The Maple Grove Red Dragons used stout defense and 228 yards and two touchdowns from running back Oliver Simpson to blank International-Prep, 31-0, in a Section 6 Class D quarterfinal football game Friday night.
The Red Dragons (8-0), the top-ranked team in the state, held the Presidents (0-8) to 16 yards of total offense and led, 24-0, by intermission.
''We came out and did things very well,'' Maple Grove coach Curt Fischer said, ''and we came out healthy and that's a good thing in a game like this.''
Article Photos
Maple Grove’s Jonah Tanner (32) and Jeff Tampe (25) bring down I-Prep’s Xavier Grant in Friday’s Section 6 Class D quarterfinal football game. See additional photos at cu.post-journal.com.
P-J photo by Scott Reagle
Simpson scored a pair of touchdowns on runs of 44 and 34 yards, Erik Olson booted a 25-yard field goal and quarterback Aaron Germain connected on TD passes of 14 and 11 yards to Derek Johnson and Dalton Bolles.
Fischer raved about Simpson's first TD, which came on their first possession.
''He broke what had to be seven tackles, spun off a guy and ran for the touchdown,'' he said. ''It was an unbelievable night for Oliver.''
The same adjective could be used for Maple Grove's defense, which was led by its front four of Jon Scroxton, Matt Golombek, Jake Swan and Lee Wascher. Scroxton finished with seven tackles, including five for loss.
''They really occupied (I-Prep's) linemen,'' Fischer said.
That allowed linebacker Bolles (nine tackles), and safeties Jonah Tanner (eight tackles) and Jason Seiberg (seven tackles) to make plays.
The Red Dragons will be back in action next Friday when they entertain Portville, a 39-28 winner over Chautauqua Lake.
''They're just a very well-coached team,'' Fischer said. ''They took us to the fourth quarter (earlier in the season). We were only leading, 7-0, going and we ended up putting two (TDs) in. They're a very good football team and they're fundamentally sound. We definitely have to play some great football.''
I-Prep0 0 0 0 - 0
Maple Grove10 14 7 0 - 31
MG-Smposon 44 run (Olson kick)
MG-Olson 25 FG
MG-Johnson 14 pass from Germain (Olson kick)
MG-Bolles 11 pass from Germain (Olson kick)
MG-Simpson 34 pass (Olson kick)
CARDS AWESOME IN WIN
RANDOLPH - The first quarter scoring rundown for Randolph might have set a school record.
Randolph put up 34 points in the opening 12 minutes and the Cardinals rolled to a 44-14 win over Cattaraugus-Little Valley for their fifth straight win and a 6-2 record.
The Cardinals now play Silver Creek on Friday in the semifinals at 7 p.m.
Chris Dowiasz started off the first quarter with an 8-yard run and Micah Kehoe converted for a 7-0 lead.
Nate Beaver was on the receiving end of a 45-yard pass from Mitchell Maycock and then Chris Doubek went over from the 27 as the margin went to 20-0.
The scoring continued as Dowiasz cracked over from the 1 and Lucas Brown snared a 4yard pass from Maycock. Kehoe connected on 4-of-5 placements.
Jared Pitchford concluded the first half scoring with a 56-yard touchdown ramble and Kehoe again converted for a 41-0 halftime.
Cattaraugus-Little Valley got on the scoreboard in the third stanza when Gil Keenan went over from the 1 and Tyler Hanft caught a conversion pass from Sam Agnew.
The only points that Randolph scored in the second half came on a 36-field goal by Kehoe in the fourth quarter.
Then, Justin Forster rambled 90 yards to score with the kickoff for C-LV.
Pitchford wound up with 98 yards on eight carries and Doubek 65 on eight attempts in the win.
Cattaraugus-Little Valley 0 0 8 6 - 14
Randolph 34 7 0 3 - 44
Ran - Dowiasz 8 run (Kehoe kick).
Ran - Beaver 43 pass from Maycock (kick failed).
Ran -Doubek 27 run (Kehoe kick).
Ran - Dowiasz 1 run (Kehoe kick).
Ran - Brown 4 pass from Maycock (Kehoe kick).
Ran - Pitchford 56 run (Kehoe kick).
C-LV - Keenan 1 run (Hanft pass from Agnew).
Ran - Kehoe 36 field goal.
C-LV - Forster 90 kickoff return (pass failed).
PORTVILLE HOLDS OFF CLCS
MAYVILLE - Zack Wood ran for 185 yards in only 14 carries and scored five times, and Brent Marcellin tossed three touchdowns passes as Portville (5-3) eliminated Chautauqua Lake (4-4), 39-28.
Wood scored on runs of 70 and 80 yards, caught a 33-yard touchdown pass and a 2-yard TD aerial from Marcellin and ran back an interception from 54 yards.
Ryan Miller of Chautauqua Lake began the game with an 85-yard score on a kickoff return and did all he could to keep his team in contention.
Miller wound up with 31 carries for 224 yards and scored twice more on runs of 25 and 9 yards.
Marcellin had 130 yards passing for Portville.
Meanwhile, sophomore linebacker Chandler Baker, back after missing several games with a broken arm, made 12 tackles and senior linebacker Andrew Pezzulo 11 for the Thunderbirds.
Portville 6 20 6 7 - 39
Chautauqua Lake 8 6 6 8 - 28
Cha - Miller 85 kickoff return (Hulton pass from Mayer).
Por - Wood 2 pass from Marcellin (run failed).
Por - VanCurrin 95 pass from Marcellin (kick failed).
Por - Wood 80 run (Wood run).
Cha - Miller 9 run (run failed).
Por - Wood 33 pass from Marcellin (run failed).
Por - Wood 70 run (run failed).
Cha - Miller 25 run (run failed).
Por - Wood 54 run (kick good).
Cha Carpenter 72 pass from Mayer (Mayer run).
CLASS C
WARRIORS FALL
SALAMANCA - Salamanca turned the ball over six times, Cleveland Hill's Brandon Thomas rushed for 122 yards on 22 carries and the visiting Golden Eagles (6-1) eliminated Salamanca, 28-21, from the Class C playoffs.
Thomas scored on runs of 6, 5 and 1 yards, while teammate Jonathan Thomas added a 1-yard score during Cleveland Hill's 22-point game-clinching third quarter.
Salamanca made a valiant comeback attempt in the fourth quarter when Tanner John first hit Damien Taylor (who had earlier, on the first play of the second half, returned an 85-yard kickoff for a touchdown) for a 29-yard touchdown and then John later scored from the 8. The Warriors even recovered an onsides kick with 1:30 remaining, but they were unable to reach the end zone.
John finished with 152 yards passing.
Cleveland Hill0 6 22 0 - 28
Salamanca0 7 7 14 - 21
Cle - BThomas 6 run (pass failed).
Sal - Damien Taylor 85 kickoff return (Harrington kick).
Cle - BThomas 5 run (Watkins pass from Radlich).
Cle - BThomas 1 run (pass failed).
Cle - JThomas 1 run (Radlich run).
Sal - Taylor 29 pass from John (Harrington kick).
Sal - John 8 run (Harrington kick).
FREDONIA HOLDS ON
ALLEGANY - Allegany-Limestone certainly had its chances, but in the end, the Fredonia Hillbillies caught most of the breaks in rallying past the Gators, 7-6.
"We did catch some breaks," Fredonia coach Bob Ball said with a sigh of relief. "You have to have some luck go your way in the playoffs. They are a great team. If we play them 10 times, we win five and lose five. To be able to come on the road and win two of two is pretty good. I think we are evenly matched. We are equal all the way around."
Trailing 6-0 late in the fourth quarter and the Fredonia offense unable to generate any offense, it finally got things going on its final drive. With little more than four minutes to play, the Hillbillies embarked on a 13-play, 84-yard drive capped off by a Zach Buckley 1-yard touchdown plunge with 1:14 remaining.
On the drive, Fredonia converted two third-down chances and a fourth-and-2 from the Gators' 9 yard line with 1:58 remaining.
After Buckley's score, Trent Thompson hit the crucial extra point for the 7-6 advantage.
The Gators' final drive started at their own 9 yard line. The passing of quarterback Kyle Stover to receiver Todd Mason was effective as the duo helped march the home team down the field, highlighted by a 29-yard strike to set up first down from the 11 yard line. After a pass interference call and an incomplete pass, the Gators tried for a 23-yard field goal with 2.3 seconds left. The ball was bobbled by the holder and recovered by Fredonia as the clock struck zero.
The Gators got on the board midway through the second quarter as Trevin Barber finished off a nine-play, 28-yard drive with a 2-yard run. A failed extra point left the score 6-0.
CLASS DD
MUSALL LEADS EAGLES
ELLICOTTVILLE - Sophomore Phalla Musall averaged an amazing 23 yards per carry in Ellicottville's one-sided win over Panama in the Class DD semifinals.
Musall ran just 10 times, but gained 223 yards and scored three times as the Eagles (6-2) topped Panama (2-6), 42-8, in the semifinals.
The win sets up another battle with Clymer (7-1) for the title in Ralph Wilson Stadium on Oct. 25. Clymer beat Ellicottville in overtime in the first meeting.
Panama kept the ball almost the entire first quarter and was stopped deep in Ellicottville territory early in the second stanza. Musall then went 90 yards to paydirt and Ellicottville never trailed.
Musall hit paydirt from 55 yards and 4 yards while Cam Wilson, Callan Watt and Jake Stoll scored the other touchdowns for the Eagles.
Robbie Benson tallied on a 30-yard run and Sawyer Eggleston passed to Alec Blose for two points for Panama's lone score.
Tackle Jesse Pollock made 11 tackles and linebacker Dylan Paprocki 10 tackles for the Eagles.
Panama 0 0 0 8 - 8
Ellicottville 0 20 22 0 - 42
Ell - Musall 90 run (C. Wilson run).
Ell -Musall 4 run (run failed).
Ell - Wilson 20 run (run failed).
Ell - Musall 55 run (Storm Wilson pass from C. Wilson).
Ell - Watt 40 interception (kick failed).
Ell - Stoll 4 run (Lorenzo Smith run).
Pan - Benson 30 run (Blose pass from Eggleston).
CLASS DD CONSOLATION
GREINER LEADS FRANKLINVILLE
FRANKLINVILLE - Franklinville, behind the rushing of Jamie Greiner, evened its record at 4-4 and earned a place in the Class DD Chuck Funke Memorial Classic Consolation Bowl against Pine Valley on Thursday at Southwestern.
Greiner ran for 153 yards on 21 carries and scored on a 41-yard run as Franklinville defeated Nichols (6-2), 29-20.
Nose tackle Trent Bigman made eight tackles in the win.
Nichols 0 6 6 8 - 20
Franklinville 0 10 13 6 - 29
Nic - Gilneski 30 pass from Ryan (run failed).
Fra - Kopp 60 run (Greiner run).
Fra - Safety punt snapped out of end zone.
Fra - C. Bigman 31 pass from Kopp (Kopp kick).
Fra - C. Bigman 39 pass from Eric Michaelis (Kopp kick).
Nic - Noonan 85 kickoff (run failed).
Fra - Greiner 41 run (kick failed).
Nic - Noonan 6 run (Noonan pass from Ryan).