CENTRAL NEW YORK – Whether inside or outside league play, whether in relative obscurity or in high-profile settings, area high school football teams had plenty to prove and plenty they wanted to achieve through the opening week of the 2024 season.
Of those games, the most satisfying had to come from Marcellus, who won in new head coach Matt DiCarlo’s debut as it went to Canastota and pounded its way past the Raiders 36-14.
Solvay also prevailed on Friday, handling Jamesville-DeWitt 39-14 and, in doing so, the Bearcats found a suitable replacement for Jayson Bliss in the form of running back Jason Davis.
Carrying the ball 22 times, Davis amassed 211 yards and scored twice, backed up by a strong offensive line that patiently wore the Red Rams’ defense down.
Trailing 14-6 in the third quarter, Solvay took over with three consecutive scoring drives before the period ended, all of them ending in TD runs, with two more scores in the final period that put things away.
All told, the Bearcats gained 389 yards on the ground, and while Davis had much of it, Chris Cappetta had 94 yards on just seven carries, with two TD’s as Dylan Mumford and Jaedyn Godbolt also had long scoring runs.
It was Skaneateles getting the jump on everyone else last Thursday night, opening at Fulton and loudly announcing its intentions to contend for Class C honors by slaying the Red Dragons 41-6.
Braydon Mayer got the Lakers on the board with a 54-yard TD run in the opening period, and three more drives followed the rest of the half, each of them capped by Hugh Carroll throwing scoring passes – two to Luke Ellis, one to Brady Ellis.That 28-6 halftime lead grew in the third quarter as Caroll scrambled 78 yards for one TD and Colin Henry ran 39 yards for another.
All told, Carroll completed 18 of 23 passes for 159 yards and ran for 130 yards on nine carries. Torin Bennett added 60 yards on the ground as, defensively, Skaneateles blanked Fulton after the first quarter, Brady Ellis recording 10 tackles as Jackson Bone had seven tackles and Reid Danforth recorded an interception.
West Genesee had the privilege of going to the JMA Dome Friday night to face Section V’s Canandaigua, and against the Gray Wolves the Wildcats closed strong, but could not quite overcome a slow start in a 21-13 defeat.
All of WG’s points came in the second half, but only after Canandaigua built a 15-0 first-half lead. The Wildcats got on the board with scoring drives in each of the last two periods, yet the Gray Wolves stayed in front as Elijah Apps, through his fine all-around play, garnered game MVP honors.
Bishop Ludden/SAS was involved in perhaps the most exciting game of the opening weekend, unable to hold a late lead in a 38-36 defeat to Chittenango.
All through the first half, the Gaelic Knights chased the Bears, scoring twice in the second quarter on X’Zavion Streiff scoring passes and going to the break trailing 24-14.
Streiff then scrambled 21 yards for a third-quarter TD and then, in the final period, produced two more trips to the end zone, only to have Chittenango get the winning points on Seamus Gardner’s late five-yard TD pass to Edward Geer.
For the night, Streiff threw 36 times, completing 21 of those passes for 258 yards. Tom Cervantes caught nine passes for 106 yards and a score as Darion Clarke got a pair of TD’s and Jahbari Clarke ran for 79 yards, also producing a team-best eight tackles as Tiziere Sheard and Micah Baker had seven tackles apiece.
Westhill put up a good battle against Section IV power Chenango Forks, netting four touchdowns but still taking a 42-28 defeat to the Blue Devils.
Jordan-Elbridge dropped its opener to Port Byron/Union Springs 41-26, the Eagles tied 20-20 through three quarters before the Storm got away from the Eagles with a trio of touchdowns in the final period led by Harper Shaw’s 225 rushing yards and two scores.
What’s more, Nixon Karcz was sensational for J-E, running for 201 yards on 15 carries and three TD’s while also completing 10 of 19 passes for 130 yards. Joey LaFluer added 71yards on 10 carries as Dylan Czarnecki caught three passes for 67 yards.
