Turnovers Doom Lancaster In Loss To Victor

The Lancaster High School football team was largely able to avoid mistakes during its 10-game run to a Section VI championship. Things were different on Saturday for the Legends, who picked a bad time for a season-high in turnovers.

Turnovers generally spell doom against the No. 1 team in the state and that was indeed the case for Lancaster in the Far West Regionals.

Top-ranked Victor scored 27 points off of four turnovers and then used a powerful rushing attack to hold on for a 33-27 win over the Legends at New Era Field.

“That’s football,” Lancaster coach Eric Rupp said. “Typically if you win the turnover battle you have a good chance of winning the game. It just didn’t go our way today.”

The Blue Devils scored 20 first half points off three Lancaster turnovers and took a 27-7 lead late in the first half – the Legends’ largest deficit of the season. Lancaster got within six late in the third quarter but couldn’t get even. The Blue Devils ran the final 5:49 off the clock with its bruising rushing attack.

“It’s tough but we never quit,” Lancaster senior running back Zach Samborski said. “We played our hearts out, I’m proud of all of us.”

Victor improved to 11-0 and won the Far West Regionals for just the second time in program history. The Blue Devils will play at 6 p.m. Saturday at Cicero North Syracuse High School for the right to play in the state championship game.

“They’re very good, they’re very physical,” Rupp said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they won the state championship.”

For the game, Victor ran 62 times – throwing just six passes – and gained 308 yards on the ground. Mitchell Spindler ran 34 times for 223 yards and two touchdowns while Zack Estabrooks ran for another 63 yards and three touchdowns.

“Credit to them,” Lancaster junior Max Giordano said. “They ran the ball hard, right up the mouth. That last drive, they just did a great job blocking everybody.”

The Legends, meanwhile had some balance – 26 rushes and 27 passes. LG Castillo had five catches for 106 yards, including a 69-yard touchdown, and also returned a kickoff 85 yards for another score. Giordano had three catches for 66 yards, including a 35-yard TD. Ryan Mansell threw for 197 yards and two TDs. Samborski ran the ball 23 times for 79 yards and a touchdown and also had three catches for 25 yards.

Lancaster marched down the field at will on its opening possession into the red zone but that changed in a heartbeat. Kordell Jackson jumped a route and intercepted a Mansell pass, returning it 80 yards to the Lancaster 10. One play later, Spindler was in the end zone for Victor’s first touchdown.

On the Legends’ next possession, Andrew Hersey fumbled and Victor’s Ryan Fries recovered at the Lancaster 32. Shortly after, Estabrooks ran in the Blue Devils’ second TD. On three different occasions, Lancaster was able to close to within a touchdown but could not get the equalizer. The Legends end the season at 10-1 with the program’s first division title since 2009 and first Section VI title since 1999.

“This season means a lot,” Samborski said. “This puts Lancaster football back on the map. Our coaches and the future players expect to be here every year now.”