Moments of concern had popped up for the Cazenovia football team throughout this fall, but here, in Saturday’s Section III Class B semifinal at Chittenango High School, was a true crisis point.
The Lakers, who had not trailed in the second half of any game this season, were behind Westhill, who had a erased an early 14-point deficit and appeared ready to bring an end to Cazenovia’s two-year reign as sectional champions.
Once again, though, the Lakers would pull through.
Keaton Ackermann picked the ideal time to make a series of big plays through the air and on the ground, and Cazenovia’s defense would slam the door on the Warriors, too, all of which turned a potential disaster into a 34-17 victory.
And that means yet another trip to the Carrier Dome for the sectional Class B final. Next Sunday at 2 p.m., 9-0, state no. 3-ranked Cazenovia meets 9-0, state no. 5-ranked Homer, who like the Lakers survived a tense sectional semifinal, needing 17 late points to get away from Oneida 38-21 and avenge last year’s defeat to the Indians in this exact same round.
No payback was on the agenda between Cazenovia and Westhill. Under first-year head coach Jamie Casullo, the Warriors had gone 7-1 to reach this point, employing a big, fast defensive front and a diverse offense that kept opponents off balance.
What’s more, the Warriors weren’t phased by its early mistakes. Kevin Frega intercepted quarterback Richie Easterly on the first play from scrimmage, and while the Lakers were stopped inside Westhill’s 10, it did break through on its second possession, T.J. Connellan’s 34-yard run setting up his own one-yard scoring plunge.
Later in the first quarter, from his own 27, Ackermann went long and found Sam Langan on a slant pattern, and Langan got behind the Warriors’ secondary on a 73-yard sprint to the end zone. Up 14-0, the Lakers appeared headed for yet another post-season romp.
Right before the period ended, though, Westhill’s Ja’Shai’ Jamison beat a Cazenovia blitz and raced 56 yards for a touchdown, getting his team on the board and helping it settle down, too.
Throughout the second period, Casey Rogers, Chase Gedney and the rest of the Warriors’ defensive line made things uncomfortable for the Lakers’ front, and Cazenovia could not run outside.
Meanwhile, Easterly atoned for his earlier interception with a 30-yard TD run late in the half, and Mike Burton’s extra point tied it, 14-14, a score that held up until the break.
Things got worse for the Lakers when Jake Wozniak fumbled the second-half kickoff, but he atoned for the muff with an interception of Easterly’s pass near the goal line. Then, when the Warriors drove again deep into Lakers territory, the defense held, forcing Westhill to settle for Burton’s 25-yard field goal.
Despite the missed chances to get well out in front, that field goal gave the Warriors a 17-14 lead, one it was looking to add to as Ackerman faced a key third down on his own 30 late in the third quarter.
What happened next was the game’s turning point. Ackerman threw left, and Jake Shaffner made a diving, juggling catch for a 29-yard gain. On the very next play, Ackermann went to the slant again, and this time it was Connellan going the distance, 41 yards for the go-ahead TD.
Just like that, Cazenovia led, 21-17. Fired up by that quick strike, the Lakers’ defense took away running lanes from Jamison and Easterly, and made another big stop after Ackermann fumbled on a scramble early in the fourth quarter.
Getting another chance, Ackermann drove his Lakers 84 yards, mixing up runs with another long pass to Shaffner before Connellan ran in from four yards out with 5:19 to play, making it 27-17. Just to put things away, Ackermann took off on a 41-yard sprint to the end zone with 1:28 left.
Good as the ending was against Westhill, Cazenovia knows that it can’t afford a similar effort against Homer, who averaged more than 60 points per game in the regular season and features a pair of stars in Alec Bush, the school’s all-time leading rusher, and Jayden Gavidia, a big-play threat at wide receiver and with kick returns.
All season long, the Lakers and Trojans have eyed each other, but from afar. Now they’ll get together in the Dome, with Cazenovia seeking a sectional three-peat and Homer after its first championship since 2005 – when it beat the Lakers in the title game.
