Putting up points is nice, and the Liverpool football team, with Jaydakis Scott as the offensive focal point, has little problem in that area.
But the Warriors may be just as good on the defensive side, and it was that defense, both opportunistic and stubborn, that sparked a 38-7 victory over Cicero-North Syracuse Friday night at Bragman Stadium.
Head coach Dave Mancuso said that, at the current moment, his defense does not quite measure up to the unit that helped produce a Section III Class AA finals berth a season ago.
But, Mancuso added, “our defense could be great.”
Of course, the Northstars could testify that Liverpool is quite far along toward greatness. Having beat C-NS twice a year ago, including the first round of the Section III Class AA playoffs, the Warriors had no intention of surrendering the ‘Star Wars’ Cup the two rivals play for each autumn.
Having beaten Kingston in its Sept. 3 opener at the Carrier Dome, C-NS immediately had a chance to get in front, driving to the Warriors’ 24-yard line on the game’s first possesion, only to see Daryl Nixon intercept Conner Hayes’ pass in the end zone and return it to the 26.
A 74-yard scoring drive immediately followed, Rashon Crenshaw finding Joe Scro and Zach Khatib on pass plays that set up Scott’s first touchdown on a six-yard run.
Of course, the Warriors’ defense was just getting started. On Hayes’ very next pass, Jack Hogan stepped in front of the receiver at the C-NS 30 and wove his way down the right sideline to the end zone. Scott’s two-point run made it 14-0.
Five different times in the first half, C-NS got the ball into Liverpool territory, and didn’t score a single point, turning it over on downs after those early interceptions.
Largely that was due to the Warriors’ strong front seven. Augie Holkamp, Merrell Whitehead, Alex Donegal and Jamie Gadaleta dominated the line of scrimmage, overwhelming C-NS’s front line, and giving room for the linebacker trio of Scro, Jarod Thiel and Brandon Card to roam and make plays.
A key instance of this was on the Northstars’ last possession of the half. Trailing 24-0, C-NS had moved to the Warriors’ 24-yard line, and twice Hayes appeared to have open receivers streaking toward the end zone – but Scro tipped the passes before they got there.
“We just keep playing strong,” said Scro. “It’s a mental game, but we have to stay physical, too.”
Scott didn’t shrink into a supporting role, either. His runs set up Patrick Delgobbo’s 24-yard field goal and then, late in the half, he took off left, and then cut right, on a 61-yard TD sprint that was the game’s longest play from scrimmage. All told, Scott had 191 yards on 24 carries.
Adding a fourth TD in the third quarter, Scott and the rest of Liverpool’s starters exited with a 38-0 lead at the end of that period. C-NS didn’t break up the shutout until Erik Pride scored on a 12-yard run in the final period against the Warriors’ reserves.
Liverpool goes for three in a row next Friday at Rome Free Academy, who is coming off a 44-24 defeat to CBA, while C-NS stays at home to face Utica Proctor, coming off a 41-18 victory over Ithaca.
