Medina will host Eden to begin Class C title defense; Albion to host Olean in Class B

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Medina’s Noah Skinner, left, and Albion’s Tyler Gibson and their Mustang and Purple Eagle teammates will host sectional quarterfinal games Friday.

This past spring Medina ended a 33 year long drought by capturing the Section VI Class C football championship, the Mustangs first sectional title since 1988.

Now the Mustangs are getting set to begin a quest to claim a second sectional title within a span of just seven months.

Top seeded Medina will begin that quest by hosting No. 8 Eden in a Class C quarterfinal contest at 7 p.m. Friday at Vets Park.

The game will be a rematch of this past spring’s Class C semifinal which saw the Mustangs down the Raiders 54-6.

Medina brings an 8-0 record into the sectionals while Eden is 4-4. This is just Medina’s second 8-0 regular season. The first was in 1988.

Leading the Mustangs offense is quarterback Xander Payne who has passed for 1,190 yards and a school record 20 touchdowns including 6 to Jarin Rhim, 5 to Greg Thompson, 4 each to Joe Cecchini and Iverson Poole and 1 to Cayden Lilleby. Rhim has 370 yards receiving and Thompson 327.

Poole leads the Medina ground attack with 541 yards and 8 touchdowns. Noah Skinner has 413 yards and 5 touchdowns and Robert Arnold 235 yards and 4 TDs.

Quarterback Matt Sweet who has rushed for 726 yards and 9 touchdowns and passed for 383 yards and 3 TDs leads the Eden offense.

The Raiders also have Austin Sroda with 629 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns and Quinn Harrington with 212 yards receiving and 1 TD.

The victor will face the winner of the No. 5 Lackawanna vs. No. 4 Salamanca quarterfinal in the semifinals.

Class B Quarterfinal
Albion vs. Olean
No. 3 seed Albion will host No. 6 Olean at 7 p.m. Friday in the quarterfinal round of the Class B playoffs.

The Purple Eagles bring a 6-2 record into the sectionals while the Huskies are 4-4.

Albion will be turning to senior Tyler Gibson to take over the key signal calling duties after versatile two year starter Amari Jones suffered a broken ankle late in last week’s game against Medina.

“Tyler is a very good three year varsity player,” said Coach David Skrip. “The kids know that it isn’t just one player out there that there are 11 on the field. I know the kids will step up and rally behind Tyler.”

The Purple Eagles attack will also be sparked by junior Javon Jones who has 428 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns.

Olean is led offensively by quarterback Railey Silvis who has passed for 936 yards and 14 touchdowns and rushed for 410 yards and 2 TDs.

The Huskies also look to Jamison Pittman who has 649 yards rushing and 7 touchdowns and 188 yards receiving and 3 Ts and Cade Anastasia who has 325 yards receiving and 6 touchdowns.

The victor will face the winner of the No. 2 Iroquois vs. No. 7 Cheektowaga quarterfinal in the semis.

Quarterfinal Schedule
Class C
No. 8 Eden at No. 1 Medina, 7 p.m. Friday
No. 5 Lackawanna at No. 4 Salamanca, 7 p.m. Friday
No. 7 Southwestern at No. 2 Depew, 7 p.m. Friday
No. 6 Akron at No. 3 Fredonia, 7 p.m. Saturday at Dunkirk

Class B
No. 8 Pioneer at No. 1 Maritime, 2 p.m. Saturday
No. 5 Maryvale at No. 4 West Seneca East, 7 p.m. Friday
No. 7 Cheektowaga at No. 2 Iroquois, 7 p.m. Friday
No. 6 Olean at No. 3 Albion, 7 p.m. Friday