by Braylon Noble
SOLVAY – Having already won twice to surpass its entire win total from 2021, the Solvay football team welcomed in unbeaten, state Class C no. 4-ranked Cazenovia to Al Merola Field Friday night.
And while the Bearcats fell 28-21, it gave the Lakers, by far, its toughest test so far.
While taking on a highly ranked team is a daunting task, the Bearcats looked up to the challenge only allowing the Lakers to put up seven points in the first half.
Those points would come less than seven minutes into the first quarter, when Cazenovia quarterback J. P. Hoak connected with wideout Brayden Wisemore for a 26-yard touchdown completion followed by an extra point from Jack Byrnes.
Meanwhile, the Bearcats struggled to get much going against a Cazenovia defense which has not allowed a point in the first half of any of its first three games, having already beaten Skaneateles and Bishop Ludden.
After a quiet first half, though, both teams would score three times in a spirited exchange during the last two periods.
Cazenovia received the ball first in the second half and wasted no time in adding to its 7-0 lead, capping off a strong opening drive with a one-yard TD sneak from Hoak.
Solvay would finally get on the board on its next drive. The Bearcats’ usual game plan of pounding it on the ground would pay off as tailback Jaysin Bliss would break a 38-yard run, which would set Bliss up to take it in from the seven a few plays later. Christian Kaminski added the PAT to make it 14-7 with 3:03 left in the third.
When Cazenovia tried to answer, Solvay’s defense again stepped up as Luis Mojica intercepted Hoak at the Bearcats’ 10.
Unable to move the ball, the Bearcats had to punt, and Byrnes, receiving it at midfield and picking up blocks, returned it 52 yards for a score pushing the Laker lead to 21-7 early in the fourth quarter.
Again Solvay would make things interesting in the final frame. Bliss broke free once on a 30-yard run inside Cazenovia’s 10, leading to a six-yard TD that, with Kaminski’s PAT, made it 21-14 with 7:59 left.
Just like before, the lakers would push its lead to two scores thanks to an 80-yard drive, Jack Donlin going the last four yards for the TD with 3:44 to play.
The Bearcats made one last effort, putting together a 14-play drive that included a fourth-down conversion with a quarterback sneak from Mojica.
Bliss converted his third TD on a three-yard run in the final minute, but an onside kick that went out of bounds allowed the Lakers to hang on.
Next for the Bearcats is a road matchup with Skaneateles, who was 1-2 following a 49-7 defeat to state-ranked General Brown.
