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CALEDONIA
- In the final game of Section 5 football's 2011 regular season, Caledonia-Mumford
defeated rival LeRoy 35-13 at Hamilton Field on Friday.
Cal-Mum
exploded to a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter - scoring on its
first three straight possessions of the game - thanks to its formidable
rushing game which accumulated nearly 300 yards.
"It all starts with the offensive line," senior running back
Jon Cappotelli said. "A lot of credit to those guys."
Cappotelli scored two touchdowns total and made big gains to set up
two others. Cappotelli initiated the scoring with a 29-yard run, shaking
off multiple defenders pulling at his jersey, leading to a Madison Suhr
15-yard touchdown run.
In a nearly identical sequence, Mike Nevinger scored a touchdown on
a 19-yard touchdown run immediately following another Cappotelli outburst
- this time for 18 yards to set up the score. The Red Raiders led 14-0
at the end of the first quarter.
Cal-Mum's offense was productive, and its defense held the Oatkan Knights
to just one first down until the final minutes of the first half.
"We know they're going to get yards," Cal-Mum head coach John
Walther said. "We preach a bend-don't-break mentality."
With two minutes remaining in the second quarter, LeRoy's Tommy McQuillen
instantly ended the shutout and the first-down drought with an 80-yard
sprint for a touchdown to empower the Oatkan Knights. LeRoy was able
to move the ball into Red Raider territory after recovering a fumble
on the kickoff, but Suhr intercepted a pass in the end zone to end the
half with the Red Raiders leading 21-7.
Cappotelli had touchdown runs of 14 and 12 yards and ran for 122 yards.
Nevinger also contributed to the Red Raiders ground attack with two
touchdowns including one for 53 yards. He finished with 74 yards on
the ground.
"He's a great blocker. And a good runner and athlete," Cappotelli
said of his teammate.
"We have other guys who can make a big contribution," Walther
said regarding Cappotelli and the run-game support. "Teams know
what we're going to do but we have more than one threat."
Cal-Mum's running game is its foundation, and something that Walther
says is fundamental to the Route 5 Rivalry.
"That's what this game is," Walther said regarding his team's
strategy of pounding the football. "That's what people expect to
see for this game."
In addition to McQuillen's second quarter score, the senior broke out
for a 63-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. McQuillen rushed
for 235 yards in the loss. LeRoy QB Andy Lowe completed 6 passes with
3 of them snagged by junior TE Marcus Mistersaro. Archie Cappotelli
led the Knights' defense with 8 stops while Louie Restivo was the top
tackler for the host Raiders, registering 11, one more than teammate
Alex Kenville (10).
Cal-Mum ends the regular season at 5-2 overall and 3-2 in Livingston
County Division II, while LeRoy finishes 3-4 and 2-3. Both teams have
qualified for sectional play - LeRoy is seeded #6 in Class C and is
to face the 3rd seeded Wellsville Lions, while Cal-Mum is #4 in Class
DD, earning them a rematch with the top-seeded Letchworth Indians who
are vying for their 3rd consecutive sectional title.
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