They put on a full show Thursday night for the latest renewal of the Skaneateles-Marcellus football rivalry Thursday night at Hyatt Stadium, from a pre-game rock band to a post-game tailgate party, with live local TV coverage in between.
And the game was quite good, too.
Devin Callahan threw five touchdown passes, four of them to Tommy Hagen, and the Lakers needed all of them to withstand the Mustangs’ furious rally from a 17-point halftime deficit to prevail by a score of 38-35.
Having just missed scoring a victory six days earlier in the season opener (a 26-21 defeat to Chittenango), Skaneateles returned home determined to both avoid an 0-2 start and get the upper hand against its neighbors from Marcellus, who had topped Solvay 41-21 in its opener.
Not rattled by the Mustangs’ opening drive that resulted in Mike Keegan’s 14-yard scoring pass to Aaron Smith, the Lakers also drove to the end zone on its first possession, Callahan capping it by delivering a 27-yard rollout pass to Hagen.
When Marcellus fumbled at its own 38, Hagen recovered, and on the very next play Callahan found Cross Bianchi streaking over the middle, and Bianchi outraced the Mustang defenders to the goal line to put the Lakers in front to stay.
Skaneateles continued to march at will in the second quarter. After Aubrey Leverich stuffed Nate Garlow on a fourth-down run at midfield, the Lakers turned it into seven points, Callahan throwing a two-yard TD pass to Hagen.
Though Marcellus closed the gap to 21-14, Leverich used a 28-yard run to set up a fourth-down play at the Mustangs’ 24 where Callahan pump-faked, then lobbed a perfect spiral to a streaking Hagen in the end zone.
Continuing his big night, Hagen hit on a 27-yard field goal a minute before halftime, and when the Lakers stopped Marcellus at its own five as the clock ran out, it carried a 31-14 margin to the break.
Trying to put it away, Skaneateles used up more than seven minutes of clock at the start of the third quarter on a long drive, only to get thwarted, setting the stage for Marcellus to storm back into it.
Pounding away on the ground, the Mustangs used Keegan’s 34-yard run to set up Garlow’s 10-yard TD sprint late in the period. Then, on its next possession, Marcellus converted a fourth down when Keegan picked up a desperate lateral and motored to the Lakers’ 18. Three plays later, Garlow scored again, from six yards out.
So now it was 31-28, with most of the fourth quarter remaining and the Lakers dealing with both its youth and fatigue. It needed a big play – and got it.
From his own 28, Callahan threw a lateral to Hagen, who from the right sideline threw deep downfield – and found tight end Ben Delasin, who ran to the Mustangs’ 20. Revitalized, the Lakers made it 38-28 when, on another fourth down, Callahan found Hagen on a 17-yard scoring pass with 6:54 left.
That cushion was needed, for Marcellus immediately countered with a TD drive that Fiacchi finished off with a two-yard scoring run. But the Lakers recovered the onside kick and, going for it on fourth down from midfield, got it when Callahan found Delasin on a nine-yard rollout pass.
Though the drive stalled at the Mustangs’ 15, Marcellus had used all of its time-outs, and with a minute left, it could not pick up a first down, allowing Skaneateles to hang on and celebrate.
The Lakers are home again next Friday to take on Westhill at 7 p.m., while the Mustangs, on that same night, pay the same visit to Chittenango that Skaneateles made to start the season.
