Major struggles in back-to-back road losses to Marcellus and Westhill left the Skaneateles football team all too glad to come back to friendlier grounds and more pleasing results.
It found both in Friday night’s Homecoming game against Solvay at Hyatt Stadium, as the Lakers, riding another brilliant all-around effort from Connor Hill, kept the Bearcats winless and prevailed by a 21-6 margin.
Even with an 0-3 record, Solvay did not prove easy to deal with at the outset, moving the ball to the Skaneateles 18-yard line in the first quarter and seeing Nick Perry dash in for the touchdown.
But the Lakers’ 6-0 deficit did not last long, thanks to Hill, whose multiple duties only grew when an injury sidelined quarterback Devin Callahan. All season long, Hill has split duties under center with Griffin Lawson and James Hackler.
From his own 22-yard line, Hill took a snap, found a hole and took off, 78-yards to the other end zone. A missed two-point conversion meant that it was 6-6 going to the second period.
Gradually, the Lakers’ defense settled in, and shut down Solvay’s attempts to establish a ground game, which gave Skaneateles plenty of time to seize control.
It came when the left-handed Hill, from his own 44, put together another big play, throwing long and finding Hackler for a touchdown pass that covered 56 yards. Lawson then found Hill on a two-point conversion ,and it was 14-6, where it stood at halftime.
All through the second half, the Skaneateles defense remained in top form, thwarting a series of Solvay possessions. And it got the insurance TD it needed when Hill threw his second scoring pass, 18 yards to Tommy Hagen.
With its 2-2 mark, Skaneateles will get a severe test when unbeaten, state Class B no. 10-ranked Homer visits Hyatt Stadium next Friday at 7 p.m.
Blazing its way to a 4-0 start, the Trojans have scored an astonishing 244 points, an average of 61 points per game, in its quartet of victories as it still has games ahead against Marcellus and Westhill (who meet each other next weekend sporting their own 4-0 marks) at the end of the regular season.
