For some area high school football teams, the season would begin exactly where they would want to return in two months’ time with championships on the line.
That included both East Syracuse Minoa and Jamesville-DeWitt, who were featured in the Aug. 31 Kickoff Classic at the Carrier Dome on back-to-back days.
ESM went first, on Friday night, against Section V’s Honeoye Falls-Lima, and the Spartans put together a superb defensive performance as it earned an 18-8 victory over the Cougars.
Through most of the first half, ESM and HF-L scuffled through a fair share of mistakes, ranging from penalties to turnovers, waiting for someone to clean it up.
But it was Elijah Montgomery’s interception late in the second quarter that set up the first points, Dan Garris scrambling five yards for the touchdown. Josh Gilkey added a two-point run and ESM led the Cougars 8-0 at the break.
Early in the third quarter, Nolan Penoyer, named the game’s Most Outstanding player, intercepted an HF-L pass, setting up an ESM scoring chance. Though stopped at the one-yard line, the Spartans, on the next play, forced a Cougars safety.
Now up 10-0, ESM all but put the game away when its other quarterback, Dante Coccagnia, threw deep from midfield and found Penoyer, the TD covering 53 yards. Again, the Spartans were successful with the two-point conversion.
HF-L did not get on the board until the fourth quarter with Turner Wilson’s 10-yard scoring pass to Derek Childs, the Cougars unable to overcome the four turnovers ESM forced.
On Saturday night, it was J-D’s turn, taking on Susquehanna Valley and making plenty of noise against one of Section IV’s top sides, though it didn’t prove enough as the Red Rams lost to the Sabers 28-19.
It could not have started better, J-D getting in front 7-0 just 2:12 into the game as it recovered an SV fumble on the first play from scrimmage and, from the 22, saw Ben Honis find Kaleb McCloud in the end zone.
The Sabers pulled even on Jarred Freije’s two-yard TD run later in the period, but J-D’s defense halted two other SV drives deep in its own end in the half.
However, the Rams were stymied, too, as Honis exited the game for a time and Nick Brotzki went under center, with little effect. The game was still 7-7 going into the break.
Honis returned for the third quarter, only to get intercepted by Freije, a turnover that set up SV’s go-ahead score as Dan Matthews went in from three yards out.
Late in the period, the Rams moved to the Sabers’ 22 and from there Honis found Pat Murad for his second TD pass. But the extra point was blocked, keeping SV in front 14-13 with one period left.
That missed conversion loomed even more when SV took advantage of a poor J-D punt and, with 8:25 left, extended its lead on Freije’s second two-yard TD scamper.
Ed Lavin, who already had made three extra points, nabbed the Sabers’ last TD on a 13-yard run with 1:45 to play. Though Honis threw another TD pass to Murad in the waning seconds, a two-point miss halted J-D’s comeback for good.
As it turned out, J-D’s next game is against the same HF-L side that ESM just beat, while the Spartans host a Fulton side that routed Watertown 47-7 in its opener.
