By: Lucas Vargas
OAKFIELD, NY — The Oakfield-Alabama/Elba Aggies football team beat the York-Pavilion Golden Knights 26-14 to advance to the semifinals of the Section V Class D tournament. Seniors Avery Watterson and Jack Cianfrini were key factors in the win, as they accounted for 229 of the Aggies' 263 rushing yards. They also forced three turnovers as well.
Watterson carred the ball 14 times for 111 yards, a touchdown, lost a fumble and a pick-six on defense.
"All week, my coach and I were watching film for at least an hour, two hours a night," Watterson said. "We're getting together as a team, watching film. Film is a huge part of what we need to do, and it helps us tremendously on the field."
Senior Jack Cianfrini was taking in his last game on home turf, as Oakfield-Alabama is set to start bulding their new turf field in the summer.
"It's bittersweet. I'm happy to at least go out with a win, but I feel a little sad," Cianfrini said. "I've been playing on the field since I was six years old, so it's been a lot of years here."
Cianfrini totaled 15 carries for 118 yards while recording two interceptions defensively.
Aggies head coach Tyler Winters knew the expectations for his two senior captains and their roles for the night.
"They're abiding by the bend-don't-break mentality, and they're doing a phenomenal job rallying the troops and being the voice of reason out there when plays like tonight maybe don't go our way," Winters said. "I'm really proud of the way they kept the glue of our group together. I can't say enough about the job those two have done; they’re doing a phenomenal job leading our team."
This was not the first time these two teams squared off this season; three weeks ago, the Aggies defeated the Golden Knights 41-14.
Sophomore quarterback Brayden Jachimowicz did some damage through the air. He went eight-of-14 for 80 yards and one touchdown.
Junior Hunter Tobolski was Jachimowicz's top target and led the team in receiving yards. Tobolski posted three receptions for 37 yards.
It was a tough day offensively for the York/Pavilion as they were held under 200 yards of total offense with 176 yards on the evening. Also, they were unable to eclipse the 100-yard mark in rushing or passing.
Golden Knights freshman quarterback John Ayers went eight-of-20 through the air for 95 yards and two touchdowns while being picked off three times. Four receivers each had two receptions and junior Liam Campbell led in receiving yards with 35.
Yariel Diaz-Pena led the way in rushing for the Golden Knights after recording 62 yards on 16 carries.
The first half saw some early success for the Aggies as Jachimowicz connected with junior Nicholas Scott from 17 yards out to put the Aggies up 7-0 in the first quarter.
After a drive that appeared to end in another three-and-out for the Aggies in the second quarter, Cianfrini picked up the first down on a fake punt. He ran the ball 10 yards to give the offense a fresh set of downs. A drive established by the run ended with a 9-yard touchdown run from Tobolski to cap off a 94-yard drive.
It was a nightmare for the Golden Knights on their next possesion. On third-and-6, Watterson intercepted Ayers and returned it 46 yards for a touchdown. The extra point was no good, leaving the score at 20-0 heading into intermission.
The second half was slow for the Aggies, as the Golden Knights picked up momentum on both sides of the ball. Their opening drive of the third quarter ended on a 17-yard touchdown pass to senior Adam Szczech to give the Golden Knights their first points of the game.
Although the Aggies' first drive of the second half resulted in a 31-yard rushing touchdown for Watterson, the Golden Knights responded back. On their next drive, Szczech caught a 3-yard passing touchdown to cap off a 52-yard drive, making it a 26-14 game in favor of the Aggies.
In the mid-fourth quarter, the Knights needed a score. However, a punt and two interceptions made by Cianfrini, the first one occurring after the ball was tipped off of Diaz-Pena's hands, ending the Golden Knights' season.
Winters mixed plays from his seniors and younger players throughout the game.
"When it mattered most, we had a couple of our senior captains step up and make huge plays, and we had a couple of our sophomores coming up from the JV team who had to play more tonight than they envisioned," Winters said. "Tip of the cap to them for doing a phenomenal job tonight; it was a total team effort to get the win."
The Aggies are still dancing and will be on the road against number two seed Alexander next week, with the date and time to be determined.
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