The Syracuse East and Cicero-North Syracuse flag football teams used the entire first half of Tuesday's season opener to get their bearings before exploding for three second-half touchdowns.
Syracuse East used their strong second half to clinch an 18-6 win over the Northstars.
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C-NS seemed to take control of the game after scoring a 60-yard touchdown immediately after halftime. Syracuse East, however, maintained its composure. Syracuse East scored three unanswered touchdowns to take a lead that it would not relinquish.
Syracuse East's offense was propelled by the outstanding play of sophomore quarterback Ta'kai Baker. Baker threw with confidence and was the clear leader of the offense.
"It begins with (Ta'kai)." Syracuse East coach Jeff Petties said. "We throw the ball a lot. Some errant snaps, but our athleticism, as well as our smarts with the ball, allowed us to overcome some mistakes."
The two primary playmakers on offense for Syracuse East were wide receivers Mackenzie Black and Nyteria Dozier.
"(Black and Dozier) played very well." Petties said, "On offense, they stuck out. They did very well as far as running their routes, hanging on to catch the ball and running after the catch."
Syracuse East (1-0) hopes to keep its unbeaten record alive against Baldwinsville on Thursday.
C-NS (0-1) will attempt to secure its first win of the season in a home matchup against Oneida on Thursday.
