No one doubted that the Cazenovia football team was honored, humbled and flattered to ascend to the top spot in the state Class B rankings for the first time in the program’s history.
At the same time, though, everyone understood that the only time those rankings mattered came at the end of November, not the end of October, and the Lakers are bent on turning current status into something more permanent and historic.
Beginning its journey through the post-season, Cazenovia hosted Westhill on a windy, cold Saturday afternoon in the opening round of the Section III playoffs, using timely defensive stops and big plays to seize control and then burying the Warriors in a 42-6 romp.
For a playoff opener, Westhill appeared to provide quite a challenge. The Warriors were 5-2, riding a four-game win streak and had just knocked off Chittenango and Homer in back-to-back road games, each of them state-ranked at the time, holding them to a combined six points in those wins.
Of course, every one of those games was on Field Turf. This was on Cazenovia’s natural surface at Buckley-Volo Field, where the Lakers had won 53 straight games and now carried the extra burden and responsibility of a no. 1 state ranking.
Immediately, Cazenovia had reasons for concern. A poor first possession, and low punt into the line that got blocked, puts the Warriors inside the Lakers’ 20, but it couldn’t move anywhere, settling for Silvio Argentieri’s 32-yard field goal.
Once it got the ball back, the Lakers began to churn on the offensive side. Facing third down at midfield, Jake Shaffner read the blitz that was coming and threw a screen pass to Cole Willard, who sped past the remaining Westhill defenders into the end zone. Kevin Frega added a two-point run, and the Lakers were up 8-3.
Trying to answer, Westhill resorted to the trick plays, as tight end Chase Gedney took a lateral and threw it 37 yards to Jesse Cheter. Ultimately, the Warriors got it to the Lakers’ four, only to again get denied , leaving Argentieri to return to hit a field goal from 21 yards out.
Cazenovia only led 8-6, but from making that pair of stands, the Lakers’ defense not only kept Westhill from going in front, but gained a confidence that would drive them the rest of the way, Brendan Whalen led that group, earning 10 tackles, two of them sacks, with Frega and Ben Nichols adding seven tackles apiece.
Paul McLaughlin began to assert his presence with a 26-yard reception late in the first quarter, which set up Shaffner’s one-yard TD plunge. Then, late in the second quarter, T.J. Connellan began to take direct snaps while lined up next to Shaffner and, during a 70-yard march, did much of the work, including the last four yards for the score that extended the Lakers’ lead to 21-6 at the break.
Westhill received the second-half kickoff, but on the first play Frega pressured Warriors quarterback Zavon Barrett into a pass that McLaughlin picked off and moved deep into Warriors territory before Anthony Vecchiarelli scored from five yards out.
So began a near-perfect third quarter on the Lakers’ side, featuring a string of defensive stops as Cazenovia’s sack total went to five.
Quiet for most of the early going, the Lakers’ passing attack put the game away, as Frega’s 28-yard run set up Shaffner finding a wide-open Willard on a 40-yard scoring strike. Minutes later, as the clock ran out in the period, Shaffner lined up wide, with Connellan taking the step and throwing deep to Shaffner for a 31-yard TD pass.
Though Shaffner completed just four of seven passes, they went for 119 yards. Connellan finished with exactly 100 yards on the ground and the the Lakers earned 375 total yards of offense.
Now the 8-0 Lakers face a highly-anticipated sectional Class B semifinal against its neighbors from Chittenango Friday night at 5 p.m. at Fayetteville-Manlius High School.
The Bears are 6-2 and turned back Mexico 34-26 in the opening round, eagerly anticipating this game since it has not met Cazenovia since the 2012 sectional final, which the Lakers won 35-21.
The winner between Cazenovia and Chittenango takes on Homer or Vernon-Verona-Sherrill at the Carrier Dome in the Nov. 7 sectional final.
