OBSERVER Photo by Tim Frank
Clymer/Sherman/Panama’s Carter Brink (10), Carson Pinzok (16) and Jordan Mescall (4) celebrate Mescall’s interception during last week’s 43-14 NYSPHSAA Class D West Semifinal win over Dolgeville at Vestal High School. The Wolfpack will take on Burke Catholic in today’s state final at the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse.
Clymer/Sherman/Panama will play for its third state championship in seven years when it takes on Burke Catholic in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class D final at 3 p.m. today at the JMS Wireless Dome on the campus of Syracuse University.
Burke Catholic (12-1) located in Goshen, is the only Class D team in Section IX and received an automatic berth in its regional championship game against Section I’s Tuckahoe. Playing through freezing precipitation in that game at Lakeland High School in Shrub Oak, the Eagles used freshman Chris Kleister’s 22-yard field goal with 31 seconds left in the third quarter to beat the Tigers 3-0.
“I think they are really good. There’s not many small schools in their section,” Clymer/Sherman/Panama head coach Ty Harper said Tuesday following practice in the old gym at Panama Central School. “They play a lot of larger schools as opponents. I think that lends itself to getting better.”
Last week, in the East Semifinal at Middletown High School, Kleister forced overtime on another 22-yard field goal with 14 seconds remaining in regulation before Burke Catholic senior running back Liam Gralton threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Michael Benzinger on the first play of the extra session to win 25-18.
Senior Justin Mazzie leads the Eagles on the season with 1,113 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground. Gralton has 665 yards and six touchdowns, while fellow senior Josh Fiorello has 624 yards and seven touchdowns.
OBSERVER Photo by Tim Frank
Clymer/Sherman/Panama senior running back Travis Owens (22) is second on the Wolfpack with 575 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns.
“Mazzie is a good player. He looks like a stocky, tough-running kid,” Harper said. “They bring a lot to the table. They have a pretty decently sized offensive line. We’re going to have to come ready to play.”
Burke Catholic’s quarterback is junior Tim Brogan, who has completed 77 passes for 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns against five interceptions. Gralton is his main target with 37 catches for 467 yards and five touchdowns, while five of Benzinger’s 13 catches have gone for scores.
“They’ve got a quarterback that can do some different things,” Harper said. “He can throw and seems like a good athlete on film.”
Defensively, the Eagles are led by senior Aiden Owen, who has been in on 89 tackles, including six for a loss.
“He’s definitely more of a plug player against the run. He’s not overly fast or big, but he’s a football player,” Harper said of Owen. “If you don’t block him, he’s going to get to your ball carrier.”
Sophomore Daniel Benzinger has been in on 87 tackles, including nine for a loss, and has eight sacks. Senior Nasiar Aymat has a team-high nine sacks and 11 tackles for a loss. Sophomore Lucas Rodriguez-Lopez has a team-high seven interceptions.
“I think the interior of their defense is super solid,” Clymer/Sherman/Panama quarterback Tate Catanese said. “Their defensive tackles and their linebackers are really solid. They are good tacklers and find the ball really well.”
Catanese leads a pass-leaning Clymer/Sherman/Panama offense with 158 completions for 2,205 yards and 30 touchdowns against just 10 interceptions. He has also rushed 107 times for 577 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Senior Bryce Hinsdale has been Catanese’s favorite target with 59 catches for 762 yards and five touchdowns. The state’s all-time leader in receptions, Hinsdale needs 56 yards to match Jamestown’s Zach Panebianco for the Section VI all-time record. Senior Carter Brink has 47 catches for 862 yards and a program-record 17 touchdowns, while another senior, Alex Barmore, has 38 catches for 452 yards and six touchdowns.
Senior Travis Owens is second to Catanese in rushing with 575 yards and 10 touchdowns.
“I think it’s going to be difficult sledding on the inside,” Catanese said.
Defensively, the Wolfpack is led by senior Collin Ryan with 123 tackles, including 20 for a loss. As a team, Clymer/Sherman/Panama has 23 sacks, but no one individually has more than four. Hinsdale has seven interceptions.
Clymer/Sherman/Panama won the Section VI title with a 33-8 win over Franklinville/Ellicottville at Highmark Stadium.
In a 48-14 Far West Regional win over Section V’s Avon, Catanese went 17 of 24 for 213 yards and two touchdowns through the air while also adding 66 yards and three scores on the ground.
Against Section III’s Dolgeville, in the West Semifinal at Vestal High School last Friday, Catanese was 16 of 20 for 233 yards and four touchdowns. Brink caught two of the scores, while Hinsdale and Barmore each added a touchdown.
“It’s such a grind, you’re just trying to win the next game,” Harper said. “You’re just trying to have a good day at practice and stack one day after another.”
Whatever the outcome, Friday will mark the end of the road for 21 Wolfpack seniors, many of whom have been part of teams that have gone a combined 28-6 over the past three seasons.
“You don’t really have a ton of time to reflect during the season, but as it gets closer, you think about all the good times and the growth that we’ve seen from these kids from the time they were little fifth-graders at youth camp to going out and playing for a state championship,” Harper said. “That’s the real reason why you do this.
“Wins are fun and banners are cool, but at the end of the day sports are about people, football especially, is about people,” Harper added. “It’s been one of the most rewarding experiences of my professional career to coach these guys.”