CALEDONIA - Before last Friday night it had been six long years since Caledonia-Mumford had defeated LeRoy in one of New York State's best football rivalries. The drought has ended.

The Red Raiders totaled 248 yards of offense to post a 14-0 win over a stubborn LeRoy team that played well but was flummoxed by fumbles. The Knights gave the Raiders all they could handle in the constant misty rain at the Hamilton Field Sports Complex, and like many of the recent record-regardless showdowns between them, this game could have gone either way.

But it was the Raiders who emerged victorious, thanks in no small part to the rushing of sophomore Jon Capppotelli, who totaled 100 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries in the absence of junior tailback Tyler Lauffer, who was injured in the Avon game a week earlier. Also contributing heavily to the Cal-Mum rushing attack was junior fullback Trevor Haut, who picked up 65 tough yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. Adding to the mix was senior quarterback Mike Anderson, who threw two completions for 54 yards, one a 39-yarder to Cappotelli.

Although they were just 1-4 coming in, it was evident from the start that the Knights had come to play.

The Knights' defense held Cal-Mum to three-and-out on the opening seriesof the game, then drove from their 35 to the Red Raiders' 34 in eight plays. But that's where they lost the first of the four key fumbles that would flatten their tires, and the Raiders took over there.

Cal-Mum drove to the LeRoy one in just six plays, but on third and goal Cappotelli was smacked for a two-yard loss, and the fourth-down pass fell incomplete to give the Knights the ball at the three.

LeRoy picked up six yards on two carries, but the third-down pitch produced fumble number two. This one was recovered by the Knights at the one, but still forced a punt out of the end zone. Cappotelli picked up the ball on a bounce and returned it to the 20. Five plays later Haut was in the end zone off a three-yard run, following a huge 15-yard 4th-and-eight pass play from Anderson to freshman Madison Suhr. Cappotelli added a gritty, second-effort run for the conversion, and Cal-Mum took an 8-0 lead with 10:47 to play in the second quarter.

The Knights responded with a drive from the Raider 24 behind junior running back Rick Henry and senior fullback Jon Casper, who were tearing up yardage in big chunks as LeRoy drove to the Cal-Mum nine. But a third-down run from there that appeared destined to break the plain got rocked loose for fumble number three, and the Raiders recovered in the end zone to take possession at the 20.

From there, Cal-Mum drove to the LeRoy 20 before turning the ball over on downs, then held the Knights to three-and-out to regain possession with under a minute to play in the first half.

LeRoy would come storming back in the third as senior Quentin Humphrey took the kickoff to the 37, and the Knights pounded to a first down at the Cal-Mum 39 in six plays. But the drive ended on the next play when fumble number four was recovered by Cal-Mum at the line of scrimmage.

The Raiders then embarked on a clock-chewing, 15-play drive that culminated in a four-yard Cappotelli touchdown run. The failed
conversion pass left the score at 14-0 with 2:10 remaining in the third. That would be all the scoring on the night, despite either team's refusal to quit trying.

The Knights drove just past midfield on the ensuing drive before turning the ball over on a fake punt attempt, but the Raiders finally coughed one up to give it back at the LeRoy 40. The momentum wouldn't last as a fourth-and-two pitch produced fumble number five for a four-yard loss to kill the drive, and the Raiders drove back to midfield and punted into the end zone. There was still enough time on the clock for the Knights to put up two scores, but on their first series, fumble number six served up a 10-yard loss on third down, forcing them to punt from deep in their own end. They would hold Cal-Mum on three downs to get it back, but Capotelli intercepted a desperation pass to put the game on ice.

"We worked hard in practice all week," said Cappotelli. "We knew they'd give us a fight, so we had to forget last week's game (loss to Avon) and focus on this one."

Jon Kemnitz led the Raider defense with 11 tackles as the Raiders held the Knights to 145 yards of offense. Henry led LeRoy with 51 yards on 12 carries.

"It was a hard hitting game, but we hung in there and made the plays," said Cal-Mum coach Mike Monacelli. "We're a young team, and we learned that we can play with emotion for four quarters."

Friday, October 9, 2009 (07:30 PM)
League game at Hamilton Field, Caledonia NY
Livingston County Division I/II

Caledonia-Mumford Red Raiders 14, LeRoy Oatkan Knights 0