For Joe Andreessen, it was domination as usual.
For Bryan Cybulski, it was doing the same thing with the same kid just like it was 10 years ago on a random Tuesday morning in somebody’s back yard.
And for London Smith, it was the successful finale he deserved and was denied by injury last fall.
All in all, the South got everything it wanted in the 43rd annual Kensington Lions All-Star High School Football Classic on Wednesday, rolling and often in a 36-0 win over the North at Williamsville South High School.
“I think we brought the intensity early and then once we got the early lead we just kind of sailed from there,” said Andreessen, Lancaster’s do-it-all running back/linebacker who helped lead the Legends to the state championship game for the first time in program history.
Andreessen earned South’s defensive player of the game honors with 13 tackles and two sacks – and he also got a chance to run the Legends version of the Wildcat, rushing for 37 yards.
Smith also made a strong case for that honor with a pair of interceptions, including an early pick-6 that set the tone for the South blowout. That was the rightful send-off for the Lackawanna High School standout, who missed the Steelers’ sectional semifinal loss to Maryvale after suffering a lacerated kidney on a freak play in practice leading up to that game.
“It great to finish my last game with a win,” Smith said. “I wasn’t able to play in my last playoff game, so this – it doesn’t make up for it – but it was nice to come out and play one last time on the field before going off to the next level in college.”
The offensive player of the game for the South was Cybulski, the standout quarterback from Alden. He threw two touchdown passes, the biggest a 19-yard toss to his fellow Bulldog Christian Snell late in the first half.
“It’s been like that all my life,’ said Cybulski, who has elected not to play football in college. “That was just like another day; that happens every day. So it’s awesome to be able to come out and do it in this game.”
The South scored on its first offensive possession on a three-yard touchdown run by West Seneca East’s Jacob Maurino, playing alongside his twin brother Jared under head coach and dad Jim.
Just 11 seconds later, Smith set the stage for the blowout, stepping in front of a pass from Sweet Home’s Joe Torrillo and taking it back 34-yards to the house. The score stayed that way until the Alden TD connection with 15 seconds left in the first half.
The third quarter was scoreless but the South struck early in the fourth with Cybulski finding Maryvale’s Dylan Casey for a 29-yard scoring strike just 50 seconds into the final frame.
Lancaster running back Andrew Hersey finished the scoring midway through the fourth quarter with a four-yard TD run.
Vinny Draper (West Seneca West) was named the South’s most valuable lineman.
For the North side, Brad Currell (Canisius) was named the most valuable offensive lineman, wide receiver Alec Miller (Williamsville South) was the offensive MVP and Rodney Bailey (Hutch-Tech) was the defensive MVP.
Feature Photo Courtesy of Cal Phillips/WNYAthletics.com
