Season after season, decade after decade, names change and players arrive and depart in Cazenovia Lakers football, often in different roles from where they started.
What doesn’t change, though, are the results. Either the Lakers win a Section III championship, or they get close to the top, often breezing through the regular season and making a run into November.
Such was the case again in 2016. Even with the impossible task of trying to follow up a first-ever state title one year earlier, and even with injuries that would have crippled lesser sides, Cazenovia still repeated as sectional champions, its fourth title in five seasons.
This stretched back to the tenure of Tom Neidl, who passed away last December at age 60, just weeks after attending the team’s annual awards banquet. It was Neidl who, as much as any individual, built the winning foundation in his 36 years with the program – 11 as an assistant coach, 25 as a head coach.
Now, another season starts, but Neidl’s memory remains fresh. As a tribute to him, each of the players will wear a “TN” patch on their helmets this season – nothing big or grand, but according to head coach Jay Steinhorst, that’s just fine.
“He wouldn’t want something too ostentatious,” said Steinhorst. “But it means a lot to the kids that we represent him.”
On offense, Cazenovia returns Matt Regan at quarterback. Regan said he is eager to get started again after missing the last two games in 2016 with a broken angle, watching Anthony Vecchairelli pilot the Lakers in the sectional finals win over Homer and regional finals loss to Chenango Forks.
Steinhorst said that Regan is a “complete package”, equally good at running the ball and airing it out, combining those skills with a good grasp of the Lakers’ offense.
Regan anchors an offense that will need to replace Vecchiarelli along with top running backs Cody Thorp and Austin Enders. Matt McLaughlin returns, though, and he, along with Jake Macheda, are expected to get most of the carries.
At wide receiver, Tony Heaney will draw a lot of attention, partially for his talent, but partially because he, along with former Cazenovia standout Ryan Cook, is a half-brother to the famous Powell family of lacrosse fame. Will Hutftalen returns here, as does Patrick Nourse.
Cazenovia has a greater concern on the offensive line, which saw Will Kmetz, Sam Mabie, Jack Eldred and Connor Westfall graduate. Dan Kent, a senior captain, is the lone returning starter.
However, the talent is intriguing, none more so than Christian Winkler, a 6-foot-2, 175-pound senior who is closing in on his black belt in karate. There’s also Chad Carges, whose father, Roger, played football at Syracuse University in the 1980s.
Both Carges and Kevin Stalder moved from skill positions to the front line, joining Kent, Winkler and Dan Hammond on a unit whose main job is making sure Regan stays upright for the entire season.
Kent is also the anchor on Cazenovia’s defense, which forced five turnovers in the sectional final win over Homer. He said that the reason why the Lakers prove so tough on an annual basis is the immense preparation that goes into each game, both on the practice field and in the film room.
Also, said Kent, the motivation to stay on top is always there because everyone is gunning for the Lakers. “You have to be above and beyond,” he said. “Every team wants to play their best game against us.”
Between Kent and junior Shawn Szlamcynski, the Lakers have a pair of solid starters on the defensive line, but every other starting spot is up for grabs. Carges, Huftalen and Macheda are expected to work at linebacker, while McLaughlin and Nourse give Cazenovia a solid pair of returning cornerbacks, flanking Joey Gates and Drew Johnson.
While Steinhorst said his defense might not be a strong unit in the early part of the season, things could change.
“We tend to be slow starters, building depth on all sides,” he said. “That takes time, but ultimately, it pays big dividends.”
Cazenovia opens against Mexico this Saturday at Fulton, where the Tigers will play home games this fall. Then, on Sept. 8, it’s the home opener against Vernon-Verona-Sherrill, the second straight year the school will set up portable lights at Buckley-Volo Field to play on a Friday night.
Three of the remaining five regular-season games are on the road, including a Sept. 29 trip to New Hartford, who moves into B East after a long stint in Class A. As always, the Lakers are every opponent’s main target, but Steinhorst said his players are ready for that challenge.
“The fear of losing is a big motivator,” said Steinhorst.“ There’s some pressure, but that’s good stuff. With pressure, you can let that be a negative or a positive. It depends on how you deal with it.”
