One way too look at the Skaneateles football team’s 41-13 victory at Tully Friday night was that it put off-field issues aside and, focused on the task and the opponent, continued to dominate Class C West division opponents.
Another view, though, holds that it was those very issues that made the Lakers even more determined to succeed – one player in particular.
Koree Reed was held out of his team’s 61-12 romp of LaFayete/Fabius-Pompey in the Sept. 16 home opener because questions persisted about whether (1) the transfer from Virginia had legitimate residency in Skaneateles and (2) that he was recruited for the football team. The latter would be a clear violation of Section III and New York State Public High School Athletic Association rules.
Investigations by the school district followed, but on Thursday afternoon school superintendent Philip D’Angelo notified Reed and his attorney, Ellen Eagen, that he was cleared to play against Tully.
None of the Skaneateles players were happy about this intrusion, and they, along with Reed, took out that unhappiness on a Tully side off to its own 3-0 start under first-year head coach Brad Keysor.
Quarterback Troy Green made a point of looking for Reed nearly every time he looked downfield. And despite a steady rain that that made Tully’s grass field turn to mud, Reed caught nine passes for a career-best 239 yards.
That set things up for Green, who also proved a threat on the ground with 131 yards on 16 carries. Three times, Green found the end zone for touchdowns.
The Skaneateles defense was fired up, too. Having steadily improved each week this fall, the Lakers shut down anything Tully tried to establish, and that, combined with the work of Green and Reed, produced a 21-0 halftime lead.
Green put the Lakers on the board with a 17-yard TD run in the first quarter. Then he scored from 13 yards out in the second period and threw a six-yard scoring pass to Reed.
After Tully cut it to 21-7 early in the third quarter on Marcus Warner’s 25-yard run, the Lakers put it away with back-to-back big plays. First, Green found Malik Merritt on a 23-yard scoring strike. Then, from the Black Knights’ 33, he threw deep and found Reed for a 67-yard TD play, and Green would add another TD run in the fourth quarter.
Now the Lakers, no. 5 in the latest state Class C rankings, go to the road for a fourth time this season, playing at Hannibal next Saturday at 1 p.m.
