The journey to Ralph Wilson Stadium will begin Friday for area high school football teams, with the Section 6 playoffs set to begin.
In Class C, Fredonia (5-2, 3-2), the No. 3 seed from Class C North, will travel to take on Class C South two-seed Allegany-Limestone (5-2, 4-1), on Friday, at 7:30 p.m. The Hillbillies rallied in the second half to drop the Gators, 13-12, in their Week 2 meeting.
Cassadaga Valley (3-4, 2-3), No. 4 in Class C South, will travel to take on Class C North champion JFK (6-1, 4-1), Saturday, at 1:30 p.m. Westfield-Brocton, which earned the third seed in Class C South, travels to Class C North runner-up Wilson (5-2, 3-2) Friday night for a 7:30 start.
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Silver Creek’s Zach Klisiewicz (21) looks to break free from Chautauqua Lake’s Anthony Pezzulo (40) during their Class D football game Friday night at Silver Creek. Both the Black Knights and Thunderbirds will begin their playoff journey Friday night, looking to earn a trip to Ralph Wilson Stadium to play for a Section 6 title.
Meanwhile, Cleveland Hill (5-2, 3-2), the No. 4 seed in Class C North, will take on Salamanca (6-1, 5-1), winner of Class C South. The Golden Eagles will take on the Warriors on Friday, at 7:30 p.m.
The winners will advance to the semifinals, to be played on either Friday, Oct. 26, or Saturday, Oct. 27. The Class C finals are set to be played at Ralph Wilson Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 3, at 1:30 p.m.
In Class D, Silver Creek (4-3, 4-3) rebounded from a tough start that saw the Black Knights lose their first two games - 23-14 to Maple Grove and 13-12 to Randolph - to finish 4-1, helping them earn third seed and a game at home Friday night. The Black Knights will face No. 6 Frewsburg (3-4, 3-4), which they beat Week 6, 34-12.
Elsewhere, No. 4 Chautauqua Lake (4-3, 4-3), losers of its last two, will host No. 5 Portville (4-3, 4-3) Friday night. The Thunderbirds beat the Panthers, 12-6, in Week 2 action in Mayville.
In other Class D quarterfinals, No. 1 Maple Grove (7-0, 7-0), the No. 1 Class D school in the New York State Sportswriters' Association football poll, will look to extend its winning streak against No. 8 International Prep (0-7, 0-7) while No. 2 Randolph (5-2, 5-2) will square off against No. 7 Cattaraugus-Little Valley (1-6, 1-6). Both games are at the higher seed and will be played Friday, beginning at 7 p.m.
The semifinals will be played at the higher seed on Oct. 26 or Oct. 27, with the final scheduled for Friday, Nov. 2, at 6 p.m., at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
In Class DD, No. 1 Ellicottville-West Valley (5-2, 5-1) will host No. 4 Panama (2-5, 2-4) and No. 2 Sherman-Ripley (6-1, 5-1) will play host to No. 3 Clymer (6-1, 5-1). The Ellicottville-West Valley vs. Panama game will be Friday night at 7:30 p.m., while the Sherman-Ripley vs. Clymer game will be played at a time yet-to-be-determined.
The semifinals will be at the higher seed the following week while the final will be played Nov. 3, at Ralph Wilson Stadium, beginning at 10 a.m.
Playing in the Chuck Funke Memorial Classic Bowl games will be Dunkirk and Gowanda. The No. 12 Marauders (2-3, 2-5) will face off against No. 9 Medina-Lyndonville (4-3, 4-2 Class B East), on Friday, at Medina, beginning at 7:00 p.m. The Panthers (0-7, 0-5), the No. 6 team in Class C North will travel to take on Southewestern (2-5, 2-3), which is coming off its most disappointing season in recent memory. The game is set to kick off at 6:30 p.m., on Thursday.
The winners of the semifinals will square off in the finals the following week. The Class B final is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. start at Pioneer High School, on Thursday, Oct. 25. The Class C final will also be played on Oct. 25, beginning at 5 p.m., at Pioneer High School.
In Class DD, No. 6 Pine Valley (2-5, 2-4) will face off against No. 7 Forestville (0-7, 0-6), at 7:30 p.m., on Friday while No. 5 Franklinville 3-4, 2-4) will play Nichols (6-1), at 6:30 p.m., on Friday.
The championship game is slated for a 5:30 p.m. start at Southwestern, on Thursday, Oct. 25.
