Football
Shemar Hayes of Aquinas hugs Hilton’s Bailey Pittman after Hilton was intercepted in the final minutes of of the game. "Keep your head up, your a great player,” Hayes told Pittman after he came over to hive him a hand getting up after the interception.
The Hilton Cadets crafted a chance to upset Aquinas in the Section V Class AA semifinals on Sunday, but could not hold it together.
Aquinas trailed Hilton late in the third quarter, but came back to defeat the Cadets 21-14 at Sahlen’s Stadium in Rochester to advance into the sectional final next weekend.
The tournament’s No. 1 seed, Aquinas (9-0) tied the score at 14 after a seven-yard touchdown pass from Jake Zembiec to Jalen Pickett with 18 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
A fumble by the Cadets (7-2) at the Hilton 40 with 11:36 remaining set up the go-ahead score by Aquinas. Zembiec used his feet to move Aquinas inside the Hilton 20, and then scored on a two-yard run out of a shotgun formation with 8:18 to play.
Aquinas plays the winner of the late semifinal at Sahlen’s between No. 2 Victor (8-0) and No. 6 Rush-Henrietta (5-3), 4 p.m. next Sunday in the same stadium.
The Cadets, trailing Aquinas by seven points, had possession with a little more than four minutes remaining. They moved to the Aquinas 46, when Anthony Flegler caught a pass that bounced off a Hilton receiver.
Zembiec, who committed to Penn State University last fall, was 9 of 16 passing for 108 yards and with one interception. Zembiec ran for 61 yards on 10 carries, in part, because receiver Earnest Edwards and Taylor Riggins were sidelined by injuries during the playoff game.
Hilton quarterback Johnathan Letta threw a 24-yard pass to Bailey Pittman in the second quarter. The Cadets were ahead 14-7 after a quarterback sneak by Letta from the Aquinas 1 with 2:42 remaining in the third.
Touchdown @Aqfootball, Zembiec carries from the 2. 8:18 remain 4th quarter.
#Aquinas 21, #Hilton 14
#Victor #RH https://t.co/ot7aXMOeI7
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James A. Johnson (@jjDandC) November 01, 2015