High school football: Natali highlights General Brown's key quarterfinal win over Skaneateles

Oct. 29—DEXTER — Kaleb Natali experienced a career night to help propel the General Brown football team to victory Friday night in the opening round of the Section 3 playoffs.

Natali rushed for a career-high 237 yards on 26 carries and ran for four touchdowns — with three of them coming in the second half, as the third-seeded Lions downed sixth-seeded Skaneateles, 41-21, in a Class C quarterfinal at Fisher Field.

Yet Natali, a junior tailback, was quick to credit his team's offensive line for their success.

"Our line was great tonight, they've been great all season," Natali said. "They've been giving me holes, wide-open running. I have to cut here and there, but I stay right behind my blocks and follow them."

General Brown improves to 7-1 and advances to face either second-seeded Cazenovia or seventh-seeded Vernon-Verona-Sherrill in a sectional semifinal next Saturday at Cicero-North Syracuse.

Last year, Skaneateles and General Brown met in the Section 3 final at the then Carrier Dome, with the Lakers prevailing, 35-14. The Lions came back to win the first meeting of the year between the two teams, 49-7, back on Sept. 23.

"They're a really good team, a really good team," Natali said. "It was a lot different from that last game, they came out this time ready to come at us. But our team really knew how to overcome that adversity we had in that first quarter and come back and show them what we can do."

General Brown expected a sterner test from Skaneateles this time around one and got one as the Lakers rallied to tie the score at 14-14 on 48-yard scoring pass to Nathan Shattuck from quarterback Patrick Herr with seven minutes and 28 seconds left in the third quarter.

"We were kind of down on ourselves, but we have those good teammates that pick each other up and show each other what we can do," Natali said. "Just working as a team."

The Lions responded on their very next drive to take the lead for a good on a 16-yard scoring run from junior Gabe Malcolm with 2:47 left in the quarter.

"That's really what it was, it was getting back to running the football," General Brown coach Doug Black said. "Natali did a great job, Malcolm did a great job, as well as Sheamus Devine, with Aiden (McManaman) running the show. They just did what they've done all year and have been consistent. ... They are relentless. There's couple times when I thought they were down and they just continue to battle and gain yardage, they're just tough kids."

General Brown then kept up the pressure by scoring on their next two possessions as Natali ran for scores of four and 14 yards, with the second coming with 7:26 remaining in regulation as Natali burst down the left side, to build a 34-14 advantage.

"It feels pretty good, because with our team everyone wants the same thing and we're all on the same page," Devine said. "Against them, we were outmatched by their size, but the way our team came together and rallied back was great to see."

After Skaneateles pulled within 34-21 on Grayson Brunelle's scoring reception on a pass from Herr, Natali completed his night with a 13-yard scoring scamper for the final margin with 3:13 left.

"We like to keep the momentum going," said Lions' offensive lineman Gabe Matteson. "Our running backs are incredible, the (offensive) line, we've been phenomenal all year I feel like, so it been fun. Our running game has been great, I don't even know how to put it into words because the o-line has been going great and the backs make the cuts they need to make to get it in the end zone."

Black also credited the Lions' offensive line for its success throughout the season.

"Gabe Matteson's done a great job for us all year," he said. "Armondo Orcesi, those two work together well, Wyatt Held, he's a first-year player for us starting at tackle and he's done a great job, too."

The Lions generated much balance on offense in their running game as Devine rushed for 82 yards on 17 carries and Malcolm totaled 68 yards on the ground on 11 touches.

"It feels pretty good," Natali said. "To finally come back and have this team that was a little bit different from last year come back and do to them (Skaneateles) what they did to us in the Dome last year."

General Brown found itself in an early deficit as on the very first drive of the game, Herr returned an interception 45 yards for a touchdown for a 7-0 Skaneateles lead.

The Lions drew within 7-6 on Devine's two-yard scoring run with 2:05 left in the first quarter and then took a 14-7 advantage as Natali scored from eight yards out and Malcolm hauled in the conversion pass from Aiden McManaman with 7:18 left in the first half.

"Sheamus pounded it early on and I think that opened up the outside and our offensive line did a great job," Black said. "I can't speak highly enough about them, they've been dominant all year and they don't get a lot of the credit name-wise, but we've got some very good linemen."

The Lakers recovered a fumble on General Brown's first possession of the second half to set the stage for the tying touchdown.

"They were much better, they were healthy," Black said of Skaneateles. "They had the Brunelle kid back whose a returning all-state running back and linebacker, so it was tough playing a team twice, they had some different things for us and we were able to adjust. And we kind of wore them down in the second half."

General Brown now has the opportunity to return to the JMA Wireless Dome for the second consecutive season.

The Lions, who are ranked No. 15 in the state in Class C, will now prepare to face V-V-S or Class C1 Division winner Cazenovia, which is ranked No. 2 in the state.

"Class C is one of the toughest classes in the state, especially Section 3," Black said. "It's great for us to get there, we've just got to take it one week at a time."

"We're just ready, we know this next game is going to be really tough, and we're going to have to come guns blazing or it's not going to work well for us," Natali said. "The adversity is what we really need to work on."

Matteson, a senior who starts at right guard, is in his first season playing at the varsity level, but is a vital cog in the team's success this season.

"Obviously the main goal is the Dome," Matteson said. "Next week is going to be a challenge, but I'm up for it."