Grand Island nipped by West Seneca West in sectional final, still alive in Class A state tournament

AMHERST — The seemingly unstoppable Grand Island offense finally met its match on the biggest stage. The Vikings offense went cold in the second half, as West Seneca West pulled out a 21-18 win to claim the Section VI Class A title Friday at University at Buffalo’s Broadview Stadium for their first sectional crown since 2017. “They’re a good football team, they did a really nice job,” said Grand Island head coach Dean Santorio. “Unfortunately, we didn’t make a few plays when we really needed to. … I think they did a really nice job being physical from the point they went down, when some teams kind of hang their heads.” Though losing out on a sectional title is hard, the Vikings do get the ultimate consolation prize. Grand Island will still get to play for a NYSPHSAA title thanks to Section VI receiving at an-large bid to the state tournament in Class A. The Vikings will travel downstate to play either Somers or Clarkstown South out of Section I, meaning Santorio’s team will need to regroup quickly. “I hope our mindset is still, ‘Hey, we’re in the state playoffs and we have a tough game coming up,’” Santorio said. “I would hate to see that we’re not mentally tough enough to just challenge ourselves and get ready to go play football. I just expect our guys to dig in and have a good week.” Grand Island (10-1) was in a good spot heading into the second half, holding an 18-14 lead and receiving the ensuing kickoff. However, the Warhawks (9-2) came out ready to play physical for the final 24 minutes. After Grand Island quarterback Anthony Mantione accounted for three touchdowns and 222 total yards in the first half, the Warhawks managed to slow him and the Vikings’ offense down and get them off script. In the end, Mantione finished with just 79 total yards and two interceptions in the second half. “That number eight (Mantione) is a great player,” said West Seneca West head coach Mike Vastola. “We did just enough to contain him in the second half.” The Warhawks found themselves in the red zone late in the third quarter and they took full advantage. Quarterback Mason Anderson, who passed for 306 yards on the night, managed to connect with Alex Quarantello for a 12-yard touchdown that put the Warhawks up 21-18. The Vikings had multiple shots to respond and re-take the lead in the fourth, with their best chance coming with eight minutes to play. Mantione managed to lead Grand Island into the red zone, but on fourth-and-2, a fumbled snap resulted in a turnover on downs. Grand Island later got the ball back with three minutes to play, needing to go 96 yards for a go-ahead touchdown, but the drive stalled and Mantione threw a game-sealing interception to Quarantello on fourth down. “They made the plays when they had to, even on the last score,” Santorio said. “Their quarterback had a heck of a ball game.” Mistakes and penalties killed the Vikings throughout the night, but the costliest came early in the second quarter. Holding a 12-7 lead after Anderson connected with Bobby Simmons to cut into the Warhawks deficit, Grand Island went three-and-out on the ensuing drive. As they went to punt it away, Quarantello burst through the line to block it, and Owen Koziol returned it for a 24-yard touchdown, giving the Warhawks their first lead of the game, 14-12. “The blocked punt obviously hurt us, that was a huge, huge touchdown,” Santorio said. Mantione’s three-first half touchdowns, two passing to Blake Deloreto and Jack Heider as well as a power 33-yard rushing score, helped give Grand Island their halftime lead, but crucially lacked successful two-point conversions. The Vikings have had plenty of success throughout the season on two-point tries, often thanks to Mantione’s legs, but they couldn’t find ways to convert Friday. Despite the final score line, Santorio would not have changed a thing. “We’ve been great on two-pointers all year,” Santorio said. “With the narrow goal posts and the cold weather, and we haven’t necessarily blocked great up front on our extra points this year, so we decided to go for two. I wouldn’t change that for the world.” Grand Island’s first round matchup against the Section I champion is set for 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 20 at Mahopac High School. As for West Seneca West, they advance to face the winner of Honeoye Falls/Lima and East/WOIS out of Section V in the Far West Regionals, also on Nov. 20.