It’s safe to say that Cazenovia High School athletics is in the midst of a golden era.
First, it was back-to-back state championships for field hockey. Then it was two state titles for boys lacrosse in three years, plus the fantastic success and NCAA championships won by Laker alums like Kara, Sean and Connor Cannizzaro.
And on Sunday afternoon at the Carrier Dome, the football Lakers, for so long a dominant program in the Section III ranks, finally climbed to the summit of New York State when it defeated Schuylerville 22-19.
This was a long time coming. For 25 years, head coach Tom Neidl and his staff built a powerhouse in Cazenovia, constantly earning league and sectional crowns, but never able to even reach the state final, much less win it.
Ironically, the breakthrough came a year after Neidl stepped down and handed the reins to his long-time assistant, Jay Steinhorst.
What followed was a perfect 13-0 campaign. From offensive stars like Jake Shaffner, T.J. Connellan, Anthony Vechiarelli and Paul McLaughlin to defensive standouts like Kevin Frega, Brenden Whalen and Dustin Hammond, to Cole Willard handling the kicking duties, everything clicked as the Lakers tore through the regular season and sectional playoffs.
Even when Connellan went down for the season with a knee injury, and even when it got pushed to overtime by Waverly in the regional round, Cazenovia kept going, moving on to rout Cheektowaga in the state semifinals before the title-game victory against Schuylerville.
More wins, and more glory, may mark Cazenovia football’s future. But this first state championship is a landmark from which all future success is measured. Congratulations to the Lakers.