CANANDAIGUA – It’s hard to imagine a better home opener than the one Canandaigua fans witnessed Friday night.
Canandaigua (2-0) rolled past Batavia (0-2), 46-0, in the Gray Wolves’ first home game of the 2026 high school football season. A week removed from its win at Honeoye Falls-Lima, Canandaigua dominated the Blue Devils, adding to its early-season momentum.
The common theme against Batavia? Domination at the line of scrimmage.
“We established the line of scrimmage inconsistently last week,” Canandaigua coach Jeff Welch said. “That was the goal this week. I think we did that on both sides of the ball.”
No place like home
Isasc Dolph and Austin Kierst each scored two Canandaigua rushing touchdowns in the first half.
The Gray Wolves enjoyed a 39-0 lead at halftime,
thanks in part to a scoop-and-score by Joel Lloyd when Batavia fumbled a kickoff. Derek Smith also recovered a fumble for Canandaigua, leading to a touchdown pass from Kierst to Declan Cooney.
Elijah Laskowski added a late TD rush.
“I think we have the skill to be pretty balanced (offensively),” Welch said. “We didn’t need to throw all night, but when we did, we executed. (Kierst) is a talented thrower, and we have kids who can run routes and catch the ball.”
Chasing the block
Canandaigua’s Sept. 11 win followed its 31-20 win at Honeoye Falls-Lima a week prior. The Gray Wolves travel to Brockport next week before hosting Greece Arcadia and Fairport, respectively, in Weeks 4 and 5.
Four years have passed since the end of Canandaigua’s Section V championship four-peat. Through two weeks, the Wolves resemble as strong a contender as any for this year's Class A2 title.
East High/World of Inquiry, the reigning A2 champ, re-classified to Class B. That means a new champion will be crowned in November.
“We got better from last week, which you always want to do,” Welch said. “The best thing about tonight was that everyone got to play a significant amount of football.”
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: Canandaigua football rolls in home opener, adds to strong Section V start
