ONONDAGA COUNTY – Just like their neighbors, the East Syracuse Minoa and Jamesville-DeWitt football teams had to wait through the fall and winter before finally getting their chance to hit the gridiron.
When they did, the opportunity was not wasted.
ESM traveled last Tuesday to Rome Free Academy and pulled out an exciting 32-29 decision over the Black Knights, while J-D also found its way to the win column, holding off Fulton 10-7.
In both instances, the game was decided in the fourth quarter, the Spartans needing to block an RFA field goal attempt midway through the final period to preserve its three-point lead and the Red Rams getting a fourth-quarter touchdown to get in front of the Red Raiders.
Throughout its game, ESM leaned on the ground attack, especially Mikai Combs, who carried the ball 32 times behind a stout offensive line and accumulated 202 yards.
Combs also scored once in each of the first three quarters on runs of two, eight and four yards, helping ESM build a 20-7 advantage.
Even when RFA closed the gap to 20-14 on Dayton Kelly’s 65-yard TD run, the Spartans had an answer, driving to the RFA three before D’Angelo Withers found the end zone.
Withers also caught a 10-yard TD pass from Tyler Bell early in the fourth quarter to make it 32-21. RFA answered with Naveah Baez scoring from 46 yards out along with a two-point conversion, but it was Withers blocking the tying field goal to keep the Spartans in front.
Meanwhile, J-D found itself in a far different game at Fulton, the two defenses mostly having their way.
Ethan Weiss hit on a first-quarter field goal, but for the next two-plus periods the Rams were kept quiet, saved only by a defense that stifled the Red Raiders after Cuinn Burilingham’s eight-yard TD pass to Marcus Shepard.
Still trailing 7-3 going to the fourth quarter, J-D finally put together a drive of its own, reaching Fulton’s eight-yard line before Nick Dekaney powered his way to the goal line.
Several defensive stops later, the Rams had a victory, one that it hoped to follow up Saturday at Auburn as ESM had its own battle with Fulton that same day.
Both teams played again on Saturday, with contrasting results as ESM hammered Fulton 49-7 and J-D, up against Auburn, got overwhelmed in a 55-7 defeat to the Maroons.
Combs’ 45-yard TD run began the Spartans’ run of 21 unanswered points against the Red Raiders, with Nolan Palmer and Ahmire Brinson also finding the end zone.
Bell added a pair of scoring passes to Nate Pullano covering 40 and 11 yards in the third quarter, part of a day where he completed 23 of 33 passes for 261 yards, complementing Combs’ 177 yards on 13 carries. Pullano had eight catches for 126 yards.
As for J-D, it got its lone points against Auburn when Marcus Payne scored on a six-yard run in the second quarter, but Auburn built a 30-7 edge by halftime and never let up, led by Elijah Benson, who ran 13 times for 217 yards and scored twice.
At 0-2 following a pair of dramatic games to start the season, Christian Brothers Academy shed that drama on Saturday and blanked Central Square 21-0 to break into the win column.
Jamier Hanford’s second-quarter TD on a three-yard run was all the points the Brothers needed, but it tacked on two more scores in the third quarter as Jordan Rae threw scoring passes of 12 and 24 yards to Syair Torrence.
