Victor QB sparks epic comeback, McQuaid stays unbeaten: What we learned in Week 6

Jake Loughlin lived a reserve quarterback's dream Saturday afternoon.

As Victor trailed by 12 at Churchville-Chili, Loughlin replaced freshman Eric Torres III in the third and saved the Blue Devils' unblemished record with a pair of fourth quarter touchdown drives in a come-from-behind 20-19 win.

Loughlin started Victor's first three games. Torres III started the past three weeks, throwing game-winning touchdowns against Brighton and Irondequoit. But when the Blue Devils needed a spark against the Saints, they leaned on Loughlin.

"Just being resilient and trusting our guys. We got the job done today, thankfully" Loughlin said.

Loughlin's comeback

The interception Torres III threw on the third quarter's opening drive led to Loughlin's return. But the swap didn't immediately ignite the offense.

Loughlin overthrew receivers and almost lost a fumble. Victor's running game was still ineffective and receivers continued to drop passes. A blunder by the punt team that gave C-C possession on the Blue Devils' 17 seemed to be the nail in the coffin. But everything changed when Victor recovered at fumble at their own 4 early in the fourth.

That's when Loughlin engineered a 96-yard touchdown drive. He connected with Nick Leonard to beat zone coverage up the seam for a 65-yard gain to Churchville's 19. A few plays later, Loughlin's play-action fooled Churchville's cornerback, leaving Ryan Fronczak wide open on a fourth-and-goal score.

"I was wide open. There was really no one on me," said Fronczak, whose touchdown pulled Victor within 19-14 of C-C. "This is the easiest touchdown I'll ever have."

Loughlin had perfect protection on a pair of passes on his final drive. Loughlin's 23-yard pass to Adam Ruffalo placed Victor at the 8. A few plays later, Loughlin threw a pass so high only the 6-foot-4 Leonard could grab it for the go-ahead score with 1:02 left. Leonard said he actually ran the wrong route.

"Me and Jake have been working in the offseason. We can read each other, and he read my mind, threw it up to me and trusted me," Leonard said.

Victor's two-way stars

Ruffalo and Leonard easily could have had 100-yard receiving days if it weren't for drops. But the seniors showed up when it counted.

Ruffalo's first quarter kick return touchdown was Victor's only score through three quarters. With coach Dennis Pynn's Saints' (4-2) on the verge of a touchdown early in the fourth, Ruffalo's hit on Ricardo Lagares appeared to jar the ball loose. James Ricigliano recovered the fumble at the 4 to begin the 96-yard drive.

Leonard continued to perform like one of Section V's best two-way players too. He's now caught game-winners in consecutive weeks. The tight end's touchdown reception in overtime led to a 21-20 win over Irondequoit. Leonard, a state champion basketball player, leaped over two Saints on his game-winning reception Saturday to cap his birthday.

Leonard also recorded a sack at defensive end Saturday, and was one of just five rushers to beat Churchville's six-man protection in the final seconds. His Blue Devils appeared to have missed linebacker Noah Ruffalo early on against C-C's power formations. But the Blue Devils adjusted and played sound defense during a second half shutout.

McQuaid's front line slows down Hilton

McQuaid's trip to Hilton Friday night turned out to be more than a battle between two of Section V's best running backs: John Harding and Robert Lowry.

The battle of unbeaten Section V Class AA teams was a classic struggle at the line of scrimmage. McQuaid (6-0) triumphed in the trenches, and held on to win 24-21.

"It starts with being physical," Eoin Meyer said. "All week we talked about stopping the run, stopping (Lowry), and that's what we did today."

The Knights' defense used heavy box sets often. Linebackers Meyer, Zach Couch, Paul Rizzo and Matt Wilson and Allen Nesmith rotated in 4-4 base sets to stop coach Rich Lipani's running game. Nathan Earl, Shemir Bridges, Aiden Jones, Charlie Raymond and Cooper Kondas alternated on McQuaid's defensive line, stuffing the run and pressuring the passer on the final plays of the game.

"All we preached was discipline and doing our one-eleventh, and I think tonight we just went out and executed," Earl said.

McQuaid's defense was physical and fast Friday at Hilton (5-1). They limited Lowry to his first sub-100 yard rushing game of the season by winning the line of scrimmage. The Knights even played nickel well on Hilton's desperation drive. Coach Bobby Bates praised his players and defensive coaches Chris Thompkins and Cory Parker for their adjustments.

"That's just pure effort and understanding the reads. (Thompkins and Parker) have such a great game plan in getting ready for these guys. They worked so hard at it," Bates said.

McQuaid's offense was just as creative, running Harding behind unbalanced lines.

Section V football notes

Churchville-Chili honored seniors from its 1992 team, which was the first year of the Saints' varsity football program. The former players are celebrating their 30th class reunion.

Looks like Wayne's new field is complete just in time for the final two weeks of the regular season. The Eagles (4-1) practiced on their new field for the first time Monday. Wayne coach Dave Marean's Eagles host Monroe on Saturday and Honeoye Falls-Lima Friday, Oct. 20.

UPrep's Tyrell Simmons received his seventh Division I offer from Bryant University. One of Section V's best two-way players, Simmons has guided the Griffins to a 6-0 start.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Section V football: McQuaid, Victor stay unbeaten after big Week 6 win