CICERO – With every bit of its conviction, the Baldwinsville football team sought last Friday night to do what no one since 2016 had accomplished – beat Cicero-North Syracuse in the Section III Class AA playoffs.

And there was a moment in last Friday night’s semifinal at Bragman Stadium where the Bees were out in front – but it passed and, short-handed most of the way, it lost 32-14 to the Northstars, who advanced to a rematch of the 2022 sectional final against unbeaten Christian Brothers Academy.

It didn’t take long for C-NS, to see, up close, just how much B’ville had grown since its defeat to the Northstars on Sept. 22 that, at the time, dropped the Bees’ record to 0-4.

Having gone 4-1 since, B’ville absorbed an early Northstars touchdown and then, early in the second period, took a 7-6 lead, but saw its long-term prospects take a crucial hit.

Greg Marinelli, the Bees’ starting quarterback the last two years, exited the game, having only attempted one pass and run once for 16 yards. Nico Wellman took over and was seven-for-17 for just 67 yards, throwing a pair of interceptions.

Even with a solid ground game that included Kaleb Young gaining 114 yards on 21 carries and Brady Garcia adding 66 yards on four carries, it could not make up for the lack of a consistent aerial threat.

Meanwhile, the Northstars grabbed a 12-7 lead by halftime and then put up 20 unanswered points in the second half before a late Bees touchdown.

Dylan Garcia and Aaron Clark each produced 12 tackles. Trevor Valenti had eight tackles, with Wellman adding six tackles and Brady Garcia five tackles to go with an interception. Leonzo Zimmerman led C-NS with 10 carries for 101 yards and a touchdown.