CICERO – By now, every single player on the Cicero-North Syracuse football team knows what is expected of them, and what to expect from opponents.
“We always know that, whichever team plays us, it’s their Super Bowl,” said offensive lineman Tavores Flournory.
Having won three consecutive Section III Class AA titles and then an undefeated spring of 2021 means that anything less than playing deep into November is unacceptable.
“Our goal is (another) sectional title,” said senior running back Jamar Ballard. “We want to keep that winning tradition going.”
Doing so in the fall of 2021 will require some groups of new players to quickly step into crucial roles, especially on the offensive line, though Flournory returns at left tackle and Devan Szwej likely moves from guard to center.
A group that includes Steve Nobile, Darren Sporer, John Longwell, Mike Bozinovski and sophomore Joe Main all will take their turns up front, and they’ll get plenty of good instruction.
Not only is there a proven line coach in long-time assistant John Gianuzzi, but three college seniors – Adam Mosher, Alex VanTassel and Zach Marchant – have returned to their alma mater to tutor the line as they prepare for their own coaching careers.
Large portions of the line’s work will involve clearing the path for Ballard, who piled up 522 yards on the ground in the spring, yet spent the off-season slimming down to 215 pounds.
As a result, said head coach Dave Kline, “he’s a lot quicker, more explosive and stronger,” but C-NS won’t rely on Ballard alone with the ground game since Farouk Ibrahim and Jason Bartlett are on hand, too.
J.J. Razmovski, the quarterback who led the Northstars for most of its championship run, has departed, but his younger brother, Jaxon, has emerged as a possible successor, though it was Anthony Testa that saw varsity action in the spring and has the advantage of experience.
Whoever is under center, they’ll often throw to Mason Ellis, who caught 22 passes for 304 yards in the spring and leads a group or receivers that includes Vinny Lattanzio, Josh Kubala, Tim Graham and Nate Williams.
Plenty of turnover has taken place on the defensive side, too, but C-NS has some proven standouts both on the front line and in the secondary.
Jerrod Hills, who is drawing plenty of attention from colleges, uses his 6-foot-5, 220-pound frame to hold off and then get around opposing linemen. He recorded eight sacks and 32 tackles last spring.
Opponents might double-team Hills and, if so, that could create opportunities for brothers Devin and Vincent Pisa, along with Kubala, Roemellow Robinson and Nick Stuper.
Lattanzio and Ibrahim both are back in the secondary, with Lattanzio moving from cornerback to join Ibrahim at safety as Carlton Garnes and Andrew Vinnette line up at the corner spots.
Returning starter Logan Brefka leads the Northstars’ group of linebackers, joined by James Cahill and promising freshman Marcus Reed, while Kubala will again handle most of the kicking duties.
Next Friday night at the Carrier Dome, C-NS opens against Clifton, from New Jersey, beginning an eight-game regular-season slate highlighted by its renewal of the ‘Star Wars Cup’ rivalry with Liverpool Oct. 8 at LHS Stadium.
Even as his team is favored to remain atop the area Class AA ranks, Kline is quite aware that this group of players still hasn’t achieved anything yet and, similar to 2019 where it overcame a 1-2 start to earn a sectional title, the Northstars’ progress might prove bumpy at first.
“Our bottom line is that it’s not where we are now, but where we end up,” said Kline.
