ONONDAGA COUNTY – If there is a moment down the road where the Liverpool football team finds glory again, it might point back to Saturday’s opening round of the Section III Class AA playoffs as a turning point.
A disastrous start had left the Warriors trailing visiting Utica Proctor 20-0, but somehow the hosts recuperated, roared back and eventually defeated the Raiders by a score of 29-26.
These teams had met Sept. 23 in Utica and Liverpool had won easily 36-6. But the Raiders that came to LHS Stadium were ready and let the Warriors know it.
Two scoring drives, along with a John Sindoni interception returned for a touchdown, created that 20-point deficit, forcing the Warriors to change its game plan – which would work quite well.
By the time they reached the late stages of the third quarter, it was Liverpool in front 21-20, setting the stage for a tense homestretch.
In the opening minute of the fourth quarter, Proctor went back in front on Kamal Cisson-Ali’s TD run, but a missed two-point conversion kept it 26-21.
Thus, any Warriors drive could produce a go-ahead score, and from his own 35 Sindoni led Liverpool on a steady march, ultimately reaching the Raiders’ 11, from where Sindoni found freshman Oakley Keegan in the end zone.
More than six minutes remained, but as it turned out Liverpool had put up the winning points. A young Warriors defense that struggled early made the key stops down the stretch.
Sindoni was 23-for-37 for 279 yards, overcoming three interceptions to throw for four scores. Jordan Gradinetti was the main target, with a 13-catch effort that ranks with any in school history as he accumulated 190 yards and scored twice. Christian Coppin ran 14 times for 62 yards.
By prevailing, Liverpool earns another chance at taking down undefeated Christian Brothers Academy in the sectional semifinals, while five-time defending champion Cicero-North Syracuse faces Baldwinsville, who has gone 4-1 since an 0-4 start, including a road win at Liverpool in early October.
Both the Northstars and Bees easily won their first-round games on Friday night, B’ville topping Fayetteville-Manlius 42-21 as C-NS, hosting Rome Free Academy at Bragman Stadium, moved the ball at will and defeated the Black Knights 56-24.
RFA did find some success with its offense throughout the first half, but C-NS countered with five touchdowns to establish a 35-17 margin by intermission, capped by Jaxon Razmovski’s TD pass to Nate Williams.
Two more scores followed in the third quarter and C-NS fans could now look ahead to B’ville, the semifinal here and between Liverpool and CBA determining who goes to the JMA Wireless Dome Nov. 12 for the sectional final.
