Thursday, December 13, 2018

Thoughts from the Road Trip & Press Box: Glens Falls overcomes deficit, season-wide injuries

When Glens Falls punched their ticket to make it into the State Championship with their win over Marlboro in Middletown in Week 12, my mind was set.  With a Noon kickoff in Syracuse, I wanted to stay the night Friday night to give myself the ability to ease my way into the broadcast on Saturday at the Carrier Dome.

My previous three trips to Syracuse (in 2012, 2013 and 2014) were day trips, arriving in Syracuse to do the game and then get out afterwards.  After the jump, a first person recount of the journey to Central New York, and of the State Championship game between the Glens Falls Indians and the Batavia Blue Devils.

THOUGHTS FROM THE ROAD TRIP - The journey and overnight:
  • Northway southbound to Exit 12
  • Route 67 west through Ballston Spa towards Amsterdam
  • Route 30 to the NYS Thruway (Exit 27)
  • NYS Thruway west to Exit 35 (Route 298, East Syracuse - hotel)
  • Route 635 south to I-690.
  • I-690 West to Downtown Syracuse.
  • Adams Street towards the Dome.

Fri 11/23 - 5:30PM: The arrangement of in-studio elements for the broadcast was complete, and I loaded my overnight bag and the equipment into the station vehicle for the start of the 3 hour journey.  It was a quiet trip, perfect for a calm travel west.

8:35PM:  Hungry for food and not certain how I would feel twenty minutes later when I arrived at my exit, I made a stop at the Chittenango Service Plaza between Exits 34 and 34A in search of dinner.  My hunger for food didn't include the roller rack in the travel mart inside, as the two restaurants were already closed for the night.  So I left to complete my journey to the hotel.  

9:10PM:  Arrived at the hotel.  One of the dozen hotels in the general area of Exit 35 off the Thruway, the Rodeway Inn in East Syracuse served its purpose of providing a bed to sleep in only 20 minutes drive from the Carrier Dome.  One problem, when I stepped inside the room, the thermometer was set at a baking 79 degrees. 
9:35PM: Dinner.  While escaping the toasty room, I went to the convenience store across the road, which was in the process of converting into a Speedway.  It reeked of alcohol and I was not impressed with the offerings, so I traveled down Thompson Road to see what else the area had.  In addition to the Denny's across the road, a pizza place a few doors away on the hotel side, and a Dunkin Donuts right next door, the area also had a McDonald's, a Burger King, a Wendy's and a few other small local options.  But beyond I-690 was Erie Boulevard, where some options we don't have in Glens Falls exist, including a Sonic (!) and Arby's.  I chose curly fries over tater tots, and returned to the room for the night.

Before going to bed I watched the awesome snow bowl that was airing on FOX between Washington and Washington State, and caught the news to see what was going on in town.  Structure fire caused by a car accident, a tree lighting, and a stabbing at the Destiny USA mall that shut down a Macy's on Black Friday.

The following morning I woke up to the small glow of the sun wanting to peek its head from the horizon.  Soon I would be showered and out of the hotel, and went across the road to Denny's.  The meal, pictured right, took a little time to make its way to my table, which was expected as this location was very busy just shortly after 10AM. 

After breakfast, I loaded up my travel mug at a convenience store on Thompson Road, and it was time for the reason why I was in Syracuse in the first place, the big game between Glens Falls and Batavia.

10:45AM: I pulled into one of the Carrier Dome parking lots and walked the tiring walk up the hill, up the steps, to Gate B where I would get my media credentials and would be told to go down to Stadium Control.  After checking in there, I went up the elevator to the Upper Concourse, and made it to my press box room where I would be broadcasting the game in.   I had 45 minutes still to set up before I was to go on-air from the Carrier Dome, so I was good on time.  It allowed me to mentally prepare myself for what the next three hours would bring.

As fans continued to file inside the Carrier Dome, I finished a few notes for the game, made sure my rosters where visually in a spot that I wouldn't have to fight to see.   My stat sheets were ready to go.  I was ready to go.

As the pre-recorded content ran during the broadcast, I watched as both teams warmed up.  Got my first look at highly touted Batavia Blue Devil Ray Leech.  His frame was everything I expected from the 215 pound running back.   And I was excited to see what he was going to bring as competition to a Glens Falls defense that has proven itself time and time again. 

More importantly, I wanted to see how the players who weren't around for the Glens Falls Indians 2016 trip to the dome handled being in the venue.  Who got the butterflies.   Who came out ready to play. 



THOUGHTS FROM THE PRESS BOX: The Game

Batavia's 1st Drive: It was a perfectly-executed drive for the Blue Devils, picking apart the Glens Falls defense as Ray Leech was used both as a back and a receiver to reach the end zone on a short pass to the left side, escaping a David Barclay tackle attempt to spin his way in for 6.  Leech has too much power to be brought down arm tackle style.  The Indians needed to overpower him and I didn't see that in the first drive. 

But it wasn't panic time yet.   Glens Falls was about to get the ball first.  Joe Girard III has showcased magic before, in this venue.  Time for him to get those 6 back.

Glens Falls's 1st Drive: Without knowing the end result, it didn't seem as if Glens Falls was properly focused in the first 12 minutes of the game.  Like Glens Falls was playing at the Dome for the first time and was struck in that "awe" feeling, and Batavia had the Dome experience (they instead were playing in their first ever appearance in Syracuse).  The first drive felt like the first half of the third quarter of the semifinals against Marlboro, Joe Girard III couldn't get anything going, as the Indians mustered one negative yard in a three and out that immediately put Batavia in control of the football once again. 

Batavia's 2nd Drive: Nobody knew this in the Carrier Dome at the time, but this is the drive that drastically changed the course of this game.  It's never good to see a key player for a team go down, even if it's the non-local team.  Ethan Biscaro dropped down to the ground, significantly in pain, sustaining a knee injury while preparing to turn the corner with David Barclay homing in on him.  The Indians seemed like they weren't expecting what happened next, as Ray Leech took the next snap and threw a pass that was reminiscent of what happened for Glens Falls in Week 4 when David Barclay tipped a pass into the hands of Trent Girard for a touchdown.

This, plus the next play, showed that the balls were going in the favor of Batavia.  And that this could be a long afternoon for the Indians unless something changed immediately.

The Onside Kick: When listening back to the broadcast, it amazes me how vocal I got when the Glens Falls Indians gave up the onside kick to Batavia down 14-0.  It was a surprise for the Indians and it was perfectly executed by Batavia.  It seemed like Glens Falls was ready to go down 21-0 having run all of three plays for -1 yards.   It seemed like my fourth trip to the Carrier Dome was going to end as melancholy as the last trip, when Queensbury lost to Indian River 63-38.  More on that game later as there's a comparison to that game.

The Interception: Entering the 2nd quarter with a 14-0 lead, Ray Leech dropped back to pass, launching the ball down the field.  But he overthrew his receiver and Joe Girard III was in the perfect place to field the interception, giving the Indians the ball back and washing out the onside kick recovery.  Glens Falls had some life, but I wouldn't call that the turning point of momentum.

Two dropped passes later, passes that should of easily been caught by Glens Falls receivers, similar to the drops they had against Marlboro a week prior in Middletown, Joe Girard III faced a 3rd and 10 deep in his own territory...

The 3rd and 10: If I was to circle a play, this was the point in the game where Glens Falls got energized for the whole game.  A third and 10, with Joe Girard III more than 90 yards away from the end zone, having watched his receivers drop the last two passes.  A Batavia defense that wanted to force the Indians into another 3 and out, with the crowd to Joe's right wanting the same.

Then Joe Girard III does what he did best all season long.   Move out of the pocket, moving his receivers down the field, keeping the defense off him, and then striking down the field to hook up with David Barclay for the first moving of the chains all game for the Indians.  Four plays later, Joe Girard III would do this again, but this time he used his legs to get the points on the board when he ran 40+ yards, shaking and baking to what goes on the log as a 4 yard touchdown run, similar to what he did in Week 10 against Cobleskill.

With the Indians on the board, the crowd on the far sidelines grew in volume as the Blue Devils went back out on offense and came up empty.  And when Joe Girard III danced around to a near miss of a touchdown score, diving for the pylons but being ruled down at the 1, the Indians had all the momentum in the Carrier Dome.

And then Aalijah Sampson scored to pull the Indians within 2,
But the Indians would still have to play defense.  Alex Roos came to take the snaps for Batavia, trying to mix up the offense to keep the Glens Falls defense guessing.  A failed drive resulted in a punt to Glens Falls, and they would showcase Joe Girard III's talent even more as he nearly missed another touchdown score, diving for the pylons.

I still feel that if replay was allowed on the high school level, he would be credited with the touchdown.  Either way, he was ruled out at the 1 yard line, and Aalijah Sampson finished the deal one play later, so it wasn't like the score was altered by the non-call.

Glens Falls was tied.  In a game where 12 minutes prior, it looked as if the Indians had little business being in the State Championship.   The momentum, back in Glens Falls favor.

Ray Leech silences Indians fans: But the momentum wasn't back in Glens Falls favor for too long.  Ray Leech broke through for a long distance touchdown run and the Blue Devils were back in the lead.   But a missed two point conversion returned that momentum back to the Indians, because a touchdown and an extra point would give them their first lead of the championship.

And the Indians did just that.   21-20 at the half.  By this point, the game lived up to expectations.

2nd Half Statement: With the ball to begin the third quarter, I had a feeling the Indians were going to pad their lead the way the offense was clicking for the better part of the 2nd quarter.  The Indians didn't disappoint as they began to put an exclamation point on their second championship in three years with their first touchdown of the half on their way to breaking open the game. 

Then the question became, would Joe Girard III pass his way to #1 in Section 2 for passing yards in a season.  Heading into the 4th quarter my estimates on his stats put him one yard shy of Joe Tortello's mark from last year's Holy Trinity run to the Dome.

And then he connected with Trent Girard for his final passing touchdown of his career.   Then there was no way my estimates were wrong, Joe Girard III became the #1 passing quarterback in Section II for a single season's effort.

The defense tightened up, and the Glens Falls Indians were able to go into victory mode as they outscored the Batavia Blue Devils 35-12 in the second half.

Ethan Biscaro: Batavia's Ethan Biscaro tried his best to get back into the game.   Watching him on the sidelines after leaving to injury in the first half, you could tell that he wanted back in the game.   Especially since the Glens Falls Indians scored 21 points without his presence.   It's not certain if the course of this game would of remained the same had he stayed in the game, but to him, his team's chances of winning the state championship was dwindling without him there.

He tried his hardest to get back into the game.  While his team was huddling up in the locker room during the half, he was on the sidelines throwing the ball.   He got the clearance to come back into the game, showcasing how bad he wanted to return to the field.

Unfortunately for Batavia, and especially himself, he wasn't fully healed.   The injury flared up again in the late third quarter, and Bisacro's state championship push came to an end.

You never know when your final play is going to be.  For Biscaro, he didn't want a knee injury to be his last.   Neither did he want what was a 14-0 lead for his team turn into a Glens Falls dismantling by the final whistle.

The Game, Overall: Overall, the game started with massive hype.  Ray Leech sparkled the near sideline fans, and Joe Girard III was impressive in his second show at what will be his new home in a year's time.   Those two carried the star power label well, but in the end, the team with more overall talent came away with the state championship in the Glens Falls Indians.

A comparison to 2014: This year's championship was the reverse of the 2014 Class A State Championship between the Queensbury Spartans and the Indian River Warriors, a game that started off in favor of the Queensbury Spartans, but then Indian River was able to come back and pulled away to a big win over Queensbury on their way to their first state championship in school history.

The injury - Tyrell Adams. 

At the time of his injury, the Queensbury Spartans were up 21-0.  Things were looking good for the Spartans to be the first team in Section 2 history to win back-to-back championships, but once he departed, Indian River began to focus their defensive efforts on a limited number of running backs on John Irion's roster, wearing them out on offense.

While doing that, the Warriors went to their bread and butter, misdirection plays.  Those plays completed the comeback and tired out the defense.   And bear in mind, players at the high school level often play on both sides of the ball.

Ethan Biscaro was Batavia's Tyrell Adams.   Without him, the Glens Falls Indians could focus more energy on stopping Ray Leech, as Biscaro's arm and legs had to keep defenses honest, which in turn allowed for Leech to go on the tear that he did throughout the NYS Playoffs. 

Injuries are unfortunate to watch, but they are part of the game's nature.   How a team overcomes those injuries determines their worthiness.

Remember, Glens Falls was dealing with major injuries this season.  Noah Balcom sustained an injury in the first week of the season and never returned as one of their wideouts.   Aalijah Sampson missed two games in Weeks 5 and 6 as combo tailback and wideout, and Griffen Woodell suffered a season-ending injury in the Sectional Semifinals against Hudson Falls.

But with each injury, the Indians showcased the true potential of the team.  The team bonded together and overcame.

In the end, the closeness of the team was what helped yielded them their second state title in school history.


THE JOURNEY HOME/POST-REFLECTIONS:

Glens Falls fans visit the Westmoreland
Service Plaza after the game.
The journey home was more stressful than it needed to be, with rain falling and freezing as the temperatures hovered around the 30 degree mark throughout the Mohawk Valley trip.   Running on empty, for both the gas tank and the stomach, I stopped at the Westmoreland Service Plaza (just before Exit 32) and saw a sea of red as the Glens Falls Indians faithful made this their stop on the journey home, just like I did. 

There wasn't anything special otherwise about the journey home.  I wished I was able to get to Glens Falls High School to welcome the team back but I was exhausted after the long day and wanted to get back home. 


In retrospect, I'm glad I decided to make the travel to Syracuse a day early and spend the night, which decreased how long Saturday was by three hours. 

What made the day better was being able to call my third state championship for a local team.   The more you get familiar with a team, the more excited you get when they begin to achieve positive things.   The eight games I did of the Glens Falls Indians was the most done for a single team across a single season since we started broadcasting high school sports in 2012.

In closing for the football season, a special thank you to everyone who joined us for the Road to the Dome.   Whether it was watching this run by the Glens Falls Indians, or listening to your local school as they tried to make their way towards the playoffs, having the tri-county area join us for the ride on a weekly basis is appreciated.   You are why we do this.

Our 7th season of high school sports isn't done, as high school basketball has already begun and will continue now through early February on FOX Sports Radio 97.9/1230.  Who knows, maybe we'll get to cover a local team as they make their way towards the State Championships in Binghamton.   

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