The last time Spencerport football hosted a Section V football playoff game was seven years ago, but they drew one step closer to reaching that goal with a 28-7 victory over Churchville-Chili as junior running back Connor Mesh ran for 145 yards and two touchdowns.
The Rangers took the opening kickoff and ran off a nine-play, 65-yard scoring drive capped by a 34-yard sweep left on fourth-and-two from the 34-yard line. Junior Jacob Zimmerman’s extra point made it 7-0.
They made it 14-0 after holding the Saints to a three-and-out on their first possession. On the fifth play of the drive, Mesh scampered 73 yards for the score.
Spencerport got the ball back at midfield with 66 seconds remaining in the first half and gained 40 yards on their first two plays on passes from senior quarterback Silas Emenalo to Mesh and senior Kar’tel Mitchell putting the ball at the ten-yard line. Two plays later Egenlauf found sophomore tight end Joseph Marcello in the end zone to extend the Rangers lead to 21-0 at halftime.
Spencerport senior Michael Nanna ended the Saints first drive of the second half with a fumble recovery, but the Rangers gave the ball right back as Saints senior Cooper Hochgraf returned the favor with a fumble recovery of his own.
The Rangers final scoring drive overlapped the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth as they held the ball for ten plays. The scoring drive was capped off by a five-yard touchdown run by Mesh on his fourth carry of the possession.
Churchville-Chili, held to only three first downs in the entire game by the Rangers defense, broke up the shutout bid as sophomore running back Liam Podszebka ran off left tackle on second and one from their own 19-yard line 81 yards for the touchdown with senior Joseph Adoui hitting the extra point.
“The offensive line played great tonight,” Mesh said after the game. “We looked very sloppy at first and still looked sloppy at the end, but we pulled things together and it was good to get the “W”.
“We have six or eight great offensive linemen and they know what they are doing every play and we can run to either side with confidence and, when we can do that, we’re unstoppable.”
Mesh carried the ball 13 times for 145 yards and two touchdowns, Mitchell had 93 yards on 11 carries and Zimmerman 31 yards rushing for the Rangers. Egenlauf was 6-10 passing for 120 yards and made nine tackles on defense. Marcello was also credited with six tackles.
With one game remaining in the regular season, Spencerport (35 points) was slotted fourth in the Section V playoff standings in Class A just behind Canandaigua (37) and Eastridge (39) and East (41) and only two points in front of Victor and three ahead of Wilson. The top four teams in the Class host first round playoff games the weekend of October 25.
