Niskayuna Football Wins on Last-Second Kickoff Return

Students in attendance at last week’s football game witnessed many things in Niskayuna’s thrilling victory over Cicero-North Syracuse (CNS), including a historic touchdown, a thrilling pick-six, and of course, senior Cam Grasso’s dramatic kickoff return touchdown to cap off an unbelievable victory and perhaps one of the greatest games in the program’s history. 

The raucous crowd cheered the team on from the very beginning, yet Nisky’s offense was unable to get anything going in the opening quarter. After a Nisky punt on the opening possession, CNS was able to get an Run-Pass Option screen pass to go nearly the distance from their own 30 yard line, setting up an easy touchdown run to give the CNS Northstars a 7-0 advantage. 

After both teams were forced to punt on their next possessions, CNS had an opportunity to drive down the field and score to start the second quarter. However, senior Brandon Merrill was able to come off the edge and pressure the CNS quarterback. He forced an errant throw that landed in the hands of junior Chase Meisner, who took it to the house to tie the game on an electric pick-six. 

The next drive for CNS was doomed from the start because of multiple penalties, and ultimately a botched snap on the ensuing punt gave Niskayuna great field position inside the 5-yard line. As usual, the Nisky offense put the ball in the hands of their superstar, as Cam Grasso ran through multiple defenders to score his 60th career touchdown, a new program record.

Headed into halftime with a 14-7 lead, both teams came out of the locker room ready to go for the second half. The Northstars started off the third quarter with a long touchdown drive to tie the game, but the Nisky offense stormed right down the field themselves. By executing multiple crucial third downs, Niskayuna was able to bring the ball to the 11-yard line, where  Grasso found space to the outside for a touchdown run. Heading into the final frame, Niskayuna maintained their 21-14 lead.

However, the momentum slowly began to shift the opposite direction. CNS answered quickly to start the fourth quarter, forcing the game into a gridlock once again at 21 apiece. After driving down the field and into the red zone, the CNS defense came up clutch and forced the Nisky offense to settle for a field goal, which senior Owen Sanderson nailed to give Niskayuna a 24-21 lead with 2:45 remaining. Most teams would not be able to put together a touchdown drive with that little time remaining, but CNS was able to feed their star running back, who led them down the field to around the 29-yard line. From there, the CNS offense faced a crucial 4th & 6, one where if the Niskayuna defense could get a stop, the game would be virtually over. However, CNS was able to convert, and shortly thereafter the CNS quarterback found his target towards the pylon, completing a 16-yard pass to give the Northstars the lead with 18.5 seconds remaining. However, a missed PAT attempt kept the score at 27-24 in favor of CNS, giving Nisky students hope that with a good kickoff return, Nisky could drive down the field quickly and kick a field goal to force overtime. 

Well, as it turns out, Nisky didn’t need a field goal. And not only did they get a good kickoff return — they got a great one.

The CNS coaching staff in the press box knew the objective: don’t kick it to #1. One of the most explosive and dangerous kickoff returners in the entire state, Cam Grasso was not the player you wanted to kick it to in a moment like this. Yet despite all that, the ball came off the tee, took two bounces, and ended up right in the hands of Cam Grasso. 

And the rest was history. 

With his teammates blocking assignments perfectly executed, Grasso found a crease to the right side and exploded past midfield. As he ran down the opposing sideline, there was only one man to beat. But despite a tremendous diving effort, Grasso was just too quick. In the blink of an eye, Niskayuna went from sure defeat to sure victory. Handfuls of flour were tossed into the air as the student section turned into pandemonium. Players, coaches, and cheerleaders jumped up and down on the sidelines in celebration. The improbable had happened. Niskayuna had taken a 31-27 lead with only 8 seconds left. And with one final chance remaining for CNS, sure tackling from the Niskayuna secondary sealed the victory, as Niskayuna accomplished a stunning and unforgettable triumph.

Following this signature win against a Class AA opponent, Niskayuna (2-1) will hope to continue their momentum at home in a matchup against Bethlehem (1-2).