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Game
Recap by Brian Hillabush, Batavia Daily News Sports
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Knights
defeat Marcus Whitman 17-6
for Section V Class C Championship Coach Brian Moran captures 10th sectional title |
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Game
Action Photography by Michael Johnson, Livingston County News Sports
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PITTSFORD
- The Le Roy offense was nearly perfect. The defense was. With a dominant
performance on both sides of the football, the top-seeded Le Roy football
team was able to capture the school's 11th sectional title with a 17-6
win over second-seeded Marcus Whitman in the Section 5 Class C finals
at St. John Fisher College Friday. |
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| Marcus
Whitman went three-and-out and the Oatkan Knights were able to mount a
long drive that started at their own 23-yard line. After 15 plays and
67 yards, the MW defense made a stop. The drive took seven minutes off
the clock and saw Le Roy convert on two fourth downs before Bennetti was
sacked on fourth-and-4 at the Marcus Whitman 10. The Wildcats again struggled
to move the football and had to punt. Le Roy started at its own 29 and marched right down the field again. This time, it resulted in a score. Bennetti hit Fox with an 18-yard pass and Farabella had a 14-yard run on a sweep right that set up a 1-yard touchdown plunge by Fox, putting Le Roy up 7-0. "It was intense. When we had the ball we decided to just keep going and going," said Farabella, who rushed for 170 yards on 25 carries and was named MVP. "We knew we needed it because we didn't know how many chances we'd have. When we got the ball, we finished." After a three-and-out by the Wildcats, Le Roy was able to finish off the first half with another score. The Oatkan Knights took over with 1:41 on the clock and were able to drive with big plays. Bennetti avoided two sacks and then ran for 16 yards. The sophomore quarterback then hit Boo Hinett on a 27-yard pass to the Wildcats' 5. After two Fox runs and a spiked ball on third down, Shaun Swanson hit an 18-yard field goal as time expired. "We say all the time that in high school football a field goal is as good as a touchdown," Le Roy coach Brian Moran said. "(We made them) have to score three times instead of two. Swanson did a great job with the extra points, field goals and kickoffs." Le Roy's score in the second half came after Marcus Whitman failed to get a second first down on the opening possession and had to punt. Farabella had a 62-yard touchdown run for the final Oatkan Knights' score. "I had the stiff-arm going - I learned that from Marshall Silvernail - and I just kept going," Farabella said. "I had momentum and wanted to score on that." Marcus Whitman (9-1) got on the board with 3:42 left in the game when Chris Wickham hooked up with Adam Dietz on a 22-yard touchdown pass. The Wildcats tried an onside kick, but Le Roy was able to recover and run out the clock. Phil Niccloy was the outstanding defensive lineman for the game for Le Roy, while Josh Wells was the outstanding defensive back and Adam Dietz was the outstanding offensive lineman for Marcus Whitman. Le Roy (10-0) will play Section 6 champion Falconer at 10 a.m. Nov. 13 at Ralph Wilson Stadium. "Coach tells us that they are a pretty good team and we are just going to come out, do our best and hopefully win," Dieffenbacher said. |
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1-LeRoy
7-0
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LeRoy
51-13
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8-Wellsville
3-4
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LeRoy
21-13
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5-Can-Greenwd
5-2
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Can-Greenwd
42-9
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4-Avon
5-2
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2004
Section V Class C
Football Championship |
LEROY
17-6
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3-Pembroke
6-1
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Pembroke
42-0
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6-Warsaw
4-3
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Marc.
Whitman 35-13
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7-Bishop
Kearney 4-3
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Marc.
Whitman 21-3
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2-Marc.
Whitman 7-0
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LEROY vs. MARCUS
WHITMAN GAME STATISTICS
OFFENSE
DEFENSE
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LeRoy
head coach Brian Moran readies his Knights for action in the sectional
championship game.
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The
Marcus Whitman Wildcats take to the field, ready to battle for the Section
5 Class C title with LeRoy.
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Knights
capture 11th Section 5 Football Title
with 17-6 win over Marcus Whitman  Farabella, Fox, & Niccloy earn game MVP honors |
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Recap
below by James Johnson, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle Sportswriter
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6, 2004) - Mike Farabella and the rest of the LeRoy running backs provided
the points. The defense delivered more big blows Friday until the Oatkan
Knights hammered their way to another Section V title. Andrew Fox and
Farabella each ran for a touchdown while LeRoy shut out Marcus Whitman
for three quarters during a 17-6 victory that brings championship No.
11 to the Oatkan Knights. Farabella was named the Most Valuable Player of the Class C final at Growney Stadium after he carried the ball 25 times for 170 yards. His 61-yard run early in the third quarter pushed LeRoy (10-0) to a 17-0 lead. "Last year we weren't lucky enough to get this far," Farabella said about LeRoy's sectional semifinalist team in 2003. "This year we worked hard. "We came ready to play." Farabella, a junior, appeared doomed to a one-game season after he suffered a broken hand in a kickoff return in his team's opener. He was out for five weeks. "The doctors basically told me that my season was done," Farabella said. "I told them to do what they needed to get me back for sectionals. "I came back and had to step it up." The LeRoy defense didn't let down against the Wildcats. Whitman (9-1) crossed midfield once during the first three quarters at St. John Fisher College and needed 46 plays to muster 171 yards of offense, compared with 361 for LeRoy. Wildcats quarterback Chris Wickham was 9-for-18 passing for 110 yards, including a 17-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. "Their offensive and defensive lines are the strongest parts of their team," Wickham, also a defensive back, said. "They opened up huge holes for their backs and just overpowered us. "They are a pretty simple team. We just didn't make tackles." Fox, the
LeRoy fullback, also found room to run. He finished with 118 yards on
23 carries. "It
was the time of my life," Whitman junior nose tackle Jared Proctor
said. "I've never had more fun. All great things end, and tonight
it did. We'll be back. "They
are a bunch of big guys and they definitely get after it. They know
how to shut you down." LeRoy's lead jumped to 17-0 on its first series of the second half. Farabella broke off-tackle to his left for his long TD. Whitman moved 78 yards in 20 plays to score with 3:42 remaining. Adam Dietz grabbed a 17-yard pass from Wickham, but the Wildcats missed the extra-point kick attempt and LeRoy covered Whitman's onside kick. The sectional trophy just about belonged the Oatkan Knights at that point. "We got what we deserved," LeRoy defensive lineman Phil Niccloy said. The Oatkan Knights play Falconer-VI (9-1), the Buffalo-area champion, in the West Regionals at 10 a.m. Saturday at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park. |
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Three
of the game's MVPs ready for action. Josh Wells (48 - MVP Def. Back),
Andrew Fox (30 - MVP Off.
Back), and Mike Farabella (32 - MVP Championship Game). Also shown are the excellent interior linemen of LeRoy - Tim Dieffenbacher (56), John Whiting (78 - just a freshman), and Mike Pacer (54). |
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Marcus Whitman QB Chris Wickham spots an open target. Wickham was 9
of 18 for 110 yds and a TD.
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