Ever since the ‘Star Wars’ Cup started to get handed out to the winner of the football clash between Liverpool and Cicero-North Syracuse, things have trended noticeably in the Warriors’ direction.
Now, as the latest edition of his fierce neighborhood rivalry nears on Friday night at Bragman Stadium, more is at stake. Each side is in the Class AA-2 division, and each of them carries a 2-0 record into the game.
But what also sticks in the collective memories of the two sides is the fact that Liverpool has not only won the regular-season meetings with the Northstars, it has also eliminated them from the first round of the Section III playoffs each of the last two years.
C-NS believes that things are different this time around, and the evidence backs it up. While Liverpool had to scratch hard and get a bit fortunate to beat Corcoran 7-6 in its Sept. 2 opener at LHS Stadium, the Northstars went to Corcoran last Friday and shut down the Cougars in a 27-0 romp, its first shutout in seven years.
While that was going on, Liverpool ventured to Rome Free Academy and trailed for a while before taking over in the second half and, led by tailback Tavon Bates, outscored the Black Knights 49-35.
Perhaps sensing that Corcoran still carried disappointment from the controversial ending at Liverpool (a possible winning touchdown for the Cougars was nullified by a penalty in the last minute of regulation), C-NS made sure the Cougars were uncomfortable from the opening whistle.
Corcoran could barely run the ball against Tommy Flynn, Kaleb Woodcock and the rest of the Northstars’ first unit – its top rusher, Kemron Robinson, was held to just 11 yards. The Cougars weren’t much better through the air as C-NS limited Tyrice Williams to three-of-eight completions for 50 yards.
Given the way its defense was playing, the Northstars didn’t need much offense, but still roared out to a 20-0 halftime lead. Three different scoring drives led to three short touchdown runs – one yard by Conner Hayes in the first quarer, two yards by Erik Pride and three yards by Kyle Cody in the second period.
With the Cougars stalled out, the Northstars were content to keep it on the ground throughout the second half, too, only scoring on Cody’s two-yard plunge,
In short, it was exactly the kind of all-around performance Liverpool often displayed in 2015 while on the way to a sectional title. In 2016, it’s proven far less smooth, but again the Warriors showed grit and character after falling behind to an RFA team that narrowly lost its season opener to its main rival, Utica Proctor.
Bates had a lot to do with it. On 25 carries, Bates piled up 300 yards on the ground, scoring a pair of touchdowns as the Warriors’ offensive line gradually wore down the Black Knights’ resistance.
It took a while, though. RFA bolted out to a 13-0 first-quarter lead, Tristan Hunzinger finding Cameron Kilpatrick on a 21-yard scoring pass and Ja’quan Rollins finding the end zone on a 15-yard run.
Unable to do much through the air, Liverpool stuck to its ground game, and got on the board in the second period on quarterback Matt Rioux’s 12-yard TD scramble. Rioux scored again on a one-yard plunge after Rollins’ five-yard TD, and it pulled the Warriors within 20-14 going to halftime.
Early in the third quarter, Liverpool snatched the lead for the first time with a scoring drive capped by Donovan Card’s three-yard run. Then Bates, who had set up so many of the previous points, got some of his own by dashing 67 yards to the goal line before Rioux scored again from two yards out.
This timely flurry gave Liverpool a 35-20 edge, but more was needed. The Warriors’ defense atoned for earlier struggles when Jacob Vacco returned an interception for a TD in the fourth quarter, capping a night where he recorded 12.5 tackles, helped by Naz Johnson (9.5 tackles) and Zach Scannell (8.5 tackles).
Stepping into the role filled by Jaydakis Scott a year ago, Bates capped his big night with an 18-yard TD run as senior kicker Patrick DelGgbbo made all seven of the extra points he attempted.
All this leads to the showdown with C-NS where Liverpool hopes recent history is repeated – and the Northstars wish just as fervently for that recent history to go away.
