Randolph topples Newfane for 13th sectional title, 49-16
AMHERST — Randolph High head football coach Nate Armella has described his team’s style in three very simple terms: “fast, physical and disciplined.” The Cardinals checked all three boxes on Thursday night, using their poise, team speed and formidable offensive line to obliterate Newfane, 49-16, in the Section VI Class D championship game at UB’s Broadview Stadium.
Randolph (9-1) won its seventh straight game and 13th sectional title in its storied history. The Cardinals hadn’t won the sectional title since 2022. The last time they advanced beyond the Section VI final was in 2014, when they won their third straight state championship and fifth in a 10-year span.
This year’s squad seems eminently capable of making that sort of run. They’ve outscored their opponents by a 372-66 margin this season, and since a loss at St. Mary’s on Sept. 18, they have allowed only 40 points in seven games. They went on a 49-point unanswered run after allowing an early TD in the final.
Randolph also showed its depth. Alexander Garland, their star senior running back, didn’t play on offense in the first half due to a sore hamstring (he did play on D). But freshman Cole Morris was up to the task, rushing for 206 yards and three touchdowns. Morris did lose a fumble, which was all but forgotten.
Senior quarterback Davion Johnson ran 18 times for 161 yards for Randolph, which outgained Newfane, 485-182, on the night. Discipline was evident, too, as the Cardinals were whistled for just two penalties for 10 yards.
Randolph had allowed only eight points in the first quarter all season, but it took Newfane, the defending Class D champion, only 10 seconds to equal that total and stun the Cardinals. Panthers senior Jake Morello fielded the opening kickoff at his 25-yard line, shrugged off a face-mask penalty and broke free for a 75-yard touchdown.
Gallery by Alex Kolstee/WNYAthletics
But Randolph didn’t get this far by crumbling in adversity. The Cardinals marched 63 yards to the tying score on the next possession. Adversity? Garland didn’t start at tailback due to a sore hamstring. Morris was a worthy fill-in, carrying six times on the drive and capping it off with a 1-yard TD dive that tied the game, 8-8.
Newfane threatened to go ahead in the second quarter, driving inside the Randolph 5-yard line on the strength of some Morello (10 carries, 58 yards) runs. But consecutive holding penalties put the Panthers in second-and-25 and the drive stalled on an incomplete pass in the end zone.
Five plays later, Davion Johnson kept the football and raced around right end for a 59-yard touchdown that gave Randolph a 15-8 advantage. At that point, the Cardinals were dominating at the line of scrimmage and, despite a one-score game, seemed fully in control of the contest. Randolph outgained Newfane in the first half, 238 yards to 96.
Randolph left no doubt after the break, marching 88 yards in 6:35 on the opening possession of the second half. Davion Johnson had a 17-yard scamper on the drive and capped it with an 11-yard touchdown toss to sophomore Grady Huntington — his first career TD reception.
The Panthers fumbled the ball away on the first play of their ensuing possession, and Randolph struck again. Senior Garland, who had 1,318 yards rushing and 20 TDs coming in, was finally inserted on offense and ran 28 yards through a gaping hole for a 28-yard score to make it 29-8.
Improbably, Newfane fumbled again on its next play from scrimmage and Randolph scored yet again on a 20-yard touchdown pass from Johnson to Cody Hayes to take a commanding 36-8 lead.
Morris tacked on a couple of touchdown runs in the fourth quarter — from 17 and 1 yards — to make it 49-8. Newfane scored its only TD from scrimmage on a 75-yard bomb from Jesse Hughey to Rian Czaja midway through the fourth.
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