Section V Class D – Bishop Kearney’s Justin Davis avoids a tackle from Clyde-Savannah’s Derrick Chance bellow and No.20 Joseph Dapolito in the third quarter at Sahlen’s Stadium in Rochester, N.Y. on Saturday, November 7 2015.
Section V Class D – After a kick from Bishop Kearney’s Todd LaRocca the ball bounces off Clyde-Savannah’s Dereck Cobb in the third quarter at Sahlen’s Stadium in Rochester, N.Y. on Saturday, November 7 2015.
Section V Class D – Bishop Kearney’s Dahmir Pross is tackled by Clyde-Savannah’s Jaret Murray in the third quarter at Sahlen’s Stadium in Rochester, N.Y. on Saturday, November 7 2015.
Bishop Kearney’s Justin Davis intercepts a pass intended for Clyde-Savannah’s Derrick Chance in the third quarter.
Section V Class D – Bishop Kearney’s Justin Davis tries to get ahold of the ball before Clyde-Savannah’s Clayton Paddock but they both would drop it in the third quarter at Sahlen’s Stadium in Rochester, N.Y. on Saturday, November 7 2015.
More than two-and-a-half decades passed before Bishop Kearney won its second Section V Football Championship.
A disjointed Clyde-Savannah offense helped hand the Kings the long-awaited title Saturday afternoon.
Bishop Kearney’s defense came up with six turnovers by Clyde-Savannah in the Class D final, a 46-21 win for the Kings at Sahlen’s Stadium in Rochester.
The Kings (8-2), the tournament’s No. 5 seed, are sectional champions for the first time since 1989. After 26 years, a new championship banner for football will go up with all of the flags for basketball at the private school in Irondequoit.
Next for Bishop Kearney, is the Far West Regional on Nov. 14 at Sahlen’s Stadium. The Kings face Franklinville/Ellicottville/West Valley, the greater Buffalo-region champion.
“We came out here and didn’t think about a 26-year drought, or whatever it was,” Bishop Kearney senior quarterback Todd LaRocca said. “It was another game, we had to win each quarter.
“We came out here and played Bishop Kearney football.”
It is a style that produces a good amount of throws, yards and most importantly, points.
LaRocca had four touchdown passes during a day in which he completed 18 of 36 attempts for 219 yards. Justin Davis, a senior, was Bishop Kearney’s top receiver with eight catches for 133 yards and touchdown.
It was a game the Bishop Kearney offense could also run effectively.
Dahmir Pross, a 170-pound junior, ran for 204 yards on 23 carries, including a 14-yard run that mushroomed Bishop Kearney’s lead to 32-14 with 8:09 remaining in the third quarter.
The No. 3 Golden Eagles (8-2) found it difficult to keep up.
“We lost our tailback last week, Tyler Rattray,” Clyde-Savannah coach Nick DerCola said. “In the first half, we lost Jarrod Faniel. So we lost out top two players, but the bottom line was that we gave them early scores and we never really recovered.
“I don’t believe that we’ve turned the ball over that much all year, so it was very uncharacteristic of us, but that’s the way the game goes sometimes.’
Devin Green intercepted an underthrown pass during Clyde-Savannah’s first possession to set up an 8-yard touchdown reception by him. The Golden Eagles did make it to the end zone to take a 7-6 after a 19-yard run by Faniel, a touchdown set up by a fumble recovery.
Section V Class D – Bishop Kearney’s Ricky Lopez and Clyde-Savannah’s Dylan Ufholz jump on a loose ball in the third quarter at Sahlen’s Stadium in Rochester, N.Y. on Saturday, November 7 2015.
Clyde-Savannah’s defense came up with another turnover on Kearney’s next drive, an interception in the end zone by Tre Kanaley. The relief for the Golden Eagles was temporary.
A high snap led to a big hit by a Bishop Kearney defender and a fumble that bounced into the end zone during a scramble for recovery. Bishop Kearney senior defensive lineman Aaron Pilgrim ended up on top of the ball for a touchdown and a 12-7 lead for his team.
The Kings’s lead never was smaller, in part because Bishop Kearney’s Anthony Maxwell recovered a fumble and senior linebacker Freddie Jackson intercepted a pass during Clyde-Savannah’s next two drives.
JAMESJ@GANNETT.COM