The Christian Brothers Academy football team avenged last season's championship loss in a big way on Sunday.
After coming up short against Cicero-North Syracuse last season, the top-seeded Brothers defeated No. 2 Northstars 34-7 in the Section III Class AA championship inside the JMA Wireless Dome.
"Even though we knew we should have won this game, we still had that little grudge from last year, so we thought it'd be best if we came out with our best," CBA running back Jamier Handford said. "It definitely does (feel good)."
The defending champs were without starting quarterback Jaxon Razmovski and head coach Dave Kline on Sunday. Razmovski was suspended from school on Thursday and Kline wasn't on the sidelines Sunday.
Marcus Reed II and Anthony Johnson took snaps at quarterback during the game.
"(Players) never complained. As a matter of fact, Marcus Reed texted us as soon as everything went down and he said, 'Coach, I'm ready. I can do whatever you need.' Anthony Johnson, the same thing," said assistant Bob Campese, who served as head coach Sunday.
Campese and C-NS athletic director Tim Bednarski did not offer details about Kline's absence.
On the Northstars' first possession, Reed came out as the starting quarterback, but it was Johnson, a running back, who completed the team's touchdown pass on the opening drive of the game.
Johnson connected with Davine Bennett for a 41-yard touchdown pass.
"These guys only took a couple snaps at quarterback," Campese said. "And if any position, the quarterback position takes a lot of precision. It takes a lot of skill and those kids stepped in and did a magnificent job, couldn't be prouder of them."
With the questions surrounding C-NS' quarterback situation, CBA's game plan never altered.
"Our coaches prepare every single week and we expected a running quarterback," CBA coach Casey Brown said. "The game plan never changed."
After C-NS' first drive, it was all CBA.
The Brothers responded with a big kick return to set the team up inside C-NS' 30-yard line and kept rolling from there.
CBA scored 24 unanswered points in the first half including a touchdown pass from Porter Matt to Darien Williams and two rushing touchdowns from Handford.
The Brothers' defense also responded after allowing an early score.
CBA kept the Northstars off the scoreboard for the rest of the half and caused multiple fumbles, including strip sacks.
The second half was more of a showcase for the Brothers' defense.
CBA kept C-NS off the board and intercepted a pass to cap off a dominant performance.
"(The defense) is 11 guys that love each other, care about each other, and they lean on each other," Brown said. "They're there day in and day out and they want to make each other better and you can see it on the field."
The Brothers added late scores to extend their lead and get back to the regional round for the first time since the team won a Class A championship in 2021.
"Each team's different. It's a different family, it's a different group of kids," Brown said. "But the focus is the same. We're going to take the next game and we're going to enjoy the moments that we have right now."
C-NS finishes the season with a 9-2 record and, for the first time since 2017, does not finish as the Section III Class AA champion.
Campese was proud of what his team accomplished despite the circumstances surrounding Sunday's game.
"The staff stepped up, they were there ready to do whatever they could, and all the coaches said, 'Look, we know we're in a tough situation. Whatever we can do to help make this a better situation,' And they did," Campese said. "You can be judged by winning and losing, but I think anybody in this Dome knew these kids fought hard and you could see it in how hard they played from the first play to the last."
