Twelve minutes of football was all it took for the Skaneateles Lakers’ Section III Class B championship dreams to dissipate.
The Lakers went to Vernon-Verona-Sherrill for Saturday’s opening-round sectional game and played quite well most of the way, only to get thwarted by a second-quarter surge from the Red Devils that made the difference as Skaneateles took a 21-13 defeat.
Accustomed to games on artificial surfaces for much of the season, the Lakers knew it had to adjust to playing on the natural VVS grass. Also, high winds made conditions more tricky, especially for a Skaneateles side that relies on Devin Callahan and its passing attack to establish control.
At least for a few minutes, all of these factors didn’t bother the Lakers much. It forced a VVS turnover early in the first quarter and turned it into points when Callahan connected with Aubrey Leverich for a seven-yard scoring pass. Tommy Hagen’s extra point created a 7-0 lead.
As that period ended, Skaneateles was moving the ball again, getting all the way to the Red Devils’ 10-yard line. But VVS made a big defensive stop, little imagining just how much of a turning point that would be.
A deep pass got the Red Devils out of its own end and deep into Skaneateles territory, and moments later Chris Cable scored on a 17-yard run, with Henry Cleveland’s PAT tying it up at 7-7.
Going against the wind, Skaneateles, pinned back near its own goal line, was forced to punt. VVS took the short field and surged into the lead when Alex Oliver scored from seven yards out.
Now trailing 14-7, the Lakers again had to give up the ball after Callahan endured another sack. With time running down in the half, the Red Devils moved in and saw Cable score for the second time on a seven-yard run in the final minute.
Thus, a modest advantage had turned into a 21-7 halftime deficit, and Skaneateles had to spend much of the third quarter making sure that VVS didn’t completely get away, which it did thanks to a defense that, despite its youth, modest size and few substitutions, kept the Red Devils quiet the rest of the way.
With five minutes left, The Lakers cut the deficit to eight, only to miss the two-point conversion. It got one more chance to force overtime, but VVS, with a last-ditch defensive stop, secured a berth in the semifinals against Homer as Skaneateles fell to 5-3.
