The Section 3 football playoffs begin tonight, with Indian River and General Brown looking to make a return journey to the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse.
The Warriors (8-0), who are competing in Class B in Section 3 for the first time, is the top seed and will host eighth-seeded Westhill (4-4) in a quarterfinal at 7 tonight.
The Lions (6-1) are seeded third in Class C and will host No. 6 Skaneateles (3-4), also in a quarterfinal tonight at 7.
Last year, Indian River reached the Class A final and General Brown advanced to the title game in Class C, with both games at the then-named Carrier Dome.
This year, the Lions will hope to exact more revenge on Skaneateles as they lost to the Lakers in last year’s title game.
General Brown defeated Skaneateles, 49-7, in a division crossover game back in the third week of the season, in a home triumph Sept. 23.
The Lions, who are now ranked No. 15 in the state in Class C, continue to sport a balanced offense, especially in the running game, with Kaleb Natali, who has rushed for 10 touchdowns, and Gabe Malcolm and fullback Sheamus Devine, who have each ran for seven scores.
Malcolm has rushed for 579 yards (11.1 average per game), while Natali has run for 570 (8.9) and Devine for 486 (7.0)
But while junior quarterback Aiden McManaman has run for 366 yards (7.5 per game) and four touchdowns, he’s also passed for 635 yards and six scoring passes.
On defense, the Lions have allowed the fewest points (63) among Class C teams in Sectio
