So the Skaneateles football team is among the Class C sides again. That turned out well before.
The last time the Lakers played in Class C, it claimed a Section III championship in 2012. Immediately after, the program returned to Class B, and while Skaneateles did make a few post-season appearances, the competition took a mental and physical toll.
In particular, 2016 hurt. Injuries started piling up before the season even got started, and the attrition continued even as Skaneateles put together a 4-3 regular season and sneaked into the sectional playoffs before getting blown out by eventual champion Cazenovia. Less than 20 healthy players remained by that point.
But when they gathered for practices again in mid-August, the Lakers had restored both its numbers and its energy. More than 30 were on hand at the outset, and that, combined with a move to the Class C West division, has everyone in gold and navy blue thinking big again.
“They feel confident,” said head coach Joe Sindoni. “But we’ve got to be ready to play to our maximum capacity.”
It helps, most of all, to have Pat Hackler under center. The junior quarterback had a tremendous sophomore season, overcoming all of the attrition to spearhead numerous late-game drives that led to victories.
A two-sport star, Hackler said he has not yet decided whether to concentrate on football or lacrosse when colleges come calling. Sindoni said his skills in lacrosse complement his football skills, mostly in terms of confidence and leadership.
Hackler has an experienced group of receivers –three of the top four wideouts return from a season ago. Cross Bianchi, Nick Wamp and Nate Wellington are well-versed in the Lakers’ system, and having all of them on the field means defenders can’t zero in on one pass-catcher, making it easier for Hackler to operate.
The Lakers’ leading rusher in 2016, Areh Boni, is back, joined by Will McGlynn and Jack Comer. They hope to make Skaneateles less dependent on Hackler’s right arm, with help from a revamped offensive line.
The depth up front is bolstered by the return of T.J. Greenfield to the line. Greenfield, a right tackle, missed all of 2016 with a broken ankle suffered in pre-season practices that also caused him to miss most of the wrestling season, too.
James Liberatore moves in at left tackle, while Nate Squires starts at center, flanked by 315-pound Scott Oschner and 215-pound Jon Ricklefs at the guard spots. Ricklefs and Greenfield are both part of the defensive line, too, with Jack Carlile and Will Frank rounding out the front four.
Aside from backing up Hackler at the quarterback position, Jacob Nesbitt returns to start at middle linebacker, with Boni and Wellington at outside linebacker. Luke Viggiano leads a secondary that includes Bianchi and Wamp, and could get better before the season ends.
Tyler Schneider, a projected two-way starter, is scheduled to return from his National Guard training in early September. As a junior, Schneider was a team captain, and he excelled for the last two years despite playing both seasons with a broken hand.
One downside to going back to Class C is the loss of some big rivalry games such as Marcellus, Westhill and Solvay. However, Friday’s opener at Jordan-Elbridge is a special occasion since it’s the first game on the Eagles’ brand-new Field Turf at John Howes Stadium.
From there, four of the next five Lakers games are at Hyatt Stadium, with only a Sept. 22 trip to Tully to face the new Southern Hills Storm (a combined Tully-LaFayette team) to break up that homestand before the regular season ends Oct. 13 at Homer.
Though favored by many in Class C, Sindoni wanted no part of that talk, saying he holds his team to a standard that goes beyond wins and losses.
“I want us to play to our potential as quickly as possible,” said Sindoni. “If we do, we’ll live with the results, whatever they are.”
