By STEPHEN SHERK Jr.

Era Sports Writer

There was no hesitation by Cattaraugus-Little Valley coach Tim
Miller after the New York all-stars closed within one point of
Pennsylvania late in the fourth quarter Saturday night.

Miller shunned the extra point for the two-point conversion.

“It was a no-brainer,” stated Miller of the decision. “We came
here to win. We had a shot to do it and we were taking it.”

Quarterback Andrew Reynolds teamed with Ron Malicki for a
successful conversion giving New York the 22-21 victory in the 34th
annual Don Raabe Big 30 Charities Classic at Parkway Field.

Big 30 game rules specify if a game ends in a tie it will be
left that way with no overtime.

“No way were we playing for a tie,” Miller added.

It was Matt Crandall’s four-yard touchdown run on a
fourth-and-goal with 2:01 left in the game that positioned New York
for the win.

Crandall showed he was the backbone of the team with his stellar
running performance. He had several key runs as well as two of New
York’s three touchdowns.

“There isn’t a whole lot that hasn’t been said about Crandall,”
Miller stated. “He’s a beast with the ball.”

Crandall raced in from five yards out at the 5:02 mark of the
first quarter to give New York the early lead.

“Scoring first is always a confidence boost,” stated Miller. “We
were glad to be on top early.”

Although offense puts up most of the points, defense always
proves to be the major factor in winning football games. New York
may have been inconsistent on defense at times, but crucial
interceptions and causing fumbles were a sure key to its win.

“I couldn’t begin to name kids that made big defensive plays for
us,” Miller noted. “We may have been inconsistent at times, but we
made the big plays when we needed them.”

Miller felt Pennsylvania was a different team after quarterback
Calvin Grumley injured his hamstring on a 20-yard keeper and didn’t
return.

“It was a whole different team without Grumley,” Miller pointed
out. “It was a key for us.”

The victory by New York snapped Pennsylvania’s three-game
winning streak. New York now leads the series 18-14-2.

“I’m proud of the way our kids represented our schools,” Miller
praised. “Both sides should be proud. This was a great
experience.”

The game was dedicated to former Cattaraugus Central School
player Sgt. Jason Denfrund. Denfrund, who was killed in action in
Iraq on Christmas Day 2006, played in the 2000 Raabe Classic.

Organizers of the Raabe Classic retired Denfrund’s No. 90, which
he wore in the game.