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Central crowns Vikings to ensure first-ever trip to 'The Ralph'
By Steven Dlugosz Times
 | | REASON TO SMILE...Cheektowaga Central players take time to soak in the moment after beating Grand Island Friday, a win that assured the Warriors of a trip to Ralph Wilson Stadium tonight. (Times photo) |
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After battling a gritty Grand Island team tooth and nail Friday, before coming out on top, several Cheektowaga Central football players were overcome with emotion after realizing what they had just accomplished- the Warriors' first-ever trip to Ralph Wilson Stadium.
Senior quarterback Adam Piscitello wept while embracing head coach Scott Zipp. Watery-eyed senior linebacker Jake Havernick hugged his mother. Other players piled on top of one another in jubilation. And for the second week in a row, Queen's "We Are the Champions" rained down from Central's stadium louds peakers. Overall, it was quite a scene, and, for the previous two and one-half hours, quite a game.
The Warriors edged Class A North opponent Grand Island, 26-18, in a Section VI semifinal contest that saw a handful of big plays propel Central past the Vikings. Friday's game was also the first contest since Central's season-opening game against Depew that the Warriors trailed.
 | | SIGN SAYS IT ALL...Cheektowaga Central fans were fired up for the start of Friday's game against Grand Island, making a sign that showed their enthusiasm for the Warriors prior to kickoff. (Times photo) |
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Central stopped a pair of important two-point conversion attempts by Grand Island. The first occurred after Vikings quarterback Joe Oliverio scored on a one-yard keeper to put Grand Island in the lead, 12- 7, with 53 seconds left in the third quarter. On the two-point attempt, a pair of Warriors defenders stopped Vikings running back Alex Webb just short of the goal line.
The second two-point stop came after Oliverio actually caught a 24- yard touchdown pass on a wide receiver option throw with five minutes remaining in the game. The score brought Grand Island to within 20-18 of Central, but Warriors senior defensive back Dante Parker batted away the ensuing two-point pass attempt.
After Parker's big breakup, Central junior running back Jaleel Harris appeared to ice the game when he burst 49 yards down the right sideline to pay dirt to give his team an eight-point advantage with three minutes remaining. However, sophomore Nick McClean's point after try was blocked, giving the Vikings one last chance. Grand Island drove to Central's 20-yard line, but junior Clay Reeb made three key pass breakups, and the Vikings were faced with a 4th-and-13. Then, a low snap that bounced from center was recovered by a Vikings running back, who was then swarmed over by Warrior defenders.
Central kneeled out the remaining seconds, and the celebration began. The playoff contest was the Warriors' first since 2005, when the locals dropped an 8-7 home decision to Lackawanna in the Class B semifinals.
McClean, who contributed touchdown runs of 55 and 42 yards, had a look of both disbelief and happiness after the game.
"There's really no feeling for it now," McClean told the Times, one week after his field goal secured first place in Class A South over Iroquois. "There's no word to describe it. We battled (Grand Island) and they made us work hard...It's just incredible."
Harris, whose smile did not fade after the game, said going to "The Ralph" will be a great experience.
"This feels real good, to be going there for the first time in Central's history," said Harris. "I'm happy to be a part of it. I hope we feel the same after we play there."
Zipp told his team in the postgame huddle that playing at "The Ralph," a game that will take place tonight at 7:30 p.m. against Class A North opponent Sweet Home (9-0), is an "experience of a lifetime."
"This is bigger than mostly anything you will ever do," Zipp said of playing on the Bills' turf. "This accomplishment is something you will cherish."
There were, however, some scary moments during Friday's contest, as Grand Island (5-4) refused to go quietly. After McClean opened the scoring on the game's first drive on a 42-yard run up the middle, the Vikings came back to within 7-6 on a one-yard scoring plunge by Webb. The ensuing extra point attempt sailed wide right.
The Warriors had a pair of firsthalf drives stall inside the Vikings' "red zone," including a fumble into the end zone by Central senior David Morrison, as well as a turnover on downs following a big sack. Central also wasted a golden scoring opportunity early in the third quarter- after McClean intercepted a pass and returned the pick to Grand Island's 20-yard line- when it could not generate a first down.
After Oliverio's scoring run, McClean gave the Warriors the momentum back when he burst out of a crowd of tacklers near the left sideline and scampered 55 yards to pay dirt on the final play of the third quarter. Although Central could not convert a two-point pass attempt, Reeb made a huge play on the ensuing kickoff, ripping the ball out of the hands of a Vikings returner and giving the Warriors possession at Grand Island's 33-yard line.
From there, a pair of runs by junior Pat Eck and a 16-yard scamper by Piscitello set up a seven-yard scoring pass between the same pair over the middle with 9:22 left in the fourth quarter. After an unnecessary roughness penalty on Central, McClean booted an extra-long PAT.
McClean finished 105 yards rushing on just five carries. Defensively, Reeb led the Warriors with five tackles.
Redskins join in parade of
locals going to 'The Ralph'
Lancaster's motto this season seems to be, "Win close and lose big." That statement was again true Friday in the most important of situations- a playoff road contest at North Tonawanda in the Class AA semifinals. The Redskins (6-3) squeezed out a 10-7 win over the Lumberjacks to advance to the AA championship against unbeaten Orchard Park.
Despite being outgained 300-150, The Redskins recovered four NT fumbles, including one Lumber- jacks' muff at NT's 28-yard line with one minute remaining. From there, kicker Keith Stoerr booted a 20-yard field goal to send the 'Skins to "The Ralph" for the first time since 2001.
Lancaster junior quarterback Frank Gregori opened the scoring in the first quarter on a two-yard run to pay dirt, and the score remained 7-0 until NT tied the game in the fourth quarter.
Lancaster and Orchard Park squared off previously on October 5, when the Quakers routed the Redskins, 35-7. Lancaster's losses this season have all come by more than 20 points, and five of its wins have been by seven points or less.
Bartoszek leads Kennedy
to Consolation Bowl final
John F. Kennedy senior quarterback Mike Bartoszek is doing his best to help the Bears make the most of a "consoling" second season.
Bartoszek scored three touchdowns in Saturday's first round of the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame Consolation Bowl series, as JFK pounded winless Class C foe Allegany-Limestone at home, 35-8.
With the win, the Bears (5-4) ended a four-game losing skid. They will face league opponent Cassadaga Valley Saturday at Jamestown's Strider Field, with kickoff scheduled for 4 p.m. The Cougars edged the Bears, 24-21, late in the regular season.
Elsewhere in Consolation Bowl action, Maryvale (5-4) was blanked at home Saturday by Kenmore East, 20-0, in Class A play.
Also in Class A consolation play, West Seneca East edged Albion on the road Saturday, 9-8. The Trojans (4-5) will face Kenmore East in the "A" Consolation Bowl final Saturday at Medina with a 4 p.m. kickoff.
St. Mary's gears up for
familiar playoff opponent
For the second year in a row, St. Mary's of Lancaster will square off in back-to-back weeks against league foe Archbishop Walsh, with the Monsignor Martin playoffs opening Saturday.
St. Mary's, which won both meetings- including the league semifinals- against Walsh in 2006, edged the Eagles 18-14 on the road Friday, as junior and Cheektowaga resident Ken Jarmusz contributed a gamehigh 13 tackles. Senior tight end and Depew resident Bob Moehring caught two touchdown passes from junior quarterback Greg Justen, including a nine-yarder in the first quarter and a 33-yarder in the second.
Senior running back Joe Eckl rushed for 198 yards, adding an 85- yard kickoff return for a score in the second quarter.
The Lancers (7-2 overall, 3-1 in Monsignor Martin League A) will host Walsh (2-6, 2-2) at 2 p.m.
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