Whatever else is said about the Skaneateles football team, it sure isn’t dull.
In each of its three games so far in 2015, the outcome has been in doubt late in the fourth quarter, and the two times the Lakers have played at home, it’s turned out victorious.
A week after holding off archrival Marcellus 38-35, the Lakers took a different path toward defeating Westhill 28-24 Friday night at Hyatt Stadium, this time falling behind by double digits before Devin Callahan’s strong right arm sparked a fourth-quarter comeback.
Early in the final period, Skaneateles trailed 24-14, having seen its pass defense carved up by Westhill’s sophomore quarterback, Zavion Barrott, who was on the brink of pushing his side to a 2-1 record at the Lakers’ expense.
Three different times, Barrott had thrown touchdown passes, finding Chase Gedney for a 58-yard strike to earn the Warriors’ first points of the night, and then twice connecting with Jesse Chester on scoring plays of 15 and 30 yards.
Those plays, along with a 24-yard field by Shaleek Giles, had negated the Lakers’ early offensive success. Callahan had capped one TD drive with a one-yard sneak and threw nine yards to Tommy Hagen for the other score.
Yet the best work was saved for the end. Still down by 10, Callahan moved Skaneateles to the Warriors’ 39, and then threw deep over the middle, finding an open Zach Blair for the TD as Hagen’s extra point made it 24-21.
The Aubrey Leverich-led defense made a key stop, giving the Lakers the ball once more. With two minutes left, working from his own 40, Callahan threw a medium-range pass to Marc Pietropaoli, who outran the Warrior defenders the rest of the way to the end zone.
Westhill could not respond, and Skaneateles had a 2-1 record it could take into next Friday’s game at 0-3 Solvay. Only Homer and Chittenango, each at 3-0, are head of the Lakers in the Class B West division standings, with Skaneateles poised to visit Homer on Oct. 2.
