For a long time, It was just assumed that the Cazenovia football team would hit the field late in the summer, pile up victories on a weekly basis and keep going until deep into the autumn.
But while wins might still happen in 2019, the Lakers and its new head coach, Kyle Martin, got a rough baptism Friday night at New Hartford, not able to overcome a series of first-half special-teams mistakes in a 33-14 defeat to the Spartans.
New Hartford only went 3-5 a season ago, but showed in the first quarter against Cazenovia that it could pounce on a second chance.
A Lakers roughing-the-kicker penalty allowed the Spartans to regain possession and, from the Cazenovia 29, Tyler Potocki found Colin Oczkowski in the end zone.
Late in the period, the Lakers tried a fake punt, only to get stopped. Again with good field position, New Hartford moved to Cazenovia’s seven, where Vinny Fanelli scored to make it 13-0.
And even when the Lakers got on the board on Michael Parella’s 31-yard touchdown pass to Dylan Anderson, the Spartans countered seconds later, again with a big play on special teams as Vinny Chapman ran back the ensuing kickoff 77 yards for six points.
Trailing 20-7 at halftime, Cazenovia saw things get worse when it turned the ball over twice early in the third quarter. The second of those takeaways led to Potocki scoring on a one-yard sneak.
With 9:25 left, Ryan Romagnoli’s three-yard TD run brought the Lakers closer, but New Hartford put the game away with another scoring drive that Potocki capped by finding Oczkowski from 10 yards out with 2:55 to play.
As Cazenovia struggled, its neighbors from Chittenango had a far different experience in its season opener, rolling at home past the Mexico Tigers 32-8 in a successful debut for new Bears head coach Bill Cretaro.
It was a strong defensive effort from the outset, Chittenango shutting out Mexico until the fourth quarter, by which point the game was well under control.’
Nathan Smith’s nine-yard TD run got the Bears on the board, but the game’s biggest play arrived in the second quarter when Robert Connell, from midfield, took off 50 yards to the goal line, extending the Bears’ advantage to 14-0.
Smith scored a second time on a seven-yard sprint in the third quarter before Aiden Cavotta burned the Tigers on a 60-yard TD dash.
Cazenovia is back at Buckley-Volo Field next Saturday to face Oneida at 1:30, after Chittenango travels to Vernon-Verona-Sherrill Friday at 7 p.m. for a game under the lights installed at Sheveron Stadium.
