As much as offense and defense is emphasized toward the success of any football team, what takes place in special teams can often make the difference if those other parts of the game are equal.
It sure was the case for Fayetteville-Manlius in Friday night’s game against Christian Brothers Academy at Alibrandi Stadium. Though the Hornets’ offense again struggled to put points on the board, it rode a pair of long return plays to a 21-6 victory over the Brothers.
This clash of two close neighbors wasn’t a league game, but a big crowd gathered to see if F-M could charge to a 2-0 start and keep CBA winless.
Those who arrived late missed the game’s most important sequence.
Receiving the opening kickoff at his own 15-yard line, Zack Page picked up a series of big blocks and, with his speed, tore 85 yards to the other end zone.
In less than 15 seconds, the Hornets gained the same number of points it took more than three quarters to gain in its hard-fought 7-0 season-opening win over Liverpool seven days earlier.
Charged up by that perfect start, F-M struck again late in the first quarter two plays after forcing a CBA turnover. From the Brothers’ 47, Jack Nucerino found an opening and was gone, the touchdown doubling the Hornets’ advantage.
To its credit, CBA settled down and kept F-M off the board for the rest of the half. In fact, the Brothers’ defense, battered by Cicero-North Syracuse the week before, would not allow any more points against an F-M side without one of its top running backs, Mitch Seabury.
A 20-yard scoring pass from J.J. Razmovski to Caleb Krueger cut the Hornets’ advantage to 14-6, where it stayed through a scoreless third quarter. Then another kick decided matters.
F-M’s defense forced a punt deep in CBA territory with less than 10 minutes left, and the rush forced a short kick. Taking it on the run at the Brothers’ 24, Jack Hannah tore down the left sideline and wasn’t caught as he got a clinching touchdown.
And Hannah was the Hornets’ third running option. Page picked up 142 yards on 14 carries, while Nucerino had 96 yards on nine carries. CBA’s Tim Denham had 80 yards on 12 carries.
Counting the three successful extra points by John Egnaczyk, 15 of F-M’s 21 points came from special teams, and it sends the Hornetrs unbeaten into Class AA-2 division play.
Three teams in AA-2 have started 2-0 – F-M, C-NS and Utica Proctor. And the Hornets host the Raiders next Friday at 7 p.m. as CBA is home to take on Elmira, from Section IV.
