In the past, if the Baldwinsville football team ever had to face a three-touchdown-deficit in the second half, its style of play would almost preclude any idea for a glorious comeback.
Yet on Friday night at Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium, the Bees found itself battling back against visiting Cicero-North Syracuse, knowing that if it could complete its rally from a 28-7 hole, it would likely host a first-round Section III Class AA playoff game.
B’ville did find the end zone three times – but it wasn’t quite enough as the Northstars parlayed a fourth-quarter scoring drive into a tense 35-28 victory and a chance to grab the Class AA-2 division regular-season title if it beats Utica Proctor next weekend.
Both teams arrived at this game with 2-1 league marks, and they would trade scoring drives in the early going, C-NS taking a 7-0 lead, B’ville countering with a strong ground attack anchored by Willie Strong as he scored on a one-yard plunge early in the second quarter.
It was still 7-7 when C-NS erupted late in the half. The catalyst was a scoring drive familiar to B’ville fans where the Northstars ran the ball on all 12 plays, with Mike Washington getting 11 of those carries and going the final yard for the TD.
By contrast, the next time C-NS had the ball after a fourth-down stop by the defense at the B’ville 38, Washington needed only one play to sprint 62 yards to the end zone, making it 21-7.
A minute remained in the half and the Northstars surprised the Bees with an onside kick, recovering it at midfield. Just 11 seconds before intermission, J.J. Razmovski found a streaking Adron Pafford down the right sideline for a 37-yard scoring play.
In a span of less than four minutes, a close contest was now a 28-7 game, and B’ville could not afford to fall further behind. Instead, it began to climb back, sparked by a defense that held C-NS without a first down in the third quarter.
Mixing in runs and passes from Braden McCard (including a 20-yard tipped pass to Pat May on fourth down, the Bees drove to the one, where Strong scored his second TD of the night.
Then, on the first play of the fourth quarter, McCard, from his own 40, threw down the left sideline to Pat May, who caught it, cut back and found the end zone, and the Bees were within a score, 28-21, with plenty of time to catch up.
Pinned at its own 13-yard line after the ensuing kickoff, C-NS regrouped, and Razmovski made his three best throws of the night.
One was a third-down pass to Mason Ellis that covered 23 yards. Then, on fourth-and-four at the Bees’ 47, Razmovski hit Pafford, who broke tackles on a 37-yard run to set up first-and-goal. Three plays later, Pafford lost his defender on a cut to the middle and Razmovski found him again, the TD covering 12 yards with 4:55 to play.
That turned out to be the game-winner because B’ville again responded, McCard throwing a 12-yard TD pass to May with 1:13 left, but an onside kick was smothered by the Northstars, who were able to run out the clock.
McCard completed eight of 10 passes for 177 yards and also ran for a career-best 103 yards on 10 carries, while Strong finished with 142 yards on 24 carries. May and Robert Hamm led the defense with seven tackles apiece as Dan Ewald added five tackles and three assists.
B’ville (2-2 league, 3-3 overall) visits Fayetteville-Manlius (1-3 league, 2-4 overall) in next Friday’s regular-season finale. Only a win guarantees a post-season berth since a loss creates a three-way tie for third between the Bees, Hornets and the winner of the West Genesee-Rome Free Academy game, and of those three, two will qualify for the playoffs.
