After winning the last three Class AA sectional titles, the C-NS Northstars did not look like the dominant team we’ve seen during that stretch in picking up their first win of the 2021 season Friday night.
The Northstars have a sizable roster and plenty of offensive talent, but they still struggled to get going against a Bulldogs squad that was vastly outnumbered.
C-NS moved backwards on its first two plays from scrimmage because of penalties, but still managed to cobble together a lengthy scoring drive on its opening possession. But, it had to work a lot harder than expected in the first half before eventually putting the Bulldogs away in the second half. The ESM Spartans have been one of the class teams of Class A, but the Spartans also struggled to get going against an overmatched Central Square Redhawks team Friday night.
Sparty led the game 7-nothing after the first quarter, but twice in the second quarter got turned away inside the 10-yard line thanks to penalties and other mistakes. Quarterback Tyler Bell certainly can sling the football around, but the Spartans are lacking the discipline and consistency that we’ve become used to seeing from Kevin DeParde-coached teams.
Out in Manlius, the F-M Hornets don’t seem to have missed a beat as they opened their first full season under new coach Dan Sullivan. Led by junior tailback TJ Conley, another one of former SU great Dan Conley’s sons, the Hornets broke open a 14-14 game against Carthage and led 33-14 at halftime.
Conley scored on a pretty 44-yard run on the opening drive of the third quarter, and finished with five touchdowns and 170 rushing yards. The Hornets are going to be a player in Class A, which figures to be the most competitive division in Section III this fall.
Bishop Ludden looked great in their opener against Utica Notre Dame.
Nazier Kinsey is a player who can do it all. The senior was controlling the game as the quarterback, but also had an interception on defense and even had a punt that backed the Jugglers up to their own 1-yard line.
The Gaelic Knights might be a team to watch in Class C this year.