For more than a decade now, any Saturday afternoon spent by Cazenovia footballl fans at Buckley-Volo Field has featured a happy ending.
And when the state Class B no. 2-ranked Lakers rolled past Oneida 35-6 on this particular Homecoming Saturday, it marked the team’s 50th consecutive home victory, one that again featured a defense that would not let the other side get in the end zone.
By forcing five Indians turnovers, Cazenovia’s first-team unit pulled off yet another shutout, Oneida not getting on the board until late in the fourth quarter after most of the starters were on the bench.
It’s clear that the Lakers are taking pride in the work of its defense, which didn’t waste much time asserting itself after Oneida took its opening possession past midfield.
Following a holding penalty, the Lakers pressured Indians quarterback Nick Hart into a throw that end Nick Szlamczynski deflected into the hands of Kevin Frega for the interception at Oneida’s 36. Four plays later, T.J. Connellan scored on a seven-yard run.
Oneida’s second possession turned into a second turnover when the Lakers forced a fumble that Anthony Vecchiarelli recovered.
That didn’t lead to points, but later in the first quarter, Cazenovia forced Hart into a quick kick in his own end zone that was shanked. It took just two plays for the Lakers to convert, Frega running 15 yards for the touchdown to make it 14-0.
From an offensive standpoint, the Lakers went without a huddle most of the way, unleashing its most interesting formation on a second-quarter scoring drive.
Called the “Rhino”, or the “Reverse Wisbhone”, it had Jake Shaffner line up in a shotgun formation with two backs lined up on his flanks, and another one behind him. From this, the Lakers mostly ran the ball on a 66-yard march that Shaffner finished off with a one-yard scoring run before Cole Willard caught a two-point pass.
With a 22-0 halftime lead, Cazenovia set out to protect the shutout, with Szlamczynski, Shaffner, Brendan Whalen and Dustin Hammond on the line, plus Frega, Cody Thorp, Brice Basic and Rory Flannery at linebacker and Connellan, Willard and Paul McLaughlin in the secondary.
The Lakers forced two more turnovers, with Willard and Vecchiarelli each earning interceptions. Willard had a team-high six tackles, five of them solo, and made three extra points, seeing a 30-yard field goal bounce off the crossbar just before the half.
Cazenovia opened the third quarter with another scoring drive, all of its runs until Shaffner threw a 10-yard scoring pass to Connellan. Another march ended that period, with Hammond going one yard for the touchdown on the first play of the final period. Those Oneida points came on Tanner Williams’ eight-yard scoring pass to Josh Hood, who also got a pair of interceptions.
Shaffner completed 10 of 16 passes for 97 yards and ran for 61 yards on 12 carries. The running game was well-balanced, too, as Frega got 82 yards on 15 carries and Connellan had 76 yards on just eight carries.
The Lakers aim for five wins in a row next Friday when it visits Camden for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
