Many things were new Friday night at Jordan-Elbridge High School’s John Howes Stadium, from the Field Turf just installed for J-E to the fact that Skaneateles football was beginning a new chapter as a Class C side.
What was familiar, though, was the sight of the Lakers using big plays to burn the opposition on a frequent basis, and Skaneateles bashed the Eagles 59-13, in turn establishing itself as someone that will factor into the Section III championship picture throughout the fall.
As it turned out, the Lakers receiving the opening kickoff was a turning point, for it only took two plays for Pat Hackler to go deep up the middle and find Nate Wellington, in stride, for a 73-yard touchdown.
A more prolonged march followed midway through the first quarter, but that found the end zone, too, as Areh Boni used his power to fend off J-E defenders and go 26 yards for six points.
Will McGlynn pounced on an Eagles fumble and Hackler turned it into an eight-yard scoring pass to Cross Bianchi. When Hackler, shaking off a Hunter Brunelle interception, found Nick Wamp from 39 yards out in the waning seconds of the period, Skaneateles had a 28-0 edge going to the second quarter.
Barely two minutes into that period, it got to 35-0 with Hackler’s fourth TD pass of the night, 18 yards to Bianchi, and a third scoring connection between the two followed. Only then did J-E break up the shutout with a 15-play drive capped by Dominic Walborn’s nine-yard pass to Jeremiah Sparks in the end zone.
All that did, though, was make it 42-7 going into halftime, and the Lakers weren’t done. Boni’s second long TD run of the night in the third quarter covered 39 yards, and Hackler would add a sixth scoring pass to Wellington in the final period as Wamp converted a 28-yard field goal.
Sknaeateles struck a near-perfect balance on offense, with Boni running for 211 yards to complement Hackler going 12-for-19 for 256 yards. Defensively, the Lakers forced three J-E fumbles as Jacob Nesbitt and Jimmy Liberatore joined McGlynn in recovering those fumbles.
Back at Hyatt Stadium next Friday, Skaneateles gets to host Port Byron/Union Springs, who also won its opener over Phoenix in the Kickoff Classic at the Carrier Dome, but would have just five days between that game and its clash with the Lakers.
