Class AA Semfinals: Aquinas returns to Carrier Dome with 28-21 win over CNS

BY PAUL LIOTTI

ENDICOTT – The Aquinas L’il Irish proved once again why they are the best team in the largest classification in Upstate New York as they turned in a workmanlike performance to hold off and upset Cicero-North Syracuse 28-21 in the Class AA Semifinals Saturday night at Union-Endicott.

Aquinas (11-1/No. 5 NYSSWA) ) handed the Northstars (11-1/No. 3 NYSSWA) ) their first loss of the season and did so on the broad shoulders of its offensive line, the powerful legs of its thunder and lightning running back tandem, a hard-hitting defense and sophomore quarterback with ice water in his veins.

The Irish move on to the Class AA finals against Section I’s New Rochelle (11-1/No. 4 NYSSWA), which defeated Shaker 27-19 in the downstate semifinal. The championship game will kickoff at 3 pm Saturday, November 24 in the Carrier Dome.

With the win, the Irish will end their season in the Carrier Dome the same place where they started the 2018 campaign. In Week 1, Aquinas played an intersectional game against perennial power Monroe-Woodbury (IX) and won 42-24.

“This is our goal every year: to play in the championship game,” AQ coach Derek Annechino said. “We play for this; we work year-round to put ourselves in this position. We have kids stepping up all over the place and that’s a testament to them.”

CNS took an early 7-0 lead, but the Irish stormed back to score the next 28, including a defining 95-yard, 11-play drive that consumed the first 5:40 of the third quarter. The Irish went into intermission leading 21-7 and the prevailing thought was to do everything to increase the lead after the break.

Not in the plans was starting at the five yard line.

Nonetheless, engineered by sophomore quarterback Tyler Szalkowski and a strong offensive line surge, the Irish methodically drove downfield, eventually scoring on a four-yard touchdown pass from Szalkowski to senior Kobe McNair.

“We didn’t think we’d get the ball at the five yard line that’s for sure, but we wanted to come out and extend our lead,” Annechino said. “We felt it was important to do that. We put it on the shoulders of our offensive line once again. Those guys aren’t the biggest group in the world, but if I’m going into a street fight I’m taking those five with me. And they did a great job.”

Szalkowski managed that drive – and all other drives during the hotly contested game – with a calming coolness which belies his age. He completed 13-of-14 passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns., and, along the way, drew the Northstar defensive line offsides on fourth-and-short plays, not once, but twice. One of those penalties kept a drive alive that ended in an Irish touchdown.

That time-consuming drive featured a balanced running attack by workhorse Rueben Torres who grabbed 53 of those yards on just five carries and shifty running back Caron Robinson who tallied 24 yards on three carries. All of those yards were the result of huge holes opened by the offensive line opened Szalkowski completed three passes on the drive and was never close to getting touched while in the pocket.

“We were thinking we needed to come out punch it in and go up three scores,” Szalkowski said. “We came out running the ball behind our offensive line which has been there all year and decided to go back to them again. Then we finished in the corner with Kobe and it was a good drive with good running and good passing and that’s what we strive for.”

“The last couple of weeks we played in a monsoon and in a gale and when the weather is against you so Tyler didn’t have the kind of passing games we have seen,” Annechino said. “But this week we were more balanced and Tyler did a heckuva job.”

And so did McNair, who returned to the field after missing the last 2 ½ games in concussion protocol. He was the go-to player for the Irish all night long.

“I couldn’t let this be my last game. I’ve missed the last few games and I couldn’t let my boys down,” McNair said.

The diminutive wide receiver snared nine balls for game-high 102 yards and two touchdowns, but it was his play on the Irish’s first drive that stands out.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1063953326356746240

The Irish fell behind just four plays after the opening kickoff when CNS quarterback Connor Hayes hit a streaking Shy’rel Broadwater in stride for a 39-yard touchdown. But Aquinas responded with panache.

The Irish, who pride themselves on being a fundamentally sound team with not much flair for the dramatic, went deep into the playbook on its first drive, dialing up a little trickeration. After advancing to the CNS four yard line, AQ faced a second-and-goal. That’s when offensive coordinator Dan Pincelli sent the “Benny Special” in.

“Benny Special,” named after assistant coach Benny Woolston who designed it, called for a handoff from Tyler Szalkowski to wide receiver Kobe McNair who looked as if he was running the classic Jet Sweep. But McNair pulled up and jump passed – a la Tim Tebow – and delivered a perfect pass to Szalkowski who had slipped into the back of the end zone uncovered. Szalkowski cradled the pass for his first receiving touchdown of his career

“That’s a play that we have had in the playbook and have been practicing it for the last six weeks, but we saw the opportunity to run and it worked,” Annechino said.

“I played a little quarterback in Pop Warner, but Tyler taught me how to throw that ball this week,” McNair said. “I was nervous about everything when the call came in: I was afraid my glove was going to slip off or something. All I knew was that I had to get Tyler the ball.”

That tied it at 7-all, and the Irish then scored 21 straight points — one, another touchdown pass from Szalkowski to McNair — in which McNair made a diving toe-tapping grab along the sideline — an eight-yard run by senior running back Caron Robinson, and the long drive after halftime.

But the Northstars weren’t ready to call it a game.

Trailing 28-7, CNS answered the Irish’s fourth touchdown with a hard-nosed six-play drive that went just 43 yards. After Jeremiah Willis returned the ensuing kickoff 35 yards to the Irish 43, Willis’ number was called five consecutive times and he moved the Northstars to the Aquinas nine yard line. CNS featured back Jaiquawn McGriff then burst up the middle for the last nine and the lead was 28-14 with 3:25 left in the quarter.

After the teams exchanged punts on the next two series, Szalkowski was hit as he threw the ball by Jack McDonald. It was ruled a fumble and CNS was in business at the Irish 27. Nine plays later – including a questionable late hit on Hayes on a third-and-37 play – McGriff scored his second touchdown from 10 yards out. The 14-point lead was suddenly cut in half to 28-21 with 6:59 left in the game.

Last play of the game as @AQ_football holds off @CNSAthletics 28-21. L'il Irish will play in the @NYSPHSAA Football Class AA State Final next Saturday at the Carrier Dome at Syracuse University @PickinSplinters @boomersoonerptl @Wheyen3 @SectionVFB pic.twitter.com/66TGiZ27mF

— John Likanje (@jml5798) November 18, 2018

Aquinas could not run out the clock on its next drive and the Northstars took over on their own 15 yard line with 1:51 left and one time out. CNS advanced the ball to the 49, but Hayes fourth-down pass deep down the sideline was knocked away by Robinson and fell harmlessly to the turf with :27 left.

Torres finished as the game’s leading rusher with 135 yards on 21 carries and Robinson had 12 carries for 75 yards.

Now the Irish will return to the Carrier Dome, a place that has been special for Aquinas over the years, a place where it’s won eight state titles.

“Start in the Carrier Dome and end in the Carrier Dome, that has been our statement all year,” Szalkowski said.

And the Irish are back with goal to win their ninth state banner still intact.

Aquinas	7	14	7	0	28
CNS	7	0	7	7	21
Scoring
CNS	Shy’rel Broadwater 39 pass from Conner Hayes (Connor Hayes Kick)
AQ	Tyler Szalkowski 4 pass from Kobe McNair (Joe Bronco kick)
AQ	Kobe McNair 5 pass from Tyler Szalkowski (Joe Bronco kick)
AQ	Caron Robinson 8 run (Joe Bronco kick)
AQ	Kobe McNair 4 pass from Tyler Szalkowski (Joe Bronco kick)
CNS	Jaiquawn McGriff 9 run (Connor Hayes kick)
CNS	Jaiquawn McGriff 10 run (Connor Hayes kick)
Rushing
Aquinas	Ruben Torres 21-135, Caron Robinson 12-75, James Jones 1-10, Tyler Szalkowski 5-(-18)
CNS	Jaiquawn McGriff 14-65, Jeremiah Willis 6-35, Conner Hayes 7-17
Passing
Aquinas	Tyler Szalkowski 13-14-119-2-0; Kobe McNair 1-1-4-1-0
CNS	Conner Hayes 12-21-128-1-0
Receiving
Aquinas	Kobe Russell 9-102, Ulysees Russell 2-12, Tyler Szalkowski 1-4, Isaac Bushen 1-3, Damon Montgomery 1-3
CNS	Nate Geloff 4-55,  Shy’rel Broadwater 2-49, Jaiquawn McGriff 3-10, Jeremiah Willis 2-8, Toryan Jones Jr. 1-6