Frankfort-Schuyler remains unbeaten; Top players, games from Week 3 of Section 3 football

The Frankfort-Schuyler Maroon Knights trailed at halftime but took the lead early in the second half behind sophomore quarterback Martino Rocco.

Rocco ran for five touchdowns and passed for a sixth as the Maroon Knights (3-0, 1-0 Eight Player East) made their debut in a new league with a 48-36 victory at Sauquoit Valley. They scored first but trailed 28-12 late in the second quarter before scoring one touchdown before halftime and two more before Sauquoit ran its first offensive play after.

Once it regained the lead, Frankfort-Schuyler never trailed.

Lionell Coulthurst, another sophomore, started the comeback with his 56-yard touchdown run with a little more than one minute left in the first half. Rocco ran in the conversion and the Maroon Knights trailed 28-20 at halftime.

Winless Sauquoit Valley (0-3, 0-1 Eight Player East) had opened its led with three Brendan Lee touchdowns. Lee, a junior, subbed in when starting running back Ethan Benn was helped off the field following a run on a first-and-goal play with Frankfort-Schuyler leading 6-0 in the final minute of the first quarter. Lee took the ball on his first pay and ran five yards for a touchdown to tie the score.

Fourteen seconds later, Lee scored again. An errant Frankfort-Schuyler snap got away from Rocco and Marc Perry recovered the ball for Sauquoit Valley at the Frankfort-Schuyler 1-yard line. Lee ran for a touchdown on the play.

The Maroon Knights got the ball again at midfield and extended their lead with a 25-yard touchdown pass from Andrew Price to Lee. Benn had returned by then and ran in the conversion for a 20-6 lead.

Frankfort-Schuyler got that touchdown back seconds later. Following the kickoff, the Maroon Knights took possession at their own 45 and Rocco threw to Joshua Stemmer for a touchdown on the first play. That was the fourth one-play possession of the first half for Frankfort-Schuyler which had turned the ball over twice and opened the game's scoring with a 74-yard Rocco run earlier.

Price threw a second touchdown pass before halftime before Coulthurst's run.

The Maroon Knights opted for an onside kick to start the second half and were rewarded when Dalton Loy was able to grab the ball. Five plays later, Rocco ran nine yards for a touchdown but a failed conversion left the Maroon Knights trailing by two points.

The Maroon Knights wound up with the ball again when the Indians were unable to secure the following kickoff. Four plays later, Rocco scored again and his conversion run put Frankfort-Schuyler up 24-28.

Rocco ran 30 yards for another touchdown before the third quarter was over and added a 53-yarder early in the fourth quarter. He finished with 313 rushing yards on 19 carries with 183 of the yards on his touchdowns. Rocco also completed six of the 13 passes he attempted for 111 yards.

Benn ran for a late touchdown for Sauquoit Valley before Frankfort-Schuyler ran out the clock.

More:Section 3 football scores for the 2022 season

Section 3 football, Week Three: Top players, performers

Todd Abraham, Utica-Proctor: Senior quarterback won the Great American Rivalry Series MVP Saturday when he totaled 225 yards and five touchowns to lead the Raiders to a 52-14 win over Rome Free Academy.

Nick Acevedo, Holland Patent: Junior running back combined with Jordan Koenig for nearly 300 yards on the ground Saturday. Acevedo himself earned 129 and scored two Holland Patent touchdowns. He also intercepted a pass.

Jared Bilinski and Cameron Dager, Dolgeville: Senior running backs combined for 301 rushing yards and three touchdowns Friday in unbeaten Blue Devils' win at Beaver River.

Alex Collver, New Hartford: Senior running back ran for 112 yards and three touchdowns, all in Friday's second quarter, to lead the Spartans to a 53-6 win at Watertown.

Kamryn Comstock, Dolgeville: Senior tight end caugh four passes for 100 yards and scored two touchdowns Friday against Beaver River.

Connor Dean, Camden: The Blue Devils' senior quarterback threw for 137 yards and ran for another 64 Friday, ending with 201 total and four touchdowns. He also intercepted a pass in a 39-20 win over Oneida.

Xavier Dunn, Little Falls: Junior wide receiver caught five passes for 159 yards and three touchdowns in Friday's win at Onondaga.

Josh Grabowski, West Canada Valley: Senior ran for four touchdowns Saturday in West Canada Valley's 44-40 win over New York Mills which was also unbeaten. Grabowski ran for 119 yards on 15 carries. He was also credited with a team-leading 18 tackles on defense.

Jerquell Henderson, Utica-Proctor: Junior finished with more than 120 total yards Saturday, including 94 on the ground. He scored a 36-yard touchdown in the Raider win.

Sam Jacquays, Central Valley Academy: Thunder junior surpassed 150 total yards and scored twice on the ground - 105 rushing yards - to lead Central Valley Academy to a 35-7 win over the Syracuse Institute of Technology in Friday's home opener.

Magic Johnson and Genero Clemente, Utica-Proctor: Johnson, a senior running back, rushed for 109 yards. Clemente, a junior running back, rushed for 92 yards in an increased role in Saturday's win.

Tre Kaiser, Utica-Notre Dame: Sophomore ran for both touchdowns as Notre Dame defeated Herkimer 14-8 for its first win of the season and the program's first since 2018.

Trey Kimball, Camden: Senior running back saw an increased role this week and took advantage. He rushed for 85 yards and scored a second half touchdown.

Jordan Koenig, Holland Patent: Golden Knights senior alternated with Mike Romeo at quarterback and threw for 54 yards and two touchdowns Saturday. On the ground, he rushed for 161 and a score in unbeaten Holland Patent's 35-20 win at Lowville Academy.

Lukas Komnick, New York Mills: Junior quarterback threw four touchdown passes for New York Mills in its eight-player showdown with West Canada Valley. Komnick completed 14 of 23 passes for 350 yards. Antonio DiOrio caught four of the passes for 108 yards and two scores while Santino DiOrio had two catches for 89 yards.

Brayton Langdon, Little Falls: The Mounties' senior quarterback threw for 253 yards passing and four touchdows as Little Falls defeated Onondaga 34-6 for its third consecutive victory Friday.

Brendan Lee, Sauquoit Valley: Junior stepped into the backfield when teammate Ethan Benn was shaken up Friday and ran for touchdowns the first two times he carried the ball against Frankfort-Schuyler. He later caught a 25-yard touchdown pass from Andrew Price to give the Indians a 20-6 lead late in the first half of an eventual 48-36 loss.

Kyle Meier, Whitesboro: Junior quarterback had three touchdowns - two rushing, one passing - to lead Whitesboro to a 41-15 win over Carthage Friday.

Noah Morse, Camden: Senior running back ran for 76 yards and caught two touchdown passes covering a combined 74 yards Friday.

Pierce Relyea Jr, Oneida: Junior running back returned from an injury and scored two of Oneida's three touchdowns Friday.

Martino Rocco, Frankfort-Schuyler: Sophomore quarterback ran for 313 yards and five touchdowns Friday and passed for a sixth score in Frankfort-Schuyler's 48-36 win over Sauquoit Valley.

Matthew Rossi, Vernon-Verona-Sherrill: Senior linebacker recorded a team-leading 12 tackles for the Red Devils in Saturday's win over Westmoreland/Oriskany.

Michael Scalise, Westmoreland/Oriskany: Scalise was the engine of the Bulldogs offense. He threw for 122 yards and ran for another 50. He also scored both Westmoreland/Oriskany touchdowns Saturday.

Brayden Shepardson, West Canada Valley: Senior quarterback completed 12 of 19 passes for 187 yards and two touchdowns in Saturday's 44-40 win at New York Mills. Camerohn Ludwig caught seven passes for 86 yards and one of the touchdowns; Jace Bartlett caught the other touchdown pass.

Jarrett Sherman, New Hartford: Senior running back scored twice and ran for 102 yards Friday, including a 72-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

James Wheeler IV, Vernon-Verona-Sherrill: Senior running back ran for 199 yards and three touchdowns Saturday in Vernon-Verona-Sherrill's 49-14 win over Westmoreland/Oriskany.

Section 3 football, Week Three: Top Saturday games

West Canada Valley 44, New York Mills 40

The West Canada Valley Indians held on through a wild second half Saturday and defeated New York Mills 44-40 on the road in a meeting of two of Section III's final four eight-player unbeatens.

The Indians (3-0, 1-0 Eight Player East) scored twice early and never trailed but were also unable to pull away at Ben Ross Field. West Canada Valley led 14-0 five minutes into the game and its largest lead would be 18 points in the third quarter.

New York Mills (2-1, 0-1 Eight Player East) trailed 30-12 at halftime but took advantage of opportunities it was given in the second half. The Marauders turned the ball over to start the second half but quickly got it back when lineman Ryan Komnick intercepted a pass in the West Canada Valley backfield and returned it to the Indians' 29-yard line. Quarterback Lukas Komnick threw a short pass to Dominick Moore on the next play and the running back turned that play into a touchdown.

A punt muffed by a New York Mills returner set up a short touchdown run for Josh Grabowski - his fourth of the game - and West Canada Valley its largest lead at 36-18. New York Mills then mishandled another kick but this time Davion Slaughter retrieved the ball in the end zone and ran it back the length of the field for a touchdown that was disallowed because the play should have been blown dead when the ball hit the far end zone.

The New York Mills shook off that mishap and put together a 10-play drive that ended with a 24-yard Lukas Komnick-to-Luke Paparella touchdown in the final 30 seconds of the third quarter. Komnick ran for the conversion and the game went to the fourth quarter with West Canada Valley leading by 12 points.

The New York Mills defense did its part, forcing West Canada Valley to punt in the opening minute of the final period. A 60-yard pass from Komnick to Santino DiOrio wet the Marauders up at the West Canada Valley 11 and Paparella bruised his way across the goal line from the 1. Another conversion run by a scrambling Komnick made it a four-point game with 8 1/2 minutes remaining.

A West Canada Valley offense that had scored only once in the second half - on a six-yard drive - stepped up and delivered with the passing game. Brayden Shepardson hit on four consecutive passes to cover 52 yards and put six more points on the scoreboard with a 15-yard strike to Camerohn Ludwig. Shepardson threw again to Iain Farber on the conversion and the lead was 44-32.

New York Mills put together another sustained drive but used much of the remaining seven minutes before adding a 24-yard Komnick-to-Antonio DiOrio touchdown pass and a successful two-point conversion with 2:40 on the clock.

West Canada Valley came away with the ball on New York Mills' onside kick and went to work on running out the clock, sealing the victory with a final first down on a short Shepardson-to-Ludwig pass along the sideline.

Section 3 football, Week Three: Top Friday games

Utica-Notre Dame 14, Herkimer 8

Tre Kaiser broke a fourth quarter tie with his second touchdown run Friday and Utica's Notre Dame Jugglers defeated Herkimer's Magicians 14-8 on the road.

One year ago, the Jugglers had broken a 15-game losing streak with a 29-8 victory over Herkimer but later had to forfeit that victory. The losing streak had grown to 23 games on paper entering Friday's contest.

The last Notre Dame victory had been against Jordan-Elbridge in Section III’s Class C quarterfinals in 2018.

Kaiser had opened the game's scoring with a 15-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and passed to Pio Nguyen for the conversion

The Jugglers led 8-0 at halftime before Herkimer tied the score in the third quarter.

Kaiser's second touchdown covered 25 yards.

The Notre Dame defense intercepted three Herkimer passes.

Notre Dame is now 1-2 this season. Herkimer is 0-3. The game was a crossover with the teams assigned to different Class D leagues this fall.

Little Falls 34, Onondaga 6

Brayton Langdon threw three touchdown passes to Xavier Dunn during the second half Friday and the Little Falls Mounties defeated the Onondaga Tigers 34-6 for their third consecutive victory.

The Mounties (3-1) fell behind early when Onondaga ran an interception back for a touchdown but Little Falls took the lead by the end of the first quarter. Braden McCumber ran for a touchdown to tie the score and Langdon's conversion pass to Dunn put the Mounties up 8-6.

Langdon threw a short touchdown pass to Zach Fallis in the second quarter and the Mounties led 14-6 at the break. Langdon and Dunn connected on scoring passes covering 23, 50 and 60 yards during the third quarter.

Langdon completed 13 of 19 passes for 253 yards while Dunn had 159 yards on his five receptions. Chase Regan added six catches for 83 yards and McCumber ran 18 times for 85 yards as Little Falls accumulated a season-high 465 yards of offense.

Onondaga is now 0-3.

Central Valley Academy 35, Syracuse Institute of Technology 7

Central Valley Academy led 29-0 at halftime in Friday's home opener and the Thunder defeated the Syracuse Institute of Technology 35-7 for a second consecutive victory.

Quarterback Braden Moreau ran for one touchdown and passed for another in the first quarter, adding one successful conversion pass for a 14-0 lead. He ran in the game's first touchdown from one yard out and Connor Dempsey for the second score.

Sam Jacquays, who led the Thunder with 105 rushing yards on 17 carries, scored both of his touchdowns in the second quarter on runs covering four and five yards.

Landon Lafountain added 12 carries for 75 yards for Central Valley Academy (2-2). Moreau completed six of nine passes for 103 yards; Dempsey had three catches for 55 yards and Jacquays had two for 51.

The Central Valley Academy defense, which contributed a safety in the first half Friday and a fumble recovery for a touchdown in the second half, has allowed 43 points in four games and only 23 in the first halves. Hudson Albrecht had the fumble recovery.

The Institute of Technology is now 1-3 with three consecutive losses after an opening victory over Section II Mohonasen.

Dolgeville 48, Beaver River 7

The Dolgeville Blue Devils and Beaver River Beavers were scoreless after the first quarter Friday and as close as 8-7 in the middle of the second before Dolgeville pulled away for a 48-7 victory on the road.

The Blue Devils (3-0), who had scored first, scored the final three touchdowns of the first half and the final 40 points of the game.

Cam Dager scored the first two Dolgeville touchdowns and Cade Mosher threw a pair of touchdown passes to Kamryn Comstock.

Previously unbeaten Beaver River (2-1) got a long touchdown pass from Derrick Zehr to Brit Dicob. Jacob Boliver's kick left Dolgeville with a one-point lead it would extend when Dager ran 11 yards for his second touchdown. Dager had started the scoring with a six-yarder and a conversion run.

Trevor Borst followed Dager's second touchdown run with one of his own and Mosher threw to Comstock for a 59-yard touchdown before halftime.

Jared Bilinski (18 carries-183 yards) and Dager (13-118) each topped 100 rushing yards among 373 for Dolgeville as a team Bilinski capped the scoring with a 64-yard touchdown run.

Comstock caught four passes for 100 yards and Mosher completed eight for 124.

The Dolgeville defense, led by TJ Rankins and Kolbi Hadden with eight tackles each, sacked Zehr three times and left Beaver River with negative rushing yards for the game. The Beavers (2-1) did throw the ball for 182 yards in the loss.

Mt. Markham 33, Cato-Meridian 8

The Mt. Markham Mustangs bounced back from their first defeat to knock Cato-Meridian from the ranks of the Class D unbeaten Friday night.

The Mustangs (3-1) held Cato-Meridian (2-1) scoreless through three quarters of 33-8 victory. They had shut out Little Falls for the first half one week earlier in a game they lost 16-14 in double overtime.

Shaun and Dom Jones each scored two touchdowns Friday and a third brother, Christian - or CJ - added a score for Mt. Markham.

Shaun Jones twice ran 57 yards for touchdowns and finished with 178 yards on 14 carries.

Dom Jones' touchdown runs covered 39 and 15 yards, and CJ Jones was on the receiving end of a touchdown pass from Eli Pasquale.

Dom Jones ran seven times for 78 yards. Pasquale was five-for-eight passing for 80 yards.

Losses by Cato-Meridian and Beaver River Friday leave Dolgeville and Sandy Creek as the only unbeaten D teams in Section III.