SYRACUSE – Here again was the Christian Brothers Academy football team walking off the turf of the JMA Wireless Dome on a weekend evening in November at the end of a Section III championship game.
One year earlier, the Brothers did so in a celebratory mood, having completed an unlikely climb that wouldn’t end until the sectional and state Class A titles were in its possession.
Now, though, that walk was slow, solemn and sullen, CBA having seen its dream of moving up and taking the sectional Class AA title denied by the side which had held the title for so long.
Cicero-North Syracuse prevailed 34-20 in Sunday’s sectional final, taking charge in the second half in part because of its own strong effort and in part due to the fact that the Brothers were short-handed.
Nine days earlier, in the sectional semifinal win over Utica Proctor, quarterback Jordan Rae exited with a mid-game injury, not returning as the Brothers easily beat the Raiders.
When Rae emerged on Sunday, his arm was in a sling. Thus, Porter Matt went under center for his first start, replacing a player who had thrown for 276 yards and four touchdowns against C-NS when the Brothers won a 42-41 classic in September at Alibrandi Stadium.
At least at the outset, it didn’t bother CBA one bit. In fact, it took all of 33 seconds for the Brothers to turn a good opening kick return by Tez Thomas into a scoring drive capped when Matt, from the Northstars’ 22, found Jason Brunson over the middle for the TD>
A six-minute, 75-yard march answered it on C-NS’s opening possession. Jaxon Razmovski converted two third downs and a fourth down inside CBA’s 20 before La’Quan Lemon scored from the three, tying it 6-6.
Lemon, named the game’s MVP, intercepted Matt two plays later and, on the very next play, Razmovski broke free on a 38-yard TD dash, putting C-NS in front 13-6.
Early in the second quarter, Matt, from his own 37, found Syair Torrence on the left wing and the highly-touted receiver did the rest, going 63 yards untouched, the extra point tying it 13-13.
Lemon had a 75-yard TD sprint moments later called back for a holding penalty, and the defenses began to settle down, each side making key fourth-down stops, including an interception by Brunson in the final seconds of the half.
They were still 13-13 when, near the midway point of the third quarter, C-NS’s Nate Williams dragged tacklers on a 33-yard catch-and-run from Razmovski followed by Lemon running around end 23 yards for a TD to put C-NS ahead for good.
Anthony Johnson made another big play for the Northstars late in the period, taking a CBA punt at his own 10 and returning it 56 yards deep into Brothers territory. It set up Lemon’s third TD, a 24-yard dash that doubled the Northstars’ margin to 27-13.
Not letting up, the Northstars all but sealed it with 8:03 left when, from the CBA 31, Razmovski threw right and found Tristan Johnson, who broke a tackle and went the rest of the way for the score.
Matt would find Torrence on a 12-yard TD pass in the closing minutes, but it proved too late, CBA’s 15-game win streak ended and the Northstars earning its fifth consecutive sectional AA title.
