A new team is ready to enter Section V football

James Johnson, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
·4 min read

Hello high school sports fans,

If you have the feeling that the summer is on a zip pace, there are folks who would agree.

High school football teams and their coaches at schools in Section V are already active.

“We've already done some summer camps and some stuff like that," Vertus High School coach Ocie Bennett said about his first-year varsity team. "We've done some 7-on-7 with East. We've been to Batavia.

"We are going to Cortland next weekend to do (the New York High School Football Coaches Association) 7-on-7 elite tournament. The Buffalo Bills had what they called an 11 on tournament we took our kids to (July 9)."

Before you know it, our phones and calendars will read August 20, the first day when football practices, and Aug. 22 for all other fall sports, count toward an athlete's eligibility to play this upcoming season.

Section V Football's newest team

While building a high school football program is a difficult chore, the new varsity football team at Vertus High School is on track to play this fall, according to coach Ocie Bennett.

Vertus is a charter school near the corner of Culver Road and Humboldt Street on the city of Rochester's east side. Based on student enrollment and that it is an all-boys school, Vertus is in the Class C group of teams.

This a group that includes five teams in the Finger Lakes league, Le Roy, Bath Haverling, Hornell and reigning Section V Class C champion East Rochester/Gananda, which reached the state tournament semifinals.

The Vertus Warriors makes 65 varsity football teams in Section V, including five 8-man squads.

Vertus completed last season's mandatory junior varsity season with a 4-2 record. Bennett coached that football team, the school's first, after two years as the JV coach at Albion in Section VI, where he was a star player. He worked in the Albion School District for 20 years.

Section V 8-man football

Red Jacket defensive back Daltyn Hanline brings down Pembroke ballcarrier Tyson Totten on Saturday in an 8-man football game last fall.
Red Jacket defensive back Daltyn Hanline brings down Pembroke ballcarrier Tyson Totten on Saturday in an 8-man football game last fall.

Here is a snap shot of Section V 8-Man Football in 2022, the fifth season of this style of the game:

  • Teams: Finney School/Northstar Christian Academy, Holley, Pembroke, Wellsville and two-time defending Section V champion Red Jacket.

  • Up in the air: There is a plan to determine this week whether games are played on 100-yard or 80-yard fields. "We feel it's a better game (on a 100-yard field)," Section V Football committee member and Finney/Northstar Christian coach Joe Marchand said. "Michigan has 100-yard fields. Colorado has 100-yard fields. There are a couple of other states, too. What happened was that in Texas, the fields are 40 yards by 80 yards, so (the National Federation of State High School Association rules) kind of roped on to that."

  • Another round: State playoffs are now two levels in 2022 and 2023, as the New York State Public High School Athletic Association has approved a regional championship game.

  • Season layout: Eight-game regular season, sectional tournament on the same schedule as the 11-man classification teams, Section V champion plays another sectional champion (last year, it was a team from Section III or Syracuse region), with the winner advancing to the NYSPHSAA regional championship.

Soaring to new lengths

Matthew Auble, who will be a senior at Warsaw this fall, already is one of Section V's top throwers in track and field.

When Auble took his skills to Slippery Rock, Pa. last week, he emerged in first-place in the men's 17-18 year old division discus throw during the USA Track and Field Region 2 Junior Olympic Championships. He has qualified for the USAT&F National Junior Olympics meet, July 25-31 in Sacramento, Calif.

Auble's best throw of 183 feet-9 inches not only was a personal-best, but a USAT&F region and meet record. He went on to also win the division's shot put event (50-8 3/4) and finish second in the hammer throw (144-11). Earlier this month, Auble threw a discus 179-2 inches during the New Balance Nationals at Franklin Field in Philadelphia.

Based on Auble's performance during the outdoor track and field season through the nationals, he became a Democrat and Chronicle All-Greater Rochester team member for the first time. The D&C's AGR Boys Outdoor Track and Field Team was released this week.

Until next time, keep up on Section V's sports scene by going to our high school page.

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JAMESJ@Gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: A new team is ready to enter Section V football