Defense was optional Friday night at Homer High School, as the Homer and Westhill football teams lit up the scoreboard in a 60-37 Homer win. The Trojans secured a spot in the Section III Class B playoffs Friday.
Alex Votra and Brycen Poole ran wild for the Trojans, combining for 520 yards on 51 carries. Votra took the ball 29 times for 332 yards and four touchdowns. His 332 rushing yards are the fourth-most in a game in Homer history.
Poole also had 22 touches for 188 yards and three touchdowns, while also hauling in three passes for 10 yards and running back a fumble for six.
The pair had plenty of holes thanks to the offensive line, but they broke plenty of tackles at the second and third levels for big gains.
“We’re just hard runners,” Poole said. “We like to shove it down their throat and we run hard.”
“They just couldn’t contain us,” Votra added. “We did a really good job there and we had a lot of good stiff arms and stuff like that.”
Homer head coach Greg Roskos felt he had the advantage on the ground and his guys backed up that confidence.
“That is Homer football, running the ball downhill,” Roskos said. “Our senior offensive linemen –– Dom Fiore, Seth Beattie, Jack Bertram, Chris Slade and (sophomore Jack) Brown –– they controlled the line of scrimmage. We pushed them back all game. Nobody wanted to tackle Alex, so that was fun.”
The two teams went at it the entire first half, with the game tied at eight after a quarter. Neither defense got a stop in the second quarter, Homer recovered an onside kick and parlayed that into a 30-24 halftime lead.
Votra already had 199 rushing yards at the break.
The Trojans’ biggest defensive problem in the first half was wrapping up Westhill quarterback Eli Welch. The junior signal caller ended the night 12-for-23 passing for 213 yards and three scores and ran the ball nine times for 37 yards. Welch was sacked multiple times to drop the yardage total.
Fiore was one of the Homer linemen in the backfield all night and picked up a big sack in the second half. The defensive game plan was the same all game for Homer, but it just wore Westhill down.
“Really, it’s just the same,” Fiore said. “We’re going to keep punching and they’re going to get tired. They just always do. When we see that we keep going harder.”
Roskos was very complimentary of the Warriors’ offensive effort and their ability to keep things close in a high-scoring affair. Westhill finished the night with 297 total yards of offense.
“They’ve got some good athletes there,” Roskos said. “Welch is a hell of a player. We had him wrapped up four or five times. He’s a slick kid. He frustrates a lot of people I’m sure.”
Homer closed the game with a statement, opening up a 60-31 lead with 3:11 to go on Poole’s scoop-and-score. Westhill marched down and tacked on a touchdown with 42 seconds left, but Roskos was pleased with how his guys ended the game to close the regular season 4-4 and secure a playoff spot.
“I would say it’s a great job of finishing,” Roskos said. “In our four victories we were finishing in the second half. In our four wins you saw a team come out with a different mentality in the third quarter and in the fourth quarter put a couple teams away.”
Fiore and Votra celebrated their senior night Friday and clinching a spot in sectionals in their final home game made it sweeter.
“It’s 23 years in a row we’ve made sectionals and I hope they really keep it going,” Fiore said.
“I was really proud that we got that home win,” Votra added. “That was a huge one.”
Homer will play Thursday, Friday or Saturday in a sectional game, likely at Carthage. The full Section III Class B bracket will be released Sunday.
FOOTBALL
TRUMANSBURG 69, GROTON 26
Groton trailed 41-12 at halftime and couldn’t build a comeback effort after the break. The Red Hawks end their regular season with a 4-4 record.
SOLVAY 32, SOUTHERN HILLS 28
No additional details were reported.
BOYS SOCCER
No. 2 FAITH HERITAGE 2, No. 7 DERUYTER 0
DeRuyter allowed a goal in each half as the Rockets’ season came to an end in the Section III Class D quarterfinals. DeRuyter went 9-7-2 this season.
GIRLS SOCCER
No. 3 MEXICO 3, No. 6 HOMER 1
Khloie Young put away a first-half goal for Homer, but the Trojans couldn’t produce any more offense in a loss in the Section III Class A quarterfinals. Taryn Quinn recorded an assist on Young’s goal, which gave Homer a 1-0 lead. Kennadie Taylor made 12 saves in goal. The Trojans end their season with a 12-5-1 record.
FIELD HOCKEY
No. 3 MARATHON 4, No. 6 MORAVIA 0
Catherine Newkirk scored twice to help Marathon move to the Section IV Class C semifinals. Abby Edsall and Autumn Young both recorded a goal and an assist and Delaney Reilly had an assist for the Olympians, which attempted 11 shots on goal and 11 penalty corners. Cassie Forrest only needed to stop one shot.
Moravia’s Lucy Coningsby stopped seven shots and her team could only muster one shot and six penalty corners.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
FOOTBALL
Dryden at Oxford, 1 p.m. today
BOYS SOCCER
No. 6 Oxford at No. 3 Marathon, 3:30 p.m. today
No. 8 Dryden at No. 1 Chenango Forks, 3:30 p.m. today
No. 2 Tully vs. No. 3 Manlius Pebble Hill, 7:15 p.m. Wednesday at Fayetteville-Manlius High School
GIRLS SOCCER
No. 6 DeRuyter at No. 3 Hamilton, 6 p.m. today
No. 1 Cincinnatus vs. No. 5 Tully, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at V-V-S High School
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Candor at Moravia, 6:30 p.m. Monday
GIRLS SWIMMING & DIVING
Dryden at Watkins Glen, 11:30 a.m. today
