CAZENOVIA – Consistency and continuity formed the foundation for what the Cazenovia football team has achieved throughout the decades as one of Central New York’s most successful programs.
All of that character will be needed in 2023, a season quite unlike many the Lakers have ever faced.
By far, the biggest feature is a lack of home games. A long-awaited artificial surface is getting installed at Buckley-Volo Field, which will finally allow Cazenovia to have the same surface for its games as it faces nearly everywhere else.
But since it’s not completed, the Lakers will play four times on the road and have three “home” games in consecutive weeks elsewhere.
It starts Sept. 16 with a clash against Little Falls in the JMA Dome. Six days later, Cazenovia has its Lakers clash with Skaneateles on the brand-new black turf at Morrisville State College, and on Sept. 30 a game with Solvay takes place at nearby Fayetteville-Manlius Stadium.
To a man, the Lakers have embraced this challenge. Senior Taven Reilley said he felt his team played better in road games and thrived on artificial surfaces, and fellow senior Brayden Weismore said the Lakers won’t adjust its traditional style of play.
Of course, the larger issue has nothing to do with where Cazenovia plays, but centers on who plays there after the graduation of 16 seniors.
Gone from 2022 is J.P. Hoak, who threw and ran for more than 2,400 yards and was responsible for 33 touchdowns during an undefeated regular season and playoff run that ended in a Section III Class C semifinal defeat to General Brown.
So is defensive leader Jed Olkowski, who had 72 tackles, four of them sacks, along with leading tackler Brad Gagnon (73.5 tackles) and top wide receiver Jack Byrnes (28 catches, 617 yards, 13 TD’s).
No single player can make up for such losses, but Cazenovia will press forward with sophomore Bobby Livingston taking over at quarterback. Martin said that Livingston learned a lot from watching Hoak and will try to incorporate all of these lessons into his play.
Larger roles will come from players like Reilley and fellow senior Christian Schug, who between them last year caught 48 passes for 713 yards. They also combined for seven interceptions and will lead a strong Lakers secondary.
Having Jack Donlin and Wyatt Scott to join Reilley and Schug back gives Cazenovia more stability at the skill positions, especially with a lot of new faces up front. Jack Macro, Miles Weller, Cy Abbott, Kyle Caraher, Connor Frisbie and Dylan Bowersox are all battling for starting spots on the offensive line.
Rice, Weller and Macro all expected to join Donlin on the defensive line. Weismore leads a group of linebackers that includes Abbott, Scott, Bryce Enders and Zander Sizmer.
Right away, Cazenovia gets a chance at payback against General Brown in next Friday’s season opener before the three “home” games and then October trips to Bishop Ludden, Marcellus and Canastota.
Reilley said that, despite what seems like a fair amount of adversity, “we have the same expectations very year, regardless of what everyone thinks” – that is, to win, a lot.
