A small speck of mystery greeted the Cazenovia football team as it returned to the Class B ranks where it won back-to-back Section III titles in 2006 and ’07. Simply put, could the Lakers resume its dominant ways?
The first emphatic answer was delivered Saturday in the Carrier Dome, where the Lakers took over the Kickoff Classic and lit up Bishop Ludden in a 56-0 romp.
In stark contrast, Vernon Verona Sherrill and Oneida, two future league foes of Cazenovia in Class B East, lost on opening weekend. The highly-touted Red Devils fell to defending champion Westhill 38-28 on Friday night and, on Saturday, the Indians took a 21-12 defeat to Holland Patent.
As far as tune-ups went, the Lakers were not dealing with the same Bishop Ludden team that had tore through Class C in recent years, even claiming a state championship in 2007.
Everything with the Gaelic Knights was new, from coach Mike Rogers (replacing John Cosgrove, now at Syracuse Institute of Technology Central) to a roster of 31 players that included 18 freshmen and sophomores.
Looking to take over early, Cazenovia did not do that right away as John Greacen, in his first start at running back after transferring from CBA, fumbled twice and turned it over once. But he also scored on a 24-yard run, putting the Lakers ahead 7-0.
The rout took hold in the second quarter, as Cazenovia would find the end zone five times, adding up to 35 points.
Greacen made it 14-0 on a 35-yard touchdown run, then found the end zone again on a spectacular, twisting 17-yard run after Ludden fumbled the kickoff.
Jeff Hopsicker didn’t stay quiet in all this, as the Laker quarterback threw a 14-yard TD pass to Chris Schaffner and ran one yard for another score.
In between, the Laker defense got involved, as Noah Shepard returned an interception 20 yards for a TD. Ben Romagnoli and Jose Wells would add second-half scores, and Nick Christakos, in his first kicking assignment as Chris Rogers’ successor, made all eight of his extra-point attempts.
Accumulating 437 yards of offense, the Lakers saw Greacen pile up 167 yards on just 10 carries and get more than 100 yards on kick returns, too. Conversely, Cazenovia’s defense limited Ludden to 53 yards for the game.
The Lakers’ romp followed the drama of VVS, the other consensus Class B East favorite, bringing its experienced lineup to Westhill, trying to avenge last year’s turnover-filled, 37-7 loss to the Warriors in the sectional semifinals.
This rematch would prove much closer, as three times the Red Devils would go in front, only to have Westhill keep answering – and make the final push.
Collin Way’s 14-yard TD run put VVS ahead 6-0, but that disappeared by the second quarter thanks to Westhill star Nathan Nigolian, who intercepted one Tyler Mautner pass to set up one TD, then caught a 30-yard scoring pass from Mark McAnaney to build Westhill’s lead to 14-6.
Mautner recovered from that interception, finding Eli Cleveland on a 24-yard scoring pass less than a minute before halftime to cap off a frantic drive. Mautner also found Cleveland for the two-point conversion, tying it 14-14 going into the break.
VVS thought it reclaimed the lead when Tyler Curtis returned the second-half kickoff for a TD, but a penalty wiped it out. But it counted when Matt Silker picked up a punt and brought it back 74 yards for a TD.
Again, Nigolian struck, jumping to catch a deep McAnaney pass and taking it 66 yards for the tying score. Unfazed, the Red Devils put together its own drive, and Way scored on a seven-yard run early in the fourth quarter.
Even with that 28-21 advantage, VVS could not hang on. Matt Trendowski went up the middle for a 76-yard TD run that tied it a third time at 28-28, setting up a pair of pivotal kicks.
Having driven to the Warriors’ 18, VVS brought in Cole Barbano for a 35-yard field goal try – but it got blocked, and Joe Snyder’s return set up a short drive. With 1:40 left, R.J. Chester got his turn – and made a 29-yard kick, pushing Westhill ahead 31-28.
With time for another hurry-up drill, just as in the first half, Mautner tried to put together a winning drive – but Nigolian stepped in front of a sideline pass and brought it back 32 yards for the TD that ended it.
Oneida had its own puzzle to deal with on Saturday – that of Holland Patent. Like Cazenovia, the Golden Knights moved up from Class C, and proved against the Indians that it belonged.
Down 7-0 in the first quarter after Andy Hurteau’s 55-yard TD pass to Mark Parshall, the Indians responded with a scoring drive that Chris Chesebro capped off by scoring on a five-yard run.
A missed conversion kept Oneida down 7-6, but it came back early in the second period and took a 12-7 lead on Chesebro’s second TD, a two-yard run.
HP’s defense would not allow anything more, though, and the Golden Knights went back in front 14-12 on the last play of the half on John Iselo’s three-yard scoring run, set up by Oneida fumbling a punt deep in its own territory.
The Golden Knights then got some insurance when Hurteau threw a second TD pass to Parshall of 24 yards in the third quarter.
Oneida could not respond, unable to move beyond HP’s 35-yard line the rest of the way. Chesebro had 59 yards rushing, not even half the total of Iselo, who got 125 yards on 25 carries.