Heading toward the regular-season homestretch, football teams from East Syracuse Minoa, Fayetteville-Manlius and Christian Brothers Academy all are in need of victories to fulfill post-season ambitions.

ESM began the most difficult part of its schedule Friday by taking a 50-14 defeat to visiting Carthage at Spartan Stadium, just as F-M saw its comeback fall just short in a 25-23 loss to West Genesee and CBA, its first win remaining elusive, falling 28-18 to Corcoran.

Of the three, ESM entered the week in the best shape, sporting a 4-1 record, the same as Carthage. But the Comets held the state Class A no. 5 ranking for a reason, having slammed Indian River 51-8 a week earlier to avenge its defeat to the Warriors in the 2018 sectional final.

With its powerful ground attack, Carthage twice put together first-quarter scoring drives. Fombo Azah ran 13 yards for one touchdown and quarterback Nick Cavalier scrambled 51 yards to the end zone a few minutes later.

It got more lopsided in the second quarter, Azah scoring twice on runs of 39 and 42 behind powerful blocks from the Comets’ offensive line and Cavalier throwing a 22-yard TD pass to Josh Demko.

Not until the third quarter did the Spartans get on the board with Mikal Combs’ 18-yard TD run, but Azah returned the ensuing kickoff 70 yards to the end zone, capping a night where he amassed 264 yards on 20 carries to go with his kick returns.

All told, Carthage accumulated 525 total yards, 419 of them on the ground. Combs netted the Spartans’ other touchdown on a two-yard run in the fourth quarter.

At Mike Messere Field, F-M had a chance to clinch a sectional Class AA playoff berth, but instead saw West Genesee jump on them with 19 straight points in the second quarter, led by Exavier Brumfield, who scored twice, including a 74-yard run.

The Hornets did score right before halftime to cut the deficit to 19-7, and put together a pair of second-half scoring drives, capping each of them with two-point conversions. But Brumfield, who ran for 149 yards on 27 carries, found the end zone again on a seven-yard run in the third quarter that proved to be the game-winner.

Back at Alibrandi Stadium, CBA spent much of the night convinced that its five-game skid was about to end at the expense of a Corcoran side that sat in second place in the Class AA-1 division behind Liverpool.

The Brothers led most of the way, with Travis Ward scoring on a three-yard run and Jack Szatkowski going 34 yards for another after the Cougars’ JoJo Williams returned the kickoff 75 yards to the end zone after Ward’s TD.

Ward scored again in the second quarter on a one-yard run, but Corcoran, down 18-14 at halftime, rallied in the second half, going in front and clinching it when Lakeem Danzy returned a CBA fumble 60 yards for a touchdown.

Next Friday, CBA finishes its regular season against Nottingham, while F-M hosts Baldwinsville and ESM has to go to Holland Stadium to face the 4-1 Auburn Maroons.

Moving to Saturday’s action, Jamesville-DeWitt gave up a pair of first-quarter touchdowns to Fulton, and despite Carter King’s third-quarter score, could not make it all the way back, taking a 12-7 loss to the Red Raiders.

In eight-man football, Bishop Grimes fell to 2-2 on the season, the Cobras unable to contain West Canada Valley in a 66-26 defeat as the Indians improved to 3-1.