CENTRAL NEW YORK – Now the Cazeonvia football team is back exactly where it was a year ago, undefeated and in the Section III Class C semifinals, only this time it doesn’t want things to end here.
Still perched atop the state Class C rankings, the Lakers returned to the black turf at Morrisville State’s Drake Field Friday night and, once again, unleashed its defense on an opponent as it defeated Holland Patent 44-14 in the opening round of the sectional playoffs.
Up until the game’s last minutes when its reserves were on the field, Cazenovia smothered the Golden Knights, building a 44-0 advantage despite only gaining 242 total yards on offense.
And it was the defense who put up the only points of the first quarter. Bryce Enders stepped in front of a Aiden Rubas pass at the HP 28 and brought it back for a touchdown, Connor Frisbie’s extra point making it 8-0.
Later, with the game well in hand, the Lakers added another defensive TD, this time from Christian Schug, who brought back an interception 56 yards for six points.
All told, Cazenovia forced four turnovers, with Taven Reilley getting an interception and Alex Kuper recovering a fumble. Jack Macro assisted on six tackles and Frisbie led with four solo tackles as HP had less than 100 total yards against the Lakers’ first string.
Working with great field position most of the night, the Lakers scored three times in the second quarter to extend its lead to 28-0. Bobby Livingston scrambled two yards for one TD, threw 11 yards to Jack Donlin for another and saw Donlin score on a one-yard plunge.
Livingston’s 27-yard TD pass to Reilley in the third quarter highlighted a night where he completed six of 12 passes for 108 yards and had a team-high 43 rushing yards on seven carries. Reilley caught three passes for 67 yards.
In the sectional Class C semifinals, Cazenovia will face Adirondack, who outscored Bishop Ludden 50-35 in the opening round. The winner gets General Brown or Skaneateles in the Nov. 12 sectional final in the JMA Wireless Dome.
Meanwhile, Chittenango, at home in the opening round of the Class B playoffs, found itself in a wild, back-and-forth battle with Carthage, scoring 20 points in the fourth quarter – and still lost, 51-46, to the Comets.
The Bears appeared to be in control during the first half, only surrendering one touchdown as Kyle Werhlin scored twice on runs of one and 10 yards and Jack Lamphere threw a 10-yard TD pass to Hunter Taylor.
Carthage, down 20-7 at halftime, roared to life in the third quarter, Geremiah Ademola-Sadipe scoring three touchdowns, two of them on eight-yard runs. Thus, despite Lamphere’s 28-yard TD pass to Hunter Taylor, Chittenango trailed 27-26 going to the final period.
Three different times in those last 12 minutes, the Bears reclaimed the lead thanks to Lamphere, who scrambled twice for TD’s on runs of 15 and nine yards and, in between, threw his third scoring pass to Taylor, covering 32 yards.
Again, the Comets turned to Ademola-Sadipe who on his way to rushing for 351 yards, landed a fourth and fifth TD on 36 and 51-yard sprints before Kalel Tevaga ran 44 yards for what proved to be the winning score.
In defeat, Lamphere was 19-for-30 for 267 yards, with Taylor catching nine of those passes for 143 yards. Werhlin gained 152 yards on 22 carries as Lammphere ran 13 times for 84 yards and, on defense, recorded a team-best nine tackles.
