SOLVAY – Elevated to the no. 4 spot in the first state Class C rankings of the fall, the Cazenovia football team was now a clear target for any opponent – as it quickly found out.
Venturing to Solvay on Friday night, the Lakers had to go all the way to the wire before holding off the Bearcats 28-21, a game far closer than Cazenovia’s comfortable wins over Skaneateles and Bishop Ludden.
Solvay entered the game with a 2-1 record, having shown vast improvement from the side that went 1-6 a season ago, and in front of home fans at Al Merola Field it spent most of the first half keeping the Lakers’ potent offense quiet – with one exception.
Cazenovia drove to the Solvay 28-yard midway through the first quarter, from where J.P. Hoak threw deep and found Brayden Weismore, who got behind the Bearcats secondary for the touchdown.
For a while, that single play was enough since, for the third week in a row, Cazenovia’s defense recorded a first-half shutout, which allowed the Lakers to wait out its struggles on the other side of the ball and lead 7-0 at the break.
Not until the midway point of the third quarter did Cazenovia add to its margin, Hoak scoring on a one-yard plunge. But then Solvay, down 14-0, struck for the first time, driving to the Lakers’ seven before Jaysin Bliss found the end zone.
Again, the Cazenovia defense took charge in the fourth quarter, forcing a Solvay punt deep in its own territory. Taking it at midfield, Jack Byrnes picked up blocks and made his way 52 yards to the goal line for the Lakers’ first special-teams TD of the season.
When the Bearcats cut the margin to 21-14 when Bliss scored on a six-yard run, a patient Lakers drive restored the two-score cushion, Jack Donlin going the final four yards for the TD.
Even here, the visitors could not relax. Solvay cut the margin to seven when Bliss netted his third TD from one yard out with under a minute left. Only when an onside kick rolled out of bounds could the Lakers put the game away.
Hoak ran for 103 yards on 14 carries to go with his eight-for-14 passing for 129 yards. Donlin gained 82 yards on just nine carries.
Solvay would have far more time on the field – 65 plays, to Cazenovia’s 42 – and got 300 total yards. Byrnes and Jed Olkowski each got six tackles, with Brad Gagnon getting 11 assists to go with his four solo tackles and Connor Adams adding 10 assists.
Cazenovia returns to Buckley-Volo Field next Saturday at 1:30 to host Clinton.
