CENTRAL NEW YORK – At least by battling back from an early 27-point deficit and making it interesting against General Brown in its Sept. 14 opener, the Cazenovia football team showed that it could fight.

However, the Lakers found out in Friday night’s trip to Lowville that it still had a lot to work on from the defensive side, having taken a 46-24 defeat to the Red Raiders.

Most important for the Lakers was having its defense improve from the 504 total yards (350 on the ground) that it gave up against General Brown.

But after Bobby Livingston took off on a 58-yard touchdown dash and Carter Bowden ran for two points in the game’s opening minutes, that defense found itself unable to stop much of what Lowville established.

Three times in the first quarter the Red Raiders found the end zone, gaining an 18-8 lead, and when Carson Kempney found Dominic Swiernik for 46 and 18-yard scoring passes in the second quarter Lowville extended its margin to 30-8.

At least in the third quarter the Lakers settled down, keeping the Red Raiders off the board while Livingston got his own 46-yard scoring pass to Bowden and then ran in for the conversion.

When Livingston scored again from eight yards out early in the final period, Cazenovia only trailed 30-24, with time to complete the rally. But on the ensuing kickoff Ethan Myers tore through the Lakers’ special teams 84 yards for a TD, restoring the margin.

Kempney, who was nine-for-11 for 158 yards, threw his fourth TD pass to Swiernik, this one covering 26 yards, to seal it.

For the night Livingston ran for 87 yards on 25 attempts while completing just four of 15 passes for 76 yards. Bryce Odessa had a team-best six tackles

That same Friday night Chittenango met Oneida looking to improve to 2-1 on the season, and the Bears again found itself in an exciting, high-scoring contest that it managed to win, surrendering a big second-half lead but still edging past the Express 34-27.

Kyle Wehrlin got Chittenango on the board scoring from eight yards out and went 38 yards for a second TD early in the second quarter before Seamus Gardner found Zailor Caras on an eight-yard scoring pass.

All of this gave the Bears a 20-7 lead going to halftime, but after Gardner finished off another drive with a one-yard TD scramble in the third period Oneida began to rally.

Kaiden Miller scored on a 15-yard run. Then, in the fourth quarter all the momentum shifted when a Chittenango fumble near midfield led to Austin DeGroat returning it 55 yards for six points.

The Express then went out in front on Connor DelRiva’s five-yard TD run but the Bears would answer, driving to Oneida’s 14 before Wehrlin plowed in for his third TD of the night that proved the game-winner.

For the night Wehrlin had 23 carries for 169 yards, Gardner adding 50 yards on the ground to go with his eight-for-12 passing for 83 yards. Aiden Greiner led the Bears’ defense with five tackles as Chayse
Ostrander, Edward Geer and Connor Bradbury had four tackles apiece and Zailor Caras grabbed an interception.

Chittenango takes on Homer this Friday night as Cazenovia, again seeking its first win of 2024, heads out to Hyatt Stadium to face its Laker rivals from Skaneateles.