Class A football State quarterfinals – Brockport’s Cory Gross is taken down at the sideline by South Park’s Tony Robinson in the first quarter at Sahlen’s Stadium.
Class A football State quarterfinals – Brockport’s Josh Keenan runs the ball down the sideline before a tackle from South Park’s Coleman Leeland in the first quarter at Sahlen’s Stadium.
Class A football State quarterfinals – Brockport’s Austin Myers is tackled by South Park’s Neal Austin in the first quarter at Sahlen’s Stadium.
That line, the high-water mark of Brockport High’s football program, should be clear, maybe it is a blue and black stripe.
The best team in school history? All of those division champions at Brockport should remain proud, but the answer is the 2015 Blue Devils, who played on longer than past versions this fall.
Buffalo South Park put the season’s stop sign in the state regional round Saturday, as the Section VI champion defeated Brockport 20-7 at Sahlen’s Stadium in Rochester.
It is the same stadium where Brockport became a Section V champion for the first time, the same arena where the Blue Devils earned the chance to even play for a sectional title for the first time.
“I’ve been a four-year starter at Brockport and our teams have always been successful,” Brockport lineman Cam Caldarelli said. “If you were to ask me at the beginning of the year if we would make it this far, I would’ve said no way.
“But after we went through the first couple of games, that changed my whole mindset. This team is a great team, and we ‘grinded’ it out as best as we could.”
The Blue Devils ended up one win away from the state final four, or semifinal round, next week at Cicero-North Syracuse. The South Park Sparks from the Buffalo Public Schools system will go on instead, after senior David Thomas scored two touchdowns.
Thomas put on a show during his two sprints to the goal line. The 185-pound senior gave South Park a 14-0 lead when he returned a punt 89 yards with 2:47 remaining in the first quarter. Thomas struck again, as he ran under a long pass by strong-armed and elusive quarterback Tyree Brown for a 64-yard scoring connection late in the second quarter.
Class A football State quarterfinals – Brockport’s Cory Gross runs around South Park players at the sideline in the second quarter at Sahlen’s Stadium.
Perhaps the most spectacular play by Thomas came when he was tackled before he could the goal line, an overthrown pass that Thomas somehow caught up to and corralled.
“They were so explosive, and they can throw the ball,” Brockport coach Scott Nugent said. “That quarterback has an amazing arm. No. 1 (Thomas) is just phenomenal, his speed, his ability to adjust to a ball. He’s amazing.
“We were hoping that we would get to the quarterback, but he such a great runner, too. When you get to a state tournament, you’re playing some outstanding people, so we weren’t really surprised. We were just respectful, I guess is the word.”
Brown, a 175-pound senior, ran for 126 yards on 16 carries, including a 7-yard touchdown run on South Park’s opening drive. Tony Robinson caught a pass from Brown, who found his target after faking an option pitch while on the move to his right.
Brown completed just six of his 21 pass attempts, but there was a wind to deal with for two quarters and the completions added up to 141 yards, including the 64-yarder to Thomas that gave South Park its 20-point lead.
Brockport sophomore Cory Gross ran for 91 yards on 15 attempts, one of which he turned into the Blue Devils’ touchdown with 4:18 remaining. Gross also made highlight-clip catch for an interception. Josh Keenan, another sophomore Brockport football fans can be excited about, finished with 73 yards on 17 carries.
The Blue Devils were doomed however, by at least three drives inside the South Park 15 and no points. South Park’s defense managed to turn back Brockport at the Sparks’ 1 during a quarterback sneak early in the second quarter.
JAMESJ@GANNETT.COM