Christian Brothers Academy’s football team had to grow up a lot in the 2014 season, but it still carried the dream of repeating the Section III Class AA title its more experienced predecessors claimed a season ago.
But the Brothers never got out of the first round of the sectional playoffs, done in by a nightmarish start and ill-timed turnovers in last Friday night’s 28-20 defeat to Baldwinsville at Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium.
Quite unlike the last time CBA played at B’ville, the infamous “Mud Bowl” of 2010 where the Brothers won 14-10 despite the field turning into a quagmire, the grass at Pelcher-Arcaro was green and would hold up throughout this night. A lack of autumn rainfall had allowed the field to hold up, despite the usual amount of heavy usage by football and soccer teams.
Right away, B’ville fans had a lot of reason to cheer, taking a 14-0 lead on the shell-shocked Brothers before the game was 90 seconds old.
On the opening kickoff, CBA aimed away from Cameron Skipworth – which turned out to be a big mistake. Sam Mahar took the ball at his own 20 and, using his sprinter’s speed, tore down the right side and didn’t stop until he was in the end zone.
As if that wasn’t enough, on CBA’s third offensive play, quarterback Jake Brotzki rushed a throw over the middle, and Skipworth picked it off, dashing 57 yards for a touchdown.
None of that seemed to rattle the Brothers, though, for it quickly settled down and, on its next possession, rode the power running of freshman Stevie Scott to its first points, Scott scoring on a 26-yard run to make it 14-7.
Even more impressive was the Brothers’ next drive, a 92-yard mix of swing passes and runs that baffled the Bees’ defenders, culminating in Scott’s second TD, on a one-yard plunge just before the first quarter ended.
Having tied it, 14-14, CBA had two terrific chances to go in front during the second period. But a fumble on third down led to Andrew Kolceski’s missed 30-yard field goal, and minutes later Cole Burchill snuffed out another drive with an interception inside his own 10.
Still, the Bees had surrendered four long drives. Worse yet, Skipworth, fighting illness and a toe injury, was not at 100 percent, so he had to share running duties with Mahar and Josh Smith and missed the entire third quarter while getting some treatment.
Things began to turn in the third quarter, with B’ville’s defense making stops and the offense relying on Smith and Cameron Wolfanger’s rollout passes to set up the game’s most controversial play.
Facing fourth-and-goal at the Brothers’ one-yard line, Wolfanger tried a sneak. It looked like several CBA defenders had stopped him, but then the ball popped loose and Smith, staying alert, jumped on the ball and ran it in for the touchdown.
The Brothers thought a whistle should have blown once Wolfanger’s forward progress was stopped. But the touchdown stood, and Tom Scarfino’s extra point produced a 21-14 lead.
That PAT got even more important early in the fourth quarter, when CBA pulled within one, 21-20, on Brotzki’s 10-yard scoring pass to Noah Jordan-Williams. When Kolceski tried the tying conversion, he pulled it right.
Even with that miscue, the Bees still needed to make more stops, and did so. Sam Gosson pounced on one fumble late in the third quarter, and then, with 3:21 left and the Brothers moving into B’ville territory, Brotzki was stripped of the balll, and Josh Greer fell on it.
By now, Skipworth had returned to the backfield, and he broke loose on a 43-yard TD run with 2:07 to play, extending B’ville’s lead. CBA had one more possession, but a sack and intentional grounding penalty caused a decisive turnover on downs.
At least CBA got into the sectional playoffs – something that injury-plagued Fayetteville-Manlius could not do, though it did improve its record to 3-5 in a crossover game last Thursday night, defeating the Nottingham Bulldogs 42-36.
