QUICK HITS (CLASS D FINAL): Panthers Win!

ORCHARD PARK — Two fierce rivals, representing schools just 15 minutes apart by bus, were trying to become the first Niagara County team to win a Class D sectional championship. So you could have figured we were in for a classic.

Newfane and Wilson didn’t disappoint, opening the last run of sectional games at the old Bills stadium with one of the best finals ever. Newfane prevailed, 28-20, snapping a tie on Mac Capen’s 6-yard touchdown run with 51 seconds left to remain unbeaten and move on to the Far West regional next week.

Capen rushed for two touchdowns and threw for another on 12-for-17 passing, but Wilson made it a lot tougher than in the team’s meeting last month, when Capen rushed for 231 yards and four TDs. Wilson played a strong physical game and had more than a half-dozens stops for negative yards.

Newfane used big plays to take an early 14-0 lead. Capen, who had minus-6 yards rushing in the first half, hit Isaiah Gerstung for a 59-yard TD and Camryn Stover scored on a 42-yard run. But Wilson responded, as it did all day long.

The Lakemen managed just 12 total yards through the game’s first 20 minutes. But they came to life behind junior tailback Nick Lemke, who had 41 of his game-high 108 yards rushing on a 58-yard drive that drew Wilson within a score, 14-7, just before halftime.  Senior quarterback Vic Cusatis floated a pass to the left and Brock Lepsch made a terrific leaping catch over a Newfane defender and lunged in for the 7-yard touchdown as time expired.

Newfane marched 55 yards in seven plays to open the third quarter, scoring on Capen’s 1-yard plunge to take a 20-7 lead. But Wilson answered, cutting the deficit to 20-14 on Lemke’s 4-yard TD run late in the third quarter.

Wilson got the ball back midway through the fourth when Shamus George broke up Capen’s fourth-down pass. A face mask, two big Lemke runs, and a 7-yard TD keeper by Wilson quarterback Vic Cusatis tied it, 20-20, with 4:51 left.

Newfane hadn’t let an opponent come within seven points in the fourth quarter all season long. Now it was tied. But they didn’t blink, marching to the winning TD. Camlo Flowers broke a 27-yard run. Capen, who has great touch on throws to the flat, made a huge 8-yard throw to Nasir Spencer on fourth-and-4 to the Wilson 17.

Flowers, who had 56 yards on seven carries, ran 7 yards to the Lakemen three-yard line. Capen, the Newfane senior star, then dashed around left end for the winning TD, carrying two tacklers with him.

Newfane, now 11-0, wins its first section D title in its first trip to Highmark Stadium. Wilson, losing for the second time in three years and third time in six, finished the season 9-2.