Windows of opportunity to succeed in high school football are rare, and Cicero-North Syracuse coach Dave Kline knows it. "We had a couple of really good classes come through," Kline said. "So now this is a year where we're going to regroup a bit." Over the past three seasons, the Northstars have compiled a 31-3 record and claimed the first two Class AA sectional titles in program history. In 2018, they finished at No. 6 in the final state rankings after a loss in the state semifinal round to the eventual champion, Aquinas Institute. Everyone loves an underdog, but C-NS has quickly become the opposite. "After the first sectional championship, we got a lot of pats on the back and last year not as much," said Northstars assistant coach Stephan Bailey. "There's a target on our back and we're gonna get every team's best shot and that just makes us better." Minus the offensive line — which returns four out of five starters — C-NS is relatively young at almost every position. Kline says he's looking to his offensive line (most notably All-CNY senior offensive lineman Matt Hogan and senior lineman Jack Collins), to take on the leadership role of the group. Earlier this week, Kline said the Northstars were lackadaisical during a practice and he let his linemen know about it. "I got on them and said, 'It's on you guys. They follow your lead,' " Kline said. "So they stepped it up a lot. We just got some young guys that are learning their positions." Kline estimates losing over 60 players in the previous two seasons to graduation, including all-state selections Connor Hayes, Jaiquawn McGriff, Jeremiah Willis, Shy'rel Broadwater and Brady Mills. Still, C-NS won't have a problem with depth as the varsity roster is comprised of 65 players, one of the largest teams in the area. Going into Friday's scrimmage at Henninger, Kline says JJ Razmovski is the number one guy to replace Hayes at quarterback. Razmovski is a junior who transferred from Christian Brothers Academy: the Northstars' first opponent of the season. In addition to its five all-state selections, C-NS graduated All-CNY honorees Nate Geloff, Josh Lawrence, and Jordan Seltzer as well. Despite losing their key players, Bailey described the Northstars as "the standard" in Class AA and he likes the opportunity his team has in front of them. "They're a group that's up for the challenge to carry the torch as we put it, and continuing what the previous groups have started," Bailey said.