SYRACUSE – Tell the Badlwinsville football team that, entering the fourth quarter of Friday night’s game at Alibrandi Stadium, it would hold a lead against the unbeaten, state Class AA no. 9-ranked Christian Brothers Academy, and it would have taken it without reservation.
What followed was a wild final 12 minutes where the Bees appeared to have seen the game slip away, only to make a furious comeback attempt that fell just short.
Still, the 20-17 defeat proved, beyond a doubt, that B’ville in no way resembles the side that started the season 0-4. Instead, a three-game win streak had instilled confidence and belief that could not be shaken by CBA’s often intimidating presence.
Several factors worked in the Bees’ favor. One was a steady rain that would have a greater effect on the Brothers’ attack than on what the Bees wanted to do.
The other was B’ville not having to face CBA’s best all-around player, Syair Torrence, who sat out with an injury, taking away a major presence on both sides of the ball.
Whatever the circumstances, though, the game could not have started better for the visitors in red.
The soggy conditions gave the Brothers problems right from its first possession, when a fumbled snap led immediately to Caleb Young running 24 yards for the touchdown and a 7-0 B’ville lead.
All through the early stages, the Bees loaded up the line of scrimmage, confident that CBA would struggle passing in the rain – which it would, the Bees ultimately limiting Porter Matt to just 19 yards through the air.
B’ville added to its lead when Young broke several tackles on a 43-yard run which set up John Widrick’s 20-yard field goal in the closing seconds of the half.
Carrying a 10-0 advantage to the break, the Bees were of two minds, happy that it was controlling the game, but knowing that CBA would roar out of the locker room attempting to preserve its undefeated mark.
A turnover by the Bees midway through the third quarter set up Jamiel Handford’s nine-yard TD run. Then, on the first play of the final period, Handford struck again, dashing 37 yards to put the Brothers up 13-10, though the extra point was missed.
Greg Marinelli intercepted Matt deep in Brothers territory a few minutes later, but a quick Bees three-and-out led to a short field and Handford barreling 25 yards for his third TD of the night with 5:32 to play.
Now it was the Bees staring at a 10-point deficit, but it moved down the field and, with 2:12 left, moved within three when Marinelli found Brady Garcia for a 25-yard scoring pass.
Attempting to run out the clock, CBA, on third-down-and-long, chose to throw -and Garcia intercepted Matt at midfield, giving B’ville a chance to win, but three incompletions was followed by a long fourth-down throw that Zion Green intercepted to clinch it for the Brothers.
The Bees held CBA to 172 total yards, a tribute to a defense anchored by Dylan Garcia (five tackles) and Kallen Kennedy (three tackles), while Young was superb, too, gaining 177 yards on 30 carries.
By finishing third in the Class AA-1 division regular-season standings behind CBA and Cicero-North Syracuse, B’ville earned the right to host a first-round sectional playoff game Friday night at 6:30 against Fayetteville-Manlius. The winner gets C-NS or Rome Free Academy in the semifinals.
