SHERBURNE – After a double-overtime heartbreaker against Westmoreland/Oriskany last Friday, the Sherburne-Earlville Timberwolves returned home Thursday night for their 2025 home opener against non-league opponent Canastota.

Playing without starting quarterback Hadden Price and running back Justin Race due to injuries, the Timberwolves fell 52-12 to the Raiders. Despite the adversity, S-E continued to play with heart and step into big roles.

“For being down as much as we were, our kids fought their rear ends off and I couldn’t be more proud of them,” Coach Steve Franklin said.

Jordan Palmer and Tomek Jusianiec split time at quarterback, both making their first appearances at the position. Palmer connected with Lukas Schieferstein for several key plays. Schieferstein later put S-E on the board in the fourth quarter on a pass from Jusianiec.

“Jordan didn’t start playing quarterback until this year, so this was his first time getting reps. I thought he did a tremendous job,” Franklin said. “Tomek came out in relief and threw two touchdown passes, and here’s a senior who had never taken a snap at quarterback in practice. He just kind of got thrown to the wolves, but did an awesome job.”

The Timberwolves nearly added more late points after a horse-collar penalty put them in striking distance, but a high snap ended their chances and the drive ended in a turnover on downs. On their next drive with time winding down, Michael Behret returned a kickoff to the Canastota 35-yard line, setting up one last chance.

As time expired, Jusianiec found Nolan Sigman for a touchdown following a pass interference call, giving S-E a positive finish to the game.

“We’re probably not as top-heavy in the athletic department as we were last year or even the year before, but I don’t know if there’s a harder-working group of kids than the ones we have, and they never quit,” Franklin said. “They fight right down to the last play. We have stuff we can build on. We haven’t gotten to our league year yet, so we think we can be pretty competitive within it and hopefully clean some things up and go get a win next Friday.”

S-E (0-2) will host Jamesville-Dewitt next Friday at 7 p.m.