complete game from start to finish, they had tremendous character,” said Jamestown head coach Tom Langworthy. “We knew it was going to be a four quarter game, and our players were up to the challenge tonight.”
        Jamestown controlled the first half of the game, but surrendered a touchdown with one second left in the half. Quarterback Kevin Goltz threw a pass to his brother Austin Goltz in the corner of the end zone to close the halftime gap to 21-14.
        Jamestown went ahead 28-20 late in the third quarter, only to have Orchard Park tie the game at 28 on a touchdown from Kevin Goltz to Jeff Modkins with 6:50 left in the fourth quarter.
        Jamestown answered back immediately, on a drive set up by junior running back Da’quan Hollingsworth’s highlight-reel kick return to the Orchard Park 29-yard line.
         From there, junior quarterback Jacob Sisson led the Red Raiders on a game-winning touchdown drive, capped off by his throw to Stephen Carlson in the back corner of the end zone with 3:55 left in the game.
        “When you play a team like Orchard Park, you can’t play conservative and hope to win. You have to expect it and go for it,” said Langworthy after the game. “It was just a great win for the program and the community.”
        Jamestown moves to 5-1 overall, 3-1 in AA South league play with the win. Their next game is at Clarence on Saturday, October 13.
        Orchard Park's loss dropped them to 5-1 overall, 4-1 in AA South league play. They host Niagara Falls next Friday, October 12.