WATERVILLE – The Norwich Cyclones came away with two league titles Saturday as the unbeaten C team and the once-beaten A team earned championships, while the B team suffered its only loss of the season dropping an overtime contest to Cazenovia.
The C team earned a convincing 34-14 win over the Utica Bulldogs before a large Cyclones crowd.
The Cyclones scored on a safety by David Berger and Collin Montgomery early in the first quarter. JT Vinal added an eight-yard touchdown run, also in the first. Elijah Rodriguez hit Vinal on a 15-yard touchdown pass in the second, with Carson Maynard adding the conversion run. Jacob Davis had a pair of touchdown runs in the second half. Rodriguez caught a point-after touchdown from Maynard and added a nine-yard touchdown to finish the Cyclones scoring. Berger, Benson McGillicudy, Noah Bufalini, Cameron Byrne and Davis led the defense. Kyle Shepard added a fumble recovery, and Berger and Maynard each had an interception. The C team moves on to the Empire Classic.
The Cyclones B team lost 13-12 to Cazenovia in double overtime in an exciting game between two evenly matched teams. Cazenovia’s ball-control offense kept the ball from the Cyclones with a 14-minute time of possession to end the second and third quarters. The score was 0-0 until 4:38 remaining in the fourth when Payton Stirone led the Cyclones drive finishing with a 15-yard touchdown for a 6-0 Norwich lead. Cazenovia knotted the score with 28 seconds remaining in the game on a 33-yard pass play. Neither team scored in the first overtime before Stirone scored on a 10-yard run for the Cyclones to go up 12-6. Cazenovia then scored on a three-yard touchdown and converted the extra point for a one-point victory.
The Cyclones played outstanding defense keeping the Lakers out of the end zone until the closing moments. Stirone, Drew Walsh, Jacob Lamb, Austin Foulds, Keegan Wright, Zack Mills, Carter Rudnitski, and Cristobal Caballero led the defense.
The B team was Division II champions and runners-up in the Tri-Valley championships finishing any impressive 8-1 on the season.
