ONONDAGA COUNTY – Though they would not fully admit it, football players at Christian Brothers Academy may have considered all that has gone on so far in 2022 as a prelude to the big moment that lies ahead.
Next Sunday night at 6 p.m. at the JMA Wireless Dome, the undefeated Brothers will have its confrontation with Cicero-North Syracuse, trying to put an end to the Northstars’ half decade-long reign as Section III Class AA champions.
When they first met in September at Alibrandi Stadium, it was an instant classic, a constant exchange of big plays as C-NS, down 21 at one point, nearly made it all the way back, only to have CBA prevail 42-41 when it stopped a go-ahead two-point conversion late in the fourth quarter.
Of course, both sides first had to win sectional semifinals Friday on their respective home fields – and did so, though in wildly varying manners.
C-NS had to battle all four quarters to knock off Baldwinsville 21-7 at Bragman Stadium while CBA, playing one more time in front of a home crowd, controlled matters against Utica Proctor in a 42-8 victory.
It didn’t take long for the Brothers’ big-play capability to go on display against a Raiders side that needed overtime to get past Liverpool in the opening round.
Jordan Rae, from his own 41-yard line, went deep and found Syair Torrence, who took it the distance for a 59-yard touchdown, the only score for either side in the first quarter.
The getaway began in the second period as Rae hit for two more TD passes, going 22 yards to James Bell and three yards to Amarri Pitts, CBA’s margin growing to 21-0 at the break.
Proctor finally got on the board in the third quarter when Todd Abraham threw a scoring pass to Joe Gentile and ran in for two points, but the Brothers would answer.
Jamier Handford ran five yards for one TD and, taking a Raiders punt at his own 38, picked up blocks and went all the way for a 62-yard score that made it 35-8. Tez Thomas added a fourth-quarter two-yard scoring run.
Rae was six-for-nine for 166 yards but exited the game after the second quarter, his status for the sectional final unknown. CBA’s defense kept making key stops despite Proctor rushing for nearly 200 yards as Domante Cook had 107 yards on 29 carries.
As this went on, Bishop Grimes saw its dreams of a sectional championship in eight-man football get dashed when it lost, 52-14, to Frankfort-Schuyler in the sectional semifinals.
This had followed a 48-30 win over New York Mills in the opening round where Bruno Kinsey rushed for 137 yards and three touchdowns, with Logan Quackenbush getting 112 yards on 21 carries and scoring twice.
Defensively against Mills, Kinsey again led the way, earning 15 tackles. Jackson Fudge had 12 tackles, with Dario Nicotra adding 10 tackles. The loss to Frankfort-Schuyler ended Grimes’ season with a 5-4 record.
