Although the Trojans are the No. 1 seed from Class C South and the Eagles are the No. 2 seed from the same division, when they met Oct. 3 in Mayville, Southwestern/Frewsburg won 45-0.

The Trojans’ Bradyn Fuller and Trent Lewis combined for 332 yards rushing and four touchdowns in that game while Chautauqua Lake/Westfield/Brocton ran for just 37 yards as a team.

Lewis was nearly perfect through the air, completing 11 of 12 passes for 168 yards, including a 54-yard touchdown to Roger Markham, who finished with four catches for 110 yards.

Brayden Gibbs, meanwhile, went 14 of 27 for 134 yards, including an interception to Lewis.

Devin Hewes is the Eagles' top target with 605 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 47 catches this season. Photo courtesy of Cody Jacobson

For good measure, Lewis added a 66-yard punt return for a touchdown.

“We know they are coming into this matchup and want to beat us really bad after the 45-0 homecoming game,” Southwestern/Frewsburg senior George Marshall said Tuesday at Highmark Stadium. “I know we’ve gotten 10 times better from where we were during that game. We’re going to go into this matchup with the same intensity and power we did going into the last matchup.”

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The Eagles are out to prove they are a different team than that night over a month ago. Their play on the field indicates they may be.

Chautauqua Lake/Westfield/Brocton has won its past five games by a combined score of 234-64, including a three-game winning streak to end the regular season against Fredonia, Falconer/Cassadaga Valley/Maple Grove and Salamanca by scores of 64-16, 42-0 and 28-25, respectively. The program is seeking its third sectional title and first since back-to-back crowns as Maple Grove/Chautauqua Lake in 2014 and 2015.

Chautauqua Lake/Westfield/Brocton and head coach Ty Harper will look to bounce back from a 45-0 loss to Southwestern/Frewsburg in Class C South action during the regular season. Photo courtesy of Cody Jacobson

“They are an excellent team. I do think it was a combination of factors that night. We certainly didn’t play to our ability level and they took it to us. I have to take full accountability for that as a coach when you get beat like that. You have to think about everything that you can do to help your team improve,” Eagles head coach Ty Harper said of the Trojans’ 45-0 win. “I’m incredibly proud of the guys, I think they are playing their best football right now. We really challenged them after that game to be coachable and to work hard to get better.”

In this year’s playoffs, the Eagles beat Akron 70-12 in the quarterfinals and Barker/Royalton-Hartland 30-13 in last week’s semifinals.

On the season, Gibbs has completed 111 of 183 passes for 1,500 yards and 19 touchdowns with just five interceptions. His favorite receiver has been Devin Hewes, who has 47 receptions for 605 yards and six touchdowns while Asher Olson has 31 catches for 530 yards and eight touchdowns.

“If you can run the ball in November, you have a chance to win the game. We have some really talented skill guys on the outside, Brayden has had a great year throwing the ball, but a lot of the success you have throwing it is predicated on being able to run it,” Harper said. “If the defense knows that you can’t run the ball, it puts both your quarterback and your offensive line in a pretty tough predicament.”

Thandon Bensink has rushed 131 times for 801 yards and 10 touchdowns while Gibbs and Clay Smith each have five touchdowns on the ground.

“We just have to win the line of scrimmage,” Gibbs said Tuesday. “We got dominated last time on the line of scrimmage. We have athletes all over the field.”

Defensively, Tristen Gibbs leads the Eagles with 85 tackles, including 13 for a loss, while Trent Houser has 83 tackles, including 11 for a loss. Smith has 10 sacks in his 15 tackles for loss.

“Trent (Lewis) has been tremendous all season long, Roger (Markham) is a great athlete, but I think their coaches would tell you too, it starts with the line of scrimmage. We didn’t do a very good job there last time we played them,” Harper said. “If we are going to be in this football game, it’s going to be because we’re physical at the point of attack.”

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Southwestern/Frewsburg hasn’t had to make a midseason improvement because the Trojans have been rolling over teams since Week 1. While outscoring opponents 420-61, Southwestern/Frewsburg, which is seeking its sixth sectional crown and first since 2019, has risen to the No. 5 team in the state, according to the New York State Sportswriters Association. That scoring disparity doesn’t include a 20-0 win awarded to Southwestern/Frewsburg for a forfeit against Springville.

The Trojans beat Medina 48-7 in this year’s quarterfinals before their 69-21 victory over Eden/North Collins in last week’s semifinals.

The Trojans are led by Lewis, who has thrown for 835 yards and 13 touchdowns with just one interception, while rushing for 905 yards and 16 touchdowns. His favorite receiver has been Roger Markham, who has 20 catches for 515 yards and eight touchdowns.

But Southwestern/Frewsburg might have to adjust its running game with Bradyn Fuller (115 carries, 1,460 yards, 17 TDs) out for the game due to a knee injury. Miles Torres (29 carries, 251 yards, 3 TD) and Adrian Torres (10 carries, 77 yards, 1 TD) had the bulk of the carries after Fuller left last week’s game against the Raiders.

“We have guys to step in. I think we can keep playing our ball,” Lewis said. “Miles stepped in and dropped 100 rushing yards. We definitely have guys for that position. If we have to switch some things up and throw a little bit more, we will.”

“It’s next man up. We’ve got guys who can fill in those positions. Our guys up front are going to be perfect in every aspect. We’re going to try and make those running backs look good,” senior guard Calvin Salisbury added. “We’ve got to be aggressive and physical because they’ve only gotten better since we played them. I know they are waiting to play us.”

Defensively, Zach Markham leads the team with 54 tackles, including 23 for a loss, and seven sacks, while Marshall has 53 tackles, including six for a loss. Tyler McIntyre leads the team with six sacks and Roger Markham has six interceptions.

“We just have to keep being physical. Our size advantage and our grit is really what has kept us dominating teams,” Trojans linebacker Henry Eckert said. “As long as we come out strong and put them away fast, I think we’ll be able to come out with a win.”

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The winner of tonight’s game advances to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Far West Regional against Section V’s champion at noon next Saturday at All-High Stadium in Buffalo. Letchworth/Warsaw/Perry and Alexander/Pembroke will play for the Rochester area’s title at noon Saturday at Rush-Henrietta High School.

“The main goal is to just play for another week,” Trojans senior Brayden Potter said. “Of course this is our biggest game yet, but I feel like as a team we can make it further.”

“This is the next one on the schedule,” Southwestern/Frewsburg head coach Jake Burkholder added. “We always have to put our focus on what is right in front of us to get to our bigger aspirations.”

NOTES: Frewsburg won a Class D title in 1993, a Class DD crown in 2013 and 8-man titles the past two years. … Westfield and Brocton have never won Section VI championships.