The talented Hornets got on the scoreboard first after driving 71 yards on 16 plays before the Knights held, forcing a Jon Fisher field from 27 yards out to make it 3-0 O-A.

LeRoy stormed back with an 11-play 51-yard scoring drive of their own culminating with an Alexander TD dive from 1 yard out. Fenstermaker's PAT was true to give the Knights a 7-3 lead as 9:10 remained in the 1st half.

After forcing a Hornet punt, Fenstermaker ran up the middle for a 12-yard gain, delivering a thunderous hit on O-A's Tim Smith that sent Smith to the sidelines for the remainder of contest with a concussion. Smith, a 2-way star for the Hornets, had 63 yards on 8 carries prior to the play as well as a fine kick return and defensive play. The score remained 7-3 LeRoy at the half.

The 2nd half saw both teams rendering few yards via strong defensive play. Five minutes into the 3rd quarter, Oakfield-Alabama QB A.J. Kehlenbeck hit huge tight end Tyler Kowalcyck with a 30-yard toss to give the Hornets a 10-7 lead much to the delight of their fans.

The Knights countered the O-A score in but 2 plays as a short pass from Fenstermaker to Mike Humphrey resulted in a 55-yard score after Mike raced past the Hornets defense around left end for the TD that put the Knights up 13-10 margin after the blocked PAT.

Late in the 3rd quarter O-A RB Jason Stanley, playing for the injured Smith, darted 57 yards after some fine blocks from his big O-line to the end zone to give the Hornets the lead once again, 17-13 with 2:02 to go in quarter 3.

Showing the strength and resolve of a championship team, the Knights marched 68 yards in 12 plays to regain the lead when FB Jon Casper plowed in from the 1 to put Brian Moran's squad up 20-17. The key play in the drive was an incredible 4th-and-7 conversion when Fenstermaker threw a perfect sideline pass to Quentin Humphrey who was playing in the game with just one contact lens as one fell out earlier in the battle with no spare in sight.

Quentin blasted the ensuing kickoff straight into a Hornet return team member making for a mad scramble for the 'free' ball. LeRoy's Eric Stella came up with the huge recovery to give the Knights the ball at midfield and a grand opportunity to add a score that could conceivably put the game away.

LeRoy did just that. Fenstermaker led the offense 51 yards in 8 plays as Andrew Alexander snagged a screen from Travis and zig-zagged 26 yards through the O-A defense for a game ensuring score with 5:01 left in the game.

O-A's attempt at a possible comeback was halted as Jordan Casper sacked O-A QB Kehlenbeck and 2 plays later the Knights regained possession as the Hornets failed to convert a 4th-and-22 scenario.

The 27-17 win allowed LeRoy to capture their 14th sectional football crown, more than any other program in Section V championship history. The first was registered in 1984 when LeRoy's last undefeated squad (10-0) led by then head coach Jim Laemlein shut out Red Jacket 17-0. Coach Brian Moran since arriving in 1989 has added 13 more in his 20 years at the helm while compiling a fantastic 168-42-2 record in his illustrious career.

John Scheuing had a monster game from his linebacker post with 15 tackles. Andrew Alexander added 8 stops, while Mike Humphrey, Joe Schwab, and Jon Casper each had 7 tackles.

The Knights now advance to the Western Regional final Saturday, November 15th, with a 10 AM kickoff at the University of Buffalo. They will face Southwestern Jamestown (10-0) of Section 6.

"I've pretty much been here for every practice since I first showed up way back when," he said. "I've grown up in the program."

He has plenty of company.

The majority of players on this year's 9-0 squad dreamed the same dreams when they were 5. And that's the way it's been for decades in this football-crazed village on the eastern border of Genesee County.

"All the little kids look up to us," Fenstermaker said. "It's like we are Derek Jeter to them. It was the same way when I was little. I looked up to Joe Shaughnessy, who was the starting quarterback back then. I wanted to be just like him."

Twelve years later, he is.

Earlier this week, Fenstermaker was named the 2008 Ontario Honda Section V Class C Offensive Player of the Year. The honor was in recognition of his do-it-all season in which he has thrown for 1,030 yards and 18 touchdowns and rushed for an additional 425 yards and four scores. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound senior also plays defensive back, punts, kicks off and boots extra points.

"He's been a jack of all trades for us, and a great leader," said coach Brian Moran of the quarterback who is 20-1 in two years as a starter. "He'll do anything it takes to win. I think that's been a big part of our success through the years. We've had players and coaches and people in the community who are willing to make sacrifices for the good of the program."

High school football has long been a galvanizing force here, in the birthplace of Jell-O. They call their autumnal tradition Friday "Knight" Lights and, for big games, it's not unusual to see the town literally shut down, with more than 3,000 fans stuffing the bleachers and ringing the field at Hartwood Park, where LeRoy has won 44 straight.

The program's roots can be traced to 1897. The winning tradition was in place when Moran arrived 20 years ago, but he has taken it to another level. He's guided the Knights to a 167-42-2 record and 12 sectional titles in that span.

A victory against Oakfield-Alabama would add more hardware to their bulging trophy case and give the Oatkan Knights more sectional championships than any football program in the area.

"I credit the kids, my staff and the community," Moran said. "We have kids who come from hard-working families, and we have a community that gives us tremendous support. Football is a source of pride here."

A star defensive end at Livonia High School and Cortland State, Moran showed up here after two years as an assistant under Pat Stark and Ray Tellier at the University of Rochester, and three years as an assistant at his high school alma mater.

His first team at LeRoy in 1989 didn't get off to a sterling start.

"We were 3-2 after five games and really struggling," he said. "Only four teams made the sectionals in those days, so it wasn't looking good."

But Moran righted the ship and the Knights ran the table, capping the season with a 26-12 victory in the sectional championship game against a Livonia team that had beaten them by a point early in the season.

That win gave the Oatkan Knights their second title — they won their first under coach Jim Laemlein in 1984.

In last week's 21-14 victory over Letchworth, LeRoy was uncharacteristically careless with the ball, but was able to overcome five turnovers thanks to Andrew Alexander, who had a spectacular game, rushing for 312 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries.

Fenstermaker had a solid showing, directing the attack with 77 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries and five completions in 10 attempts for an additional 60 yards.

Loyalty is a huge part of the program's success. The coaches and players have dedicated this season to one of their most devoted supporters, Hooks Robertson, a former assistant coach who died in the offseason after a long bout with cancer.

"He was a guy who started showing up about 10 years ago, just wanting to help out," Moran said. "He would do whatever he could for us. He was a great guy to have around the kids and around the coaches because he was such a positive person.

"He was one of the unsung heroes of our program."

And one of the many reasons the Oatkan Knights have been enjoying such a great run of success.

Tonight they can add to their legacy. A victory would give them their third consecutive sectional crown and sixth in this decade.

Fenstermaker and his teammates are well aware what's at stake.

"Coach has talked about us having the opportunity to win more titles than anybody else," he said. "We have a chance to make history.''

And give little boys here another reason to dream about experiencing Friday "Knight" Lights for themselves someday.