Football: Attica rallies past E.R./Gananda with two late TDs for first Section V title

BROCKPORT — Landyn Thomas scored a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns to lift Attica to the program's first Section V championship.

Thomas, a junior running back for the Blue Devils, had 22 carries for 114 yards in third-seeded Attica's 16-8 win over No. 4 East Rochester/Gananda in the Class C final. Attica (9-2) overcame an 8-0 deficit with tough-nosed defense and a steady rushing attack that gained 180 yards on the ground.

First-year East Rochester/Gananda coach Tim Rose was seeking back-to-back titles for the Bombers (9-2), who entered the game on an eight-game winning streak since falling to Attica in Week 2. Mike Daniels led the Bombers with 25 carries for 201 yards, including a 60-yard touchdown that gave them an 8-0 lead early in the third quarter.

"It's a tight-knight group," Attica coach Jeffrey Cusmano said. "I could see things coming together. Just an unbelievable team. They work hard. They come to practice everyday just to work harder and get better. I couldn't be more proud of them as a group of individuals."

More:Section V football scores for 2022 season

Play(s) of the game

Attica Defensive lineman Case Hill had three of his 10 tackles go for losses, and none was bigger than his fourth-and-short stop with the game tied at 8 early in the fourth. When East Rochester/Gananda went for it from its own 30-yard line, Hill tackled Daniels short of the sticks. Samuel Strzelec was also on the tackle, giving Attica a short field for its game-winning touchdown drive.

"We told them they're a powerful offense and you have to expect just about everything," Cusmano said. "We told them to stay home, do their job, and we made the play."

Bombers quarterback Brayden Dohse connected with Miles Caviness, Jeremy Blanchard and Manny Sepulveda — who committed to the University at Buffalo's track and field program Wednesday — for a potential game-tying drive, but Attica's Robert Becker pressured Dohse into an incomplete pass that Jakk Chaplin and Cole Harding tipped on fourth down with about two minutes remaining.

Daniels' third quarter 60-plus yard touchdown run and Thomas' game-winning touchdowns were honorable mentions.

Section V Class C award winners

Finals MVP: Landy Thomas, Attica.

Offensive MVP: Mike Daniels, East Rochester/Gananda.

Defensive MVP: Case Hill, Attica.

Outstanding Lineman: Britton Delmadoros, East Rochester/Gananda.

Unsung heroes

Clayton Bezon, Attica: Caught a two-point conversion from Braden Allein that tied the game at 8 in the third quarter.

Sameul Morgante, East Rochester/Gananda: Scored a two-point conversion on a reverse that gave the Bombers an 8-0 lead

Samuel Strzelec, Attica: Scored the two-point conversion that gave the Blue Devils a 16-8 lead early in the fourth quarter.

They said it

Case Hill, Attica: "We were down at one point. ... We just kept grinding it out."

Landyn Thomas, Attica: "It feels amazing. The community always wanted it. And look it, we did it baby!"

What's next

Attica will play Section VI champion Lackawanna in the NYSPHSAA Far West Regionals at noon Saturday, Nov. 19 at Batavia High School.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Attica scores two late TDs to win first Section V football title