2014 High School Football Schedule Unveiled

In Short:
FOX Sports Radio 1230 will be producing and broadcasting ten regular season High School Football games during the upcoming 2014 season.  The season begins on Saturday, September 6th when the NYSPHSAA Class A defending champions, the Queensbury Spartans, host the Niskyauna Silver Warriors.

Long:
In the third year of airing high school sports, FOX Sports Radio 1230, WMML, announces that they will produce and air ten regular season High School Football games this fall.

The broadcasts begin Saturday, September 6th when the defending Class A State Champion Queensbury Spartans take on the Niskayuna Silver Warriors in a non-conference game at Queensbury High School.  It will be the first time at home for the Spartans since winning the title last November at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse.

Fort Edward's first home as a combined squad with the Argyle Scots will be featured the following week when they host the Hoosic Valley Indians.  In Week 3, the Hudson Falls Tigers host the Ichabod Crane Riders in Ichabod Crane's second ever trip to the Washington County school.  Last year Ichabod Crane lost a Week 9 Crossover game 40-12.

Week 4 features the first of three playoff rematches, as the Cohoes Tigers travel up to play the Glens Falls Indians at Putt LeMay Field.  The Tigers last year eliminated the Glens Falls Indians 42-19 before getting eliminated themselves against Broadalbin-Perth in the Semifinals.

Friday Night Lights begins on FOX Sports Radio 1230 in Week 5 when the Hudson Falls Tigers play the Glens Falls Indians in the Jug Game on Friday, October 3rd.  It will be the first year of the cross-river rivalry on FOX Sports Radio 1230, with Glens Falls winning last year's edition in late theatrics to continue their strong grip on the jug.

On Saturday, October 4th, the combined squads from Cambridge and Salem will travel up to the northern reaches of Section 2 when they play a Saturday afternoon game against the Whitehall Railroaders in another game that is a rematch of a playoff game last year.  Last year the Cambridge Indians disposed of the Railroaders in the Quarterfinals on their way to a Sectional Championship before losing to Moriah in the State Regionals.

The second Friday Night Lights game will be in Week 6 when Chatham Panthers travel up north to face the new combined team from Lake George and Hadley/Luzurne. The following day will be homecoming at South Glens Falls, as the Bulldogs host the Queensbury Spartans in an afternoon game at South High.

The second Friday Night Lights game is on Friday, October 10th, and features local teams Queensbury and South Glens Falls.  Originally scheduled for October 11th, the two teams will play under the lights at South High in their Homecoming Game.  The following day, Warrensburg will be on the air for the first of two straight Saturdays when they travel to Cambridge.

The regular season wraps up with a rematch of last year's Super Bowl, with the Queensbury Spartans and the Burnt Hills Spartans playing at Union College in Schenectady on Friday, October 17th.  Last year the Queensbury Spartans were on the verge of falling to Burnt Hills in the Super Bowl when Kody Bruno ran in for a 21 yard touchdown with less than 90 seconds left to play to give Queensbury the lead for good.

On Saturday, October 18th, the final regular season game will feature the Fort Edward/Argyle squad traveling over to the Southern Adirondacks to face the Warrensburg Burghers.

The 10 game schedule does not include any playoff games, as they will be determined based on local teams and will be announced prior to the end of the regular season.

All broadcasts will begin 15 minutes prior to kickoff with the "FOX Sports Radio 1230 Warmup" pregame show, featuring game previews and coach interviews.

Schedule subject to change:
REVISED 9.15.14 w/change in Week 6.
WEEK 1 – September 5^th and 6^th

FRIDAY:           No Game (Mets conflict)
SATURDAY:     Niskayuna at Queensbury – 1:30PM

WEEK 2 – September 12^th and 13^th

FRIDAY:           No Game (Mets conflict)
SATURDAY:     Hoosic Valley at Fort Edward - 1:00PM

WEEK 3 – September 19^th and 20^th

FRIDAY:           No Game (Mets conflict)
SATURDAY:     Ichabod Crane at Hudson Falls – 1:30PM

WEEK 4 – September 26^th and 27^th

FRIDAY:           No Game (Mets conflict)
SATURDAY:     Cohoes at Glens Falls – 1:30PM 

WEEK 5 – October 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th

FRIDAY:           JUG GAME – Hudson Falls at Glens Falls – 7:00PM
SATURDAY:     Cambridge at Whitehall – 1:00PM

WEEK 6 – October 10^th and 11^th

FRIDAY:           Queensbury at South Glens Falls - 7:00PM
SATURDAY:     Warrensburg at Cambridge - 1:00PM

WEEK 7 – October 17^th and 18^th

FRIDAY:           Queensbury at Burnt Hills – 7:00PM

SATURDAY:     Fort Edward at Warrensburg – 1:00PM

About FOX Sports Radio 1230

FOX Sports Radio 1230 is WMML-AM, licensed to Glens Falls, New York, and is affiliated with FOX Sports Radio as well as live sports properties suchas the New York Mets and the Buffalo Bills.  In addition, FOX Sports Radio 1230 broadcasts approximately 20 or more local high school sports broadcasts during the school year in football, basketball and hockey including the 2012 NYSPHSAA Class B Football Championship, the 2013 NYSPHSAA Class A Football Championship and the 2013 Junior "A" Hockey Championship.

FOX Sports Radio 1230 is owned by Adirondack Broadcasting, and shares its studios with Froggy 100.3, Classic Hits Q101.7, 107.1 The Point and 1410 CBS Sports Radio.

Game Recap: Fort Edward 53, Moriah 45

PLATTSBURGH - Slow start for the Forts?

No problem.

The Fort Edward Lady Forts outscored Moriah 13-6 in the 2nd quarter as they gave the Lady Vikings their first loss of the season with the 53-45 win at the Fieldhouse at SUNY Plattsburgh.

The success came for Jason Thomas's squad thanks to a stingy full-court press, which in the second quarter started to force turnovers from the Vikings.  Those turnovers paid dividends at the basket as they converted their opportunities and took a 23-22 lead into half.

In the 3rd Quarter, the three ball helped extended the Lady Forts lead, as Lexi Thomas and Kali Knapp combined for four three pointers as they extended their lead to 4 after 24 minutes of play.

In the 4th Quarter, the Forts used the charity stripe to their advantage as they would push further ahead and put away the Lady Vikings.

Kaicey Sardina and Lexi Thomas both had 15 points a piece for the Lady Forts, and Kali Knapp scored 8.  Madison Stahl scored 13 points and Taylor Sprague scored 10 for Moriah (19-1).

Fort Edward (20-2) now travels up to SUNY Canton for the Regional Finals, where they will play Section 10's Heuvelton on Saturday.  Winner makes it to the State Final Four at Hudson Valley Community College next weekend.

FORT EDWARD          10 13 18 12 - 53
MORIAH               16  6 15  8 - 45


FORT EDWARD LADY FORTS(points by quarter, total, 3's)
 1 Brittini Sardina   2  2  0  2 -  6 -  0
 2 Alex Godfrey       0  2  0  0 -  2 -  0
 3 Ashley Godfrey     2  0  0  0 -  2 -  0
 4 Kaicey Sardina     2  4  4  5 - 15 -  0
12 Mady Godfrey       0  3  0  0 -  3 -  1
15 Megan Brockway     0  2  0  0 -  2 -  0
21 Kali Knapp         2  0  6  0 -  8 -  2
24 Lexi Thomas        2  0  8  5 - 15 -  2
TOTALS               10 13 18 12 - 53 -  5

MORIAH VIKINGS
10 Lauren Cross       2  0  2  0 -  4 -  0
12 Madison Stahl      6  4  0  3 - 13 -  0
14 Sarah Slattery     0  0  0  2 -  2 -  0
23 Caitlin Pelkey     3  0  3  2 -  8 -  1
24 Halie Snyder       0  0  6  0 -  6 -  0
33 Taylor Sprague     5  0  4  1 - 10 -  0
40 Lauren Brace       0  2  0  0 -  2 -  0
TOTALS               16  6 15  8 - 45 -  1

Game Preview: Fort Edward vs. Moriah

NYSPHSAA Class D Regional Semifinals
Fort Edward Flying Forts vs. Moriah Vikings - 6PM at SUNY Plattsburgh's Fieldhouse

Press Republican Preview
Post-Star Preview

If Fort Edward wants to make it back to the Hudson Valley Community College next week, they need to do something no other team has done so far this season.

Beat the Moriah Vikings.

The Moriah Vikings come out of the Northern Athletic Conference Division II with a 19-0 record after beating Elizabethtown-Lewis 46-26 in the Section 7 title game.  They are led by Madison Stahl, who scored 11 points in the title game.  She has a 15.2ppg average.

Taylor Sprague and Sarah Slattery are also key contributors, both with better than 7 points per game.  Slattery scored 11 points in the game against Elizabethtown.  And you have to watch out for Lauren Cross, who developed into a 3-point threat with her four 3's on Saturday for a total of 14 points.

The Vikings outscored Elizabethtown 17-1 in the 1st Quarter, a start that Fort Edward needs to be prepared for.

The Flying Forts had to survive a surge by the Fort Ann Cardinals in their title game on Saturday, prevailing 43-39.  Alexis Thomas led the Flying Forts with 18 points, and Brittany Sardina scored 7.  For the season, Thomas leads the Forts with 15 points per game, and Sardina is their second top scorer, with a 8.8 point average.

Kali Knapp is the Forts best three point threat, dropping 23 from beyond the arch this season.

For the Flying Forts to make it to the Regional finals game this Saturday at SUNY Canton, they need to put together a team effort, and to prevent the Vikings from coming out hot out of the gate.  A 17-1 first quarter in this kind of game will be devastating for the Forts.

Coverage of this game will be available on 1230 FOX Sports Radio beginning at 5:45PM.

Stayin' Alive: Lake George holds off Flying Forts

The Lake George Warriors stay alive in the hunt for a Sectional title with a 36-26 win over the Fort Edward Flying Forts.

The Warriors took advantage of several Fort Edward turnovers, including one on the opening kickoff where the Flying Forts fumbled on a reverse hand-off.  Tyler Brown scored the first of his five turnovers 24 seconds into the game as he ran the ball in from two yards out.

Tyler Brown would finish with five touchdowns as he racked up 189 yards on 17 carries, including an 80 yard touchdown run for the second score of the game.

Fort Edward took advantage of a Lake George turnover to help claw their way close in the fourth quarter, as Ryan Collier took a Tyler Brown pass in from 70 yards out for a pick-six.  The interception brought the Flying Forts within 10, but could not come any closer as the Warriors drained plenty of clock on the ensuing drive to bring the game to an end.

Nate Burkhardt led the Fort Edward Flying Forts with 128 yards, and scored two of their four touchdowns.

With the win, it keeps the Lake George Warriors in the playoff chase as they control their own destiny with the Salem Generals visiting next Friday in a must-win game.  The Fort Edward Flying Forts will finish their regular season with a trip down the Greenwich to face the Witches.

SCORES:
- Lake George took advantage of miscues early, as the opening kickoff was botched by the Flying Forts when one of their runners fumbled the ball on a hand-off.  Lake George recovered, and then converted it for 8 points when Tyler Brown ran the football in 24 seconds later from two yards out.  Thomas Clark ran the ball in for the two-point conversion. LG 8, FE 0, 11:36 1st

- Then after forcing a punt from the Fort Edward Flying Forts that reached the endzone for a touchback, Tyler Brown took the first play from scrimmage the full 80 yards for the touchdown.  Thomas Clark scored the two-point conversion. LG 16, FE 0, 8:16 1st

- Then in the 2nd Quarter, Tyler Brown scored his third touchdown, a 29 yard run, to widen the gap for the Lake George Warriors.   The two-point was no good.  LG 22, FE 0, 10:06 2nd

- The Flying Forts did not quit, and it paid dividens when Nate Burkhardt scored from 2 yards out for the first score for the Flying Forts.  Burkhardt also scored the two-point conversion.  LG 22, FE 8, 4:51 2nd

- On the ensuing drive, Lake George got a 18 yard rush from Tyler Brown as he scored his fourth touchdown of the game.  Thomas Clark scored the two-point conversion for the Warriors.  LG 30, FE 8, 3:39 2nd

- Fort Edward started a drive up the field, but saw it come to a halt when Bryan Kane intercepted Chris Boucher to end the Flying Forts threat.  After a couple runs, the Lake George Warriors drained the clock for the halftime break.  LG 30, FE 8, HALF

- In the third quarter, after the Warriors came up empty in their first drive of the half, the Flying Forts tried some trickery as Chris Boucher pitched it to Ryan Collier, who launched it to Dylan White for a huge 44 yard gain, and then Nate Burkhardt capped it with an 11 yard run to find the endzone.  After a false start backed the Flying Forts five yards to the 7, the Lake George Warriors stopped Burkhardt on the two-point conversion. LG 30, FE 14, 8:16 3rd

- Tyler Brown then ran for his fifth touchdown of the game as he scored from 13 yards out.  The two-point conversion was no good.  LG 36, FE 14, 1:57 3rd

- Chris Boucher connected with Dylan White for the lone passing touchdown of the game, when White ran the ball 16 yards after the two-yard pass in for the touchdown.  Fort Edward's two-point conversion came up short. LG 36, FE 20, 11:50 4th

- Tyler Brown was driving the Lake George Warriors into position, however an ill pass found Fort Edward's Ryan Collier, who ran the near sideline for the pick-six score. The ensuing failed two-point conversion resulted in the Flying Forts still down by two scores. LG 36, FE 26, 5:25 4th

- Lake George maintained possession as they drove the ball into the Red Zone, but the clock ran out as the Lake George Warriors held on for the win.  LG 36, FE 26, FINAL

STATS:
LAKE GEORGE:
Rushing: Tyler Brown - 17-189y 5TD; Thomas Clark - 22-106y; Brett Parsons - 2- (-3y); Bryan Kane - 1-3y

Passing: Tyler Brown - 2/4, 45y 1INT

Receiving: Dylan Bachem - 1-25y; Pat Mellon - 1-20y

FORT EDWARD:
Rushing: Nate Burkhardt - 15-128y, 2TD; Chris Boucher - 5-8y; Ryan Collier - 2-4y; Dylan White - 1-0y; Brian Fletcher - 1- (-1y)

Passing: Chris Boucher - 6/11, 54y, 1TD, 2INT; Ryan Collier - 1/1, 44y

Receiving: Dylan White - 3-74y, 1TD; Zack Singleton - 2-13y; Nate Burkhardt - 2-11y

Please note: Stats are unofficial and are those we kept up in our radio booth.  These stats should be used only for informational purposes and not for official record-keeping purposes.

High School Week 5: Let's get ready for the weekend!

Time to see what we've learned as we roll closer to Sectionals.

CLASS AA
SCORES:
Guilderland 29, Shenendehowa 22
Saratoga 45, Bethlehem 14
CBA 42, Ballston Spa 0
Albany 34, Fowler (Section III) 16
Schenectady 34, Colonie 28
La Salle 41, Niskayuna 14
Shaker 35, Columbia 0

Analysis: Guilderland is now the lone undefeated team in Class AA after beating Shenendehowa.  But they cannot celebrate a divisional title just yet, as they finish the season with games against CBA (4-1) and Saratoga Springs (4-1).  A loss to either of those teams could help other teams vying for a title, including the team they lost to.

Shenendehowa faces Saratoga Springs this week, but gets to finish the season hosting Bethlehem.  Of the three 4-1 teams in the division, they have the easiest schedule, as both Saratoga Springs and CBA have two 4-1 teams to finish their seasons.

After Guilderland this week, CBA will finish their season with a non-divisional game against 4-1 LaSalle.   Meanwhile, congratulations to Albany, who won their first game of the season over Section 3's Fowler.   The win's nice, but Albany's two wins the last couple years have come against teams not in Section 2's Class AA. Last year's win that ended a couple dozen straight losses was to Class A's South Glens Falls.

In the Liberty division, Shaker is undefeated in divisional play, but 4-1 after their loss to Guilderland the other week.  They face Schenectady this week in a rematch of the Sectional Semifinals last year where Schenectady appeared to score the game-tying touchdown with seconds left in the game, but the referees ruled he was down before crossing the plane.  Then Shaker finishes the season with the Colonie Cup at Colonie High.

LaSalle has a 4-1 record, with their one loss being against division-leading Shaker.  That gives Shaker the tiebreaker should LaSalle and Shaker finish on even ground record-wise.  LaSalle will play Colonie this week as Colonie tries to save their divisional title hopes.

GAME(S) TO WATCH:
Shenendehowa (4-1) at Saratoga Springs (4-1): Both teams need a win to give themselves a chance for the divisional title, both a game behind Guilderland.  The battle for playoff seedings will emphasize this year's rivalry between these two teams separated by 15 miles.

Guilderland (5-0) at CBA (4-1): CBA wants to stay in the discussion for the divisional title, and Guilderland wants to keep themselves ahead of the pack heading into their season-ending match against the Blue Streaks.

Schenectady (3-2) at Shaker (4-1): Schenectady returns to the scene of their Sectional Semifinal loss last year as noted above, but come into this game clinging onto the final playoff spot of the Liberty division.   Beating the Blue Bison will not only give them gratification for last year, but will help keep them in position to make the playoffs after it appeared two weeks ago like they were going to miss this year.

CLASS A
SCORES:
Queensbury 48, Amsterdam 28
Burnt Hills 60, South Glens Falls 14
Gloversville 49, Bishop Maginn 14
Averill Park 40, Mohonasen 13
Troy 28, Ravena (B) 14, final

Analysis: Queensbury's 48-28 win over the Rugged Rams guarantees the Spartans of the #1 seed in the Northwest Division.  The Spartans play a non-divisional game against Class AA's Columbia this Friday, and then wraps up the season with Gloversville next week.  That means the Spartans can do no worse than 3-1 in the division, and should they find themselves on equal footing with either Burnt Hills or Amsterdam, Queensbury has the tie-breaker, having beat both teams.

Burnt Hills and Amsterdam enter Week 6 with one divisional loss each, but it's guaranteed that one of those two teams will suffer their second divisional loss this week as the two teams face each other at Burnt Hills.

Both Gloversville and South Glens Falls are winless in the division, and will square off with each other.   The only chance South Glens Falls has to make the playoffs is to beat Gloversville, otherwise they will travel to Amsterdam next week already out.

In the Southeast, Troy and Averil Park square off this Friday with the division up for grabs.  Both teams are undefeated in divisional play, with Troy bouncing back nicely from their first two games of the season with wins against Amsterdam and Class B's Ravena.

GAME(S) TO WATCH:
Amsterdam (3-2) at Burnt Hills (4-1): The difference between playing at home or away in Week 8 is up for grabs when these two Super Bowl finalists from last year meet in Burnt Hills on Saturday. The winner of this game will be guaranteed the #2 seed, and will host the Southeast Division's #3 seed, likely Bishop Maginn, in the Sectional Quarterfinals.  The loser will likely find themselves to be the #3 seed, and will have to travel to either Troy or Averil Park.

Troy (3-2) at Averil Park (4-1): The Southeast is up for grabs when these two teams meet this Friday. Troy has bounced back from their back-to-back losses to both Spartans to kick off the 2013 season. Averil Park's lone loss was non-divisional as well, with Amsterdam claiming victory over the Warriors in a game where 100 total points were scored.

In addition, the bottom rungs of the ladder will get sorted when the Bishop Maginn Griffins (1-4) travel to Mohonasen (1-4), and Gloversville (2-3) tries to spoil South Glens Falls's (0-5) homecoming this weekend.  All four teams are winless in divisional play. For South Glens Falls, this may be their last chance to make the playoffs, with the Amsterdam Rugged Rams waiting in Week #7.

CLASS B
SCORES:
Cohoes 38, Green Tech 14
Lansingburgh 48, Hudson 14
Broadalbin-Perth 34, Glens Falls 18
Johnstown 35, Hudson Falls 7
Albany Academy 47, Ichabod Crane 0
Scotia 34, Schuylerville 6
Schalmont 27, Cobleskill 0

Analysis: The Reinfurt division is a mess, and that mess makes for some great drama for these closing two weeks.  There are FIVE teams wielding a 3-2 record after Week 5, and THREE of them carry a lone loss in divisional play. Cohoes, Ravena and Lansingburgh are those three single-loss teams, and one of those three is guaranteed to get their second divisional loss this week when Ravena and Lansingburgh meet.   Cohoes travels to Hudson.

But Albany Academy and Green Tech are still in the hunt. Albany Academy will watch and see what their divisional opponents do on Friday night before going on a road trip to Section 3's Jamesville-Dewitt on Saturday.  Green Tech will be in Valatie this week to face Ichabod Crane.

Week 7 will be interesting, with four of these five top teams facing each other. Albany Academy will face Lansingburgh to conclude their season, and Green Tech hosts Ravena.

Meanwhile, Glens Falls's playoff chances took a bad turn with their 34-18 loss to Broadalbin-Perth in a game where they allowed 27 unanswered points after leading 18-7 in the 2nd Quarter.  The Indians aren't out, but their loss combined with Scotia's 34-6 loss to Schuylerville places the Indians in 5th place.  Since the Indians and the Tartans meet next week, a win this week will make next week's match a "Win and you're in" game for the two.

But the Tartans are playing good football right now, and faces a Cobleskill team that was shut out by the Schalmont Sabres. A win by Scotia coupled by a Jug Game loss by the Indians would decrease the importance of next week's game, as the Indians will then find themselves out for the first time since 1998.

Schalmont has clinched the division's #1 seed, and face Johnstown and Hudson Falls to conclude their season. Johnstown still has a chance at the playoffs, but first needs to find a way to stop the Sabres, and second need some help as they do not have the tie-breaker over Scotia.  The Tigers, with last week's loss, are out and will be playing for team pride these next two weeks.

GAME(S) TO WATCH:
Lansingburgh (3-2) at Ravena (3-2): Every game in the Reinfurt matters, and the winner of this game gets a leg up heading into the final week.  Both are tied for the top spot in the division, both regular-season record and divisional record.  And with both teams facing fellow 3-2 record-holders next week to wrap up the season, having that momentum will be critical.

CLASS C
SCORES:
Corinth 25, Tamarac 23
Granville 56, Catholic Central 0
Hoosick Falls 35, Stillwater 0
Mechanicville 54, Cairo-Durham 14
Chatham 44, Fonda 14
Voorheesville 34, Taconic Hills 6
Watervliet 56, Coxsackie 14

Analysis: If you were waiting to see any other team besides Hoosick Falls and Chatham step up as favorites to play in Week 10, you're running out of chances.  Both teams rolled, leaving them as the last undefeated teams in Class C.

Corinth would have been undefeated had they not suffered that Week 2 loss to Granville.  The Tomahawks will have a tough schedule to finish the regular season - Friday vs. Mechanicville and next Friday against Hoosick Falls.

Fonda was the last major obstacle for Chatham and they easily disposed of them with a 44-14 victory.   Watervliet gave themselves the edge should they and Coxsackie-Athens tie for the 4th and final playoff spot, as their 56-14 win gives them the tiebreaker.

GAME(S) TO WATCH:
Mechanicville (4-1) at Corinth (4-1): The first of two big tests for the Tomahawks begin this evening as they host Mechanicville.  Both carry a 3-1 divisional record, and should Mechanicville win, it will officially clinch the #1 seed for the Hoosick Falls Panthers.  However, a Corinth win will make next Friday's home game against the Panthers a whole lot more interesting, with first place on the line.

CLASS D
SCORES:
Cambridge 46, Bishop Gibbons/Spa Catholic 0
Greenwich 42, Whitehall 7
Warrensburg 26, Lake George 24
Canajoharie 40, Schoburg 0
Rensselaer 0, Hoosic Valley forfeit
Fort Edward 0, Salem forfeit

Analysis: The North is pretty much settled at the top.  Greenwich's 42-7 win over the Whitehall Railroaders gives them the edge.  Now all they have to do is to win at Warrensburg this Saturday and they will have clinched the #1 seed. The Burgers season looked like it was in trouble after their 53-0 loss to Salem in week three, but Coach Mike Leonbruno has done a good job getting the team settled as they rebounded nicely with wins at Fort Edward and last week's huge last-second win over the Lake George Warriors.

Whitehall and Warrensburg will settle that #2 and #3 seed in Week 7 (12:45PM on 1230 FOX Sports Radio), and Salem and Fort Edward are tied right now for that final position. The forfeit win for the Flying Forts was something they'd prefer to earn on the field, but that forfeit keeps them in the playoff chase as they host Lake George this weekend (12:45PM on 1230 FOX Sports Radio).

Meanwhile, the south's #1 will get decided this week when Rensselaer faces Cambridge.  Last year the two schools met on neutral field after extended periods of rain forced the game to be moved from Cambridge to Stillwater.  In that game, Cambridge rolled to an early lead on their way to claiming the #1 seed, but showed some vulnerabilities late that would come back to haunt them in their Week 9 loss to Salem.

Canajoharie's 40-0 win over Schoburg gives them the edge for the #3 seed, but still could find themselves propelled to the #2 seed should Rensselaer lose back-to-back games to close their regular season, as the two teams meet in Week 7.  Schoburg can clinch the last spot this week with a win over Bishop Gibbons/Spa Catholic, and they're going to want to do it this week as they face Cambridge to close the season next week.

GAME(S) TO WATCH:
Cambridge (5-0) at Rensselaer (5-0): As mentioned above, this game settles who will be the #1 seed come Week 8.  If Rensselaer wins, it will settle both the 1 and 2 seeds, as Cambridge already has the win over Canajoharie for the tiebreaker, but if Cambridge wins, it will make next week's Rensselaer vs. Canajoharie game a battle for a home-field seed.

In addition, the Whitehall (3-2) vs. Salem (2-3) and Greenwich (4-1) vs. Warrensburg (2-3) games bear watching. A loss by the Witches in the shadows of the Adirondacks will make things interesting in Class D North. A win by the Generals will put more pressure on the Lake George/Fort Edward match.

OVERALL:
There's a lot of football still to be played. Most teams are still in the hunt, but those who aren't are still fighting for pride.  Buckle up... it's going to be a wild two weeks.

High School Football - Week 1 in Review

New faces, new places.

That seemed to be the theme as the High School Football season opened up with a full slate of games on Friday and Saturday, as new faces replaced the familiar faces we got to know over the course of the 13 weeks last year, and coaches found their clipboards in new places.

John Bowen comes to mind here.  The frontman for the Ballston Spa Scotties for many years, he found his clipboard in Schuylerville, where he replaced veteran head coach Greg O'Connor during the offseason.  With a new group of kids, some having not played a varsity game all season, it was a question whether or not the Black Horses could match strides with the Hudson Falls Tigers, who have returning talent on both sides of the football.

Surprise of the Week: Schuylerville 30, Hudson Falls 7 - The Hudson Falls Tigers took advantage of a turnover to put 7 up on the board in the 1st Quarter, but then the young squad in Schuylerville settled down and scored the next 30 points as the Black Horses looked as powerful as last year's squad that made it to the Class B Sectional Semifinals.  Geno Brancati of the Hudson Falls Tigers led the rushing attack for the Tigers, getting 56 yards on 17 carries and scored the lone touchdown in the 1st Quarter. Josh Thomas was big for the Black Horses, pounding 163 yards on 22 carries on his way to 3 visits to the end zone.  Will Griffen also had a century game, getting 109 yards on 14 carries.

Disappointment of the Week: Schalmont 51, Glens Falls 0 - It's a disappointment only in the sense that you were hoping for better things from the Glens Falls Indians after last season's run.  But one problem exists.  Devon Willis remains with the Schalmont Sabres.  The All-Star Running Back ran for 1,500 yards last year and is expected to meet or break that figure this year.  He's off to a good start after running for 106 yards.  Dalton Cooke was dangerous behind the Center, throwing for 248 yards, including 3 touchdowns.  Zack Infield, who was playing his first game under Center, threw for 35 yards on 4 for 7 passing.

Game of the Week: Cambridge 34, Greenwich 28 - Nothing like starting off your season with a rival.  That's how Cambridge and Greenwich started the season, playing each other in a rematch of a classic that went to overtime last year.  Most of the game saw the trailer behind by only a single possession, which the largest lead coming at 10:16 left in the 2nd Quarter when Greenwich drove to a 9 point lead.  The key moment of the game came following Greenwich's tying touchdown, when Cambridge was able to take advantage of great field position after Caleb Roland's 55 yard kickoff return, and took the lead for good.

Impressed Performance of the Week: Queensbury's Defense.  The Troy Flying Horses was stocked with talent, with Maurice Jones and Rayshawn Johnson both dangerous when they carried the ball.  For much of the first half, the Troy Flying Horses were unable to penetrate the rich Queensbury Defense until Joe Germinerio's two-minute drill attack of passes and runs brought the Flying Horses to the Queensbury 6.  But the drive would end with an incomplete pass, allowing Queensbury to have a two-possession lead at the half.   In addition, the defense forced two key fumbles that helped put points on the board for the Spartans.  The defense gave up 22 points, but never the lead, as the Queensbury Spartans would prevail 40-22.

No Vulnerabilities here: Two State Champions looked really good this weekend, increasing the likelihood of both teams repeating, at the very least, at the Sectional level.  Burnt Hills dismantled a Lansingburgh team that last year won the Reinfurt division of Class B, with their 69-25 Friday night victory, as 6 different Spartans found the end zone.  Anthony Walker helped the Knights with two touchdown runs of 79 yards and 52 yards, but was kept quiet otherwise.  Meanwhile, the Hoosick Falls Panthers were in good shape to shut out Tamarac, but a turnover in the 4th quarter led to Dan Motzer scoring the lone points as the Panthers won 49-7.  Brandon Hodges crossed the plane four times, his largest being a 46 yard run in the 3rd Quarter.

What to listen for - Week #2: Burnt Hills at Troy, FRI 7PM - This game could become a preview of Week 10, the Class A Super Bowl.  But first, the Troy Flying Horses will need to calm down after their Week 1 loss to the Queensbury Spartans.  Last year, the Flying Horses won and provided the Burnt Hills Spartans with their only loss of the season, but neither team is wanting to look at the past as an indication of how the future will play.

In addition, this weekend will give us the first looks at Fort Edward and Salem in Class D.  Both teams had to sit out their first game after forfeiting due to player count issues, so week 2 is the first time we will get to see either the Flying Forts or the Generals play.  Both teams have talent, and if they can keep their small rosters healthy, could be one of the 8 teams contending for the Class D title towards the end of October.  Salem opens their season with a road game at Hoosic Valley, who took a tough loss against a decent Whitehall team last week.  Fort Edward has a tougher trip this week, heading down to play defending Class D titleholders Rensselaer.

We're going to be back at Queensbury High as the Queensbury Spartans play the Bishop Maginn Griffins.  Both teams are 1-0 after the Griffins put away the South Glens Falls Bulldogs 18-8.  Joe Grasso had an inexperienced group of kids last year as the Griffins went 1-8, but feels things will be better this year as he's been impressed how the work ethic of his players have been during preseason camp.

Neiko Bianchino was a key player on the Griffins last week, throwing for over 125 yards and scoring two 3rd Quarter touchdowns.  Jaushiir Weaver rushed for a touchdown too for the Griffins.