Another week, another Section III Class A playoff game, another deficit for the East Syracuse Minoa football team to overcome – but not, in this case, another comeback.
Indian River denied the Spartans a chance at its first sectional title since 2011, pouring on the big plays at key moments and eventually prevailing by a 42-29 margin in Friday night’s Class A semifinal at Chittenango High School.
It marked the second time in three years that the Warriors eliminated ESM, having done so in the 2014 sectional final at the Carrier Dome on the way to a first-ever state championship.
Here, the stakes weren’t as high, but the result was the same, in large part because the Spartans again got off to a slow start and, unlike its first-round win over Watertown where it scored 28 fourth-quarter points, could not overcome it.
Even though it was undefeated at 8-0 and no. 12 in the state Class A rankings, ESM didn’t scare Indian River, who needed overtime to beat Carthage in its regular-season finale just to get a playoff home game before flattening Fulton 56-26 in the opening round.
Given all the points that were eventually scored, it was still 0-0 late in the first quarter when Anthony Burris picked off Jeff Loder’s pass at the Warrior’s 38. Barely a minute later, Brandon Smith bolted 58 yards to the end zone, with Kwazsi Gaddis adding the two-point conversion.
It wouldn’t be the last time IR hurt the Spartans with big plays. Five minutes into the second quarter, the Warriors were on the ESM 42 when Gaddis found a seam and didn’t stop until he had netted a touchdown.
Trailing 14-0, ESM drove inside the Warriors’ five late in the half. When the drive stalled, the Spartans lined up for a field goal – but instead of Alec Kerestedjian kicking it, Loder took the snap, got up and threw to Dan Garris for a five-yard TD.
Having cut the margin in half to 14-7 at the break, ESM should have owned all of the momentum – but that vanished when, three minutes into the third quarter, Gaddis took a handoff at his own 22 and, picking up blocks, roared 78 yards for six points and added a two-point run.
To this point, Greg Buck was fairly quiet, but the Spartans running back changed that tune with a 46-yard run that set up his own four-yard scoring plunge. Yet on the ensuing kickoff, Gaddis found a hole and returned it 75 yards for the TD, with Brandon Smith’s two-point run making it 30-14 – which lasted only until Loder threw deep and found Tom Ghika on a 62-yard scoring pass, with Loder getting the two-point conversion.
All of this left ESM still within range, 30-22, but every time it looked like the Spartans would catch up, IR would use a big play to regain control, as it did when Smith went 62 yards for the TD with 4;52 left in the third quarter. It was the Warriors’ fifth scoring play of 42 yards or longer.
Combine all that with a Burris turnover early in the final period, and it put things away for IR, Smith scoring on a one-yard plunge with seven minutes left to make it 42-22. Loder did throw a 50-yard TD pass to Evan Roberts, but ESM got no closer.
So it’s Indian River against Whitesboro next Saturday at the Carrier Dome for the sectional Class A title, while ESM had to ponder another terrific season that, again, was halted short of a sectional title.
