McQuaid could become first Section V team with 5 straight titles: Top players, what to know

While McQuaid's football team is in position to make Section V Football history, the Knights are a long way from winning a fifth consecutive championship, according to coach Bobby Bates.

No team has won five titles in a row while playing in the classification for the largest schools and strongest non-public schools.

"Everybody works really, really hard (to put together teams in Section V Class AA)," Bates said. "We don’t seperate ourselves from anybody else.

"We’re part of the pack.”

Any run toward the Class AA sectional title will be a grind, Bates added.

But anyone not among the Knights can argue that some teams are more prepared to handle a grind. Put McQuaid among the stronger contenders.

McQuaid quarterback Will DiMarco was impressive enough last season as a sophomore, that coaches in Section V voted him on to the 2022 Democrat and Chronicle All-Greater Rochester Large Schools second team. Senior running back John Harding not only was reliable, but very productive. He was on the 2022 AGR large schools first team.

And there are three starters back on the offensive linemen. You can argue it's this unit that has been the fuel in McQuaid's title run. Four returning defensive starters is nowhere near a jaw-dropping amount. But two-way players on the line of scrimmage like Owen Begemann and Nate Earl could be good building blocks for a solid, if not good, defense.

"We're very humbled what’s happened but were very hungry for what's about to come," Bates said.

McQuaid football at a glance

• Head coach: Bobby Bates

• Classification: AA

• Last season’s record: 8-3, lost to Buffalo Bennett, Class AA state tournament quarterfinals

• Last Section V championship: 2022

McQuaid football schedule for 2023 season

• Friday, Sept. 1: vs. Edison, 5 p.m.

• Friday, Sept. 8: Pittsford, 7 p.m. at Sutherland

• Thursday, Sept. 14: vs. Fairport, 7 p.m.

• Saturday, Sept. 23: at Rush-Henrietta, 1 p.m.

• Friday, Sept. 29: vs. Penfield, 7 p.m.

• Friday, Oct. 6: at Hilton, 7 p.m.

• Saturday, Oct. 14: at Brighton, 2 p.m.

• Saturday, Oct. 21: vs. Aquinas, 6 p.m. at the University of Rochester

Marquee matchups for McQuaid

Week 2 at Pittsford Sutherland could be a game that provides clarity about how strong both teams are. Depending on how the season unfolds, Week 6 at Hilton could be one of the most anticipated regular season games of the season.

Week 7 is a crossover game at Brighton, an up and coming team in Class A located just about in the same neighborhood as McQuaid. That means McQuaid and University Prep will not meet during the regular season, but the teams did scrimmage in the off-season. The annual rivalry game against Aquinas is Week 8 at University of Rochester's Fauver Stadium.

McQuaid's top returning players

OL/DL Owen Begemann, DL Shemir Bridges, QB Will DiMarco, TE/DL Nate Earl, RB John Harding, OL Aiden Jones, LB Eoin Meyer, WR Brenton Paladino, OL Charlie Raymond, K Dominic Sansone

A look back: McQuaid football

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: McQuaid football 2023 schedule, top players, preview for Knights