Max Weiss is mostly known for the relentless work he does as the primary running back for the Skaneateles football team.
But it was a big play on the defensive side, made by Weiss, that permanently turned Friday night’s game with Hannibal in the Lakers’ favor as it went on to roll past the visiting Warriors 49-14.
Off to a 2-0 start, and trying to keep pace with Tully (who beat Jordan-Elbridge 34-6) atop the Class C West division, the Lakers trailed, 7-6, late in the first quarter.
Hannibal had struck first as Trevor Alton threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Tim Webber. Skaneateles had countered with Conor Herr’s own 21-yard scoring strike, to Jake Cooney, but a missed extra point kept the Lakers a point down.
Less than two minutes later, Hannibal had the ball again, and Alton tried a pass to the left sideline. Weiss, reading the play, stepped in front, made the interception and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown.
That, combined with Herr’s two-point pass to Cooney, gave the Lakers a 14-7 edge, but the Lakers were not done making an impact on the defensive end.
Skaneateles burned Hannibal again when John Parsons intercepted another errant Alton pass – and Parsons, like Weiss, would return it all the way to the end zone, a 36-yard scoring play which extended the Lakers’ lead to 21-7 at halftime.
Weiss would take charge in the third quarter with another big play. Taking a handoff on his own 23-yard line, the senior tailback found a hole and took off, 73 yards to the goal line, making it 28-7.
As if that wasn’t enough, Weiss would score twice more in the period, both on 10-yard runs, on his way to a night where he amassed 150 yards on 12 carries, the ground game more valuable given the wet conditions.
Herr ran the ball eight times for 87 yards, more than making up for the struggles he had with the passing game most of the night, as he completed just five of 15 passes for 79 yards.
Halfway through its regular season, Skaneateles, who garnered the no. 13 spot in the first state Class C rankings of the fall, renews its long-time rivalry with Marcellus (0-3) Thursday night at 7 p.m.
