ONONDAGA COUNTY – Two state championships in three years has put Christian Brothers Academy above all other area high school football programs, but it still wants more – and has the players on hand to make it possible.
Even though standouts like Syair Torrence and Porter Matt graduated from last year’s 14-0 squad that outscored its opponents a combined 621-157, many stars return, and the defense could be even better.
Seven members of various Class AA All-State teams are back, led by first-team senior wide receiver Darien Williams, who dazzled in the state final against Carmel with 236 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
A trio of second-team All-State selections – receiver Dante Bacheyie, lineman Matt Hawn and defensive end Marquan Saddler – also come back, along with lineman Matt Capella and defensive back Adrian Weather.
It falls on Brayden Smith to succeed Matt (2,385 yards, 32 TD’s) at quarterback, with Isaiah Coleman taking over at running back after Jamier Handford graduated. Having Williams and Bacheyie back at wideout should make Smith’s transition a lot easier.
And CBA will get an immediate challenge on Sept. 13 when it takes on Cicero-North Syracuse at Alibrandi Stadium, their first encounter since last fall’s sectional final that the Brothers won 34-7.
Another local side saw its season end at the Dome, much to the surprise of everyone outside its locker room.
East Syracuse Minoa, just 4-4 in the 2023 regular season, pulled off playoff wins at Auburn and West Genesee to reach the sectional Class A final before falling to Whitesboro.
Getting back in 2024 will require some key players to step up for the Spartans, especially with Nick Commisso and Mikah Combs graduating as the pair combined for more than 3,200 yards on the ground in their careers.
Jay-Neil McDuffie, already a track and field standout, will see a lot of carries and starts at defensive back, the junior bringing plenty of speed and big-play ability as he is expected to lead the offense. K’Mari Jones and Joe Atkinson are among the defensive standouts, while Tylar Saunders anchors the interior lines.
Much of ESM’s front lines are back, and that allows head coach Brad Keysor to break in a new quarterback to replace Commisso as the Spartans begin its season against Clarkstown North this Saturday at 2 p.m.
Far bigger changes took place at Fayetteville-Manlius, where the task of climbing back into contention is assigned to new head coach Jim Fiacco after a winless 2023 season and the end of Dan Sullivan’s four-year tenure.
Fiacco was appointed in January, but he’s familiar to the Hornets program, having spent more than a decade as an assistant and as junior varsity head coach.
Further helping Fiacco is that Jack Hearn returns at quarterback, as does top running back Colin Clark, who averaged better than seven yards per carry a season ago and netted three touchdowns.
Defensively, while the likes of Vincent Hunt and Anthony Giuffrida will be missed, several starters return, led by Clark, Owen McCarthy and Nick Delans. They all hope to break F-M’s skid Friday night when it opens against Auburn.
Shuffled around many different divisions in recent years, Jamesville-DeWitt, who begins its season Friday against Solvay, lands in Class B-2 this fall, joining Cortland, Mexico, Oswego and South Jefferson, and like F-M the Red Rams are intent on turning around recent results, having gone 1-7 a season ago.
Having started as a sophomore and gained nearly 1,000 total yards, quarterback Anthony Guidone returns for his junior campaign, helped in the backfield by Roman Spack and up front by the likes of Kevin Vigneault, Bryce Dadey and Bryce Wheeler, who will also lead J-D’s defensive efforts.
A participant in eight-man football since its introduction to Section III, Bishop Grimes has seen the division grown to 13 teams as Utica Notre Dame joins the Cobras in the North/West division with Weedsport, Morrisville-Eaton, South Lewis and Thousand Islands.
Grimes went 3-4 last year, suffering a first-round playoff defeat to eventual sectional champion Frankfort-Schuyler, but return the likes of Avery Pankow at quarterback and Jason Royal at running back. A deep core of skill players could lead to lots of points on the board for the Cobras, who get underway Sept. 14 against visiting Tupper Lake.
