VESTAL – Clymer/Sherman/Panama and Dolgeville were the top-ranked Class D teams in the state entering Friday.

It turns out, the gap between them is quite large.

Tate Catanese threw for four touchdowns and ran for another as No. 1 Clymer/Sherman/Panama turned a 36-0 halftime lead into a 43-14 victory over the second-ranked Blue Devils in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association’s West Semifinal at Vestal High School.

Next up for the Wolfpack is a 3 p.m. title game tilt with Section IX’s Burke Catholic next Friday at the JMA Wireless Dome on the campus of Syracuse University. The Eagles beat Section II’s Greenwich 25-18 in overtime of their East Semifinal on Friday at Middletown High School.

If Clymer/Sherman/Panama plays as well as it did in the opening 24 minutes at Dick Hoover Stadium, it’s hard to imagine Burke Catholic being much of a test.

The Wolfpack needed less than three minutes to score their first touchdown on a 3-yard touchdown pass from Catanese to Bryce Hinsdale and then needed just over two minutes to tack on their second score when Catanese connected with Carter Brink for a 23-yard touchdown with 2:45 left in the opening quarter. A pair of point-after kicks made it 14-0.

Travis Owens recovered a Dolgeville fumble on the Blue Devils’ next possession and just over three minutes later, Clymer/Sherman/Panama converted that turnover into a 22-0 lead after Owens’ 2-yard touchdown run and a 2-point conversion plunge from Catanese.

Brink caught his second touchdown of the game, a 16-yarder from Catanese, with 3:01 left in the first half and after the Blue Devils muffed the ensuing kickoff, Alex Barmore capped the first-half scoring with a 16-yard touchdown catch of his own on a fourth-down screen pass with 1:20 remaining in the second quarter.

All that remained to be discovered in the second half was whether or not Hinsdale would chase down the state’s career receptions record. Entering the game seven away from Bruce Williams’ mark of 227, Hinsdale grabbed four passes in the first half.

After Dolgeville turned the ball over on downs to open the third quarter, Catanese quickly targeted Hinsdale on the Wolfpack’s drive. On first-and-10 and second-and-5, the pair hooked up for Hinsdale’s 225th and 226th catches. After an 11-yard run by Owens, Hinsdale tied the record with a 6-yard catch on a screen pass.

Then, on second-and-4 from the 50-yard line, Hinsdale ran a 6-yard out toward the Dolgeville sideline to establish a new record with 3:47 left in the third quarter.

Two plays later, Catanese hooked up with Hinsdale for a 9-yard gain for his 229th reception.

Owens pushed the ball down to the 1-yard line with a 17-yard run and then capped the drive with his second score of the game to make it 43-0.

While Hinsdale’s night was done on offense, he killed Dolgeville’s final drive with an interception inside the 1-yard line.

Clymer/Sherman/Panama’s reserves were then tasked with running out the clock while Catanese and his weapons celebrated on the sidelines as they clinched a trip to the home of the Orange next weekend.

Dolgeville 0 0 0 14 – 14

Clymer/Sherman/Panama 14 22 7 0 – 43

C/S/P-Hinsdale 3 pass from Catanese (Hinsdale kick)

C/S/P-Brink 23 pass from Catanese (Hinsdale kick)

C/S/P-Owens 2 run (Catanese run)

C/S/P-Brink 16 pass from Catanese (Hinsdale kick)

C/S/P-Barmore 16 pass from Catanese (Hinsdale kick)

C/S/P-Owens 1 run (Hinsdale kick)

Dol-Moore 55 pass from Borst (Comstock kick)

Dol-Borst 14 run (Comstock kick)