CENTRAL NEW YORK – For four weeks and four games, the West Genesee football team traversed across Central New York, nearly winning every time it took the field but settling for a 2-2 split.
However, the way it ended had to provide plenty of excitement for Wildcats fans eager to see the first home game this Friday against East Syracuse Minoa.
Jumping all over Auburn last Thursday at Holland Stadium, WG displayed just how explosive its attack could be and, finally playing a lopsided game, romped past the Maroons 52-14.
Auburn was 2-1 going into the game, but the Wildcats wasted little time establishing control, using big plays to grab a 20-0 lead by the end of the first quarter.
Francisco Cross scored on a 20-yard run, then broke loose for a 67-yard dash to the end zone and, before the period, added a third touchdown on a two-yard run.
More followed in the second period, Vincent Firenze throwing a 13-yard scoring pass to Landon Spencer and the defense getting points when Spencer recovered an Auburn fumble and went 30 yards to the end zone.
The big plays continued in the second half, Firenze running 50 yards for one TD and returning an Auburn interception 87 yards for another. Even the special teams got involved as Dom Burris took a punt at midfield and, picking up blocks, went 50 yards for the score.
It was far different for Skaneateles in its game Friday at General Brown, where it was overwhelmed start to finish in a 49-7 defeat to the Lions.
The Lakers’ lone points came on Patrick Herr’s five-yard TD pass to Nico Decker plus an extra point. But GB twice scored on fumble recoveries in the end zone amid a 35-point second quarter to pull away.
By contrast, Westhill found itself at no. 15 in the state Class B rankings after a 3-0 start, and made it four in a row by shutting out Cortland 28-0 in front of an enthusiastic Homecoming crowd.
Elijah Welch scored on a one-yard run to get the Warriors on the board. A pair of second-quarter touchdowns followed, Lee Hynes scoring from 10 yards out and Welch firing an eight-yard pass to Taden Chester.
The 20-0 halftime lead grew in the third quarter when Westhill drove to the Purple Tigers’ two and Welch again found Chester in the end zone, with Welch adding the two-point conversion.
Though Welch completed 10 of 15 passes for 139 yards, the real star was the Warriors’ defense, who blanked Cortland and set up a showdown this weekend with 3-0 Camden.
Brody Clayton led with 11 tackles, while Chester and Colin Shiel had nine tackles apiece. Colin White got six tackles and also recorded an interception.
Marcellus was coming off a narrow Sept. 17 defeat at Holland Patent but turned it around in a hurry at Clinton a week later, pulling off a 39-0 shutout to improve to 2-1 overall.
Most of the damage was done in a first half where the Mustangs fired off five touchdowns, starting with Jake Kermes’ 65-yard run and Pat Louer’s 18-yard pass to Ryder Donahue in the opening quarter.
Louer added TD passes of 24 yards to Elliott Austin and Damyn LeClair before intermission as Austin also ran 25 yards for a score.
In the third quarter, Louer, who was 12-for-18 for 144 yards, threw his fourth scoring pass, nine yards to Donahue. Kermes amassed 187 yards on just 15 carries as Brady Ellis (eight tackles) and Chris Doshna (six tackles) led the defense.
Bishop Ludden was 1-1 going into Saturday night’s game at Canastota, where the Gaelic Knights were able to tough out a 14-8 victory over the Raiders.
Evan Cervantes netted a one-yard TD run in the first quarter and, a period later, Tom Cervantes threw a 40-yard scoring pass to Taysir Briggs to make it 14-0. Canastota blanked Ludden in the second half, but managed just a single touchdown and could not catch up.
Back on Thursday, Jordan-Elbridge earned its first victory of the 2022 season, hosting Hannibal and rolling past those Warriors 41-6.
Already up 7-0 through one period, the Eagles got away with 20 unanswered points in the second quarter, led by Jakob Frost, who completed eight of 15 passes for 197 yards and three touchdowns, one each to Tobie Woods, Joe LaFluer and Nixon Karcz, who led with five catches for 92 yards.
Karcz also rushed for 92 yards on just four carries, one of them a TD. LaFluer led the defense with a pair of interceptions as Karcz recovered a fumble, Ellis Titus had 17 tackles and Austin Brunelle earned 14 tackles. Kuchaunheavense Gorman added eight tackles also had a rushing TD
