The second act of Joe Sindoni with the Skaneateles football program is something no one had expected – least of all Sindoni.

Back in April, Sindoni was in the midst of off-season work as head coach at Cicero-North Syracuse. He had left Skaneateles after the Lakers’ run to the 2012 Section III Class C title and took up the challenge of reviving a program at the bottom of the Class AA heap.

In two seasons, Sindoni’s Northstars improved enough to return to the sectional playoffs, and hopes were high going into 2015. And then everything changed.

When it was revealed that Sindoni, a Christian Brothers Academy graduate, had interviewed for CBA’s head coaching job following Joe Casamento’s departure for an administrative post at a Washington, D.C. school, C-NS fired Sindoni, much to the shock of his staff and players.

Yet that opened the door for Sindoni to return to Skaneateles. Originally, he was to assist Mike Olley, the Lakers’ head coach the last two seasons, but then Olley’s school commitments (he’s working on getting his administrative degree) provided a new opening.

So Sindoni is the head coach, and Olley is an assistant. Together, they intend to find the same success in Class B that they had three seasons ago in Class C, but it won’t be easy.

After going 3-5 a season ago and taking a 54-8 first-round playoff loss to Cazenovia, Skaneateles looks to improve in a B West division fortified by the additions of Cortland from Class A and rising power Institute of Technology Central from Class C.

Adding to the challenge is the youth on the Lakers’ roster. All told, 12 players are freshmen and sophomores, with no seniors on the offensive line and little room for anyone to get hurt. Thus, when someone gets an injury, like Tyler Schneider with a broken bone in his left hand, he just plays through it wearing a one-pound cast.

“We are not destitute,” said Sindoni. “We just need to stay healthy. These kids work, and they’re an even-keeled group that gives a consistent effort.”

One injury is healed – the broken collarbone, sustained in a pre-season scrimmage, that sidelined quarterback Devin Callahan in 2014. Fully healed, and making it through the scrimmage unscathed, Callahan will lead the Lakers’ offense again.

At 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, Callahan is a rarity at Skaneateles – the multi-sport athlete that stuck with football, and he was a star for the Lakers last winter when it won the state Division II championship. Sindoni said that fighting sports “specialization” was his greatest challenge as he pieced his roster together.

As with Sindoni’s past teams, Skaneateles will throw a lot. Even with Connor Hill gone, the Lakers have a solid assortment of receivers on hand, from Tommy Hagen to Zach Blair to Cross Bianchi to Marc Pietropaoli, who came back to football after missing the last two years.

Even counting Callahan, no player on the roster has more responsibility than Aubrey Leverich. Already a three-year starter, captain since his sophomore year and standout at middle linebacker, Leverich dropped 20 pounds so he could take over as the Lakers’ primary running back, with freshman Ari Bone helping out.

The youth on the Skaneaeteles offensive line includes a freshman, Josh McIntyre, who joins sophomore T.J. Greenfield and two juniors, Pat Greenfield and Jacob Dinella, as starters, with the other starting spot up for grabs.

On defense, Skaneateles will revolve around its linebacker corps, with Leverich joined by Pat Greenfield, Lucas Sherman and Tanner Cain. Up front, size will be an issue, as nose guard Dan McLean tops out at 150 pounds, though T.J. Greenfield and Tyler Priest will help out. Tyler Schneider and Nevan Rourke join Hagen and Blair in the secondary.

Much will hinge on the Lakers’ Friday-night opener at Chittenango, which could provide momentum going into the Sept. 10 home clash with archrival Marcellus at Hyatt Stadium, and the tougher games to follow against the likes of Westhill, Solvay, Homer, ITC and Cortland.

Sindoni said the situation reminded him of 2010, the first year of Tim Green’s tumultuous tenure, when the Lakers were just as young and untested. But he won’t diminish his team’s expectations and wants to take root in Skaneateles, too.

“We want the team to play to the highest potential that it can,” said Sindoni. “We want to max it out. I plan on being here for a while to build this team back to where we were.”