Considering Sweet Home entered the season as a defending state scholastic football champion,

it's rather surprising the Panthers have gone about their business with little fanfare.

It's just one of those things where they kind of got lost amid the hoopla of Joe Licata's

record-setting season at quarterback for Williamsville South and defending state Class AA

champion Orchard Park's shocking regular-season loss to Lancaster.

But the spotlight will shine brightly on Sweet Home (8-0) during this weekend's Section VI

semifinals and once again an old friend will try to foil the Panthers' championship

dreams.

Sweet Home gets to face Iroquois (6-2) in the playoffs for the seventh time in the past eight

postseasons in Saturday's Class A semifinal (2 p.m., 550 AM). The Panthers have won four of

those playoff encounters and have beaten the Chiefs in the teams' last three meetings

overall.

While the two teams met in a rare regular-season matchup in Week Five (won by Sweet Home,

44-23), Saturday's meeting is more of the norm. These two programs have combined to win the

last three Class A championships and four of the last five titles and usually have to go

through each other either in the semis or the finals.

Sweet Home has won three titles — including two straight — this decade, while

Iroquois has captured two (2004 and 2006).

So much for Sweet Home quietly going about its business this week.

"We just keep playing our football and we're just slowly creeping back into the headlines,"

said coach John Faller, whose Panthers have won 21 straight games.

It can be argued that the Panthers' last serious test this season came against Iroquois when

they delivered that 21-point thumping on a rainy night in Elma. Ralph Neasman rushed for four

touchdowns and 192cq of Sweet Home's 343 yards in that win.

Sweet Home averages 246.75 rushing yards and has outscored opponents, 186-37, the past four

weeks.

Also in Class A, Grand Island (5-3) carries a five-game winning streak into tonight's clash at

Hamburg (7-1), which is trying to reach a final at Ralph Wilson Stadium for the first time.

In Class B, Cheektowaga (8-0) can return to The Ralph for the first time since 2007 if it

beats visiting Albion (5-3) tonight. Meanwhile, the Dick Diminuco-led Alden Bulldogs (6-2)

look to spring their second straight upset on the road when it visits East Aurora (7-1) in a

rematch of Week 6 B South Division matchup won by division champion EA, 17-6.

In Class C, Cleveland Hill (7-1) has swatted all comers since losing in Week Three to Eden,

10-6. Odds are defending state champion Southwestern (8-0) will put up more of a

fight.

Cleveland Hill has outscored its foes, 179-8, since the Eden loss and will try to snap the

Trojans' 24-game winning streak — the longest in the state.

"We missed an opportunity to play them last year in the sectional final," said coach Glen

Graham. "We have a lot of guys back from last year's team and they wanted to get to play

Southwestern one way or another. We're happy to get to them this year."

Class C North champ Eden (8-0) has given up just 12 points and carries six shutouts into its

Saturday semifinal clash with Cassadaga Valley (7-1) at 1 p.m. at Hamburg High.

"They're a darn good football team," CV coach Mark Peterson said. "They're a lot like us. They

play smashmouth football. It should be an interesting game. We're looking forward to it."

In Class D, Maple Grove (7-1) and Randolph (7-1) each are one win away from another

championship showdown.

In the Monsignor Martin Association, Canisius visits St. Francis tonight in a rematch of last

year's playoff title game won by the Red Raiders.

Consolation bowls

Wmsv. South 48, W. Seneca East 28: Licata broke two more Western New York passing records in

South's final game of the season. Licata's sixth TD of the game, thrown to Phil Stasiak, gave

him 36 for the season, breaking the old mark of 35 set by Naaman Roosevelt (St. Joe's) in

2005. Licata had 339 yards on 29-of-45 passing to total 2,462 yards, passing the mark of 2,408

set by Mike Radon (St. Francis) in 2001. The record-breaking touchdown pass came with 50

seconds left in the game; the contest was then called by the officials because play had gotten

too unsportsmanlike.

Frontier 20, Jamestown 13: Mark Schuster rushed 26 times for 155 yards and he finished

his Frontier career with 3,023 yards.

Clarence 34, Kenmore West 21 Mike Gelz had 190 yards and a TD on 24 carries, while Nate

Hammer ran for a TD and 117 yards on 12 rushes for Clarence in the AA bowl final.

Olean 14, Pioneer 13: Malik Fuentes rushed for 149 yards in the win secured when Olean

stopped a two-point conversion with 1:39 left in the B bowl final.

Lake Shore 28, Amherst 27: Tom Fritz's 2-yard TD run in the fourth quarter won it for

Lake Shore after Amherst had rallied from a 16-0 hole to take the lead twice.

Williamsville North 20, Wilson 17: In a large versus small school matchup, Josh

Halter's second short TD run lifted Class AA North.

Lew-Port 35, Medina 20: Matt Cattarin completed 9-of-11 passes for 132 yards and two

TDs for Lew-Port.