Prep Football: Explosive Play Helps Weber Defeat Syracuse 45-27 | News, Sports, Jobs

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Syracuse’s Caleb Hall, 28, fails to get Weber’s Dyson Parker, 11, out of the end zone on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Pleasant View.

Brian Wolfer, Special Examiner of Standards

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Weber High School senior Tyler Payne takes down Syracuse quarterback Ledger Wight on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024 in Pleasant View.

Brian Wolfer, Special Examiner of Standards

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Syracuse’s AJ DeHawney (2) is upset by Weber’s Tyson Higgs (bottom left) and Tyler Payne (center) on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Pleasant View.

Brian Wolfer, Special Examiner of Standards

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Syracuse quarterback Ledger Wight, 4, throws a pass as lineman Mulibai Pura, 77, blocks him on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Pleasant View.

Brian Wolfer, Special Examiner of Standards

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Weber High School’s Devon Nielson (7) intercepts a pass to Syracuse’s Roman Wilder (3) on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Pleasant View.

Brian Wolfer, Special Examiner of Standards

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Syracuse’s AJ DeHourney, left, runs with a soccer ball during a game against Weber on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Pleasant View.

Brian Wolfer, Special Examiner of Standards

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Weber High School’s Ty Hellman (right) runs with a football as teammate Jaguar Hammer (center) tangles with Syracuse’s Madden Nelson (32) on the perimeter Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Pleasant View. ).

Brian Wolfer, Special Examiner of Standards

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Syracuse’s Ryker Van Komen, right, attempts to escape Webers Caden Lindholm on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Pleasant View.

Brian Wolfer, Special Examiner of Standards

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Weber High School’s Alex Johnson, 33, kicks off and Syracuse’s Madden Nelson, 32, watches the game Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Pleasant View.

Brian Wolfer, Special Examiner of Standards

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Weber High School students cheer during a football game Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Pleasant View.

Brian Wolfer, Special Examiner of Standards

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Weber High School’s Dyson Parker directs football against Syracuse on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Pleasant View.

Brian Wolfer, Special Examiner of Standards

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Weber High School’s Crew Katchacarn throws a pass during a game against Syracuse on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Pleasant View.

Brian Wolfer, Special Examiner of Standards

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Weber High School’s Dyson Parker (left) and Kelton Tree celebrate a touchdown against Syracuse on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Pleasant View.

Brian Wolfer, Special Examiner of Standards

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Weber High School’s Jaguar Hammer (left) tries to run away from Syracuse’s Trey Barnes on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024 in Pleasant View.

Brian Wolfer, Special Examiner of Standards

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Syracuse approaches the ball for kickoff against Weber on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Pleasant View.

Brian Wolfer, Special Examiner of Standards

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Pleasant Views — Weber High School football had a team goal of scoring 50 points in Friday night’s game against Syracuse, and while the Warriors fell just short, 45 points was more than enough.

The Warriors scored three touchdowns in both halves and defeated the Titans 45-27 in the Region 1 shootout.

“Coach (Matt) Hammer said we had to put up 50 points, and that’s what we were aiming for,” Weber senior quarterback Crew Cacciacalne said. “The coaches put together a great game plan. Don’t stop until the clock hits zero. That’s Coach Mo’s (Cannon) motto. 48 minutes.”

Cacciacalne threw four touchdown passes and was part of a double pass that led to Weber’s fifth TD toss.

“I have guys around me that make plays. They put me in position to get the ball out,” Cacciacalne said. “The matchup of Ian (Elmore) and the backup corner…we wanted to attack there. That’s how they played. Just go after them.”

Elmore caught Cacciacalne’s three touchdown passes and had ramps of 77, 60 and 30 yards.

“Honestly, it’s my guys’ fault. Lines that give (Cacciacalne) time. He threw a perfect ball. I’m doing my job,” Elmore said. “We knew (the long plays) would pay off. If we hit them with the short ones, the long ones would come.”

For Syracuse, Ryker Van Komen rushed for three touchdowns (two 1-yard touchdowns and one 15-yard touchdown).

Weber (Region 1, 5-2, 1-1) scored a first-and-goal late in the second quarter for a 24-7 lead, falling a half-yard short on fourth down.

Instead of carrying a missed opportunity into the second half, the Warriors began the third period with a four-play, 80-yard drive, finding pay dirt on a double pass from Katchakarn to Dyson Parker to Tyson Higgs for a 29-yard gain. The touchdown gave them a 31-7 lead.

“We came together as a group,” Cacciacalne said. “We didn’t blame anyone. We knew we needed to come back and start early, so we did that.”

After that, the teams scored points on six consecutive possessions and took turns scoring touchdowns until midway through the fourth quarter, creating a track-and-field competition.

Van Komen scored his second touchdown of the game on a 15-yard run to make it 31-13 with 4:51 left in the third.

A minute and a half later, Cacciacalne threw a short pass over the middle to Tyler Payne, who ran it 51 yards for a touchdown, giving Weber a 38-13 lead.

Syracuse (4-3, 1-1) quickly battled back, completing a drive on a 22-yard pass from quarterback Ledger Wight to Burke Rountree, and the Titans were up 38 again with the game still in the third quarter. They narrowed the gap to 21 points.

Cacciacalne’s fourth touchdown pass and third to Elmore were the opening plays of the fourth quarter, giving Weber the final points at 45-21 with 11 minutes, 55 seconds left.

Van Komen scored another touchdown on a 1-yard run, the Titans’ third, with 7 minutes, 6 seconds left, increasing the lead to 45-27.

Weber dominated on both sides of the ball and led 24-7 at halftime.

The Warriors scored on four of six first-half possessions, but the defense forced three three-and-outs and had two interceptions (by Higgs and Devon Neilson).

“We got off to a good start. It helped that our defense got some stops, and we just kept going from there,” Cacciacalne said.

Special teams played a role, as Weber kicker Alex Johnson put five kickoffs into the end zone, and Syracuse had poor field position, starting at 20 points each time.

After a Syracuse punt, Parker scored on a 52-yard run on Weber’s third play from scrimmage, giving the Warriors a 7-0 lead with 10:06 left in the first quarter.

Johnson made a 25-yard field goal midway through the period and Weber made it 10-0.

Syracuse picked up steam late in the quarter with Van Komen’s 1-yard run, closing the gap to 10-7.

The Warriors responded with a 77-yard touchdown pass from Cacciacalne to Elmore, extending their lead to 17-7 on the first play of the second period.

Cacciacalne and Elmore connected again at 3:58 for a 60-yard touchdown to make it 24-7 at the halftime mark.

“The key is to execute in the moment, and we did well,” Elmore said. “There’s still a lot of work to do, but we got the win. That’s all that matters. Next.”