Earlier this week, in preparation for Saturday’s rematch against Cazenovia, Skaneateles coach Joe Sindoni sat his team down in the film room. Instead of showing them highlights of this current iteration of Cazenovia, he rewound the clock to 2016, replaying the 51-0 Cazenovia win over Skaneateles in the first round of sectionals.

“This group was formed by a very bad loss to Cazenovia two years ago,” Sindoni said. “They were freshman and sophomores and they played Caz, who won the sectionals that year, and they really put it on us. I said to the kids ‘That’s who you want to be. Here’s what you have to do to get there.’”

On Saturday afternoon in the Carrier Dome, Skaneateles (10-0) enacted revenge against Cazenovia (8-2) in the Section III Class B championship, winning 41-10. From the first drive, when junior Nick Wamp caught a Pat Hackler 14-yard pass in the front right corner of the end zone, Hackler and Skaneateles dominated Cazenovia. The duo connected on another touchdown on the day, a 19 yard strike where Wamp “Mossed” his defender, Hackler said.

“We’ve played together since we were six,” Wamp said. “We’ve always had that connection and we’re great friends.”

On the second Skaneateles drive of the game, Hackler stood in the shotgun. He took a three step drop and fired a pass over the middle. Wamp outraced two Cazenovia defensive backs and hauled in the 52-yard catch, down to the Cazenova 27-yard line.

Three plays later, Hackler evaded multiple tackles on a quarterback draw, high-stepping his way into the end zone for the second Skaneateles score of the game.

Pat Hackler (10) threw three touchdowns and ran for another in the Skaneateles win. Max Freund | Asst. Photo Editor

On its only three drives of the first half, Skaneateles scored three touchdowns.

Yet Cazenovia still had an opportunity to cut the Skaneateles lead to one possession before the end of the second quarter.

In the final minute of the first half, Cazenovia senior James Pavelchak hauled in a crossing route from senior quarterback Drew Johnson at the 28 yard line. The wide receiver outran two Skaneateles linebackers and sprinted toward the left side of the end zone. As he and Hackler converged near the out of bounds line, Pavelchak outstretched the ball toward goal line. The two seniors stared at the referee for a decision: Pavelchak was one yard short with only four seconds remaining.

On the next play, Skaneateles smothered junior running back Ryan Romagnoli for a two yard loss, forcing Cazenovia head coach Jay Steinhorst to call a timeout. Instead of risking an empty possession to throw for the endzone, Steinhorst elected to kick a field goal, cutting the lead to 20-10.   

“It looked like they had scored at the end of the half. To make that play and force them into a field goal there, that was a big win for us,” Sindoni said. “It saved them from having a little more momentum at the half.”

In the second half, Skaneateles capitalized on a Cazenovia error. On the second Cazenovia drive of the half, Hackler stepped in front of a deep throw and returned it within 35 yards of the end zone.

As he walked toward Sindoni to receive the ensuing play call, the Skaneateles student section shouted, “That’s our quarterback.”

Skaneateles outscored Cazenovia 21-0 in the second half, a sign of his defense’s courage, Sindoni said.

“I thought our defense showed a lot of resiliency,” he said. “My defensive coaches made adjustments and they worked.”

As the clock ticked to zero, Skaneateles didn’t sprint on the field and rejoice. No one mobbed Sindoni or Hackler. Senior Will Frank, a few minutes after the game ended, remarked, “I just want the T-shirt.”

Skaneateles didn’t want to celebrate the win. They were looking ahead to next weekend’s matchup against five-time state champion Chenango Forks.

“We have a bigger look on the season,” Hackler said. “Our mindset is on Forks honestly.”

Published on November 3, 2018 at 7:27 pm

Contact Adam: adhillma@syr.edu | @_adamhillman