The Fayetteville-Manlius and Christian Brothers Academy football teams both scored just one touchdown in their respective season openers on Friday night.
And yet F-M won, 7-0, over Liverpool, while CBA was overwhelmed again by Cicero-North Syracuse in a 47-6 defeat.
The match-up of F-M and Liverpool provided plenty of similarities, as each side had large returning casts and plenty of reason to think they could contend for top honors in 2018.
But the Hornets and Warriors soon found out that another common bond was how far ahead their respective defenses were.
For three-plus quarters, Liverpool contained F-M’s potent ground game and prevented any kind of big plays, while forcing turnovers, too. Zach Page, the Hornets’ leading rusher, had 78 yards, but it required 23 carries.
Yet the same was true on the other end. F-M troubled Liverpool quarterback Alex Ruston, who only completed nine of 19 passes for 88 yards, and the Warriors’ ground game wasn’t much better, Cade Clouthier only getting 63 yards on 21 carries.
So despite pleasant weather and a clean Field Turf to work on, the game stayed 0-0 until early in the fourth quarter. Only then did someone break through, the Hornets making a crucial fourth-down conversion before Owen Neuman, from the Warriors’ 12, found Trevor Porzucek in the end zone.
Trying to answer, the Warriors put together its best drive of the night, moving to F-M’s 14-yard line before Ruston threw into traffic – and F-M’s Brandon Heyman intercepted it, ultimately clinching the victory.
Meanwhile, at Bragman Stadium, CBA had another chance to confront the C-NS side that wiped them out, 61-7, in the first round of the playoffs on the way to the Northstars’ first-ever sectional title.
And while many key players from C-NS’s offensive unit graduated, enough was still on hand, especially senior quarterback Conner Hayes, to pick apart the Brothers’ defense again.
Twice, Hayes threw TD passes, one each to Shy’rel Broadwater and Nate Geloff. He got help from Jaiquawn McGriff, who scored on both sides of the ball, including an interception return.
CBA’s lone score came in the second quarter, but it proved a brief interruption. C-NS was up 34-6 by halftime, and didn’t let the Brothers gain any traction from there.
Now CBA will host F-M next Friday at Alibrandi Stadium, and while it’s a non-league game, it could alter the long-term fortunes for ether side.
