FAIRPORT – One thing is certain as Victor nears the Section V high school football playoffs.
The Blue Devils won’t shy away from adversity.
Victor didn’t fret while trailing by a touchdown in the waning moments of its Oct. 16 game at Fairport. If anything, it thrived amid the chaos.
Jackson Mead tied the game with 34 seconds left in regulation. Carter Abbate won it in overtime.
Victor (5-2) left Fairport (2-5) with a 20-13 victory that required multiple comebacks, an overtime period, and copious drama. That provided a fitting regular-season finale for a Blue Devils squad ready to pursue sectional glory.
“We flipped the switch for some reason when the fourth quarter started,” Victor head coach Geoff Mandile said. “First overtime game is good experience for us, and really good because we got the win.”
Victor prevails on late-game heroics
Mead caught a 4th down pass from Eli Ricci in the end zone.
That was Victor’s last gasp at tying a Fairport squad which had pulled ahead moments prior on a Danny Roessel touchdown reception. Fairport blocked Victor’s extra-point attempt, however, to force overtime.
Victor started overtime with the ball. Abbate rushed for a TD after Ricci’s legs moved the Blue Devils near the goal line.
Abbate then sealed Victor’s ensuing defensive stand with a fourth down pass breakup.
“We’re built for these big moments,” said Abbate, a senior. “We’ve repped them in practice tons of times and we just executed.”
Victor has now won back-to-back games over Class AA opponents. It will soon enter a loaded Class A1 playoff field that includes returning state runner-up Brighton (7-0) and more.
“Our last two have been one-score games and we came out on top in both against teams that are bigger than us,” Mandile said. “Lean on our defense and special teams. Our defense is playing lights out and our special teams have really helped us the past two weeks.”
Watch above as Abbate and Mead reflect on the win at Fairport.
Jeff Uveino joined the USA Today Network in 2023 and began covering Rochester-area high school sports in 2026. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University's Jandoli School of Communication and native of Perry. Contact him at juveino@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X @realjuveino and on Instagram @jeffusports.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Victor football finds a way in wild overtime finish at Fairport