Right after the New York State Public High School Athletic Association championship ended on June 7, the work got underway at Cicero-North Syracuse’s Bragman Stadium.
Soon enough, the last remaining Astroturf field in Central New York was gone, and by the time October rolls around, a new, more modern Field Turf facility will be in place, as will a new track and better drainage facilities at the stadium.
Installed in the late 1990s, the turf was unique in the area at the time, and the combined facilities helped C-NS land several big sporting events, from state championships in lacrosse, track and field hockey to state playoff games in football, plus the Empire State Games in 2002 and the annual Special Olympics.
Since the project will bleed into the new school year, the C-NS football team will spend the entire first month of its regular season playing on the road, starting Sept. 6 when it takes on Fayetteville-Manlius in the Kickoff Classic at the Carrier Dome.
The new turf will be in place Oct. 3, when C-NS hosts Henninger. That will be one of just two true home games for the Northstars, who also play Fowler on Oct. 10. This will follow the annual “Star Wars Cup” game between rivals C-NS and Liverpool, which is set for Sept. 26 at LHS Stadium.
As is the case every two years, the two Section III Class AA divisions realigned. During the shuffle, C-NS and Liverpool switched places, with the Warriors going to AA-1 and the Northstars moving to AA-2.
Now Liverpool is aligned with defending champion CBA (whom it lost to in last year’s sectional semifinals), West Genesee, Nottingham (moved up from Class A), Corcoran, Central Square and Rome Free Academy. After opening at Corcoran and Central Square, the Warriors will play four of its remaining five regular-season games at home.
Meanwhile, in AA-2, C-NS joins a group that already included F-M, Baldwinsville, Auburn and Utica Proctor, but also added a Fowler side that, like Nottingham, was in Class A one season ago. Henninger joined the Northstars in the league switch – and will join C-NS in early October when its new turf is ready for public display.
Practices for fall sports varsity teams at C-NS and Liverpool, including football, begin on Aug. 18, with scrimmages on Aug. 30 – the Northstars taking on Central Square, the Warriors facing Baldwinsville, a team it will not face in the regular season.
Once again, the sectional football finals take place in the Carrier Dome, with the Class AA title game set for Nov. 9, a day after Syracuse faces Duke on the Dome gridiron. The state finals at the Dome are Nov. 28 and 30.
