Cicero-North Syracuse (3-0) blew by West Genesee (1-2) 34-7 on Thursday night in syracuse.com's Game of the Week.
Syracuse.com subscribers can watch the replay here. Syracuse.com's Game of the Week returns in just two days with a Saturday 1 p.m. matchup between three-time defending Class A sectional champion Whitesboro (2-0) and last year's Class AA runner-up Liverpool (2-0).
The Northstars scored their first four touchdowns on pass plays of over 45 yards to their pair of new transfer receivers and cousins, Quazire Hawkins and Zaier Escho.
"We're going to be a team like that this year where we're going to be a little up and down, inconsistent at times on offense," CNS head coach Jim Ryan said. "But we've got some pretty big playmakers, as we've seen these already in the first three games."
Midway through the first quarter, Henninger transfer Hawkins caught a screen pass, made a man miss at the line of scrimmage and sped 53 yards for the game's opening score.
Just five minutes later, Nottingham transfer Escho one-upped his cousin Hawkins by taking a short pass and stiff-arming a pair of Wildcats on his way to a 79-yard touchdown.
Both teams made trips to the red zone in the second quarter, but the Northstars turned the ball over on downs and West Genesee running back Samir Aboshreakh lost a fumble. CNS drove down inside the Wildcats' red zone again in the final minute of the half after recovering Aboshreakh's fumble, but Braydon Dems' pass into the end zone on the final play of the half fell incomplete and CNS took a 14-0 lead into the break after a scoreless quarter.
"I thought at times the kids showed glimpses of how good they can be," West Genesee head coach Joe Corley said. "That game easily could have gotten out of hand early, but they buckled down and they competed in the second quarter."
Hawkins exploded past the Wildcats' defense yet again on CNS' first possession of the second half, securing an intermediate pass in the middle of the field and sprinting past West Genesee defenders for an 84-yard score.
Escho matched Hawkins with his second touchdown of the game midway through the third quarter on a 46-yard deep ball from Dems.
"When you have big-time athletes, to their credit they found some mismatches to their advantage and they took advantage of them," Corley said.
Hawkins nearly scored his third long touchdown of the game late in the third quarter but was dragged down at the 1-yard line after a 38-yard gain. Freshman running back Kenyan Boyd finished the drive off on the next play with a one-yard touchdown.
Northstars slot receiver Ethan Altobello also impressed in a breakout game for the senior, highlighted by a diving catch at full stretch on one of the final plays of the first half.
"I gotta see that catch in the middle of the field in the first half, that might be a Sportscenter (top 10 play)," Ryan said. "That was an incredible catch."
In his first game of the season after a two-game injury absence, West Genesee receiver Brody Knox put the Wildcats on the board in the fourth quarter with a 30-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 34-7.
West Genesee plays next at home against Auburn (3-0) at 6 p.m. Thursday in another edition of syracuse.com's Game of the Week. The Maroons have not allowed a point so far this season in blowout wins over Central Square, Fulton and East Syracuse Minoa.
CNS is also home for their next game, against Section V opponent Vertus Charter at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 25. The Northstars recently added the game to replace a bye week.
