By TIM BIRNEYSouthern Tier Sports Report
VESTAL — Elmira played the two-time defending state champions to a one-score game for 2 1/2 quarters, but Christian Brothers Academy pulled away over the final 18 minutes for a 42-7 win Saturday night in the quarterfinals of the New York State Class AA football playoffs here at Dick Hoover Stadium.
For Elmira coach Jimmy McCauley, the first half was about missed opportunities.
"I thought we had two chances early in the first half to score, put points on the board, and when you get to this level, especially against a team like CBA, and don't capitalize on chances, you're going to have a long day.
"Overall, though, I'm extremely happy with our performance," said McCauley.
CBA had a very efficient game offensively, piling up 388 yards in total offense on just 39 offensive plays from scrimmage.
CBA junior QB Gradyn Dixon completed 10 of 13 passes for 162 yards, two TDs, and one interception, and also rushed for 48 yards and one TD on just four carries.
Junior Keian McRae led CBA receivers with three receptions for 89 yards and one TD, and junior Javon Edenfield had three catches for 41 yards and one TD.
CBA ran for 226 yards on 26 carries, with four different backs, including Dixon, rushing for TDs.
Senior Isaiah Coleman lead the Brothers with 83 yards and one TD on 12 carries, while junior Austin Ariola had 77 yards and one TD on seven carries, and sophomore Khaled Reese chipped in with 18 yards and one TD on three carries.
"They have athletes, they have weapons all over the field," said McCauley.
"You have your hands full defending them," he noted. "They'll go empty, they'll go quads, and a lot more — just those formations to really try to run where you don't have enough hats," he added.
Senior QB Zach Conklin led Elmira with 123 rushing yards and one TD on 11 carries. He completed 3 of 8 passes for 51 yards and two interceptions.
"I thought Zach Conklin played one of his better games today," said McCauley. "He left it all out there, that's for sure."
Senior Julius Mulligan added 56 rushing yards on 14 carries for the Express, and senior Julian Colon led Elmira with two catches for 25 yards, and senior Arius Bradley had one catch for 26 yards.
CBA opened the game with a five-play, 57-yard drive to take a quick 7-0 lead.
Coleman opened the game with runs of 21, 14, and 12 yards, and Reese finished off the drive with a 6-yard TD run with 10:18 remaining in the first quarter.
The Express answered with a nice drive, but came up empty.
Mulligan ripped off a 21-yard run on the Elmira's second play, and Conklin connected with Bradley on a 26-yard pass to the CBA 40 on the next play.
Elmira eventually moved the ball to the CBA 19, but the drive stalled, and on fourth-and-12, a Conklin pass was intercepted in the end zone.
CBA drove into Elmira's red zone on the ensuing possession, but junior Javier Milo ended the threat for the Express with an interception at the Express 7.
Elmira moved the ball into CBA territory on its possession, thanks in large part to a 37-yard run by Conklin, but again the Express stalled on downs at the Brothers' 44.
CBA took advantage of the field position, scoring on a nine-play drive.
Dixon completed 3 of 4 passes in the possession, and ripped off runs of 16 and 8 yards, before finding paydirt from 12 yards out to make it 14-0 with 26 seconds remaining in the first half.
The Express closed the gap to 14-7 on its opening possession of the second half.
Conklin completed passes of 14 and 11 yards in the drive, then capped the drive with a beautiful option keeper, freezing the defender with a fake pitch, then turning the corner for a 13-yard TD run with 7:13 left in the third quarter. Ben Guyette added the PAT kick.
CBA answered quickly, with Dixon's 34-yard TD strike to Edenfield capping a five-play drive to make it 21-7 with 4:24 left in the third quarter.
Elmira's ensuing possession ended when CBA junior Carter Achuff intercepted Conklin on a fake punt at the Brothers' 43 on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Ariola scored on a 57-yard run on the next play to make it 28-7 with 11:42 left in the game.
Disaster struck moments later for the Express when they mishandled a high, short kickoff and CBA recovered on the Elmira 26.
Four plays later, Campbell scored on an 11-yard run to extend the lead to 35-7 with 9:45 remaining in the game.
After an Elmira three-and-out, Dixon completed passes of 22 and 12 yards, before hitting McRae with a 20-yard TD pass with 4:33 remaining in the game. Thomas Cooney's sixth PAT kick of the game made it 42-7.
Elmira ran out the clock, moving the ball to the CBA 30, thanks to runs of 31 yards by Conklin and 21 yards by senior Julian Colon.
The Express finish the season at 6-5, despite a 1-4 start, and won their third straight Section IV title.
McCauley said his team will graduate about a dozen seniors.
"This senior bunch means a lot to us as far as Express football goes.
"We pulled most of them up as 10th-graders, and a few of them we had around us as freshmen," said McCauley.
"This senior group will be missed for sure," he added.
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IN PHOTO 1: Elmira's Zach Conklin. ... PHOTOS BY MATT PATTON.
