From an 0-2 start, the Canastota football team has worked its way to a position where it could host a post-season game.
The Raiders’ 13-7 victory over Sherburne-Earlville Friday night pushed the team’s mark to 2-1 in the Class C South division.
This means that, if Canastota beats Sauquoit Valley in front of the home folks Saturday night at Schmidt-Borgognoni Field, it is likely to finish no worse than second in the league – which would mean a home game when the Class C playoffs get underway on Oct. 16.
All this was in the future when Canastota went on the road to Sherburne-Earlville, a team with its own 1-1 league mark looking to move up the standings.
But the Marauders had only scored 27 points in its first three games, and Canastota’s defense was not about to make things easier.
All through the first half, Zach Zupan, Jake LaBarre and the rest of the Raiders put up fierce resistance, keeping S-E off the board.
Meanwhile, Canastota was patient on the offensive side, mostly relying on its ground game. LaBarre’s six-yard touchdown run and Jamie Meade’s extra points were the only points of the half.
Up 7-0 at the break, the Raiders got on the board again in the third quarter when it drove to the Marauders’ six-yard line before LaBarre scored again. He would finish the night with 164 yards on 22 carries.
Canastota would surrender points late in the third period when S-E quarterback Ethan Johnson threw a six-yard TD pass to Cole Hodges. But it regained control in the fourth quarter, making several key stops to protect its slim lead.
Canastota now meets Sauquoit, who is coming off a 31-8 loss to Cazenovia, before an Oct. 9 regular-season finale at Clinton.
