High-powered Syracuse CBA pulls away from Elmira in Class AA football state quarterfinal
While the Syracuse Christian Brothers Academy offense was doing its typical thing Saturday night, it was two defensive plays from the unbeaten Section 3 champions that helped produce a comfortable lead in what had been a tight Class AA state quarterfinal against Elmira.
The first was a stop on fourth-and-inches at the Express' 30-yard line that was followed three plays later by a 33-yard touchdown pass from Porter Matt to Darien Williams.
Then came a 46-yard interception return for a touchdown by Syair Torrence on Elmira's next drive. Torrence is a Division I college recruit who recently decommitted from Michigan State after a coaching change there.
"We tried to get them with a little screen game and sure enough their guy is right there," Elmira head coach Jimmy McCauley said.
That sequence turned a 14-6 advantage into a 28-6 lead late in the first half and CBA went on to a 49-20 win at Vestal High School's Dick Hoover Stadium.
"Like I told the guys, it stinks to lose," McCauley said. "It’s supposed to sting because we care about it and put a lot of work into it. We didn’t lose to a bad team. CBA’s a good team, they’ve got good size, they’ve got good coaches over there. It’s a tough one. Only one can go on.
"I’m not upset with our kids, I’m not frustrated with our kids. These are our guys. I’m proud. They’re all from Elmira. Most of them born and raised in Elmira. They’re Elmira through and through and they’re what makes Elmira proud. I wouldn’t trade them for the world. I’m super proud of them. I know a lot of people doubted us and maybe even counted us out, but they really came through when they needed to."
By the numbers
Elmira closed within 28-14 at halftime and moved the ball consistently, putting up 381 yards of offense that included 308 on the ground.
"I felt like we could do some things, I thought we could move it offensively," McCauley said. "It was just a matter of can you score as many as they can? They’re very potent on offense. They’re a handful. You kind of sell out to defend the run and they’ve got guys that can make some plays on the outside.
CBA Stars of the Game
Matt completed 11 of 19 passes for 276 yards, with three of those throws going for touchdowns.
Along with his first-half touchdown, Williams added an 80-yard TD catch after making a one-handed grab on a high throw down the middle of the field. He had three catches for 117 yards.
Daunte Bacheyie was recipient of a 12-yard touchdown from Matt that made it 42-14 midway through the third quarter.
CBA's Jamier Handford ran for 107 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries and the Brothers' other touchdown came on a 16-yard throw from Brayden Smith to Jason Brunson with 3:32 left.
Express Stars of the Game
Express junior fullback Amir Williams, seeing his first extensive duty as a runner since he was hurt on the opening drive of the season, ran 22 times for 132 yards and scored on runs of 1 yard and 5 yards.
Senior quarterback Evan Garvin closed his high school career by running 12 times for 75 yards, highlighted by a 4-yard TD that brought Elmira within 42-20 early in the fourth quarter. Garvin completed three of 16 passes for 73 yards.
Johnnie Garcia, another senior pivotal to Elmira's success, ran nine times for 56 yards and had two catches for 67 yards.
More: Corning's Angie McKane earns state titles in 2 events at New York state championships
CBA's team speed on display
Saturday marked the eighth time in 12 games this season that CBA has scored at least 49 points, including a 49-40 win at Corning on Sept. 15.
Christian Brothers Academy's mix of speedy skill players and the big arm of Matt make for a tough team to defend.
"It just seems like we couldn’t put everything together," McCauley said. "Either we had a good rush on them and they complete the pass or the coverage holds up and we didn’t get pressure on them."
CBA's speed also came into play on defense, with pass-rushers giving Garvin little time on a night in which he either got balls away quickly or scrambled to try to buy time.
Wrapping up Express' season
The Express finished with a 5-6 record after beating Corning, 31-13, last week for the Section 4 title. That loss total comes with an asterisk, given Elmira's opening game was considered a 14-8 setback against Liverpool despite the teams playing just over a quarter before lightning led to the rest of the contest to be canceled.
Williams, an all-state pick last season, was lost for several games with a leg injury and the Express was without other key players for extended chunks of the season. The returns of some of those players coincided with Elmira's late-season surge.
"The good teams play deep in November. The good teams play when it’s cold," McCauley said. "We tell them that all the time.
"This season started off with a lightning cancellation and ended up getting a loss, which still don’t agree with, still kind of makes me wonder. Then with some injuries, ups and downs, lefts and rights, but I’m telling you right now the kids pulled together and we got it going at the right time. Just not enough tonight."
Up Next
CBA (12-0) will play defending state champion Buffalo Bennett (11-0) in a state semifinal at 6 p.m. Nov. 25 at Cicero-North Syracuse High School. Bennett pulled out a 26-21 last-second win over Rochester McQuaid in their quarterfinal.
Follow Andrew Legare on Twitter: @SGAndrewLegare. You can also reach him at alegare@gannett.com. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today
This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Syracuse CBA beat Elmira in NYSPHSAA Class AA football quarterfinal
