High school football playoffs: Dante Gentile leads Springfield over Black River

The 15th-seeded Black River football team made second-seeded New Middletown Springfield sweat for nearly three quarters of a Division VI, Region 21 first-round game Friday, but Dante Gentile wouldn't be denied. The senior running back scored all four of his touchdowns in the second half, leading the Tigers to a 35-6 victory that was within doubt as the third-quarter clock wound down. Springfield (9-2) advanced to host seventh-seeded Toronto (8-3), which earned its first playoff victory with a 33-21 decision over Wickliffe, while the Pirates finished 4-7. Black River trailed just 6-0 at halftime, but could have had the lead. Dozier Hendershot intercepted the Tigers' Brayden Baird to set up the Pirates in Springfield territory early on, but the drive stalled in the red zone and Baird found Aiden Appel for a 5-yard score early in the second quarter. The Pirates' Owen Chapman blocked the extra point. Gentile's first TD came from 3 yards to make the score 12-0 early in the third, but Black River responded with a 5-yard Seth Gaspari run. That was all she wrote for the Pirates, however, as Gentile scored from 61 yards, Black River failed on a fake punt from its own 37-yard line and Gentile scored again from 1 yard to make it 28-6. Gentile capped the scoring on a 57-yard run with 4:59 remaining in the game. A full box score will appear in The Gazette on Monday. Contact Albert Grindle at (330) 721-4043 or agrindle@medina-gazette.com. New Middletown Springfield 35, Black River 6 Division VI, Region 21 First Round BLACK RIVER &emsp;&emsp;0 0 6 0 — 6 SPRINGFIELD 0 6 14 15 — 35 Second S — Aiden Appel 5 pass from Brayden Baird (kick blocked), 8:21. Third S — Dante Gentile 3 run (run failed), 8:07. B — Seth Gaspari 5 run (run failed), 3:57. S — Gentile 61 run (Gentile run), 3:38. Fourth S — Gentile 1 run (Appel pass from Baird), 9:25. S — Gentile 57 run (Kaesen Kosek kick), 4:59.