CENTRAL NEW YORK – Four weeks have delivered four victories for the Fayetteville-Manlius football team and recognition that it is the team to beat in the area Class A ranks.
When the first state rankings of the season were released early last week, the Hornets were at no. 9, but third among teams that play for top honors in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association.
Meanwhile, East Syracuse Minoa found itself with a victory in its first three games, with close calls against Corcoran and Auburn (in overtime) followed by a defeat to New Hartford.
Now, for its Homecoming game last Friday, the Spartans had to welcome F-M, who gradually seized control and, led by the likes of T.J. Conley and George LaCombe, prevailed by a score of 34-6.
The Hornets scored once in the first quarter and twice more in the second to build a 20-0 advantage. Then it kept adding to the margin and nearly got a third shutout this season before ESM recorded a fourth-quarter touchdown.
Again, Conley anchored a potent ground attack, carrying the ball 28 times for 294 yards, an average of better than 10 yards per carry, while scoring twice.
LaCombe not only gained 95 yards on 10 carries and a score, he also returned a fumble for a TD and had an interception to lead a defense where Robbie Madden and Denim Hall also recorded interceptions and Liam Brown recovered a fumble – five turnovers in all.
Christian Brothers Academy waited to celebrate its Homecoming until Saturday afternoon, with its student section choosing a Western theme and decking themselves out in cowboy hats and various other outfits before an evening dance with those same themes.
As to the game itself, in contrast to its thrilling 42-41 win over Cicero-North Syracuse the week before, the state Class AA no. 6-ranked Brothers had no problem with Henninger, stopping the Black Knights 67-32.
It was 36-0 by the end of the first quarter as five different CBA players got touchdowns. Jordan Rae threw scoring passes of 21 yards to Darien Williams, 48 yards to Amarri Pitts and six yards to Sayir Torrence, with Jamier Handford and Tez Thomas scoring on runs of 13 and three yards, respectively.
Thomas would later return a kickoff 80 yards for a TD and Williams would catch a 47-yard scoring pass from Jake Brown as Tristan Korfonta scored and Everett Gilchrist added a 33-yard field goal.
Also on Saturday, Bishop Grimes, who had started the season 0-2 in eight-man football, turned it around when it went north to Clayton and earned a 24-22 victory over Thousand Islands.
Bruno Kinsey scored twice in the first quarter, once with a run and again with a pass to Dario Nicotra, and the Cobras didn’t get rattled even when the Vikings rallied to take a 16-12 halftime lead.
Instead, Kinsey and Nicotra both returned to the end zone in the third quarter, and Grimes’ defense only let Thousand Islands find the end zone once more, hanging on for the win.
