ONONDAGA COUNTY – Drama is gone for Skaneateles football – at least off the field.
Much of the 2020-21 school year was spent waiting to see if head coach Joe Sindoni would stay after controversy erupted over players gathering for a Thanksgiving Day event against COVID-19 protocols.
Ultimately, after numerous school-board meetings and some court hearings, Sindoni was retained, and with the focus back on the field, Skaneateles is again carrying plenty of ambitions.
Now in the Class C-1 division, the Lakers are joined by Solvay, who moves down after breaking a 17-year title drought when it won the 2019 Section III Class B championship.
The current Bearcats players watched that season unfold and, to a man, they all want to do something similar, Jordan Dippold saying that they formed a “brotherhood” during the long period between 2019 and their return this fall to a full schedule.
Any chance of this happening hinges on an offense where Connor Ellsworth, at quarterback, looks to replicate the magic Brock Bagozzi brought to the position two years ago. Ellsworth said that Bagozzi has returned to Solvay to work with him on throwing mechanics and other aspects of the position.
Solvay is also hoping for a big role for talented freshman DeMarri White, whose speed and skill could take pressure off Dippold, Tom Venturini and Jeff Sharpe at wide receiver, while Jason Bliss and Joey Perez work at running back.
There’s lots of depth on the Bearcats’ front line, with 12 players possibly working into the rotation. Jayden Jones, Nick Emmi, Justin Godbolt and Cam Beecher headline the offensive line, with Venturini returning at defensive end with Joe Robinson.
White could start at linebacker with Perez or move to a secondary where Dippold, Sharpe and Dan Mrowinski are already well-established.
As a whole, said Bearcats head Dan Salisbury, “our young kids need to grow up right away. We need to manage our youth and live with a few mistakes.”
Solvay does not meet Skaneateles until the Oct. 22 regular-season finale, by which point it will be quite clear whether the Lakers’ perfect 3-0 run in the spring can carry over into something bigger.
Even with that perfect mark, said wide receiver Patrick Herr, “we didn’t reach our full potential on offense,” which is a scary prospect for future opponents.
While this Skaneateles offense might not quite match the Patrick Hackler-led side that won a state championship in 2017 and sectional and regional titles in 2018, it still could be quite special.
James Musso returns at quarterback. He threw for 31 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2019 and, in three games in the spring, amassed 650 yards through the air. Sindoni said that Musso has spent the off-season seeking a “mastery” of the offense similar to what Hackler achieved.
“If we keep working on our technique, our offense will be in good shape,” said Musso.
Herr and Cody Nesbitt return with Nate Shattuck and Nico Decker in a spread offense made more devastating by the presence of junior running back Grayson Brunelle.
All that Brunelle did in the spring was rush for 462 yards in those three games, providing power and durability as he works behind an experienced offensive line.
Trenton Pearson, at 6-foot-7 and 340 pounds, and Will Feeney, at 6-foot-2 and 320 pounds, make for an imposing pair of guards next to more modest-sized tackles Tanner Ryan and Drew Goethe, along with starting center P.J. Kennedy.
Two sophomores, Louis Richards and Will Henry, are part of the defensive line rotation while Brendan McGowan and Connor Morrissey join Musso and Herr at linebacker. Cooper Purdy and Ashton Bennett are part of a secondary anchored by Nesbitt and Brunelle.
Skaneateles opens with Clinton next Friday as Solvay hosts Cazenovia. Meanwhile, Bishop Ludden was set to face Westmoreland/Oriskany before that team dropped down to the Independent division.
Unsure of who it will face when 2021 gets underway, the Gaelic Knights, who were an impressive 3-1 in the spring, will lean heavily on stars on both sides of the ball.
Defenses will have to figure out what Ludden quarterback Nazier Kinsey will do, since in his four games last spring he combined for 524 passing yards and 298 rushing yards.
As usual, the Gaelic Knights will have most of its players go both ways, including linebacker Kenyon King, who anchors the defense, averaging better than seven tackles per game last spring.
