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The rain turned from a light drizzle into a maddening downpour nearly 45 minutes before Baldwinsville took on undefeated Christian Brothers Academy. The last time both teams faced off was in Week 4 of last season when the Bees lost 29-8. And on Friday, they faced a Brothers squad primed for a deep playoff run.

Entering the fourth quarter, CBA found itself in a surprising 10-7 deficit. It likely wasn’t how the Brothers expected their final regular season game to go. The once high-powered offense was relegated to running and hoping its offensive line stood up against a hungry Baldwinsville front four. Then, on a 3rd and 2 play Jamier Handford burst through a hole on the right side.

He flew past one tackler and shifted away from another. He took off as the remaining fans tossed their umbrellas and honked their horns. He juked past the final man at the five yard line and waltzed into the end zone to put the Brothers up 13-10, saving the game and the undefeated season.

Christian Brothers Academy’s closest game this season was a 49-40 win over Corning-Painted Post in Week 3. But the Brothers found themselves locked in a low-scoring game deep into their matchup with Baldwinsville. After a lethargic first half, CBA (8-0, 5-0 Section III AA) leaned on its two-headed rushing attack and mounted a 20-17 comeback win over the Bees (3-5, 3-2). to cap off its regular season.

“First half was horrendous. We made a lot of mistakes,” Christian Brothers Academy head coach Casey Brown said. “We put the defense in a bad situation.”

Christian Brothers Academy hasn’t completed back-to-back undefeated seasons in 10 years but its roster boasts a dynamic offense with multiple players holding offers from Power 5 programs. Top receiving threats like Syair Torrence and Darien Williams have rolled through the regular season with a point differential of +282. The Brothers’ ascent to the No. 8 raking in New York state is also due to their reliable defense that has recorded three shutouts and held five of seven opponents to eight points or fewer.

A win solidified Brown’s second-ever undefeated regular season with the team in his ninth year at the helm, setting up a Regionals matchup with the second alternate in Class AA on Nov. 18. Baldwinsville, a team in line for its worst finish since 2019, was the last hurdle the Brothers needed to surpass for an undefeated season.

But when Handford took the handoff on the first play from scrimmage for CBA, he fumbled, the ball jarred loose on first contact. Baldwinsville recovered, and one play later, Kaleb Young bounced a run off the left guard and scored a 30-yard touchdown.

The Bees knew if they beat CBA by nine points or more that they’d have the No. 1 seed in Section 3. The “math game” put the Brothers in line to be without the top seed in the section despite a 7-0 start.

“We knew coming in at halftime that we wanted to have the No. 1 seed,” Brown said. “I just kind of told them ‘that wasn’t us.’”

The Bees continued their hot start when Brady Garcia recovered a muffed punt from Quinten Lewis near midfield. Christian Brothers Academy stood still, slowly trudging back into the locker room in disbelief of its 10-0 deficit at halftime.

Baldwinsville captured the game clock from Christian Brothers Academy, chewing through it with consecutive runs from Young. Downfield passes weren’t working, so Baldwinsville lined up in its I-formation, challenging the Brothers front line. Even when CBA met Young at the line of scrimmage, he routinely bounced outside to gain more yards and break through tackles.

On the final drive of the first half, Young grabbed the handoff from Baldwinsville quarterback Greg Marinelli and took off toward the left hash. He was stood up by three Brothers defenders, but churned through them all for a 43-yard rush putting the Bees in field goal range. Christian Brothers Academy couldn’t adjust, and Baldwinvsille relied on Young to continue drives.

“We had everything blocked in the front, and (Young) was leaking out the backside of it,” Brown said.

The rain stymied one of the top offenses in the state, one that averages 50 points per game. CBA tried to pass through it, but with increasingly worsening conditions, its three receivers were neutralized. On the opening drive of the second half, the Brothers had a three-and-out, passing on all three plays from its own 20 yard line. Williams dropped a jet sweep pass to begin the drive. Kieghlin Hicks had a quick pass off a slant route bounce off his right shoulder. Williams caught a lateral pass on 3rd and 10, but could only scamper up for a five yard gain.

Brown said the Bees were stacking the box with seven players in the first half, leading to more passing. The Brothers hadn’t had a good week of practice, Brown said, and had a “heart to heart” on Wednesday that led to a full team practice on Thursday. The passing wasn’t working, and it wasn’t until late in the second half that the offensive linemen “started grinding inside” and opening up holes for Handford.

A low punt blocked opened up an opportunity for the Brothers to storm back. Riley Clemons-Butenko grabbed it at the Bees’ 35 yard line and set up CBA at the 22. The Brothers passed just once, letting Handford break tackles and rumble through to the end zone on three rushes. Then, Marinelli got called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, stalling out the drive after putting Baldwinsville at a 3rd and 22.

The ensuing touchdown drive that took the game into the fourth quarter gave the Brothers their first lead of the contest. They stuck with the run, and it paid off with a 37-yard touchdown by Handford. Two possessions later, they went back to Handford, who completed the second-half comeback with a 25-yard rushing touchdown.

Baldwinsville’s Trevor Valenti went up for one final pass, fading into double coverage on the deep throw from Marinelli. With his arms fully extended, he hit a defender, as the ball was popped up and grabbed by Zion Green, ending Baldwinsville’s comeback attempt.

he Brothers could exhale. An imperfect first half wouldn’t hamstring their playoff aspirations. Perfection remained intact.

“It teaches us a lesson that it can just go away at any time,” Brown said. “From here on out, nothing’s guaranteed.”

Published on October 21, 2023 at 12:58 am

Contact Anthony: aalandt@syr.edu | @anthonyalandt