MANLIUS – Homecoming at Fayetteville-Manlius is always a big and raucous event, with halftime of the football game featuring, among other things, introduction of the new F-M Athletic Hall of Fame members and a parade of floats by the students.
Yet it was what happened right before and after these festivities that meant the most to the football Hornets as it defeated Corcoran 48-26 on Friday to improve to 5-0 on the season.
Key plays on offense, defense and special teams turned an exciting, back-and-forth contest into one F-M controlled as it remained the only undefeated team in the area Class A ranks and defended its no. 8 state ranking.
By the time Corcoran drove inside the Hornets’ 20-yard line late in the second quarter, it had already proven quite eventful with two F-M scoring runs answered by the visiting Cougars.
George LaCombe, on a 45-yard run, and T.J. Conley, on a 57-yard dash up the middle, had given F-M a 14-0 lead in the game’s first three minutes, only to have Corcoran pull even by the end of the first quarter on runs of 25 and seven yards by Key’sonne Terrell.
Even when F-M went up early in the second quarter on Conley’s second touchdown, a 47-yard run, the Cougars again struck back, Terrell going 19 yards for the score to make it 20-20.
LaCombe’s second TD on a 16-yard run and a two-point conversion had F-M in front 28-20 when Corcoran again steadily moved down the field as the second-quarter clock ticked down.
Then a handful of plays, before and after the halftime mirth, put the Hornets in control.
When Corcoran quarterback Jah’mere Clarke threw near the goal line with 1:58 left in the half, defensive back Colin Clark picked it off, returning it to the 20 and assuring F-M would lead at the break.
The Hornets kicked off to start the second half – but Robbie Madden placed the kick between two sets of Corcoran players and F-M teammate Anthony Giuffrida raced to recover it at the Cougars’ 35.
Moments later, after a near-fumble gave it back to Corcoran, Conley, from the 15, took a handoff and dragged several tacklers past the goal line for his third TD of the night.
Now up 35-20, the Hornets turned up its defense, shutting down the Cougars on both of its third-quarter possessions. Meanwhile, Conley broke loose one more time on a 60-yard scoring dash, with LaCombe adding a five-yard TD run early in the final period.
Continuing his season-long running rampage, Conley piled up 341 yards on 31 carries. Jack Heart, seeing increased time at quarterback, completed three of six passes for 55 yards as LaCombe picked up five tackles.
An even bigger game takes place next Friday when F-M travels to 4-1 Whitesboro. The Warriors’ lone loss this season was to Class AA Utica Proctor and it comes off beating archrival New Hartford 38-13.
