In one season under head coach Dave Kline, the Cicero-North Syracuse football team has made enormous strides. Whether it has caught up to its neighbor and biggest rival, Liverpool, is a question that will get answered next Friday night in the opening round of the Section III Class A playoffs.

No win for the Northstars this fall was as important as last Friday’s night’s 33-14 conquest of Baldwinsville at Bragman Stadium, which guaranteed a share of the Class AA-2 division regular-season championship, a rare league title in the program’s history.

It was more than worth waiting for, too. The game’s start was delayed for nearly an hour by thunder and lightning in the area, but even after that, and after Senior Night festivities, C-NS was ready to try and deny B’ville, who went into the night unbeaten in the AA-2 division, the outright league title.

And the Northstars didn’t get rattled, either, when Ryan Ingerson’s 53-yard run on the second play from scrimmage led to Ben Dwyer’s one-yard touchdown plunge just 2:14 into the game.

Instead, C-NS toughened up on defense, and then made two big plays on special teams that turned the game in its favor.

First, Terrell Harvey blocked a B’ville punt late in the first quarter, setting up the Northstars on the Bees’ 20. That led to the tying score on Drew Flack’s three-yard run. Then C-NS surprised B’ville with an onside kick that Ryan Cummings recovered. Three long runs by Flack set up quarterback Conner Hayes’ one-yard TD sneak and a 13-7 Northstars lead.

The Bees nearly answered, only to fumble at the C-NS four as, again, Cummings fell on the ball. A 96-yard scoring drive followed, featuring a 31-yard pass to Josh Ramirez and more runs from Flack. Hayes found Keegan Wright in the end zone on a 15-yard scoring pass.

Trailing 19-7, B’ville caused a scare on the last play of the first half. Working from the Northstars’ 35, Ben Dwyer threw a screen pass to Brandon Schmid, who picked up blocks on the right sideline, cut back to the middle and found the end zone.

So even with all the big plays it made, C-NS only led 19-14 at the break, but even with that, and even with a fumble deep in Bees territory early in the third quarter along with some ill-timed penalties on long Flack runs, it didn’t get rattled.

Instead, Hayes threw a 31-yard pass to Ramirez and, one play later, Cummings scored on a three-yard sweep. And on the first play of the fourth quarter, Hayes went back to Ramirez, who shook off great coverage to catch a 47-yard TD pass.

Earlier that evening, Liverpool, assured of hosting a first-round playoff game, went to West Genesee’s Mike Messere Field and ran all over the Wildcats 67-0 for the team’s second shutout in a row.

A 26-point first quarter quickly settled matters for the Warriors. Dietrick Roberson scored three touchdowns, with Tavon Bates scoring twice and the entire roster getting in some playing time before the post-season got underway.

With its share of the AA-2 league title secured, C-NS had to wait to see what happened with Saturday’s game between Utica Proctor and Fayetteville-Manlius. The Northstars were rooting for a Hornets victory, for if that happened, C-NS would only have to share the league title with B’ville and, more importantly, secure the higher playoff seed and avoid a trip to Liverpool.

But that would not take place. Proctor won a wild, back-and-forth 43-35 battle with F-M, meaning that, due to the first-half points tie-breaker, it would finish second in AA-2 and host AA-1’s third-place team, Nottingham, in the opening round, while AA-1 regular-season champion CBA met Fayetteville-Manlius.

That also meant C-NS is facing Liverpool again this Friday at 7 p.m. at LHS Stadium. The Warriors easily won their first encounter 38-7 Sept. 11 on the Northstars’ home turf. Whoever wins now advances to face B’ville or Rome Free Academy in next week’s sectional semifinals.