Sure, it was the eve of Halloween, but there was nothing shocking about what took place in any of the 10 Section III football semifinals.
Oh, some favorites got really pushed in a way they hadn't been all season, but that still didn't change the results - and of the 10 teams that earned tickets to the Carrier Dome next weekend, seven are unbeaten, which is a rarity.
Of the five classes, AA provided the closest pair of contests, as the fans at Bragman Stadium had to stick around to the very end to be sure of the outcome.
Henninger's reign ended at CBA's expense in a 21-20 battle. The Brothers won because its offense was a more difficult puzzle to solve. Would Tyler Hamblin pass it? Or throw it to his bevy of receivers? Or give it to Fajri Jackson? Or line up as a receiver while Jared DePalma took snaps?
Lots of questions, and few ready answers from the Black Knights, who were also hurt by three turnovers and couldn't produce the last-second magic it used to knock out Liverpool. So from 3-3, the Brothers have made it all the way to the finals. This might be Joe Casamento's best coaching job.
Baldwinsville is 9-0, but Corcoran didn't make it easy to get there in a 22-15 game where the Cougars got just what it wanted - containment of Malik Burks and Niko Manning on the sidelines in the late going - yet still couldn't win.
Credit cool Casey Colligan for that part. He led the Bees on a clutch 80-yard drive and found Nick Alenciewicz for the go-ahead TD, helping the Bees overcome both Manning's injury and three turnovers that led to all of Corcoran's points. Add it up, and it's B'ville's first final since 2002.
No real mystery in Class A, where the heated rivals of the east had their way at Chittenango, though one of them got the work done quicker than the other.
New Hartford had no problem knocking fellow Spartan ESM out for the third year in a row 38-14 (and those 14 points came real late, long after the starters were gone). Hey, Anthony Acevedo - what sore hip? Didn't look so sore on that 99-yard TD run, huh? Between Acevedo and Joe Carcone, New Hartford has the best duo of skill players in the whole area, and the dominant offensive line and spread formation makes it downright unfair.
Whitesboro had a more nervous time getting rid of Fulton. Up by seven going to the fourth quarter, the Warriors turned to Nick Mauro, who obliged with two TD runs of 82 and 55 yards, the sort of big plays the Red Raiders' defense rarely allowed this season. That made the difference in a 35-20 decision. Sean Jones' pair of TD passes didn't hurt, too, as Whitesboro got to its first title game since 2005.
They are still celebrating in Marcellus right about now. a first-ever Class B final appearance is reason enough after the Mustangs dismantled Solvay 24-0 in Friday's semifinals on West Genesee's turf.
We're quickly finding out that there's more to the Mustangs than Will Fiacchi and Ricky Alfreds. With names like Felicia, Decker, Turner and Howard (two of them), Marcellus can fly to the ball from the defensive side and hit you hard. That's the primary reason why the Mustangs overcame the near-misses from recent years and took this historic step.
It's nothing historic for Westhill, though, as it's now four straight finals after a 37-7 rout of VVS. For the Warriors, Christmas came nearly two months early, as the generous Red Devils gave them six turnovers, which turned into 24 Westhill points. You simply can't give Dan Ross and Jeff Law that many chances to dazzle.
General Brown had to show its heart to beat Bishop Ludden 28-21 in the Class C semifinals at Central Square and give coaching legend Steve Fisher his 250th victory.
After eight weeks of romps, the Lions found itself down 21-12 going to the fourth quarter. GB stuck to the ground, though, and made all the plays that counted in two clutch scoring drives. Jared Flath scored three times and Robert Thomas hit the winning one-yard TD run with 17 seconds left.
Cazenovia started its Class C semifinal against Cooperstown at Rome Free Academy Stadium by seizing a 14-0 lead through its usual mix of power runs, timely passes and lethal defense.
Yet the Lakers didn't take control until it hit a big play, in the form of Justin Hoffmann's 86-yard TD return of the second-half kickoff. That led to 31-6, an end to the Redskins' unbeaten run in 2009, and a chance at Caz's third sectional title in four years.
Earlier that night at RFA Stadium, Westmoreland increased the stress level for all of its green-clad followers in its Class D semifinal against Utica-Notre Dame.
Despite having about 17 healthy players, the Jugglers were within one, 21-20, going to the fourth quarter, the closest call of the Bulldogs' season. Of course, it helps to have Justin Becker meet the crisis, as he did with TD runs of 53 and 30 yards to have it end 35-20.
So Westmoreland is going back to the Dome, as is Weedsport after a five-year absence. At Central Square Friday night, the Warriors survived a game against Watertown IHC that had two distinct parts.
The first part was Weedsport bolting out 20-0, ready to rout. The second part saw the Cavaliers climb back within sight, with a great chance at the end to tie or win it when placed at the Warriors' 10-yard line.
Tom Burgess threw to Andrew Hauk in the end zone. Both Hauk and his defender, Jesse Schooley, slipped in the end zone. The yellow flag flew - pass interference. Then it was waved off.
To say IHC - players, coaches, fans - were upset would be a small understatement. A similar call went against the Cavs in last year's Class D final against Dolgeville, and now this.
Maybe Weedsport stops them on a goal-line stand anyway, but the 20-14 win stood, and IHC has to wonder when it will get a break when it matters.
Next week, we'll look more in-depth at what promises to be five titanic championship battles.....
