Three weeks, three home games – and three victories for the Chittenango football team that puts them atop the Class B West division standings.
The toughest of these three games came on Friday night, against Westhill, as the Bears could not follow up a first-quarter scoring drive and had to rely on its defense to carry them to an 8-3 victory over the Warriors.
No doubt, Chittenango, who was no. 18 in the first state Class B rankings of the fall, remembered the loss it took at home to Westhill a year ago, and got off to the quick start it needed against a Warriors side coming off a 35-7 home loss to Skaneateles.
Moving the ball to Westhill’s 11-yard line in the first quarter, the Bears converted when Christian Cerio tore through a block and found the end zone. Connor Fredericks followed it up with a two-point conversion.
And those were the only points Chittenango would attain, meaning that it would have to go more than three quarters and make sure the Warriors didn’t find the end zone.
An end-zone interception in the second quarter helped the cause, as did a stop on downs at its own 22 in the third period. Even when Chittenango muffed a punt, its defense limited the Warriors to a Silvio Argentieri 29-yard field goal.
Down the stretch, the Bears nearly gave it away, fumbling inside its own 40 with less than four minutes left, but once more the defense forced Westhill to turn it over on downs, and the Warriors never got as close again.
For its first road trip of the season, Chittenango goes to Hyatt Stadium next Friday to take on Skaneateles, who started the season 2-0 before a 22-15 defeat to Homer.
