By: Ashton Townsend
BROCKPORT, N.Y. – The last time the Eastridge Lancers won a section title was in 2013 in Class A. This time around, led by MVP senior running back Christian Beason, the Class B Section V Championship belongs to the Lancers after a 28-14 win over the No. 1 seed Batavia Blue Devils at Bob Boozer field on the campus of SUNY Brockport.
Beason opened the scoring at the beginning of the second quarter with a rushing touchdown. He ran in the two-point conversion as well to grab an 8-0 lead. The Lancers never let go of that lead for the rest of the game.
"My line just got a great push up front,” Beason said. "I just felt like I couldn’t go down and I had to set the tone. I had to get us up early and I executed."
The Lancers finished last season 0-8 which led to a coaching change. Head coach Victor Davidson, in his first year, now owns the Class B title.
“The kids get out of school at two o’clock and we start practice late cause all our coaches don’t work in the building,” Davidson said. “So, nobody goes home, we go do homework together, we watch film together and we stick together,”
At halftime, the game was still 8-0.
The Lancers forced a turnover on Batavia’s first drive in the second half to start on the Blue Devils 36-yard line. After a loss of 11 yards, Beason and junior wide receiver Dwayne Collins each had a carry to set up wide receiver Steven Masetta who punched in a touchdown from 28 yards away.
The Lancers then pulled off a perfect squib kick, which they recovered to set up Eastridge's next drive on the Blue Devils 22-yard line. Masetta had a gain of nine, but a mistake the following played caused a lost 12 yards. Eastridge responded as the hero from last week’s semifinal game against HF-L [Honeoye Falls-Lima] Collins stepped up and snagged a 25-yard receiving touchdown to increase the lead to 22-0.
“It feels amazing, especially because I didn’t start at all last year,” Collins said. “A lot of people didn’t believe in us at all and now none of this feels real,”
The No.1 seed Blue Devils did not go away. After a 15-play 86-yard drive, senior quarterback Bronx Buchholz punched in a rushing touchdown to make it 22-6 with 10 minutes remaining. The Blue Devils then recovered an onside kick and carried that momentum with a 28-yard receiving touchdown from junior wide receiver Justin Smith. Buchholz converted the two-point try to make it 22-14.
“We got to finish games,” Davidson said. “We got to be more accountable, patient and just stay in the game. This is going to be a learning lesson for our kids whether is for next week or next year because with a well-coached team like Batavia, you never know,”
After the Lancers turned the ball over, the Blue Devils had another chance to claw its way back. But junior defensive back Marion Bell for the Lancers had different plans and picked Buchholz off. Beason came out in the wildcat and handed the ball off to Collins and from 13 yards out, Collins sealed the game with a rushing touchdown, his second of the game.
“It feels great to be a part of an offense this good,” Beason said. “I’m just glad I was able to do my part and be able to get the win and seal the deal with my brothers,”
The Lancers (6-4) move on to face the Section VI champion, either Health Sciences/BASC or South Park in the Class B Far West Regional.
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