Alliance routs Niles to capture MAC title

Kendell Davis rushed for 303 yards and scored three TDs in the 35-13 win.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
NILES -- Playing its final season in the Metro Athletic Conference, the Alliance High football team went out in a big way Friday night at Bo Rein Stadium.
Sparked by the sensational running of senior tailback Kendell Davis, the Aviators rolled to a 35-13 victory over Niles and captured the MAC championship in their final season.
Moves to new league
Next season, Alliance will compete in the Northeastern Buckeye Conference.
Davis finished the regular season with his best effort, rushing for 303 yards and scored three touchdowns, as Alliance finished the season 8-2 (5-1 MAC). The Aviators must now wait to see if they get into the playoffs.
"Even though this was our final year in the conference, winning it was our No. 1 goal," said Alliance coach Ron Kuceyeski. "We've brought this program back and this will be a nice thing to carry into our new league."
Niles, which had its four-game winning streak snapped, finished the season at 5-5 after starting the year 1-4.
Alliance finished the game with 465 total yards, 375 rushing and 90 passing.
Davis, who had touchdown runs of 5, 84 and 2 yards, also had a 56-yard touchdown run called back by a penalty in the first period.
Penalties hurt the Aviators early, but it was a costly penalty by Niles that helped Alliance to its first score.
"We really didn't play all that well early on tonight, but we got better as the game progressed," Kuceyeski said.
Penalty costly
After Davis' run was nullified, the Aviators had to punt and Niles was called for a roughing-the-kicker penalty. Alliance then scored the game's first touchdown on a 5-yard run by Davis.
Niles came right back, getting a big break when Joe Gillespie's punt was touched by an Alliance player and Mario Baugh recovered for the Dragons at the Alliance 30.
On the first play, Bryan Butto raced 25 yards to the 5, and two plays later Jared Sears scored from the 1 to deadlock the game.
But Alliance broke open the game in the second period with two scores. The first came on a 53-yard drive capped by Charlie Babb's 1-yard run.
Davis breaks big run
The second came after Chris Banks intercepted a Joe Razzano pass at the Alliance 16. On the first play, Davis broke outside, found an opening and raced 84 yards to put the Aviators up 21-7.
Alliance took the second-half kickoff and Davis took over. He rushed four straight times, one a 44-yard gallop and then scored on a 2-yard run.
Davis also set up Alliance's final touchdown late in the third period with a 57-yard run. Steve Love scored the touchdown on a 7-yard run.
Fight breaks out
The game was marred late in the third period when a fight broke out on the field following a Niles punt. After nearly 30 minutes, the officials ejected two players from each team.
Niles scored its final touchdown in the closing seconds after recovering an Alliance fumble. Razzano tossed a 1-yard scoring pass to Mike DiCeglie with 41 seconds remaining in the contest.
Niles finished with 212 total yards, 108 rushing and 104 passing.
mollica@vindy.com