Sectional football preview: Keys to victory for Auburn, Moravia, more this weekend

Jacob Urish Sports reporter

Sectionals continue this weekend for Cayuga County-area football teams, with four playing in the semifinals. We preview each matchup:

No. 4 Auburn at No. 1 Whitesboro For the first time since 2019, the Maroons are headed to the Section III, Class A semifinals. What's their reward for breaking the five-year drought? A 9-0 Whitesboro team ranked No. 5 in the state.

Auburn has lost its last five contests against the Warriors, with its last win coming on Oct. 4, 2019. Matching up to end the regular season this year, Whitesboro came away with a commanding 50-6 win over the Maroons Oct. 25 at Holland Stadium.

The Warriors had a balanced attack — 172 rushing yards and 152 passing — to pair with a defense that had a pick-six and a special teams that returned a punt for a touchdown. After taking a 20-6 lead into halftime, Whitesboro erupted for 23 third-quarter points to seal the win.

Over their nine games this season, the Warriors have scored a staggering 55.1 points a game. Their defense has been just as impressive, allowing an average of 11.4 points.

Auburn is a run-heavy team, averaging 247.6 rushing yards per game during the regular season. But it was held by the Warriors to 104 yards on the ground two weeks ago. If that happens again and the game gets out of hand early on, the Maroons may be forced to rely on a passing attack that averaged just 56 yards per game.

Auburn will square off against the Warriors in the semifinals Friday in Whitesboro.

No. 1 Moravia vs. No. 4 Groton The Blue Devils have not looked back since losing their season opener to Pembroke, the reigning 8-man football champions who defeated Moravia for the title last year.

Following the 50-42 loss on Sept. 13, the Blue Devils have won their last six games. Five of those wins have come by at least 24 points, while three of them have come by 41 or more.

Moravia hit another level on Oct. 18 when they scored a program-high 77 points in a 63-point win over Newfield at home. The Blue Devils have scored at least 42 points in their last four games, bringing their average to 48.3 on the season. Along with that potent offense has been a defense that's just as dominant, allowing 21.2 points per contest and surrendering over 18 in just two games.

One of Moravia's most impressive defensive performances this season came Sept. 27 at home against their sectional semifinal opponent on Saturday, Groton.

The Blue Devils held the Red Hawks to a season-low 6 points, handing them their first loss of the season. Senior Hunter Boynton led Moravia's offense in the win with five rushes for 69 yards and two scores, while catching a pass for 52 yards and a touchdown.

No. 2 Cato-Meridian vs. No. 3 Mount Markham

Behind another dominant game on the ground, the Blue Devils defeated No. 7 Westmoreland/Oriskany, 54-21, in the Section III, Class D quarterfinals at home on Friday.

Cato-Meridian rushed for 378 yards in the win, with 213 of those yards coming from senior Camren Hoag. The Blue Devils will look to continue that success on Friday when they take on the Mustangs in the semifinals at Jordan-Elbridge High School.

Owning a 7-2 record, Mount Markham has had mixed results while trying to stuff the run. The Mustangs have allowed over 140 rushing yards in four contests while holding their opponents to under 60 in two games.

Though Mount Markham's run defense has been inconsistent at times, its defense as a whole has been stout. The Mustangs are allowing 13 points a game, and have only surrendered more than 20 once.

However, the Blue Devils may present a difficult challenge. Cato-Meridian is averaging 309 rushing yards per game and is scoring 36.2 points a contest as a result. Its offense has been even better of late, scoring 50 or more points in three of its last four games.

On the other side of the ball, the Blue Devils' defense will be tasked with limiting a Mustangs offense that is averaging 34.4 points per matchup. Despite that, Mount Markham has not scored over 22 points in its last four games.

No. 4 Skaneateles vs. No. 1 General Brown After facing a 5-point deficit going into the fourth quarter on Friday, the Lakers scored 14 points in the closing quarter to beat No. 5 Canastota, 35-32, in the Section III, Class C quarterfinals at home. With the win, No. 4-seeded Skaneateles shifts its focus to a familiar foe in General Brown — who is ranked No. 4 in the state in Class C.

Each of the last two seasons, the Lions have sent the Lakers home. General Brown claimed a 41-21 win in the Section III, Class C quarterfinals in 2022, and then beat the Lakers 39-14 last season in the semifinals.

On their way to a 9-0 record this season, the Lions have scored an average of 48 points a game while surrendering 22.

Skaneateles enters the semifinal matchup on a four-game win streak, with the Lakers putting up at least 31 points in each of them. They are averaging 221 yards on the ground and 169 receiving yards per game heading into Saturday's matchup at Fayetteville-Manlius High School.

With an offense that can strike in many ways, Skaneateles has an opportunity to take advantage of a Lions defense that has surrendered over 120 rushing yards in six games and 120 receiving yards in four.

Sports reporter Jacob Urish can be reached at or (315) 282-2288.

Sports reporter