BROCKPORT — Ten seconds remaining. Fourth-and-goal from the 19-yard line. Batavia’s perfect campaign, its pursuit of a second straight Class B title, facing one of the most significant Section V Football postseason upsets in recent memory. One play to save the season.
Ja’Vin McFollins took the shotgun snap from Garrett Schmidt, rolled to his left, stepped up while being guarded by blocks from Parker Kleinbach and Cam McClinic, and released a bomb headed for the right side of the end zone where two of his teammates, Vincent Arroyo and Carter McFollins-Cramer, along with three Monroe Red Jackets defenders were waiting.
As the ball soared through the air, Arroyo, McFollins, and the trio of Monroe coverage men jockeyed for position.
“When the ball was in the air, it seemed like an eternity,” said Batavia head coach Brennan Briggs. “In my head, I’m thinking, ‘Man, I know we’ve got some athletic wide receivers. But they’ve got some guys over there that are super athletic.’ I thought the chances of the ball coming down in our hands were not very good.”
The ball began its downward ascent, traveling toward the group of players across the goal line.
“I just saw the ball flying through the air, and I remember thinking, ‘I’m about to be crying tears of joy or crying tears of sadness,’” said McClinic. “So I was praying that Carter and Vinny would make the play.”
The ball neared its target.
“Last play on the line, we knew we couldn’t go out like that,” said McFollins-Cramer.
All five players in the end zone leaped, with McFollins-Cramer gaining position in front of the three Monroe defenders and Arroyo ahead of the group alone. That’s when the improbable happened.
“I just saw Vinny out of the corner of my eye, and he jumped, tipped it up to himself and made a crazy play on the catch,” said McFollins-Cramer. “He secured the dub for us.”
Arroyo’s miraculous deflection and reception to give Batavia a 14-8 championship win will go down in Batavia lore as perhaps the most dramatic and clutch play ever produced by a Blue Devils football player.
“We work on it in practice. Little things,” said Arroyo. “I just saw the ball and took things into my hands. I said word. I’ve got to score the touchdown. It’s what it is, man.”
McFollins also deserves credit for putting the throw right on the money, using a fine block from Kleinbach to help set up the deep strike for the improbable game-winner.
“It was a big block. If he didn’t pick up that block, I might have gotten sacked,” said the Batavia quarterback. “There were so many thoughts going through my mind. I just had to throw it up. I saw pressure, and I saw guys deep, but I didn’t see the three defenders with them. But my guys made a good play.”
Upon Arroyo hauling in the reception off the deflection, Schmidt arrived in the end zone to begin the celebration. Schmidt sprinted down the field upon the reception being made, leaping into his teammates with joy.
“I did not know what to feel,” said the Batavia senior lineman. “I’ve never had that feeling in my life. It just came through me. I was freaking out. Vince had a nice catch.”
Following a brief celebration in the end zone, Arroyo and company sprinted to the sideline to embrace the rest of the team.
“Emotions were high. It was intense. Odds were against us,” said Briggs. “Big-time players making big-time plays in big games. Really that’s what it was.”
Amongst the sideline celebration, Briggs found McFollins, as the two met for an embrace that was captured by photographer Stephen Ognibene.
“You just can’t replicate that emotion,” said McFollins of his interaction with his head coach. “It’s something really special.”
As exciting as it was, the miraculous play that gave Batavia the unlikely victory almost never happened.
Before Arroyo’s big play, Batavia had initially decided to kick a potential game-winning field goal, sending Julia Petry onto the field late, resulting in a penalty for delay of game, which altered the Blue Devils’ decision.
Briggs, not known for attempting many field goals throughout his tenure as Batavia’s head coach, admitted that, at first, the field goal attempt was not on his mind, which led to the late rush onto the field that resulted in the delay of game penalty. The Batavia head coach said that it was, in fact, his players that had convinced him to try the kick initially.
“I heard a few people behind me saying it, and Ja’Vin and Cole Grazioplene said, ‘Let’s kick it,’” said Briggs. “And in my head, I think the players who are out there that put in all this time, and that’s what they want, it’s their football team. And that’s what they said — they wanted to kick. So who am I to make that decision? If the players on the field want that to be the call, then that’s what we’re going to go with. It took a little bit, and by the time we got them out there, it was a little bit of a process, and we got the delay of game. But it ended up working out for us.”
The late decision to punt threw Batavia offensive coordinator Alex Veltz into a bit of a frenzy, as he had a play dialed up before Briggs’ change of heart, then had to reset a bit after the penalty.
“It was a slot wheel play that was designed to go to the opposite side,” recalled Veltz. “Carter stretched it a little wide, looking for an opportunity to get over the top, and then Vincent was able to sit underneath. That part of it was not designed. That was just two athletes going out there trying to make a play. And one of them did. The way it worked out, it was a blessing the way we were able to end that game the way we did.”
Blessed to have advanced with another sectional championship under its belt, Batavia looks ahead to a matchup with unbeaten Iroquois in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class B Far West Regional Final. The Blue Devils hope this week’s game won’t come down to the same dramatic ending as was needed against Monroe in the sectional final. But at the same time, they would certainly take a win and another state semifinal appearance anyway they can get it.
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