In Fayetteville-Manlius’s quarterfinal win over East Syracuse-Minoa, TJ Conley found the end zone six times, passing Damien Rhodes as the all-time career touchdown leader for the Hornets.

“It was a goal I set for myself in the beginning of the year, being able to get it along with the win was huge," Conley says.

Now, he’s chasing the number 2,102: that’s how many rushing yards Damien had his senior season. TJ is 119 yards behind heading into the semifinals against New Hartford.

“We’ve got to win the rep, win the rep, even if you’re losing it, flip the page," Conley says.

That means putting the work in off the field. TJ spends a lot of time, in the gym, watching film, and it shows. His vision has turned him into one of the best running backs in the state.

“Me personally, I like coming out of the shotgun, so I don’t have to turn around and get back to the line of scrimmage. I like to look at it before the play even starts, see what they’re in," Conley says.

And sometimes, things don’t go to plan.

“As soon as I get the ball, I have a hole I’m supposed to go to, but then it turns into backyard football and make guys miss," Conley says.

TJ is a competitive guy, but that’s when you’re the middle child, of two brothers.

“I get told I’m the slowest eater and my little brother finishes meals faster than me. We’re competitive in everything we do. My [older] brother's in college, he’s texting us his numbers in the weight room, I’m telling him it's not good enough," Conley says.

TJ will be able to have these conversations in person soon enough, when he joins his older brother Zak at Rutgers to play lacrosse.

“I’m going right at him. Every single time, every time I can. Maybe I can figure out a few weak points, he’s tall so I’ve got to get into him a little bit," Conley says.

But for now, his focus is on the task at hand, and getting over the hump that is the section football semifinals.

“Coming off last year, this is the game we fell short in. Obviously the Dome is our goal," Conley says.

The road to the Dome runs through Manlius. The top-seeded Hornets will host the Spartans of New Hartford on Friday night at 7 p.m.