Analyzing: What we've covered so far...

We are three weeks into the new season of Section 2 High School Football.

Some teams we've seen have emerged to be teams to watch this season.  However, some have elements they need to work on as they continue their 2018 campaign.

Here's some observations from the eight teams I've covered so far in the 2018 season:

Week 1: Mohonasen 28, South Glens Falls 6
Mohonasen - The Mohonasen Warriors won their week 1 match against the South Glens Falls Bulldogs but it was an extremely sloppy game that didn't feel inspiring, especially when you compare how the two teams look at this time of the season.  Especially when countless players went down with cramp issues during the second half of a game that just seemed to drag on.  The Warriors defense got exposed in Week 2 when they gave up 62 points to the Queensbury Spartans, as the Spartans tied a school recorded for points scored.  Jared Stillson has emerged into a player to watch, and while we enjoyed the work Harrison Ford did against the South Glens Falls Bulldog offense on opening night, two players do not complete a eleven man roster. 

South Glens Falls - On a damp night that included a rain shower midway through the first quarter, the Bulldogs looked flat.  Connor Bovair worked well with the passing game for the Bulldogs for the first 9 attempts, going 6-for-9 and scoring a touchdown on the first drive of the game.  But his reliance on the passing game broke apart as the rains began to fall, and without a reliable run game, hampered by graduation, the passing game started becoming predictable for the Warrior defense.  Plus the moisture made the ball harder to grip and resulted in several dropped passes. 

Lake George/Hadley-Luzerne 28, Warrensburg 12
Lake George/Hadley-Luzerne: The War Eagles were slow to get going, but Michael Johnson gave Lake George/Hadley-Luzerne the lead for good when he passed to Logan Duers from 45 yards back.  With Johnson out with cramp issues, the War Eagles showed that they have depth on their roster as Cole Clarke was able to lead the offense in Johnson's absence.  The War Eagles have several weapons on offense, and if they can tighten up their defense, the War Eagles could make things interesting in a competitive Class C North.

Warrensburg: Warrensburg looks good as well, but they didn't have the weapons on defense to slow down the War Eagles when they got going.  Plus, without a strong kicking game, the Burghers gave up good field position to the War Eagles on several occasions, which led to points.  The lack of a strong kicking game won't hurt the Burghers in divisional matches for the most part, but field position can make the difference in key games.

Week 2: Whitehall 33, Fort Edward 20
Whitehall: Whitehall moved the ball well, taking advantage of miscues from the Flying Forts as the Railroaders scored 33 straight points before the Flying Forts were able to answer back with 14 points in the 4th quarter.  The ability to use two different quarterbacks means Rich Gould's playbook is more open than some teams in our area, allowing for some possible option plays between Brandon Bakerian and Moore.  Jake Moore is a specialist for the Railroaders, and will be a player to watch no matter where on offense he lines up.  With the absence of Greenwich and Cambridge from Class D this season, Whitehall seems to be in a very good spot to take Class D, and will be in for a great test to see how strong the team truly is when they host Lake George this week.

Fort Edward: This team doesn't give up.  They're not completely at a level where they can compete with the top teams on the standings, but they will have a decent chance to win a game or two as this season progresses.  Colby Phillips is mixing up the pass and run, and part of that mixing it up was what helped lead to points against the Railroaders.  His accuracy isn't quite there yet, as there were some hard misses to Cameron Sullivan and Brody Sullivan during the course of the game, but the fact that he does this stretches the opponent's defense and keeps them guessing.  There are several seniors on this roster but if these guys are able to restock on the JV level next fall, it'll be fun to see how much Phillips and Brody Sullivan grow.

Week 3: Granville 28, Greenwich 10
Granville: The Golden Horde are starting to emerge out of the basement.  They might not be quite there yet -- this Saturday's game against Cambridge will determine just how much John Irion has progressed with his team.  Nick Andrus has adapted to the John Irion system that results in quick hand-offs pretty well, and has shown a little of his passing game too in the last couple of weeks.  Taylor Bourne can work his feet well and used it to escape some failed tackles by the Greenwich D.  But one of the biggest workhorses for the Golden Horde is Logan Swain, a 200+ pound fullback who moves the pile as he runs, collecting five yard pickups that helps keep the playbook wide open when it comes to second and third down. 

Greenwich: It is so weird seeing the Witches at 0-3 after the success the program has had over the last five or so years.  Some of the issue is the defense, which allowed the Golden Horde to catch fire in the second half.  Plus Jesse Kuzmitch has not equaled his predecessors at the quarterback position just yet.  And that was part of the Witches success over the past several years, a solid passing game that opened the door for a running game that kept defenses guessing.  Kuzmitch is not bad, he is just missing a step or two that would allow the Witches to open up their playbook.  Chris Albrecht gives the Witches an option not a lot of teams have, a kicker who can put points on the board if the Witches have a hard time pounding it in while near the red zone, as his 32 yard field goal showcased on Saturday. 

Thoughts about the 2017 Buffalo Bills Season

On Sunday, the Buffalo Bills season came to an end as the Jacksonville Jaguars won in the NFL Wild Card game 10-3.

The first season which Buffalo tasted the playoffs in this millennium, is done at 9-8.

It was a season of highs and lows, with the highest of highs coming 5 minutes after their game against the Miami Dolphins when Cincinnati punched the Bills ticket into the playoff with the 49 yard touchdown toss to beat and eliminate the Baltimore Ravens.

It paired the Buffalo Bills with another team not known for success lately, the Jacksonville Jaguars.  One of these two teams was going to lose that label on a cold day in North Florida.

It wasn't the Bills.

The Bills looked flat throughout the game.  The defense was the reason why the team had a chance, but even the defense was a reason why the Jags had a 10-3 lead.

Because they couldn't stop Blake Bortles on the scramble.  Scramble once for a good gain as a quarterback you don't expect to run, that's on the other team.  But the second scramble that led to the touchdown, and the third to help seal things, that's on the Buffalo defense that never considered Bortles as a running threat.

On the other side of the ball, the Buffalo Bills offense looked lifeless.  Part because of the Jacksonville Jaguars defense that has been nicknamed "Sacksonville" at times during the season.  But a lot of this has to do with Tyrod Taylor.  Taylor is just not a competitive quarterback in the NFL level, and his performance in the wild card game is an example of it.

Tyrod Taylor

17/37

134 YDS

0TD

1INT

2 Sacks

44.2 QB Rating

Those numbers just won't cut it in the NFL.

It's a comment that callers have been making to the Bills flagship station, WGR 550AM, for years.  That the Buffalo Bills need a quality quarterback to help their team grow.

We'll address this comment shortly.  First, we need to draw upon some points from the 2017 season.

1.  The Bills Got Lucky

First, this has to be said.  The Buffalo Bills were lucky to make the playoffs, and they knew it.  The way they made the playoffs was one example of this, but you have to look at the season as a whole for the true showcase.

The AFC was weaker this year.  As a whole, the conference was 25-39 against the NFC.  The New York Jets and the Cleveland Browns were winless, and seven other teams out of the fourteen remaining teams had a 1-3 record.  That means nine out of the sixteen teams in the AFC had a losing record against the other conference, and no team swept their four non-conference matchups. 

That's a big reason why the Bills 9-6 record was good enough to make the playoffs, whereas in the NFC, teams with 8 wins entering the final week of play were already eliminated from postseason contention, as the Falcons needed to reach the 10 win plateau in order to play in January. 

The Bills are also, for once, got a benefit from playing in the AFC East.  The tiebreaker that earned the Bills the playoff spot was strength of schedule.  The AFC East had to play the NFC South this year, a division that saw three teams make the playoffs.  The division, as a whole, was 37-27.  The Baltimore Ravens, the team they were tied with for the final playoff spot after the Los Angeles Chargers were considered out based on their 6-6 conference record, had to play the NFC North.  While having Minnesota on the calendar helped, the division as a whole was slightly weaker, at 34-30.  Having the 0-16 Cleveland Browns twice on the schedule weighed down the Baltimore Ravens.

2. Three losses that should of sunk the Bills

The Buffalo Bills lost seven games this season.  Two of those seven were against the New England Patriots, and we know how they turned out.  New Orleans was a loss against another good team in the Saints.  The Panthers game was a game that the Bills should of won, but couldn't muster the offense to win in the end, as the Panthers were vulnerable in Week 2.

But the Bills suffered three losses during the course of the season that should of wrecked their season.  And they are losses that if the Bills were to miss the playoffs, we would look back and say those were the games that made the difference. 

They are:
Week 5 @ Cincinnati
Week 9 @ New York Jets
Week 11 @ Los Angeles Charges

The team that helped get them into the playoffs was the team the Bills should have beat in Week 5 to establish a 4-1 record as they moved towards the meat of their schedule.  Then, the Thursday Night Football dud the Bills exhibited against the Jets in Week 9, and the less we say about the Nathan Peterman experiment in Week 11 out on the West Coast, the better.

In fact, that loss against the Cincinnati Bengals was the sole reason why Baltimore was able to surpass the Buffalo Bills on the Playoff Picture on Christmas Eve.  The four common opponent tiebreaker leaned in Baltimore's edge with their win over Indianapolis Colts, the tipping scale being Cincinnati.

3. One win that shouldn't of been

Knowing what we know now, the Week 3 win at home against the Denver Broncos was less attractive than it was back then.  But it was the win the following week down in Atlanta that turned out to be the most attractive win the Bills had throughout the season.

And it could of played out much differently. 

Down 23-17 in the closing minute of the game, the Atlanta Falcons faced a 3rd and 1 at the Buffalo 10 yard line, and then rattled off a pair of incomplete passes to ensure victory for the Bills in a game where Matt Ryan was missing Julius Jones due to hip injury.  The Falcons also turned it over three times, twice on Micha Hyde picks and once on a lost fumble by the Falcons QB.  It was the one win where you felt like the Bills were handed a golden-wrapped gift all season, which helps to counter one of the bad losses the Bills suffered through the season.

4. The Snow Bowl

The Indianapolis/Buffalo game in December could be summarized as being in the eye of the storm that was a tough stretch where the Bills had to face off against a streaky Kansas City, and a pair of games against both the Dolphins and the Patriots.

Who knew the literal figure would become reality, as the Bills played one of the most entertaining, most exhilarating games this season in the midst of winter's fury along Lake Erie.  People tuned to the game to watch the game unfold while the snow presented challenges for camera and field crews alike. 

The Bills wound up winning the game in overtime on McCoy's touchdown run, electrifying the Bills season down the final stretch against Miami and New England. 

5. Remember what people were saying before the season

The 2017 season shouldn't of been this memorable for Buffalo.

Right after the Bills shipped off Sammy Watkins off to Los Angeles during the preseason, it was common perception that the Buffalo Bills were going to tank the season, playing for a spot ... in the 2018 NFL Draft. 

The 1st game of the season was referred to as the "Tank Bowl" by some when the Bills played host to the New York Jets, another team that was rumored to be tanking their way through the 2017 season.  It was a battle of two teams playing to lose.  Buffalo came out the winners in that game, but for some analysts, the Jets were the bigger winner for setting their future up.

Little did we know three weeks later the Bills would be sporting a 3-1 record, and fifteen weeks later, would still be in playoff contention.

In Summary: The Buffalo Bills first playoff appearance in 18 seasons was one fans weren't expecting.  While it's great that the Buffalo Bills were able to finally snap the streak, the Bills need to work on some things heading into 2018 and beyond.

First, the Buffalo Bills need a quarterback that they can depend on to make the big plays and launch the two minute drive fans were longing for in their playoff loss to Jacksonville.  Tyrod Taylor's got leg power, but he's not known to be a quarterback to go deep on. 

But the quarterback needs some help.  A dependable wide receiver down the field could be nice.  Either way, the Buffalo Bills are armed with back-to-back first round picks thanks to their trade with the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2017 draft, so they could either stock their team with those two picks or use it as leverage to trade up in the draft. 

The future's looking less cloudy in Buffalo.

Thanks for taking the ride with us through this 2017 season, and hoping that you can join us for the 2018 ride starting in August with the preseason games.

RECAP: Deflected Pass Helps Lead Panthers to Week 1 Victory

LAKE GEORGE - It took 20 minutes before the first points of the game, but they came wildly.

For the Hadley-Luzerne/Lake George WarEagles, a Hoosick Falls Panthers turnover turned into 6 points when Michael Johnson connected with Chris Becker for a 3 yard touchdown pass with just over two minutes to play in the half.

But Hoosick Falls answered back in one of the most unpredictable ways, as a Sam Richard pass to Jeffrey Vincent was finger-tipped into the hands of teammate Nick Giordano, who had all but one WarEagle beat when he caught the pass, and powered past for the 70 yard touchdown score.

Both extra point attempts were missed, resulting in a 6-6 halftime score.

With the ball to begin the third quarter, Hoosick Falls would pull ahead for good, scoring with a touchdown run by Drew Hoag to give the Panthers the 13-6 lead.

It would be a score that would last until the final whistle.

Several attempts by the WarEagles to draw even fizzled, either by punt or by a fumble (in Hoosick Falls territory).  One final attempt by the WarEagles to draw even resulted in a turnover of downs, and the Panthers would be able to drain the clock to give them the first win of the season.

Hoosick Falls will be on the road next Friday to face the Corinth Tomahawks.  The WarEagles hit the road and will play the Braves of Fonda-Fultonville.

PLAYER OF THE GAME:
For every game we are broadcasting on FOX Sports Radio 97.9/1230, we are going to designate a player who we felt was the most important player in that team's victory.  For this game, that designation goes to Sam Richard, who passed for over 200 yards, including that 70 yard touchdown toss in the 2nd quarter.  While he had two interceptions, his offensive power will be fun to watch as the season progresses for the Hoosick Falls Panthers.

Week 7's Games to Watch

Here's the games this week that have major playoff implications:

CLASS AA
Shenendehowa at Guilderland - Fri, 7PM

Even with 3-1 divisional records, neither team can beat Saratoga Springs for the top spot in the Empire Division, as the Blue Streaks have the head-to-head advantage over either team.  But the winner of this game will be assured a home date next week.  The loser takes to the road as the #3 seed.

Columbia at Bethlehem - Fri, 7PM

Columbia has clinched a playoff spot by virtue of their 3-1 division record.  However, Bethlehem has not.  A win will clinch a playoff spot, and very well could boost the Eagles into the #2 seed depending on what happens over in La Salle.

CLASS A
Queensbury at Green Tech - Fri, 7PM

If Queensbury wins, they will get to host next Saturday as the #2 seed. If they lose, then they'll be watching the South Glens Falls game closely on Saturday, as the Bulldogs could tie the two teams with a win over Gloversville.

Mohonasen at Averill Park - Fri, 7PM

Both teams should make the playoffs, based on a head-to-head win over Bishop Maginn, who is the last team standing in the Southeast.  But the two teams will be fighting hard here, as the loser of this game will likely have to make a trip to Burnt Hills next Friday.

CLASS B
Glens Falls at Hudson Falls - Sat, 1:30PM

Not only is this the rivalry Jug Game, but it's with major playoff implications.  The two teams are already in the playoffs, but the winner of this game will be the #2 seed in the B-West and will get to host next week.  The loser, however, has a date at either Ravena or Schalmont next week.

Schalmont at Ravena - Fri, 7PM

Speaking of these two teams, both teams will make the playoffs and will get to host next week.  The winner of this game will clinch the Reinfurt Division #1 seed, the loser will be the #2 seed.

Broadalbin-Perth at Johnstown - Fri, 7PM
Hudson at Albany Academy - Sat, 1:30PM

The two games are both win and you're in games.  The winner of the Broadalbin-Perth/Johnstown game will be presented with a trip to either Schalmont or Ravena next week.  And likewise, the winner of the Hudson/Albany Academy game on Saturday will be spending next Friday night in Schuylerville.

CLASS C
Greenwich at Hoosick Falls - Fri, 7PM

After six straight Section 2 championships, the Hoosick Falls Panthers are in danger of missing the 2015 Class C Playoffs.  While the weight of the North Division could help them, that Week 1 loss to Hoosic Valley could hurt them, especially if they put together a poor showing against the Greenwich Witches Friday night.  Greenwich's guaranteed the North Division's top spot, and could help assure themselves of a #1 seed with a win.

Fonda at Coxsackie-Athens - Sat, 1PM

The two teams have already clinched their spots in the upcoming playoffs, but the difference between definitely hosting next week and playing on the road will be settled here.  The winner gets the division and one of the top 3 seeds in the playoffs, the loser will be seeded either 4th, 5th or 6th.

CLASS D
Whitehall at Cambridge - Sat, 1PM

Just like last year, these two teams will meet up to settle the last remaining unbeaten team in Class D.  And as a gift left by the Section 2 scheduling committee, they left it for last.  The winner of this game will take the #1 seed into Week 9.

Canajoharie at Rensselaer - Fri, 7PM

Canajoharie will take the #3 seed with a win.  But a Rensselaer win coupled with a Warrensburg win on Saturday will result in a tie for the final playoff spot, which quarter points may be needed to determine the teams moving onto the playoffs.

High School Football: Standings w/Week 7 Schedule

Hard to believe we're already at the final week of the regular season in Section 2 Football.  Many teams have clinched, some of those have already settled their Week 8 plans to be at home, but there's still many other things to be determined during the final week.

Below the jump are the current standings and the Week 7 schedule for all our Section 2 teams.

Football Schedule Changes

A couple opponents have filled their open game slots that were left by Fort Edward's decision not to field a varsity squad in 2015.

Lake George's new Athletic Director, Kyle Manny, confirms to FOX Sports Radio 1230 that the Lake George/Hadley-Luzurne War Eagles will play Section 1's Haldane Blue Devils on Friday, October 17th.  The game, which was originally a home game for Lake George, will instead be played at the neutral site of Dietz Stadium in Kingston.

To offset the loss of the home game, which would otherwise leave the War Eagles with only two home games in 2015, Lake George/Hadley-Luzurne will now host the Greenwich Witches on Week 4 instead of travel.  The game will still be played underneath the lights on Friday night, and will serve as Lake George's senior night.

Greenwich will be reduced to three home games after the swap.

In addition, according to the Section 9 Schedules, Warrensburg's replacement for Week 3 will be Millbrook.  The Millbrook Blazers, which come from central Dutchess County, will travel to Warrensburg for a 1PM game on Saturday, September 19th.

This change has yet to be confirmed to FOX Sports Radio 1230 by Warrensburg's Athletic Director, Scott Smith.

Week 11: NYSPHSAA Regional Football Schedule

Tonight kicks off the State Regionals (Quarterfinals) weekend, as the field in all five classifications works down to the four teams that will be playing in Kingston (Eastern Semifinals) and Rochester (Western Semifinals) next weekend.

Here, courtesy of Pete Tobey and the Post-Star, is the schedule for this weekend's games.

Number to the left of the team represents the section they are representing.

CLASS AA
2-Shenendehowa (10-0) vs. 1-John Jay-East Fishkill (9-1) - Saturday, 7PM at Dietz Stadium, Kingston
9-Newburgh Free Academy (8-2) - Bye

Eastern Semis: Saturday, November 22nd at 7PM at Dietz Stadium, Kingston

4-Corning (9-1) vs 3-Henninger (10-0) - Saturday, 3PM at Cicero-North Syracuse High School
5-Victor (9-1) vs. 6-Jamestown (9-1) - Saturday, 6PM at All High Stadium, Buffalo

Western Semis: Saturday, November 22nd at 6PM at Sahlen's Stadium, Rochester

CLASS A
2-Queensbury (10-0) vs. 10-Massena (5-4) - Friday, 7PM at Potsdam High School
9-Cornwall (10-0) vs. 1-Rye (9-1) - Saturday, Noon at Mahopac High School

Eastern Semis: Friday, November 21st at 8PM at Dietz Stadium, Kingston

4-Union-Endicott (3-6) vs. 3-Indian River (10-0) - Friday, 7PM at Cicero-North Syracuse High School
5-Irondequoit (7-3) vs. 6-Sweet Home (9-1) - Friday, 8PM at All High Stadium, Buffalo

Western Semis: Friday, November 21st at 8PM at Sahlen's Stadium, Rochester

CLASS B
7-Peru (10-0) vs. 2-Schalmont (10-0) - Friday, 7PM at Shenendehowa High School, Clifton Park
1-Our Lady of Lourdes (8-1) vs. 9-Marlboro (8-2) - Friday, 7PM at Dietz Stadium, Kingston

Eastern Semis: Saturday, November 22nd at 3PM at Dietz Stadium, Kingston

4-Maine-Endwell (10-0) vs. 3-Homer (10-0) - Saturday, 6PM at Cicero-North Syracuse High School
5-Batavia (9-1) vs. 6-Cheektowaga (8-2) - Saturday, 3PM at All High Stadium, Buffalo

Western Semis: Saturday, November 22nd at 3PM at Sahlen's Stadium, Rochester

CLASS C
2-Hoosick Falls (10-0) vs. 7-Saranac Lake (9-1) - Saturday, 1PM at AuSable Valley High School
9-Millbrook (7-2) vs. 1-Woodlands (4-4) - Saturday, 3:30PM at Mahopac High School

Eastern Semis: Saturday, November 22nd at 11AM at Dietz Stadium, Kingston

4-Chenango Forks (9-1) vs. 3-Utica-Notre Dame (9-1) - Saturday, Noon at Cicero-North Syracuse High School
5-LeRoy (10-0) vs. 6-Maple Grove/Chautauqua Lake (10-0) - Saturday, Noon at All High Stadium, Buffalo

Western Semis: Saturday, November 22nd at Noon at Sahlen's Stadium, Rochester.

CLASS D
7-Ticonderoga (7-3) vs. 2-Cambridge (9-1) - Saturday, 1PM at Schuylerville High School
1-Tuckahoe (6-3) vs. 9-Chester (8-2) - Saturday, 3PM at Dietz Stadium, Kingston

Eastern Semis: Friday, November 21st at 4PM at Dietz Stadium, Kingston

4-Tioga (9-1) vs. 3-Dolgeville (9-1) - Friday, 5PM at Cicero-North Syracuse High School
5-Red Jacket (10-0) vs. 6-Randolph (9-1) - Friday, 5PM at All-High Stadium, Buffalo

Western Semis: Friday, November 21st at 5PM at Sahlen's Stadium, Rochester

HS Football: Week 3 Schedule

Friday's Games
All games at 7:00PM unless otherwise noted

CLASS AA
Albany (0-2) at Ballston Spa (0-2)
Columbia (1-1) at Colonie (1-1)
Guilderland (0-2) at Saratoga Springs (1-1)
Shaker (1-1) at Schenectady (2-0)
Shenendehowa (2-0) at CBA (2-0)

CLASS A
Averill Park (1-1) at Amsterdam (1-1)
Niskayuna (0-2) at Gloversville (1-1)
Mohonasen (1-1) at Bishop Maginn (2-0)
Scotia (1-1) at South Glens Falls (2-0)
Troy (1-1) at Burnt Hills (2-0)

CLASS A-B INTERCLASS
Ravena (B) (2-0) at Lansingburgh (0-2)

CLASS B
Broadalbin-Perth (2-0) at Schuylerville (2-0)
Cohoes (0-2) at Hudson (1-1)
Glens Falls (0-2) at Cobleskill (1-1)

CLASS B-C INTERCLASS
Schoburg (C) (0-2) at Johnstown (1-1)

CLASS C
Fonda (1-1) at Taconic Hills (1-1)
Greenwich (1-0) at Lake George/Hadley-Luzurne (0-2)
Holy Trinity (1-1) at Stillwater (0-2)
Hoosick Falls (2-0) at Tamarac (0-2)
Watervliet (1-1) at Chatham (1-1)
Mechanicville (2-0) at Voorheesville (2-0)

SATURDAY GAMES
All AA-A-B Games at 1:30PM; C-D at 1:00PM unless otherwise noted

CLASS AA
LaSalle (0-2) vs. Bethlehem (2-0) at Union College

CLASS A
Green Tech (0-2) at Queensbury (2-0)

CLASS B
Ichabod Crane (0-2) at Hudson Falls (1-1)
Schalmont (2-0) at Albany Academy (1-1)

CLASS C
Corinth (2-0) at Granville (0-2)
Coxsackie-Athens (2-0) at Cairo-Durham (0-2)

CLASS D
Canajoharie (0-2) at Warrensburg (0-2)
Fort Edward/Argyle (0-2) at Whitehall (2-0)
Hoosic Valley (2-0) vs. Pawling (1) (0-1) at Dietz Stadium, 4PM
Rensselaer (2-0) at Cambridge/Salem (2-0)

ON THE AIR

Not all stations available in all areas

Friday
7:00: Guilderland at Saratoga Springs, TWCS
7:00: Scotia at South Glens Falls, LookTV**
7:00: Niskayuna at Gloversville, WENT 1340/105.1
7:00: Schoburg at Johnstown, WIZR 930/102.9; WENT 1340/105.1*
7:00: Averill Park at Amsterdam, WCSS 1490
7:00: Glens Falls at Cobleskill, WSDE 1190/94.3
7:00: Greenwich at Lake George, WWSC 1450
* WENT airs tape-delay @ 10PM
** LookTV airs tape-delay Sunday @ 8PM

Saturday
1:00: Corinth at Granville, ADSN.com
1:00: Canajoharie at Warrensburg, WKAJ 1120
1:00: Rensselaer at Cambridge, ADSN.com
1:30: Ichabod Crane at Hudson Falls, WMML 1230

NFL Week 3: Predictions

Week 3 in the NFL brings good games in the form of the early Houston/Baltimore match that could come into play later this season when seedings are up for grabs.  Miami gets a real test in the Atlanta Falcons, and the Bills/Jets could be a critical game for the Jets early in the season.

Our picks in GREEN, but take them with a grain of salt.  We'll provide a little analysis on these matchups, but just remember strange things can happen in the National Football League, and we're not responsible if you use our picks for betting purposes.

Thursday Sept. 19
Kansas City @ Philadelphia - Kansas City looks good, but don't count out Michael Vick and the Eagles just yet.  This could go either way, but if Kansas City does win, it will be another example of the weakness in the NFC East early on this season.

Sunday Sept. 22
(early games)
Green Bay @ Cincinnati - Green Bay has weapons.  Cincinnati has ... not sure what they have these days.
St. Louis @ Dallas - St. Louis has emerged to be the NFC counterpart of the Kansas City Chiefs, returning to winning ways after a few rough years.

San Diego @ Tennessee - Another game that could go either way.
Cleveland @ Minnesota - Giving away a running back for a NFL Draft pick... not sure if that's going to help the Browns in this game.  Or this season, too.
Tampa Bay @ New England - New England may have its miscues, but I don't see those miscues shining too proudly against a team that has collapsed twice in the closing minutes.

Arizona @ New Orleans - Speaking of one of those collapses, the team that had that scare against Tampa Bay better have used that as a wake-up call.

Detroit @ Washington - RG3 may improve, but not sure if it will be to the level needed to knock off the Lions this week.

NY Giants @ Carolina - NFC East weakness won't overcome a team that got deflated badly in the closing seconds of that Week 2 game against the Bills.

Houston @ Baltimore - Houston can come out of this game as a true AFC threat if they can knock off the Ravens.  But I'm not sure if the Texans will have the answers just yet.

(Late games)
Atlanta @ Miami - Miami may be 2-0, but will be in for a rude awakening when they find themselves face-to-face with strong NFC opposition.

Buffalo @ NY Jets - The Jets may have the home-field advantage, but the Bills are still sparkling after that last second win last week.

Indianapolis @ San Francisco - New running option will give Andrew Luck some better options.  And that can't be a bad thing when facing a team that was badly humiliated on Sunday Night Football

Jacksonville @ Seattle - Jacksonville won't be making a lot of noise against the team that has its crowd make all the noise for them.

(Sun night)
Chicago @ Pittsburgh - As long as the Steelers don't get in their own way, they should have a win on Sunday Night.

Monday Sept. 23
Oakland @ Denver - Denver looks like a team that could get a first-round bye.  Oakland doesn't.

NFL: Week 2 in Review

Short Recap.  It's Wednesday already and you've seen enough analysis of Week 2.

SURPRISE OF THE WEEK - Kansas City 17, Dallas 16
For years Kansas City was a team that threatened to make playoffs after playoffs.  They hit hard times, but now it appears that Kansas City, a team that last year finished 2-14, is heading in the positive direction.  Especially after beating the Dallas Cowboys 17-16.

The Chiefs are a new team after Andy Reid took control of the helm and Alex Smith came from San Francisco.  But you cannot put a lot of stock in a 2-0 start just yet, especially since one of the two was against Jacksonville and the other was against a division that isn't looking that strong early on.  But the Chiefs have one thing going for them - two more back-to-back games against the NFC East.  And if the NFC East truly isn't a strong division, a 4-0 record will look really sweet heading into that October 6th game against Tennessee.

DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE WEEK - Seattle 29, San Francisco 3
Speaking of Alex Smith, he's got to be smiling after the Seattle Seahawks didn't just beat the 49'ers, they destroyed them.  Granted the critics are talking about how things could be different when the two meet at Candlestick Park, but the truth of the matter is, the 49'ers have some serious problems two weeks in that need to be corrected.

Colin Kaepernick looked uncomfortable during the game against the Seahawks.  It looked like one of his tosses was right at a defender who picked it off.  He went 13-for-28 for 127 yards, threw 3 picks and fumbled once in the loss.

HANG ONTO YOUR HATS - Buffalo 24, Carolina 23
Most of Ralph Wilson Stadium, despite the urge from the Buffalo Bills to "Bill-eve", had to be thinking that it was over when Graham Gano kicked the field goal with 1:38 left to put the Panthers up by 6.  But then EJ Manuel started something special - a two-minute drill that Buffalo hadn't seen in a long time - that would electrify the 60,000+ that were in Orchard Park on Sunday.

It was aided by a pass interference call that gave the Bills a first down at the Carolina 11, then capped with EJ Manuel's touchdown pass to Stevie Johnson for the tying score, with the extra point to win the game. The game-winning drive was well-executed by Manuel, who worked fast to ensure the Bills quickly reset after every play.

For the Bills, winning the game was essential as going 0-2 into their road game against the New York Jets (4:25PM, 1410 CBS Sports Radio, WENU-AM) would be troubling, and with games still to come against the Ravens, the Saints and the Falcons, it would be a troubling hole to climb out of.

Coming Thursday: The FOX Blogger will pick all games coming up in Week 3, and will include some insight on what games to watch out for.

Watch out for upcoming posts:

Here's five reasons to keep an eye on our 1230 FOX Sports Radio blog this week.

MONDAY: We'll recap the 2nd week of High School Football, as we highlight some of the big games that took place in Section 2 this week, and also take a look as some of the unexpected.  Expect some mentions of Burnt Hills/Troy and Bishop Maginn/Queensbury as well as Glens Falls/Schuylerville

TUESDAY: We'll post the NFL Week 2 Recap, which will draw on some of the big plays  taking place on the gridiron.  I think we'll relive the EJ Manuel game-winning touchdown with two seconds to play.

THURSDAY: NFL Picks.  Haven't done it the first two weeks, but we'll post who we like and a little analysis.  Don't take our picks to a bookie.... otherwise you'll end up with empty pockets.

FRIDAY: We'll post the Week 3 preview for High School Football.  We'll post an in-depth preview of our feature game, Salem at Warrensburg [Saturday, 1PM on 1230 FOX Sports], and also provide any coach interviews we have for the broadcast.

Also during the week we'll post our complete interviews with Queensbury head coach John Irion, Troy head coach Jack Burger and Bishop Maginn coach Joe Grasso.  There was some stuff Coach Grasso talked to us about regarding his long 37-year tenure with the Griffins that we did not get to air due to time constraints, so we'll post them here.

So be sure to keep an eye out for those blogs.  We'll tweet and post a status update on Facebook, so be sure to like our Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter (@WMML1230).

WEEK 2: Buffalo Bills 24, Carolina Panthers 23

Oh wow.

EJ Manuel makes sportswriters across the country rewrite their recaps as he leads the charge for the go-ahead touchdown with 2 seconds left to beat the Carolina Panthers 24-23.

It was a electric comeback that the Buffalo Bills had been missing all season last year, and unexpected how the Bills had been playing leading to the final drive, which elapsed only 96 seconds.

Stevie Johnson was the recipient of the touchdown pass.

Redemption: The come-from-behind touchdown for EJ Manuel was much-needed redemption, having fumbled the ball on a sack and thrown a pick, both in their own territory and setting up two Carolina 4th quarter field goals.

EJ Manuel threw 27-for-39, passing for 296 yards.  His last-second touchdown was his lone of the game.

Defense Discipline: The Buffalo Bills were flagged 7 times for 55 yards. Two of those flags resulted in Carolina first downs in situations where the Panthers would have otherwise been forced to punt.  In fact, the Panthers were punting to the Bills on one of those two flags when a holding call that came before the punt resulted in the automatic first down.  The other flag was the result of a late hit from Aaron Williams, coming on an incomplete pass on third down.

Good Things: Mario Williams had 4 1/2 sacks for the Buffalo Bills, a career high for him.  The most he had sacked before was in 2007, when he picked up 3 1/2 sacks against the Denver Broncos.

Third Down Efficiency: The Carolina Panthers converted seven of their sixteen third downs.  This is an improvement over last week, when the Patriots converted eleven of their twenty.

NEXT UP: The Buffalo Bills travel away from Ralph Wilson Stadium for the first time this year as they head to East Rutherford, New Jersey to face the New York Jets.  The Jets are 1-1 after losing to the Patriots 13-10 on Thursday Night Football.  Although the Jets may have more rest, the Bills may still be riding high after the finish today.  COVERAGE: 2:00PM Pregame (on 1410 CBS Sports Radio); 4:25PM Kickoff.

Midday Recap: A First Since 1956.

NBA

The borough of Brooklyn will host a Game 7 for the first time since the Brooklyn Dodgers went to a 7th game against the Yankees in 1956, as the Brooklyn Nets won 95-92 to set up a Saturday night decisive Game 7 at the Barclay Center (Sat, 8PM, TNT).  Deron Williams had a double-double, scoring 17 with 11 assists.  Marco Belinelli scored 22 for the Bulls.  By the way, the Yankees won that Game 7.

GOLDEN POWER
The Golden State Warriors are onto the 2nd round after their 92-88 win over the Denver Nuggets.  Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 22 points and 8 assists in a game where turnovers could have sunk the Warriors.  The Warriors turned the ball over 19 times compared to the Denver Nuggets 7, but made up for it going 23/24 from the free throw line.  The Warriors are in the 2nd round for the first time since 2007, and will face the San Antonio Spurs.  The Warriors look to advance past the 2nd round for the first time since 1975, when they won the championship.

COMBINING FORCES
It's good to see that Spa Catholic and Bishop Gibbons are in talks of combining their football programs so they can field a team for the upcoming 2013 season.  Last season, the Golden Knights came in with a short roster, as we noted when they traveled up to Warrensburg in Week 3, and had to forfeit their 4th game against Cambridge because of injuries.  The deal isn't official as the other coaches have to vote on the measure, but Section 2 chairman Gary VanDerzee doesn't anticipate there being any problems.

Speaking of high school football, we'll be coming out with our 2013 Football Broadcast Schedule soon!

COMEBACK TIME
The Detroit Red Wings even the series against the Anaheim Ducks, but not in the way you probably thought they did if you went to bed before Midnight last night.  The Red Wings led 4-1 at 20 seconds into the 3rd Period, thanks to Johan Franzen's 2nd goal of the game.  So some probably turned the TV off and went to bed safely thinking the Red Wings were going to easily even the series.  But then Anaheim came back, with goals from Ryan Getzlaf (7:50, 3rd), former Syracuse Crunch threat Kyle Palmeieri (12:31, 3rd), and then capped with Bobby Ryan's tying goal with 2:22 left in the 3rd.  So instead of a decisive game for the Red Wings, we were looking at overtime.

Overtime was settled quickly, as Gustav Nyquist wristed one past Jonas Hiller 1:21 into the extra time.

ONE-SIDED PLAY
The Ottawa Senators lead 1 game to none in their best-of-7 against the Montreal Canadiens after the 4-2 win at the Bell Centre in Montreal.  The Senators scored the lone goal in the 1st period, then relinquished the lead in the 2nd Period as the Canadiens scored twice, and then scored three goals in the 3rd.  Since teams change sides each period, that means all goals were scored on one side of the rink.  If you were watching on TV, all 6 goals were scored on the right side of the ice, unfortunately for those paying for seats on the left side.

The game was physical, explosive, and neither team looked as if they are going to be a dominating force in the series, which should make for an interesting Game 2 tonight in Montreal.

SILKY CLAY?
Boston's Clay Buchholz is the first pitcher to 6 wins, but his play has raised some eyebrows.  Namely, Toronto Blue Jays broadcasters who during their broadcast accused Buccholz and relief pitcher Junichi Tazawa of putting an illegal substance on their forearms.  According to Buccholz, the substance is rosin.

BRAVE JOURNEY

MLB

The Mets begin a three-game stretch against the Atlanta Braves tonight,  with Shaun Marcum taking the mound for the Mets.  Marcum, who was the losing pitcher in the 15-inning marathon in Miami on Monday night, will try to get his first win against an Atlanta team that has cooled down some since their 10-game win streak in mid-April.  On the other side, Mike Minor got roughed some against the Detroit Tigers, allowing 6 runs in 6 2/3rd innings.  Radio Coverage: 1230 FOX Sports Radio WMML, 6:50PM.

2013 Football Schedules

So the 2013 Section II Schedule has been released and there are a few things to note.  First, Scotia drops from Class A to B.  They will play in Class B West along with Hudson Falls and Glens Falls, creating a full 8 team division where all 8 teams will play each other once with no crossover games.  In Class D, a new program has developed, in Schoburg, which we mentioned in yesterday's blog entry is a blend of both Schoharie and Duanesburg High School atheles.  They will play in Class D South, and to make things even, Greenwich will play in Class D North.  Greenwich will preserve their local rivalry with the Cambridge Indians through a divisonal crossover game in Week 1.

For your reading pleasure, here's our thoughts for the most interesting matches to look forward to in the 2013 season, based on last season's results.  Individual team-by-team schedules to follow after.

Most Interesting Matches:
These are the games we're looking forward to seeing in the 2013 season.  These are not necessarily the games we will be broadcasting in the 2013 season; that schedule will be posted at a later date.

Week 1: 
Schalmont at Glens Falls: We get the season off with a bang, featuring a rematch between two Class B teams that met in the Super Bowl at Shenendehowa last year.  Schalmont will still have Devon Willis, who will return as a senior.  However, the Indians will have to restock and rebuild after all the seniors from their Carrier Dome team have graduated.  This will be a key game to see whether or not the Indians will have any trouble continuing their long-lasting streak of making Sectionals.

Scotia at Broadalbin-Perth: The Scotia Tartans dropped from Class A to B, and have to face last year's #3 seed Broadalbin-Perth to kick off their season.  It will be a good test to see how they match up with the rest of Class B West.

Greenwich at Cambridge: Last year's edition of this Washington County rivalry required overtime before Cambridge walked off the field as winners.  This year's edition comes early in the season as these two teams now find themselves in opposite divisions in Class D, brought about by last year's result where Greenwich was left out of the playoffs despite a better record than those in Class D North and by new addition Schoburg to the Southern Division.

Week 2:
Glens Falls at Schuylerville: The rematch of the semifinal round of sectionals last year, this time down the Hudson in Schuylerville.  In the regular season match, the Indians took command of the game late thanks to a couple of Schuylerville turnovers.  In the post-season match, the Black Horses and the Indians played a close game for the first half, but the Indians took control in the 3rd Quarter off the first possession and never looked back on their way to victory.

Scotia at Schalmont: These two schools are separated by 7 driving miles, but have not faced each quite some time, if at all.  It should be interesting to see how these two treat each other.  Week 1's games against Broadalbin-Perth and Glens Falls will tell the tale on how close we should watch this game.

Week 3:
Troy at Amsterdam: Troy's season last year was brought to an end by the Rugged Rams of Amsterdam.  And this rematch could have come at a better time in the season, as the Flying Horses have to endure games against Queensbury and Burnt Hills in the first two weeks.

Salem at Warrensburg: Last year, the Salem Generals had a 13-6 lead with less than a minute left in the game.  But the Burghers would not go quietly.  They marched up the field and pushed it past the goal line with 30 seconds left.  The two-point conversion was good, and that gave the Burghers the 14-13 win.  This year's edition should be just as good.

Week 4:
Burnt Hills at Queensbury: The Queensbury Spartans met with the Burnt Hills Spartans last in the semifinals of the Class A Sectionals in a game where Queensbury played well against the other Spartans for awhile, but eventually would fall to the would-be state champions.  This will be the start of three real big tests for the Queensbury Spartans, as they face Amsterdam and Class AA's Columbia afterwards.

Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk at Albany Academy: Last year at this juncture, Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk and Albany Academy both entered the game undefeated.  Ravena's win kept them battling for the top spot in the Reinfurt, which later would be given to Lansingburgh in Week 6.  Albany Academy would go on to be the #3 seed and would go on to be shut out by the Glens Falls Indians in the Quarterfinals.

Lake George at Whitehall: It was a Friday night in October when the Whitehall Railroaders scored the first three touchdowns, and it was looking like it was going to be a rout.  However, the Lake George Warriors would fight back, taking the lead in the 3rd Quarter in one of the loudest crowds we have heard all regular season last season.

Week 5:
Queensbury at Amsterdam: Last year's match between the Queensbury Spartans and the Amsterdam Rugged Rams quickly turned into a classic, coming right down to the closing minutes before Amsterdam walked away the 34-26 winners.  This year's, conveniently located in the middle of the schedule, could have serious playoff seeding implications.

Fonda at Chatham: Chatham was the source of Fonda's only Class D South loss last year, when they were shut out 34-0.  Both teams would make it to the playoffs, where they would both find their run brought to an end by defending champs Hoosick Falls.  This game could go a long way towards deciding who takes Class C South's #1 seed.

Week 6:
Schenectady at Shaker: Last year, Schenectady's playoff run came to an end as their starting QB ran for the end zone and was brought out of bounds as the clock expired.  The officials ruled he did not cross the pylon for the touchdown, however, replays on the Time Warner Cable Sports broadcast showed contact between the QB and the pylon.  This allowed Shaker to move onto the championship game, where they would beat Shenendehowa before losing to New Rochelle in the final minute of the State Semifinals at Dietz Stadium.  With that being said, this game should be very interesting.

Amsterdam at Burnt Hills: A rematch of the 2012 Class A Super Bowl.  This late in the season, the #1 seed in the Northwest could be up for grabs for the winner to claim.

Glens Falls at Hudson Falls: The Jug Game.  Nothing more to say.

Cambridge at Rensselaer: Cambridge claimed the #1 seed in the final week of the season when they defeated the Rams in what was supposed to be a preview of the Class D Super Bowl, but the Indians failed to make it past the Salem Generals the following week.  With a 3-round playoff structure this year opposed to the 2-round (4 team) structure last year, this game may not mean as much for the two teams, but should still be a good game to watch.

Week 7:
Colonie at Shaker: What the Jug Game means for Hudson Falls/Glens Falls is the same as what the Colonie Cup means for Colonie/Shaker.

Albany Academy at Lansingburgh: Last year turned into a shootout that saw the two teams combine for 103 points, decided by only 3.  If both teams still play the same way, this should be a fun and high-scoring game to watch.  And perhaps top seeds for the Reinfurt could still be up for grabs.

Team-by-Team Schedules:
Games against Local Teams are in BOLD
(A) - Away.  (H) - Home
Dates are based on whether or not teams have lights on their field... teams with lights will almost always play Friday night games and those who do not will almost always play Saturday afternoon games.  Schedule Subject To Change.

CLASS AA: 
Saratoga Springs Blue Streaks
9/6 - Albany (A)
9/13 - Ballston Spa (H)
9/20 - Colonie (A)
9/27 - CBA (A)
10/4 - Bethlehem (H)
10/11 - Shenendehowa (A)
10/18 - Guilderland (H)

CLASS A:
Queensbury Spartans
9/7 - Troy (H)
9/14 - Bishop Maginn (H)
9/20 - South Glens Falls (A)
9/28 - Burnt Hills (H)
10/4 - Amsterdam (A)
10/11 - Columbia-AA (A)
10/19 - Gloversville (H)

South Glens Falls Bulldogs
9/6 - Bishop Maginn (A)
9/13 - Averill Park (H)
9/20 - Queensbury (H)
9/27 - Mohonasen (A)
10/4 - Burnt Hills (A)
10/11 - Gloversville (H) - may be moved to Saturday if South Glens Falls decides to do what they did last year and make last home game a Saturday Afternoon 1:30PM game.
10/18 - Amsterdam (A)

CLASS B:
Hudson Falls Tigers
9/6 - Schuylerville (A)
9/13 - Cobleskill-Richmondville (A)
9/21 - Broadalbin (H)
9/28 - Scotia (H)
10/5 - Johnstown (H)
10/12 - Glens Falls (H)
10/18 - Schalmont (A)

Glens Falls Indians
9/7 - Schalmont (H)
9/13 - Schuylerville (A)
9/21 - Cobleskill-Richmondville (H)
9/27 - Johnstown (A)
10/5 - Broadalbin (H)
10/12 - Hudson Falls (A)
10/19 - Scotia (H)

Schuylerville Black Horses
9/6 - Hudson Falls (H)
9/13 - Glens Falls (H)
9/20 - Schalmont (H)
9/27 - Cobleskill-Richmondbille (A)
10/4 - Scotia (A)
10/11 - Broadalbin (H)
10/19 - Johnstown (A)

CLASS C:
Corinth Tomahawks
9/6 - Coxsackie-Athens (A)
9/14 - Granville (A)
9/20 - Catholic Central (H)
9/27 - Stillwater (A)
10/4 - Tamarac (A)
10/11 - Mechanicville (H)
10/18 - Hoosick Falls (H)

Granville Golden Horde
9/6 - Stillwater (A)
9/14 - Corinth (H)
9/20 - Hoosick Falls (A)
9/28 - Mechanicville (H)
10/5 - Catholic Central (H)
10/11 - Voorheesville (A)
10/18 - Tamarac (A)

CLASS D:
Fort Edward Flying Forts
9/7 - Bishop Gibbons (H)
9/13 - Rensselaer (A)
9/21 - Whitehall (H)
9/28 - Warrensburg (H)
10/5 - Salem (A)
10/11 - Lake George (H)
10/18 - Greenwich (A)

Greenwich Witches
9/6 - Cambridge (A)
9/13 - Schoburg (H)
9/20 - Lake George (A)
9/28 - Salem (A)
10/4 - Whitehall (H)
10/12 -Warrensburg (A)
10/18 - Fort Edward (H)

Lake George Warriors
9/6 - Rensselaer (A)
9/14 - Bishop Gibbons (A)
9/20 - Greenwich (H)
9/27 - Whitehall (A)
10/4 - Warrensburg (H)
10/12 - Fort Edward (A)
10/19 - Salem (H)

Salem Generals
9/7 - Schoburgh (H)
9/13 - Hoosic Valley (A)
9/20 - Warrensburg (A)
9/28 - Greenwich (H)
10/5 - Fort Edward (H)
10/12 - Whitehall (A)
10/19 - Lake George (A)

Warrensburg Burghers
9/7 - Canajoharie (H)
9/13 - Cambridge (A)
9/21 - Salem (H)
9/28 - Fort Edward (A)
10/4 - Lake George (A)
10/12 - Greenwich (H)
10/19 - Whitehall (H)

Whitehall Railroaders
9/6 - Hoosic Valley (H)
9/13 - Canajoharie (A)
9/21 - Fort Edward (A)
9/27 - Lake George (H)
10/4 - Greenwich (A)
10/11 - Salem (H)
10/19 - Warrensburg (A)

Thursday's Boys Sectional Semifinals... and a Football Note

First, the future: Tentative 2013 Football Schedules have been released.  Class A sees one fewer team as Scotia drops down to Class B, and there is an additional team in Class D in Scoburg, which is a blend of Scoharie and Duanesburg High School athletes.  We'll break down the schedules and post more about it tomorrow when there's an off-day from High School Sectionals.

***

Now back to our regular programming - 4 slots in this weekend's Sectional Saturday are up for grabs with games at the Glens Falls Civic Center and the Times Union Center.  We'll update this blog as we get updates from each of these games.

Boys: Class A games are at the Glens Falls Civic Center; Class AA games are at the Times Union Center
Class A: GLENS FALLS vs. QUEENSBURY - 6PM - Glens Falls wins.
Class AA: Green Tech vs. CBA - 6:30PM
Class A: Scotia vs. Lansingburgh - 7:30PM
Class AA: Shaker vs. Troy - 8PM

2012 in Review: Greatest Sports Moments heard on WMML

It's been a big year for us here at FOX Sports Radio 1230.  From a programming standpoint, we added New York Mets baseball, Buffalo Bills football, IndyCar racing and started producing our own High School Sports broadcasts.  And with new programming coming in 2013, it should continue to be a growing year for FOX Sports Radio 1230. 

These ventures have produced memorable moments that should be remembered long after the ball drops to usher in 2013.  Here's our favorites.

Takuma Sato crashes in the final lap, Dario Franchitti wins the Indy 500.

In a wild Indianapolis 500, Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti battled for first positioning in the final 5 laps, with Franchitti winning the battle.  Takuma Sato moved up to be 2nd.  Wanting the win in the final lap, Sato tried to be aggressive, taking an inside path, but lost control and spun out, forcing a yellow which allowed Franchitti to cruise to the finish, with teammate Scott Dixon retaking 2nd on the crash.

Sam Sax layup with 2.2 seconds left to go

In a game dominated with runs, the Glens Falls Indians found themselves with the basketball with 20 seconds left on the clock in a tie game.  After a timeout, the Indians made good work of their sideline discussion as Cam Girard started driving the lane, but then dished the ball to a wide-open Sam Sax who layed it in with 2.2 seconds left to go to beat the Queensbury Spartans 56-54 in the opener of the Foothills Council.

Warrensburg wins the game with 30 seconds left

The Warrensburg Burghers found themselves trailing throughout the game, but would take the lead when it mattered the most.  After watching a punt get blocked and returned for a touchdown, and then seeing Issac Isom run on by for a touchdown, the Burghers were looking for a last moment miracle, and it came with just under 30 seconds left.  The Burghers ran the ball in for the touchdown, and then converted a 2 point conversion to bring them a 14-13 win over the Salem Generals.

Adam Greenberg gets an official at-bat.

On July 7th, 2005, Adam Greenberg was up to bat in his first major-league plate appearance for the Chicago Cubs, facing Florida Marlins pitcher Valerio de los Santos.  He was beaned in the back of his head on the very first pitch, resulting in a mild concussion that took him out of the game, never recording an official at-bat.  The Miami Marlins signed Greenberg to a one-day contract, and in the 6th inning on October 2nd, he made an appearance against the New York Mets pitcher R.A. Dickey.  Greenberg struck-out on three pitches, but gained a loud round of applause from the Miami fans both before and after his now official Major League at-bat.  Greenberg has since signed a minor-league contract with the Baltimore Orioles.

Johan Santana does what no other Met has done before

Tom Seaver came close, on two occasions.  The drought had lasted long enough that Howie Rose had counted every game where the New York Mets failed to achieve this award.  Who knew that it would be a Friday night, the first of June, game #8020 in the regular-season history of the Mets, that this achievement would finally come.  Johan Santana kept the St. Louis Cardinals at bay, with a little help from the officials.  Carlos Beltran hit a pitch that appeared to hit the chalk, but was ruled foul by the umpire.  The no-hit continued, and the Mets would go on to win 8-0. 

Glens Falls makes it to the Dome.

The Glens Falls Indians had not claimed the Section II title since 1993, and despite dropping from Class A to Class B, it appeared that it would be a tough task for them to accomplish this year after their first week loss to Schalmont.  But the Indians bounced back from the loss, and made it to the sectionals as the #2 seed in the West Division.  After easy victories against Albany Academy and Schuylerville, the Indians were faced with a rematch against Schalmont in the Class B Super Bowl.  Being called underdogs, the Indians stuck with Schalmont, and a big play from Cam Girard to Mike LaNoir carried the Indians to victory and a berth to the state regionals.  Peru was the next victim of the Indians, earning them a trip to Dietz Stadium to face the Marlboro Dukes.  Long plays were the Indians' best friend in the semifinals, earning them their first ever trip to the state championship at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse.  But the Indians run would end as runner-up, as the size and strength of the Maine-Endwell Spartans proved to be too tough for the Indians. 

High School Playoff Recap/Preview

37 teams entered play on Friday with a chance to make it to the Super Bowl for their respective class.  By the end of Saturday, only 20 of those 37 remained with hopes of making it to Syracuse for the championships Thanksgiving Weekend.

With a season as short as there is in Section II Football, every game does matter.  But none matter more than the games we find in week 8 and beyond.

CLASS AA: Week 5 rematch on the horizon?

In Class AA, the big debate over the past few weeks have been about Shenendehowa, who potentially could be playing at home against Shaker in the Class AA Super Bowl in week 10.  To some, it would be giving Shenendehowa what they feel is an unfair advantage being the hosts and thus the home team.  In Week 5, the Blue Bisons beat the Plainsmen 35-8 at Shaker High to propel themselves to the top of Class AA.

But before the Blue Bisons can make plans to be at Shenendehowa, they need to make it past the Schenectady Patriots (Friday, 7PM at Shaker High).  The Pats narrowly squeezed past CBA on Saturday night, winning 28-27.  The Pats gave the Blue Bisons a run back in Week 4, using two touchdown passes to lead 14-0 in the 1^st quarter before the Blue Bisons used the run and the air to combine for three touchdowns to come back for the 21-14 lead. 

And Shenendehowa will have to make their way past Columbia (Friday, 7PM at Shenendehowa).  Columbia made easy work of Guilderland last week, winning 30-10.

Debaters can continue worrying about changes of venues bringing different results until the proverbial cliché cows come home, but if a team is good enough to make it to the finals, they should be able to win both at home and on the road, regardless of who that road opponent may be.

CLASS A: Can anyone bring down Burnt Hills?

In week #1, the Burnt Hills Spartans were questioned when they led off the season with a 17-7 loss to Troy.  Since then, the Spartans have rattled off convincing win after convincing win, keeping their opponents to less than 10 points in all but two of their last 7 games.  One of those two games came against the Queensbury Spartans, but while the Q-Spartans scored 14, the B-Spartans put 49 up on the board back in week 4.

These two teams will meet again in the Class A Semifinals (Friday, 7PM at Burnt Hills).  The Q-Spartans have bounced back from their early losses with 4 straight wins, including a shutout win against the Albany Academy Cadets, and a convincing ground-pound win over the Scotia Tartans in the Quarterfinals on Saturday where the Spartans outgained the Tartans 217-16 in rushing yards, and 79-33 via the air.  Phillip Wettersten rushed for 78 yards and Alston Moses contributed with 66 yards. 

This round of the Spartans vs. Spartans could prove to be interesting, and is a true test to whether or not the Q-Spartans have bounced back from their first four weeks of play where they fell to Shaker, Amsterdam and Burnt Hills.

Meanwhile, in the other bracket, the Troy Flying Horses will have their hands full with the Amsterdam Rugged Rams (Friday, 7PM at Troy).  When we saw them a couple weeks ago against the South Glens Falls Bulldogs, Geo Rodriguez, Brett Stanavich and Hector Diaz all looked good.  And Rodriguez looked even better when the Rugged Rams got revenge for their Week 1 loss when they beat Averill Park in the first round of the Class A playoffs last week 58-14.  He was 6 for 9, throwing 125 yards for two scores, ran in the ball once for a score himself, and was a contributor on an Averill Park fumble that was returned for a touchdown.

Troy made it past Gloversville in the first round, thanks to Pat Chamberlain’s 158 yards on 6 carries and four touchdowns.  Maurice Jones helped out with a 75 yard kickoff return for a touchdown, and ran in for a touchdown himself. 

CLASS B: Knighted

The big news came Friday night when the Schuylerville Black Horses rolled into Lansingburgh and showed that they were not intimidated by their #1 seed.   After Danny Waldron’s 4 yard touchdown run put the Black Horses ahead 14-0, the Black Horses were feeling really good about their chances.  But the Lansingburgh Knights weren’t going down without a fight, and thanks to a few key Schuylerville turnovers, they came back to take a 19-13 lead in the 4^th Quarter thanks to an Anthony Walker run.  But then Danny Waldron came back with a touchdown to put the Black Horses up 20-19 with 3:07 left to play.  Shane Lyons sealed the victory for the Black Horses when he picked off a pass with 11 seconds left to bring about the first loss of the season for the Lansingburgh Knights.

With Schyulerville’s win on Friday night, the winner of the Albany Academy/Glens Falls matchup on Saturday would gain the right to host Schyulerville in the semifinals.  The Indians showed their running legs early, when Cam Girard ran in to score twice.  Both scores came thanks to big runs by running backs Joe McMahon and Mike LaNoir.  Mike LaNoir showed off his arm with a nice pass play to Jake Dailey on a 2 point conversion, and the Indians went into the halftime break up 16-0.  Before the storm clouds fully made its way to Putt LaMay Memorial Field, Cam Girard ran in for his third touchdown of the game to put the Indians up 22-0.

The Indians returned to the field after a 45 minute thunderstorm delay with more ground and pound offense, as Mike LaNoir came in to score his lone touchdown of the game.  He finished the game with 96 yards, and Joe McMahon added another 150+ yards as the Indians rolled past Albany Academy 36-0 to set up a week 2 rematch against Schuylerville (Saturday, 1:30PM at Glens Falls). 

In Week 2, The Glens Falls Indians defeated the Schyulerville Black Horses 34-15 thanks to three touchdowns from Cam Girard and a pair of interceptions.  The Black Horses are not a team to take lightly, pushing Schalmont to the brink with their 27-24 loss in Week 3.  And coming off a huge upset in the first round, the Black Horses could really be the dark horse of the Class B tournament.

CLASS C: Can Hoo-Falls be stopped?

The Hoosick Falls Panthers have been unstoppable this season, rattling off mesmerizing wins.  The Panthers have surrendered 15 points or less in all 8 games this season, with the most coming against Voorheesville in the first round of the Class C playoffs this past Saturday, when the Panthers won 69-14.  The Panthers have put together 4 shutouts, all in which they scored 40 or more points.

If there is to be a challenge from any team in Section II, it may very well be coming from Chatham in the south.  Like Hoo-Falls, they come into the semifinals sporting an 8-0 record.  Only one team has scored more than 14 points against the C-Panthers, and that was Lyons, a team playing from Section V out near the Finger Lakes region in a game to make up for Cairo-Durham cancelling their season.

First, the Hoo-Falls Panthers need to get past Fonda-Fultonville, a team that shut out Tamarac in the first round last week.  And Chatham will have to get past Mechanicville, a team that will be playing only 10 miles away at Stillwater and will have the crowd advantage because of the proximity. 

CLASS D: Can the North beat the South?  Did Cambridge show vulnerability?

The first round of the Class D playoffs begin this Saturday at Schyulerville High as the Whitehall Railroaders take on the Rensselaer Rams (Saturday, 1PM at Schuylerville).  The Railroaders lost to the Rams back in Week 1 by a score of 21-12, in a game where Justin Hoagland gave the Railroaders some life near the end with a 98 yard interception return to narrow the gap to 9.  Since that game, Josh Hoagland has run his way into the top 5 of Section II for scoring, rushing and rushing touchdowns.  A strong Josh/Justin Hoagland combo could make things interesting for this semifinal.

In the other semifinal, the Cambridge Indians come into play after beating Rensselaer for the #1 seed in a game where they came out to a 27-0 lead, but then allowed three straight unanswered scores where the Rams made things interesting for the closing minutes.  The Indians were pushed to the end before, when they needed overtime to beat the Greenwich Witches back in Week 6

This will be the first meeting of the season between the Salem Generals and the Cambridge Indians (Saturday, 7PM at Schuylerville).  In this battle of Route 22, the Generals will have some offensive weapons, but might have difficulty stopping the weapons that the Indians have put on the field through win after win.  Matt Parmenter, Len Darcy and Ethan English will be the players to watch for Cambridge, who will have to contain Issac Isom and Tyler Morris, and stop Ryan Braymer as the signal caller.

High School Football - Week 3 in review

It was another busy week in Section II football, as teams try to recover from early-season miscues to put them in better position to make the playoffs in late October.  But these first three weeks may just be appetizers for the entreés still to come.

Here's FOX Sports Radio 1230's cruise around Section II football.

CLASS AA 
In week one, Shenedehowa emerged as one of the toughest teams in the class with an easy win against Albany High.  However, many threw that win aside because it was against a team that has lost 30+ games in a row.

Those critics have been silenced after their week 3 57-0 victory against Bethlehem.  Through 3 games, Shen has outscored their opponents 149-6.  Their 5th week game against undefeated Shaker (3-0, 2-0), although it won't be a conference showdown, could foreshadow the Section II Class AA playoffs down the road.

Speaking of Shaker, they went into Columbia and took down the undefeated squad 47-12.  Ryan Griffin padded his stats with 4 rushing touchdowns, and Chris Landers launched for two passing touchdowns.

This Week's Game to Watch: CBA (3-0, 3-0) @ Saratoga Springs (2-1, 2-0) - Both CBA and Saratoga Springs are undefeated (Saratoga Springs' week 1 loss was to inter-conference rival Niskayuna) in divisional play.  The winner of this game will have a stronger hold on the division leading to Week 6 (Saratoga Springs) and Week 7 (CBA) showdowns against Shenendahowa.

Saratoga Springs have had close games against Bethlehem and Albany, but what matters most is that they emerged victorious.  Jake Eglintine had an impressive game against Albany, with 4 TDs (two pass, two rush) and intercepted his Albany counterpart too.  Dakota Harvey will also be a player to watch, returning a 79 yard kickoff return for a TD last week and also rushing one in as well.  If there's something the Blue Streaks need to work on this week, it's their defense.  Albany outgained the Blue Streaks 385-279, yet turned the ball over 4 times.  They might not get lucky when a stronger set of hands team comes to town. 

The Brothers have a variety of weapons, but Connor Crotty and Spencer Hall will be two to watch.  Crotty had a rushing and a receiving touchdown last week against LaSalle.  The Brothers also do a good job getting to the QB, as illustrated in their game against Albany where they had 6 sacks.  

Notable stat: The Brothers have scored 55 of their 121 points this season in the 2nd Quarter.  They have only scored 7 points in the 4th Quarter.

CLASS A
If anyone was hoping that their week 1 loss to Averil Park was going to slow down the Amsterdam Rugged Rams (1-0, 2-1), think again.  In the first divisional showdown for both teams, Amsterdam emerged victorious against the Queensbury Spartans  (0-1, 1-2) on Saturday.  In what was an epic battle between both teams that has been recapped by the press as "the way football was meant to be", the Spartans kept clawing back into the game before Brett Stanavich broke through with a 57 yard touchdown run that sealed the game with 2:41 left.  He rushed for 187 yards on 12 carries (15.5 ypc) and scored 3 touchdowns, and will be one to watch when we get to see him on October 13th at South Glens Falls.  

The Spartans have another tough game coming up when they travel to Burnt Hills on Friday.  Kody Bruno has become a player of note for the Spartans, scoring 3 of the 4 touchdowns against the Rugged Rams.  Tim Voorhis scored the other rushing touchdown, which at that time was a go-ahead touchdown to put them up 26-21.

Speaking of Burnt Hills (1-0, 2-1), they have bounced back from their week 1 loss to Troy with shutouts against Class B powerhouse Schalmont and South Glens Falls.  The southern Spartans have Dan Porter, who scored on a 65 yard touchdown on his way to 100 yards on only 3 carries against the Bulldogs.  And although the Spartans completed passes only three times, two of them led to touchdowns.  

This Week's Game to Watch: Gloversville (0-0, 1-2) @ Amsterdam (1-0, 2-1) - Although Gloversville has a 1-2 record, their loss to Class AA Niskayuna could be more inspirational as they face off against the Rugged Rams, especially since they were down at the half 27-0.  Mike Murray helped Gloversville with catching a 29 yard pass from Asa Barnhill.  

CLASS B
Broadalbin-Perth kept its record perfect with a 35-12 win over the Hudson Falls Tigers.  Gabe Mendez scored three touchdowns through the air, going to targets Anthony Visco, Luigi Magliocca and Andre Taylor.  Tim Gordon added to his touchdown totals with a 13 yard run in the 2nd quarter.  For the Tigers, Curtis Boddie, the name I couldn't remember last week twice on-air, made sure that I remember who he was after scoring two late game touchdowns to put the Tigers on the board. 

Meanwhile, an epic showdown occurred down in Schenectady as Schuylerville and Schalmont clashed.  Devon Willis opened the scoring for Schalmont.  While Danny Waldron answered back with a run of his own, the extra point went wide.  Everytime Schalmont scored, Schuylerville would answer back with a score of their own.  But there was a difference: Schalmont converted three of their extra point tries, whereas Schuylerville did not convert any extra points, and that would prove to be the difference as Schalmont bounced back from their shutout loss to Burnt Hills in week 2 with a 27-24 win.

Cam Girard helped the Glens Falls Indians take care of the Cobleskill-Richmondville Bulldogs (1-2, 1-2) 55-21.  Mike Lanoir was the recipient of three of Girard's four touchdown passes.  Joe McMahon rushed for a 64 yard touchdown in the 3rd Quarter.  Seth Billington ran in for all three of the Bulldogs touchdowns.

Meanwhile the Reinfurt division is becoming a battle of three teams as Albany Academy defeated Hudson 49-6, Ravena dismantled Ichabod Crane 41-6 and Lansingburgh beat Cohoes 35-7, all to stay unbeaten this year.

This Week's Game(s) to Watch: (TIE) Broadalbin-Perth (2-0, 3-0) @ Schalmont (2-0, 2-1) - The real test for Broadalbin-Perth begins now with back-to-back-to-back divisional showdowns.  Schalmont cannot be taken lightly, as a weak defensive line will allow Devon Willis to eat up yards.  Nick Gallo is also a player to watch for Schalmont, scoring 3 touchdowns through three games. Broadalbin-Perth's first three wins have come against Class C Stillwater, Johnstown and Hudson Falls.  With two home games against Glens Falls and Schuylerville after this, a win will give them much-needed momentum.  A loss will give Schalmont a strong hold on the division as they finish the season on the road at Cobleskill-Richmondville, Johnstown and Hudson Falls.  Whomever wins leads the West.

Albany Academy (3-0, 3-0) @ Ravena (3-0, 3-0) - In the Reinfurt, at least one of the three undefeated teams in the division will go down when these two top teams meet up on Friday night.  Darrien White and Ian Bennett both had two touchdowns each in Albany Academy's 49-6 win over Hudson.  Dylan Keyer scored two touchdowns for Ravena in their win over Ichabod Crane last week.  The run game has proved to be good for the Indians as they rushed for 285 yards, while holding Ichabod Crane to only 33.  Ravena could use a win here, as they have Class A Amsterdam and fellow undefeated Lansingburgh after this.  

CLASS C
Hoosick Falls has scored 44 points per game through their first three games.  On Friday, they beat Taconic Hills 47-8. Brad Burns ran for 155 yards and 3 touchdowns for the Panthers.  He has 6 touchdowns so far this season.  The defense have been strong, too, recording 4 picks last week and holding Taconic Hills to only 40 yards on the ground.  

And congratulations to Coxsackie-Athens, who recorded a win for the first time in two years.  Just a shame that they couldn't have done it in front of their friends, family and alumni, as they played South Seneca out of Section V in Binghamton. 

A little closer to home, Corinth saw their first loss of the season when they fell to Stillwater 29-13.  Liam Kane was looking very good for Stillwater with 130 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns.  

In Watervliet (2-1, 1-1), Fonda-Fultonville (2-0, 2-0) took a 6-0 lead off a Pat Hart rushing touchdown.  With the history of these two schools, 6-0 is not a safe lead.  But with fumbles and interceptions, and touchdowns waived off due to penalty or out of bounds calls, the game on Saturday quickly turned into a defensive battle.  In the  4th Quarter, Taylor Dockstader launched a ball into the end zone to Jordan Gleason, but it was caught out of bounds.  Then Dockstader launched again, this time to receiver Logan Miller, but his foot hit the line as he was coming down with the pass, and thus was out of bounds by inches.  Fonda-Fultonville won the battle 6-0, with Pat Hart churning up 223 yards on 40 carries.

This Week's Game to Watch: Chatham (2-0, 3-0) @ Fonda-Fultonville (2-0, 2-0) - Chatham has outscored their opponents 144-6 through 3 weeks, with only Coxsackie-Athens getting points on the board against the Panthers.  Jesse Whiteman is a huge reason why, accumulating 7 touchdowns through 3 weeks of play.  He can rush, he can receive and he can defend, all accounting for his touchdowns so far this season.  But he is not the only player Fonda-Fultonville will have to worry about, as 6 different players put points on the board for the Panthers last week.  Defensively, they will cause some trouble for the opposing QB, getting 5 sacks and a pick against Voorheesville last week.  If Fonda-Fultonville's defense is as good as they were last week against the Cannoneers, we could be seeing another game where defense makes the difference between leading the south and being in the traffic jam for 2nd seed.

CLASS D
In the final week of North vs. South before divisonal play begins, the Warrensburg Burghers (0-0, 1-2) took care of the Bishop Gibbons Golden Knights (0-0, 0-3) as heard here on FOX Sports Radio 1230 on Saturday.  Nolan Maltbie got things going early for Warrensburg, scoring 3 rushing touchdowns as the Burghers took an  early 24-0 lead over Bishop Gibbons.

After Kenny Draper put Bishop Gibbons on the board with an impressive 30 yard run in to score, Connor Scott squished any momentum that the Golden Knights got in the 2nd quarter with an 85 yard kickoff return to put the Burghers up 32-6.  After a couple scoreless series for both teams, the Burghers punted the ball into the hands of their hot QB, David Haskell, who avoided a few tackles and got key blocks to run in to score from 65 yards out.  With time running out in the half, Warrensburg took to the air and launched a Marcus Perrone pass into the hands of Shea Irish, who ran in for the touchdown and the 40-12 lead at the half.  

In the 2nd half, it was still all Warrensburg, getting touchdowns from Nick Nedelcu, Joey Schuster and another from Nedelcu with time winding down.  Haskell would run in to score once more in the game for Bishop Gibbons, as the Burghers won 64-18.  

Cause for concern: David Haskell handled many of the carries in the 3rd and 4th quarters when main running back, Jaylen McIntyre went down with an injury.  He would not return, and all hopes with the FOX Sports Radio 1230 crew is that he's okay for their next game against Cambridge (0-0, 3-0).  Morgan Mintzer also went down during the game and was wobbly heading back to the sidelines.  Rumors on the sidelines was that Mintzer had a concussion during the game and like with McIntyre, we are hoping for the best.

As Bishop Gibbons is a short team (25 players on initial roster, only 18 were suited on Saturday), quantity-wise, injuries during this time of the year are going to be more critical than on a team with a larger roster such as Shaker (42 players on their roster).

Warrensburg gets the Salem Generals (0-0, 1-2) next, who had tough road games against Greenwich (0-0, 3-0) and Rensselaer (0-0, 3-0) in the past two weeks.  We'll get our peek at Salem when they play the Flying Forts of Fort Edward (0-0, 2-1) on September 29th (12:45PM on FOX Sports Radio 1230).  After being shut out against high-flying Cambridge (0-0, 3-0) in week 1, the Flying Forts have put together back-to-back shutouts against Bishop Gibbons and Catholic Central (0-0, 0-3) to be the only team in the North with a winning record heading into divisional play.

This Week's Game to Watch: Rensselaer (0-0, 3-0) @ Canajoharie (0-0, 3-0) - With four teams at 3-0 in the South, these next five weeks are going to be critical towards crowning a #1 seed.  With only four teams making it overall, two per division in Class D, this game will go a long ways towards settling the logjam on the top of the standings.  After allowing 20 points to Warrensburg, Canajoharie has only allowed 6 against Lake George and Whitehall.  Rensselaer's games have been closer, but have done so through careful mix of the run and the pass.  Steven Harwood will be a player to watch for Rensselaer, and Kevin Shannon will be a player to watch for Canajoharie.

THIS WEEK ON FOX Sports Radio 1230:
Johnstown Sir Bills (0-2, 0-3) @ Glens Falls Indians (2-1, 2-1) - Saturday, 1:30PM - The Johnstown Sir Bills clamped down defensively to hold Tamarac to only 6 points off an unfortunate turnover.  They will try to mix up their offense to battle the Glens Falls Indians.  On paper, the Indians may be stronger, but you cannot discount the Sir Bills.  Last year the Sir Bills played spoiler against the Hudson Falls Tigers when they got their first win of the season.  As a result, the Tigers had to play Albany Academy, and although they won earlier in the season against them, the second meeting was not as fortunate as Albany Academy went on to lose to Schalmont in the Class B Super Bowl.

A more thorough preview of this game is coming Friday, and be sure to listen Saturday to FOX Sports Radio 1230 for the game.

UPCOMING Fox Sports Radio 1230 HIGH SCHOOL BROADCASTS:
09/22 - Johnstown Sir Bills @ Glens Falls Indians - 1:15PM
09/29 - Salem Generals @ Fort Edward Flying Forts - 12:45PM
10/05 - Whitehall Railroaders @ Lake George Warriors - 6:45PM FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
10/13 - Amsterdam Rugged Rams @ South Glens Falls Bulldogs - 1:15PM
10/20 - Playoff Week - Teams TBA
10/27 - Playoff Week - Teams TBA