Skip To Main Content

THE OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE OF THE CICERO-NORTH SYRACUSE NORTHSTARS

THE OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE OF THE CICERO-NORTH SYRACUSE NORTHSTARS
1 of 51
Gallery image 0 Gallery image 0
Gallery image 1 Gallery image 1
Gallery image 2 Gallery image 2
Gallery image 3 Gallery image 3
Gallery image 4 Gallery image 4
Gallery image 5 Gallery image 5
Gallery image 6 Gallery image 6
Gallery image 7 Gallery image 7
Gallery image 8 Gallery image 8
Gallery image 9 Gallery image 9
Gallery image 10 Gallery image 10
Gallery image 11 Gallery image 11
Gallery image 12 Gallery image 12
Gallery image 13 Gallery image 13
Gallery image 14 Gallery image 14
Gallery image 15 Gallery image 15
Gallery image 16 Gallery image 16
Gallery image 17 Gallery image 17
Gallery image 18 Gallery image 18
Gallery image 19 Gallery image 19
Gallery image 20 Gallery image 20
Gallery image 21 Gallery image 21
Gallery image 22 Gallery image 22
Gallery image 23 Gallery image 23
Gallery image 24 Gallery image 24
Gallery image 25 Gallery image 25
Gallery image 26 Gallery image 26
Gallery image 27 Gallery image 27
Gallery image 28 Gallery image 28
Gallery image 29 Gallery image 29
Gallery image 30 Gallery image 30
Gallery image 31 Gallery image 31
Gallery image 32 Gallery image 32
Gallery image 33 Gallery image 33
Gallery image 34 Gallery image 34
Gallery image 35 Gallery image 35
Gallery image 36 Gallery image 36
Gallery image 37 Gallery image 37
Gallery image 38 Gallery image 38
Gallery image 39 Gallery image 39
Gallery image 40 Gallery image 40
Gallery image 41 Gallery image 41
Gallery image 42 Gallery image 42
Gallery image 43 Gallery image 43
Gallery image 44 Gallery image 44
Gallery image 45 Gallery image 45
Gallery image 46 Gallery image 46
Gallery image 47 Gallery image 47
Gallery image 48 Gallery image 48
Gallery image 49 Gallery image 49
Gallery image 50 Gallery image 50

Football Phil Blackwell

C-NS holds off Baldwinsville, gets shot at league title

Once at 1-2, the Cicero-North Syracuse football team has fought its way back to earn an opportunity at yet another Class AA-2 division regular-season championship.  The Northstars' thrilling 35-28 victory over Baldwinsville last Friday at Pelcher-Arcaro Stadium set up a first-place showdown with Utica Proctor next Friday at Bragman Stadium, with the winner gaining the league title and a top seed for the Section III playoffs.  There were moments, especially late in the first half, when C-NS resembled the football juggernaut that won 31 of 34 games and a pair of sectional titles in 2017 and '18. Yet it also nearly surrendered a 21-point lead to the Bees before a timely fourth-quarter drive helped the Northstars hang on.  Both C-NS and B'ville entered the game with 2-1 league marks, and traded scoring drives early, C-NS getting a 27-yard touchdown pass from J.J. Razmovski to Adron Pafford in the first quarter after a long punt return by Mason Ellis.  With the score 7-7, the Northstars put together a scoring drive Bees fans would find quite familiar – 12 plays, all of them runs, 11 of them by tailback Mike Washington, who went the final yard for the TD with 3:39 left in the half.  By contrast, the next time C-NS had the ball after a fourth-down stop by the defense, Washington needed only one play to sprint 62 yards to the end zone, making it 21-7.  A minute remained in the half and the Northstars surprised B'ville with an onside kick, recovering it at midfield. Just 11 seconds before intermission, Razmovski found a streaking Pafford down the right sideline for a 37-yard scoring play.  What was a close-fought contest was now 28-7, and with C-NS receiving the second-half kickoff, it had an opportunity to put the Bees away. Instead, it was held without a first down in the third quarter, giving the Bees an opportunity to fight back.  Willie Strong finished one drive with a one-yard TD run. Then, on the first play of the fourth quarter, Braden McCard, from his own 40, threw down the left sideline to Pat May, who caught it, cut back and found the end zone.  With its lead down to 28-21, C-NS took over at its own 13, and it was here that Razmovski made his three best throws of the night.  One was a third-down pass to Ellis that covered 23 yards. Then, on fourth-and-four at the Bees' 47, Razmovski hit Pafford, who broke tackles on a 37-yard run to set up first-and-goal. Three plays later, Pafford lost his defender on a cut to the middle and Razmovski found him again, the TD covering 12 yards with 4:55 to play.  That turned out to be the game-winner because B'ville again responded, McCard throwing a 12-yard TD pass to May with 1:13 left, but a poor onside kick was smothered by the Northstars, who were able to run out the clock.

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Mike Washington

#8 Mike Washington

WR/DB
Junior
Adron Pafford

#14 Adron Pafford

WR/DB
Senior
Mason Ellis

#81 Mason Ellis

WR/DB
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Mike Washington

#8 Mike Washington

Junior
WR/DB
Adron Pafford

#14 Adron Pafford

Senior
WR/DB
Mason Ellis

#81 Mason Ellis

Sophomore
WR/DB

Sticky bar

Scores