CICERO – By his own account, Christian Brothers Academy football standout Jamier Handford said he could do better than what he showed in Friday night’s 35-18 victory over Cicero-North Syracuse at Bragman Stadium.
If that’s the case, then it’s trouble for every future opponent of the Brothers in 2023.
In a clash of the area’s two remaining undefeated Class AA sides, Handford was central to everything CBA accomplished, from pounding out large chunks of rushing yards to forcing two crucial turnovers that helped turn C-NS back.
This was the first time CBA had seen the five-time defending Section III champions since last November’s sectional final at the JMA Dome, and getting even for that defeat was motivation enough for the Brothers.
Still, on a soggy evening both sides were able to move the ball on the ground, physically imposing themselves at the line of scrimmage. The difference was that C-NS did not capitalize on two good early scoring chances and could not turn to its kicker, Jakob Purdy, who was out with an injury.
Most of the time, though, it came back to Handford, who first thwarted a Northstars opening drive that took up more than eight minutes of clock, and then intercepted Jaxon Razmovski early in the second quarter.
With the Northstars’ defense focused on containing the likes of Syair Torrence, Handford gained all the yards (47) on CBA’s ensuing drive with a series of power runs, going the last two for the touchdown.
C-NS did cut it to 7-6 on Razmovski’s 34-yard scoring pass to Tristan Johnson near the midway point of the second period, but missed on a go-ahead two-point conversion try and never got as close again.
The Brothers took control by marching twice down the field in the game’s middle stages. Off another fourth-down stop at its own 16, CBA went 84 yards in the closing stages of the first half, Syair Torrence going 40 yards on a catch-and-run to set up Porter Matt’s 30-yard scoring pass to Jason Brunson 13 seconds before intermission.
Then, with the second-half kickoff, the Brothers again stayed on the ground and again rode Handford most of the way until he left the game for a play at the C-NS 12 – and Isaiah Coleman scored, the extra point making it 21-6.
Handford would then dash any hope for a Northstars comeback. Angry that he had fumbled at the C-NS five early in the fourth quarter, he more that atoned for it when, on third down with 8:31 left, he sacked Razmovski and forced a fumble that Marquan Saddler returned 20 yards for a TD.
And Handford would add another score on a two-yard run in the closing minutes, CBA happy with the win but knowing that a possible playoff rematch with the Northstars could happen – just as it did in 2022.
At the very least, CBA is in a stronger position than its neighboring teams, most of whom struggled during the weekend.
Fayetteville-Manlius remained without a win, falling behind Utica Proctor 28-0 by halftime and ultimately taking a 40-6 defeat to the Raiders.
Jerquell Henderson returned the opening kickoff 85 yards for a TD and Proctor proceeded from there, shutting out the Hornets until Jack Hearn scored on a one-yard scoring sneak in the third quarter. Kamal Cisson-Ali had 19 carries for 155 yards to lead the Raider attack.
At least F-M got points, something Jamesville-DeWitt did not do in a 42-0 loss to Westhill, who bolted out to its own 28-0 halftime advantage and never let the Red Rams respond.
Only Bishop Grimes joined CBA in the local win column, gutting out a 16-8 decision over Thomas A. Edison (Rochester) as, on Saturday afternoon, East Syracuse Minoa went to Central Square and took a 32-14 defeat to the Redhawks.
Having won three straight going into this game, the Spartan answered a Central Square score with Mikah Combs’ 82-yard kick return for a TD in the first quarter, Nick Commisso’s two-point run tying it 8-8.
From there, though, ESM was shut out until the fourth quarter, when Commisso threw an 18-yard scoring pass to Caiden Scott. By then, Central Square had put the game away with two scores that helped extend a 16-8 margin it took into the final period.
