BY PAUL LIOTTI
When the respective coaching staffs for Aquinas and Cicero-North Syracuse watch game film of their upcoming Class AA semifinal opponent, they must think they are looking at mirror images of their own teams.
Which makes Saturday’s 7 PM game at Union-Endicott High School between Aquinas and Section III’s Cicero-North Syracuse matchup pretty special.
Both teams are balanced offensively and can either throw or run the ball at will. Each team has a quarterback who has thrown for more than 2,000 yards; features a marquee running back and a number of talented secondary running backs; rolls out sure-handed, game-breaking receivers; is anchored by an experienced front line and sports a rough-and-tumble defense.
“Cicero-North Syracuse is a very good football team. You don’t go 11-0 without doing a bunch of things the right way,” AQ coach Derek Annechino said. “They have a very good tailback, a quarterback that can sling the ball around very well and a huge offensive line. They are a complete football team that will be a tough out.”
The Aquinas-CNS winner will take on the winner of a downstate battle between Section I’s New Rochelle (10-1/No. 4 NYSSWA) and Section II’s Shaker (10-0/No. 8 NYSSWA) in the Class AA championship game, scheduled for 3 PM Saturday, November 24 in the Carrier Dome.
The Northstars (11-0/No. 3 NYSSWA) are led by multi-year starting quarterback Connor Hayes. The senior – who was a fourth-team All-State selection a year ago – has completed 122-of-173 (69.4 percent) of his passes for 2,273 yards and 22 touchdowns while tossing only four interceptions. His main targets are seniors Shy’rel Broadwater (766 yards, 12 touchdowns) and Nate Geloff (615 yards, six touchdowns).
And when the call comes from the sideline to run the ball, Hayes can either run it (36-574 yards) or hand off to a talent stable of running backs, the headliner being Jaiquawn McGriff (112-1,147 yards 26 total touchdowns). The other running backs that will cause concern for Irish defenders are 250-pound Da-Ron Brown (86-689) and Jeremiah Willis (43-560 yards).
But the Irish (10-1/No. 6 NYSSWA) counter with a balanced arsenal of weapons themselves
It starts with sophomore signal caller Tyler Szalkowski, who has completed 113-of-176 (64 percent) passes for 2,030 yards 24 touchdowns and six interceptions., and just as with the Northstars, the Irish can hand the ball off to any one of a number of backs, all who can break the long run. Leading the charge on the ground is senior RB Caron Robinson, who, after missing six games with a broken thumb, has been on a tear the last two weeks, including rushing for 250 yards on just 11 carries last week against Lancaster. In limited action this season, Robinson — a fifth-team All-State selection last year — has gained 688 yards with an eye-popping 19.6-yard-per-rush average. Workhorse junior RB Ruben Torres (148-979 yards, 13 touchdowns) is looking to crack the 1,000-yard plateau and needs just 21 yards to do so.
A fleet of talented Irish receivers include junior Kobe McNair 35-693 yards), up-and-coming sophomore Ulysses Russell (22-592) and seniors James Jones (24-286) and Damon Montgomery (7-121). McNair, who has missed the last two-plus games due to a concussion, is still in the protocol and may not be available on Saturday.
Aquinas is skilled enough offensively that no matter what is thrown at it – be it weather or a defensive scheme – the Irish have the ability to adjust and not lose a step. Three weeks ago against Pittsford, the cold and rain throttled the passing attack, so the Irish relied on their rushing game to win going away 27-3. Last week against Lancaster, sustained 35-40 mph winds hampered the Aquinas game plan, but once again it was the ground game that led to the 39-7 romp.
But the Irish success offensively will be contingent on how well the offensive line performs. Anchored by veteran standout linemen, such as seniors Nick Annechino, Ricky Todd and Kyle Melito and juniors Tyson Foster and Aidan McLellan, the line will have its hands full with Northstar defenders Jack Collins (78 tackles) and Jordan Seltzer (73 tackles) and Josh Lawrence (64 tackles and seven sacks). But the confidence the line has played with over the last few games could be a good sign for the Irish.
But the difference in this game may be intangible of having been here and done that: Aquinas has, CNS has not.
For the Northstars, this is only the second time they have advanced this far in the state tournament (a 2017 semifinal loss to Lancaster) and has never gotten past this game. While CNS is 30-2 over the last three seasons, 2017 marked their first sectional title.
Aquinas, meanwhile, is chasing its eighth state title since 1998, the most recent being 2015. There are three players from the most-recent title team on this year’s squad and Annechino has been on the staff since 1998. So they all know what this game – and a potential return trip to the Carrier Dome – means.
“Caron, Nick and Ricky were around back in 2015 and they saw how that group of players handled it with the big games and are passing it down to this year’s team,” Annechino said. “The younger kids are definitely a little wide eyed playing in big games, so the older kids who have championship experience set the example and keep the younger kids grounded.
“But honestly, because we have been these kinds of games over the years the whole program understands the importance and the kids don’t necessarily get spooked by the big games. As we have been saying all year long win what’s in front of us. ”
And many times victory is decided by the intangible. Perhaps that is the edge the Irish need.
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