CRUNCH: Spartans get clubbed by Billies

Crunch 2008

November 6, 2008

By Nate Beutel<br><a href="mailto:beuteln@gnnewspaper.com">E-mail Nate</a> The Niagara Gazette Thu Nov 06, 2008, 04:25 AM EST

MEDINA — During Al Cavagnaro’s tenure as head coach at Starpoint he’s never lost his final game of the season, whether postseason or regular season.

Wednesday that streak came to an end thanks in large part to Dae’Shaune Clark and Yahs Williams, who accounted for all four of Williamsville South’s touchdowns in a 28-25 win over the Spartans in the Section VI Class A Consolation Bowl Championship at Medina’s Vets Park. Starpoint was seeking its third Bowl title in the past four seasons.

“We had a great season, I love this group of kids and they played hard… but this game was ours,” a disappointed Cavagnaro said afterwards. “We gave it away and that’s a shame.”

Starpoint (4-6 overall) seemingly had all the momentum after Brandon Bratek took a toss from quarterback Joe Scibilia and ran to paydirt from 12 yards out with just under three minutes left to give the Spartans a 25-20 lead.

But Clark and the Billies would not die. After Clark, who finished 16-of-26 for 233 yards, missed wide-open receivers on consecutive plays, he took things into his own hands. The senior, who was filling in for injured starter Joe Licata, scampered nine yards on a fourth-down play with just under a minute left to keep the drive alive.

Then two plays later he dodged a handful of tacklers on his way to an 18-yard touchdown run. Clark added a two-point conversion run to give South a 28-25 lead with 28 seconds left. On Starpoint’s first play of the next drive, Clark picked off Scibilia to seal the win.

“We didn’t make enough plays,” Cavagnaro said. “We didn’t tackle on defense and we didn’t score enough on offense.”

Bratek, the school’s all-time leading rusher, rushed 17 times for 118 yards and two scores, including a 61-yard burst on the first play from scrimmage. Scibilia, who booted a pair of field goals, was 8-of-14 passing for 180 yards and a touchdown — a 66-yard strike to freshman Cory Regnet with only 10 seconds left in the first half.

For South (6-4), Yahs Williams had 16 carries for 123 yards and three touchdowns before leaving with an injury late in the third quarter.

Contact reporter Nate Beutel at 282-2311, ext. 2262.

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