Section V football has 11 unbeaten teams at the halfway point: What we learned in Week 4

Even in a loss, Brighton's Bruins may have discovered how good they can be Friday night.

Behind a one dimensional offensive attack led by running back Gavin Parks, Brighton (2-2) suffered an eye-opening 21-14 loss to coach Geoff Mandile's 4-0 Victor team that appears to be a serious contender for the Section V Class A crown.

Despite the lack of a passing game, the Bruins still had a chance to win as they entered the red zone in the waning moments for a potentially game-tying drive. But no matter the gap, Brighton's running threat didn't fool Victor in the end, and the Blue Devils got the stop they needed to remain undefeated.

"I don't think we're going to look at it individually," Victor senior linebacker Jameson Ricigliano said. "I think we're going to look at it as our defense was able to step in, and our offense was able to take care of business."

Bully ball at Brighton

Brighton ran the ball over 50 times as the Bruins' lacked a passing game.

The Bruins managed over 200 rushing yards despite playing against Victor's heavy box sets. Parks was Brighton's workhorse, rushing for 142 yards and a touchdown on 32 carries behind center Shawn Blake's stout offensive line.

Quarterback Tyler Martinovich only threw three passes. It didn't appear Martinovich was hurt as the senior was healthy enough to run 16 times for 57 yards while still playing safety on defense. Wes Sturrup added 48 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground.

Brighton coach Steve Lian's defense stepped up. Kaleb Matthews, Matthew Heininger and Parks combined for 22 tackles. The Bruins even left Victor empty handed with a red zone stop before halftime.

Adam Ruffalo does it all for Victor

A ballhawk at defensive back, Victor senior Adam Ruffalo may have hoped to challenge a few more passes Friday.

Ruffalo still found himself busy against the run. He collected 18 tackles, joining the likes of Andrew Goodell and Ricigliano in stuffing the run.

On offense, Ruffalo accounted for multiple scores. He took a quarterback snap and found Ryan Fronczak wide open for a 58-yard touchdown in the second. At receiver, Ruffalo beat Brighton over the top for a 75-yard touchdown reception that broke a 14-14 tie. He finished with eight reception for 108 yards.

Ruffalo even made his mark on special teams. He blocked a punt, and was aggressively attempting to block PATs too. Ruffalo is also Victor's punter and a return man.

"My role this year — kind of just everything," Ruffalo said. "Punt, kick ... everything. Just helping the team out, doing whatever I can."

Freshman QB debuts for Victor

Freshman quarterback Eric Torres III had a fine debut that was inches away from being way better.

Torres' 75-yard bomb to Ruffalo was a beauty. The left-handed signal caller threw a high-arching deep ball that landed right between the numbers.

But Torres almost threw two touchdowns.

Torres found Noah Ruffalo wide open for a 20-yard pass near the goal line, but the receiver fell inside the one, setting up Dre Yeomas' second quarter score. Before halftime, center Connor Doran's line offered perfect protection as Torres found Adam Ruffalo in the back of the end zone. Officials called the play incomplete, but Ruffalo appeared to have possession and two feet inbounds.

"It was good just being with the guys," Torres said. "The line did a good job and just made plays. That's all we had to do. More to come."

Unbeaten Section V football teams entering Week 5 of 2023 season

Class AA: McQuaid, Hilton, UPrep.

This group of Section V champions are all 4-0. McQuaid is the four-time Class AA champion. UPrep won Class A1 in the fall 2021 season. Hilton won Class A in 2022. But in a rugged classification, staying undefeated isn't necessarily the end goal.

Class A: East/WOIS, Victor, Irondequoit.

Zymier Jackson's last-second touchdown pass to beat Canandaigua may give the Eagles the boost they need to get over the section finals hump. But this 15-team classification has many contenders, including teams with a loss or two already. And only a fool would count out the reigning champion Braves.

Class B: Monroe (3-0).

The Red Jackets have dismantled teams during their unbeaten start, outscoring opponents 142-6 in three games. And not just against anybody. They've handily defeated reigning champion Batavia and perennial power Honeoye Falls-Lima. But Monroe hasn't won anything yet. The classification has many upstart programs looking for a shot.

Class C: Attica/Alexander, LeRoy, Hornell.

You have to beat the champ to be the champ, and no one has defeated Attica/Alexander yet. This classification has solid teams from top to bottom. Records don't mean much more than seeding purposes in Class C.

Class D: None.

Let the record(s) show that there's plenty of parody in this classification. Canisteo-Greenwood (3-1) was the last remaining unbeaten before falling to York/Pavilion (3-1) on Saturday. Avon (3-1) has won three straight. Oakfield-Alabama/Elba (2-2) is taking its lumps, but the reigning champs still have pedigree worthy of a tough postseason matchup.

8-Man: Pembroke.

No one has come close to beating Tyson Totten and his Dragons (4-0) yet. Pembroke's slimmest margin of victory was 27 points in Week 1. The Dragons have a long way to go to defend their title, but wins over contenders like Caledonia-Mumford/Byron-Bergen (2-1) and Bolivar-Richburg (2-2) should have their confidence soaring.

Clyde-Savannah (4-0), Marcus Whitman/Bloomfield (3-0), Newark/Marion (3-0) and Palmyra-Macedon (2-0) are undefeated as Independent schools.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Section V football has 11 unbeaten teams midway in 2023 season