Championship Week @ Cool Insuring Arena

It's the beginning of the annual tradition at the Cool Insuring Arena, where 20 local high school basketball teams enter with the hopes of moving onto the State Tournament, ultimately making it back to Glens Falls in a couple weeks to play in the State Championships.

It's a road that has been paved many times by many of these teams, but the challenge remains the same every time.   Win two grueling games over the course of a week to hoist a trophy at the end of the week.

Welcome to CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK at the COOL Insuring Arena.

15 games over the course of the next 6 days.  And it begins tonight with a couple local regulars playing before large crowds.

Johnstown Field Hockey: Life Lessons Learned

Johnstown Field Hockey Facebook Page | link

At the start of summer, they had no idea if they would actually play in the fall.

But thanks to the overwhelming support of the area, the Johnstown Lady Bills field hockey team not only made their backers proud, they made the community proud as well.

Not only making it to the State Semifinals this past weekend, but in the fashion that they clinched their spot in this past Sunday's championship against Bronxville through a game winning goal with seconds left in overtime.  And even though they did not leave Western NY with the championship plaque, they left Alden High School as champions in the heart of those who live in Johnstown.

It's a Hollywood-esque story.   With almost a Hollywood ending.

The Johnstown field hockey story should be one reminder about why athletics matter in the educational experience of a child.   Some may argue about what role playing a game has in the academic world, and may use those arguments to justify striking ink through the line item on a budget.

But what these girls learned in the past 5 months, is stuff that cannot be learned in a textbook.   They learned hard life lessons that some people won't learn until well into their adulthood.  The generosity of a community, allowing a second chance through donations to help keep athletics like the Field Hockey program going in 2019.  The community wasn't forced to part with their money.   The people who backed this team did so through the goodness of their heart.

This is in addition to the team-building that these girls learned on the field.  A field that if it weren't for the generosity of their backers, would of never been able to step onto.

And then this story would of never happened.

Athletics matter.

Mid-season report - 2019 High School Football

Four weeks down.

Let's take a look and see how teams are faring as we reach the midway point of the 2019 High School Football Season.

It begins with Class AA after the jump.

High School Football - Week 2 Schedule & Important Games:

Welcome to Week 2!   This weekend's schedule:

High School Football: Week 1 Schedule

Below the jump, the complete Week 1 schedule

Section 2 State Schedule - March 9th & 10th:

Here's the schedule for all 10 local teams still playing in the NYSPHSAA State Tournaments this weekend:

All games are SATURDAY 3/9, unless noted.

Boys Hockey
D2: Queensbury Spartans vs. John Jay-Cross River-1 - 9:30AM at HarborCenter, Buffalo.

State Championship Sunday 3/10, 12:00PM at HarborCenter, Buffalo

Boys Basketball
AA: Saratoga Springs Blue Streaks vs. West Genessee-3 - 3:45PM at SRC Arena, Syracuse
A: Troy Flying Horses vs. Jamesville-Dewitt-3 - 1:45PM at SRC Arena, Syracuse
B: Glens Falls Indians vs. Ogdensburgh Free Academy-10 - 4:30PM at SUNY Potsdam
C: Lake George Warriors vs. Moriah-7 - 2:00PM at Beekmantown High School
D: St. Johnsville Wolfpack vs. Wells-7 - 2:45PM at Hudson Valley CC, Troy

Girls Basketball
AA: Shenendehowa Plainsmen vs. West Genessee-3 - 5:30PM at SRC Arena, Syracuse
B: Mechanicville Red Raiders vs. Canton-10 - 2:45PM at SUNY Potsdam
C: Cambridge Indians vs. Moriah-7 - 12:00PM at Beekmantown High School
D: Bishop Gibbons Golden Knights vs. Westport-7 - 1:00PM at Hudson Valley CC, Troy

Section 2 Boys Basketball Sectionals - Day-by-Day Schedule

February 15th
Class B 1st Round
All tip times @ 7:00PM
17-Hudson Falls at 16-Cohoes
18-Broadalbin-Perth at 15-Greenville

Class C 1st Round
All tip times are 7:00PM
17-Saratoga Catholic at 16-Cambridge
20-Galway at 13-Fort Plain
18-Rensselaer at 15-Berne-Knox
19-Duanesburg at 14-Hadley-Luzerne

February 19th
Class B Round of 16
All tip times are 7:00PM
16/17 at 1-Schalmont
9-Cobleskill at 8-Schuylerville
13-Voorheesville at 4-Catskill
12-Coxsackie at 5-Fonda-Fultonville
15/18 at 2-Glens Falls
10-Tamarac at 7-Johnsville
14-Bishop Gibbons at 3-Watervliet
11-Mechanicville at 6-Hudson

Class C Round of 16
All tip times are 7:00PM
16/17 at 1-Lake George
9-Stillwater at 8-Schoharie
13/20 at 4-Chatham
12-Greenwich at 5-Mayfield
15/18 at 2-Hoosick Falls
10-Hoosic Valley at 7-Canajoharie
14/19 at 3-Maple Hill
11-Waterford at 6-Granville

February 20th
Class AA Round of 16
All tip times are 7:00PM
9-Schenectady at 8-LaSalle
13-Guilderland at 4-CBA
12-Shaker at 5-Green Tech
10-Albany at 7-Colonie
11-Niskayuna at 6-Columbia

Class A Round of 16
All tip times are 7:00PM
9-Scotia-Glenville at 8-Queensbury
13-Bishop Maginn at 4-Mekeel Christian
12-Burnt Hills at 5-Lansingburgh
10-Ballston Spa at 7-Amsterdam
11-Catholic Central at 6-Mohonasen

Class D Round of 16
All tip times are 7:00PM
9-Loudonville Christian at 8-New Lebanon
13-Salem at 4-Hartford
12-Whitehall at 5-North Warren
10-Fort Edward at 7-Northville
11-Hawthorn Valley at 6-Argyle

February 22nd
Class B Quarterfinals
3/14 vs. 6/11 Winner - 5:00PM at Shenendehowa
4/13 vs. 5/12 Winner - 6:30PM at Shenendehowa
2/15-18 vs. 7/10 Winner - 6:30PM at HVCC
1/16-17 vs. 8/9 Winner - 8:00PM at HVCC

Class C Quarterfinals
1/16-17 vs. 8/9 Winner - 5:00PM @ HVCC
4/13-20 vs. 5/12 Winner - 8:00PM @ Shenendehowa

February 23rd
Class AA Quarterfinals
All games at HVCC
4/13 vs. 5/12 - 2:00PM
6/11 vs. 3-Shenendehowa - 4:00PM
7/10 vs. 2-Saratoga 5:30PM
8/9 vs. 1-Bethlehem - 7:00PM

Class C Quarterfinals
3/14-19 vs. 6/11 Winner - 11:00AM @ HVCC
2/15-18 vs. 7/10 Winner - 12:30PM @ HVCC

Class D Quarterfinals
All games at Stillwater High School
4/13 vs. 5/12 - 1:00PM
6/11 vs. 3-Fort Ann - 2:30PM
7/10 vs. 2-Germantown - 4:30PM
8/9 vs. 1-St. Johnsville - 6:00PM

February 24th
Class A Quarterfinals
All games at HVCC
4/13 vs. 5/12 - 1:00PM
6/11 vs. 3-Averill Park - 2:30PM
7/10 vs. 2-Gloversville - 4:30PM
8/9 vs. 1-Troy - 6:00PM

February 25th
Class C Semifinals at COOL Insuring Arena
Top Bracket Semifinals - 5:00PM

Class B Semifinals at COOL Insuring Arena
Bottom Bracket Semifinals - 6:30PM
Top Bracket Semifinals - 8:00PM

February 26th
Class C Semifinals at COOL Insuring Arena
Bottom Bracket Semifinals - 5:00PM

Class AA Semifinals at COOL Insuring Arena
Bottom Bracket Semifinals - 6:30PM
Top Bracket Semifinals - 8:00PM

February 27th
Class D Semifinals
All games at COOL Insuring Arena
Bottom half - 5:30PM
Top half - 7:00PM

February 28th
Class A Semifinals
All games at COOL Insuring Arena
Bottom half - 5:30PM
Top half - 7:00PM

March 1st
Class C Finals at COOL Insuring Arena
Semifinal Winners - 5:30PM

Class B Finals at COOL Insuring Arena
Semifinal Winners - 7:15PM

March 2nd
Class D Finals at COOL Insuring Arena
Semifinal Winners - 2:00PM

Class A Finals at COOL Insuring Arena
Semifinal Winners - 4:00PM

Class AA Finals at COOL Insuring Arena
Semifinal Winners - 6:00PM

Ranking Section 2's Top 5:

One person's top 5 rankings for Section 2's basketball, through February 5th's games:

CLASS AA:
1 - Bethlehem (18-0)
2 - Saratoga Springs (16-2)
3 - Shenendehowa (13-6)
4 - CBA (11-5)
5 - LaSalle (9-8)

Thoughts: Bethlehem has nearly ran the table in the Suburban Council, but has to survive a Friday Night showdown with Troy in order to better their chances.   Troy is looking to better their "A" resume, and a win over the top squad in AA will give their seeding push a much needed boost.   Saratoga Springs has losses against Bethlehem and Troy.  Shenendehowa's losses to Bethlehem and Saratoga Springs are by a combined 7 points, and with both of those games allowing less than 50 points, the Plainsmen could still be a strong threat. 

CLASS A:
1 - Gloversville (16-1)
2 - Troy (15-3)
3 - Mekeel Christian Academy (11-2)
4 - Lansingburgh (13-5)
5 - Averill Park (12-5)

Thoughts: Gloversville's lone loss so far is a December match against the Glens Falls Indians, though the two teams will meet again on Monday with the Foothill Council title on the line.   Troy's spot at #2 takes into consideration their Cool Insuring Arena loss to Schalmont this past weekend.   Mekeel Christian Academy's going to be making a big push for the #1 seed this weekend when they meet Albany Academy at the Washington Armory.  After that, Lansingburgh and Averill Park could flip-flop for who is the #4 team in Class A.

CLASS B:
1 - Glens Falls (16-1)
2 - Schalmont (18-0)
3 - Fonda-Fultonville (16-3)
4 - Catskill (16-3)
5 - Watervliet (12-5)

Thoughts: Let's face it, Class B is preparing for yet another fun Sectional Playoff ride.   The #1 seed is going to come down to either Glens Falls and Schalmont.   Schalmont raised its tournament profile with their win over Troy at Cool Insuring Arena this past weekend in the Sunmark Shootout, keeping their record blemish-free.   Glens Falls has the one loss, to Petals High of Mississippi when they were playing in Florida back in December.  It comes down to how much the Sectional Seeding committee looks at that non-conference match, baring any other losses the rest of the regular season here.  Fonda -Fultonville and Catskill both make strong cases to be the #3 seed.  And given the strength of Class B, there's no guarantee any of these four teams make it to Cool Insuring Arena for the semifinals/finals.

CLASS C: 
1 - Lake George (19-0)
2 - Hoosick Falls (15-1)
3 - Maple Hill (16-2)
4 - Mayfield (15-4)
5 - Granville (14-5)

Thoughts: Lake George is the clear choice for the #1 seed thanks to their shutdown of the Hoosick Falls Panthers at Cool Insuring Arena a couple weeks ago.   The Panthers are a solid #2 seed, with Maple Hill staring at the #3 seed for now.   This classification is to packed on the front end that a loss can still drop a team down several spots heading into next week's Sectional Seeding meeting in Saratoga Springs. 

CLASS D:
1 - Oppenheim-Ephratah-St. Johnsville (15-3)
2 - Germantown (13-4)
3 - Fort Ann (14-5)
4 - Hartford (11-7)
5 - Argyle (10-9)

Thoughts: Argyle is starting to catch rhythm and that earns them the nod over North Warren for #5.   The Scots are not a team the top teams of Class D want to face now that Peyton Lufkin is healthy.   But the Sectional Seeding Committee takes a look at the season as a whole, which gives St. Johnsville the nod for the #1 seed for now, but Germantown is lurking in the distance. 

Our 2018 High School Football Plays of the Year:

On Saturday, during the halftime of Glens Falls's 40-0 Sectional Championship win over the Cobleskill-Richmondville Bulldogs, we unveiled some of our favorite calls from the 2018 season.

If you were unable to listen, you can find the audio after the jump:

The Sectional Semifinals Preview Edition

This week is the Sectional Semifinals, as the field of 20 teams gets whittled down to the 10 teams that will be playing for sectional titles next week.

After the jump, a look at all 10 games that will be played this week.

Thoughts From The Press Box: The Sectional Quarterfinals

Here's my thoughts on the 12 Sectional Quarterfinal matches that were played out over the past two days.

CLASS A:
Scotia Tartans 7, Troy Flying Horses 14 - This surprised me.  Troy being pushed to the limit by a Scotia squad that wasn't great in 2018, but good enough to make the playoffs.  But Scotia was unable to capitalize on the Flying Horses mistakes. 

That being said, the Flying Horses need to tighten up their play, as they will now be hosting a Burnt Hills squad that is good at capitalizing on a team's miscues.  Burnt Hills has an array of weapons and the Flying Horses will not be able to get away with a soft effort.

Troy was not convincing of a team who could walk away with the Sectional Championship on Friday.  We'll have to see if they come better prepared for the match against Burnt Hills.

Columbia Blue Devils 16, Burnt Hills Spartans 49 - I'll admit, I don't know much about Columbia.  But Burnt Hills looked good, bouncing back from the Week 7 loss to the Queensbury Spartans.  Lapietro got back into rhythm, opening up the running game from Daverio and Lashley. 

Burnt Hills looks hungry to get back to the State Playoffs, but the road to the Sectional Championship will be tough with a road game against the Troy Flying Horses in the semifinals.  But if the Flying Horses have the miscues they did against Scotia, Burnt Hills will be heading to Shenendehowa for Week 10.

Ballston Spa Scotties 0, Averill Park Warriors 22 - Childrose is a smart quarterback, using his legs to give the Warriors the first score of the game against the Scotties.  The Warrior defense was on target on Friday night, as the Scotties couldn't generate any offense. 

The Warriors are hungry for revenge, and they will have the chance to do that on Saturday when they go to Queensbury for the semifinals.  Last year Queensbury came down to Rensselaer County and beat the Warriors on their home field in the semifinals, and the Warriors would love to return the favor in Queensbury this year.

LaSalle Cadets 6, Queensbury Spartans 62 - You mean there's a person who can score for Queensbury not named Liam O'Mara?  In serious, the Queensbury Spartans are red hot right now, topping the 60 point mark for the fourth time this season.  Queensbury's 444 points (that's 55.5 points per game!) is more than 6 touchdowns better than the #2 team in Section 2, the Cambridge Indians.  And twelve touchdowns better than the #3 team, Shaker. 

A strong defensive effort is going to be needed to slow down the Queensbury Spartans.  LaSalle got placed in a tough division for their first season in Class A, and didn't have the weapons needed to get past Queensbury.

CLASS B:
Ravena Indians 6, Glens Falls Indians 61 - The Ravena Indians entered the playoffs only beating one playoff team this year, and that was by forfeit after LaSalle revealed that they were playing with an ineligible player for the first two games of the season.  And they got outclassed by a Glens Falls Indians team that is getting healthy and starting to gel at just the right time.

The Glens Falls Indians scored on three of their first four plays, while Ravena had back-to-back-to-back three and outs.  Up 48-0, Glens Falls was able to get their backups some touches and Cooper Montgomery came away with two more touchdown.

The second half was all of three possessions, due to running clock with the score 55-0 at the half, and took 28 minutes to complete. 

Hudson Falls Tigers 40, Hudson Hawks 38 - That compared to the first half of this game that took 83 minutes to complete due to penalties and such.  Despite that, and the lights going out midway through the fourth quarter that made this game longer than some NFL games this season, this was the best game of the postseason by far.

These two teams traded leads in the second half, with Hudson Falls making some mistakes that gave Hudson the chance to come back from two scores down.  But the Hudson defense couldn't make the stop when they needed to in the fourth quarter. 

But the Hudson Falls Tigers have to sharpen up their ball control.  The miscues they had against Hudson will maim the Tigers against Glens Falls, who they lost to earlier this season in the Jug Game.  And they can't be handing the Indians bonus yards, like they did thanks to three straight Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalties that allowed Hudson to take the lead 38-32 in the fourth quarter.

Hudson Falls was the only road team to win this weekend. 

Schalmont Sabres 6, Schuylerville Black Horses 40 - The Black Horses dominated in their second match against the Schalmont Sabres this season, rolling to a 33-0 lead at the half thanks to a 27 point second quarter.  While fatigue could of been a possible explanation for Schalmont given their Tuesday game against Hudson that was required to be made up as playoff seeding depended on it, Schalmont looked flat for the second time against a Schuylerville team that has a lot of heart.

While Glens Falls may look like a #1 seed in Class B, Schuylerville has been quietly coming along as a serious team to watch out for as they travel to face the Reinfurt's #1 seed in Cobleskill.  John Bowen has his players gelling at the right time, which could make for an interesting Super Bowl...

Broadalbin-Perth Patriots 14, Cobleskill-Richmondville Bulldogs 34 - Back in week 2, Cobleskill showed that they could be a serious threat this season when they forced the Glens Falls Indians to play a full 48 minute game, only winning the game in the final 90 seconds on a Joe Girard III touchdown run. 

While the Bulldogs lead through much of the match against Broadalbin-Perth, it wasn't a wow kind of game that shows what the Bulldogs can do against a more explosive team like their next opponent in the Schuylerville Black Horses. 

CLASS C:
Lake George/Hadley-Luzerne WarEagles 6, Hoosick Falls Panthers 18 - The WarEagles got the early score, but offered the Panthers too many opportunities to get back into the game.  It was a good season for Lake George/Hadley-Luzerne, however, they were a step below the top two teams in the division this season.

Hoosick Falls moves onto a tough Semifinal match against a Cambridge squad they already once beat the Panthers this season.  While the Panthers put up the most any team has put up against Cambridge this season, it doesn't help with the Indians put up the second highest score of any team in Section 2, at just a shade under 50 points per game.  The Panthers defense will need to tighten up for that rematch.

Helderberg Valley 6, Cambridge Indians 59 - Doug Luke has way too many weapons for most teams in Section 2 to handle.  Whether it's Lindendoll, English, Sgambettera, Ogilvie ... the Indians have several options who can touch the ball and create magic.  Heldeberg Valley is still coming along and developing, but ran into a roadblock in the first round.

Stillwater Warriors 21, Chatham Cougars 26 - This was the second best game of the playoffs, with lead changes and a dramatic finish where you didn't know who was coming out on top in the end.  But in the end Chatham used their home field advantage to propel them into the next round.

It's a tough end for a Stillwater squad that went from being 6-0 and in consideration for a #2 seed to being 6-2 and out of the playoffs with losses to Holy Trinity and Chatham.

Voorheesville Blackbirds 18, Holy Trinity Pride 35 - I will admit, I know nothing of these two teams.  Holy Trinity lost soundly against a Cambridge squad in Week 2 that still could become a preview of the Sectional Championship in Lansingburgh in two weeks. 

But the Pride took care of business, pulling away from a Voorheesville Blackbird squad that earned their spot in the playoffs. 

Now that the playoffs are done, it's time for the Sectional Semifinals.  Let's hope that the Sectional Semifinals produce wild games like the ones seen in Columbia County in Week 8.

High School Football Playoff Schedule:

The Standings, and a look at Week 7's Playoff Implications

Here are the current standings for the five classifications entering Week 7.

		Conference		Overall
CLASS AA
	Team	W	L	W	L	Week 7	Week 8
x	Shaker	6	0	6	0	@ CBA	COL
	Saratoga Springs	5	1	5	1	SCHDY	@ SHEN
	Shenendehowa	5	1	5	1	@ALB	SAR
	Bethlehem	3	3	3	3	NISKY	SCHDY
	CBA	3	3	3	3	SHAKR	@GUILD
	Guilderland	3	3	3	3	@COL	CBA
	Colonie	2	4	2	4	GUILD	@SHAKR
	Niskayuna	2	4	2	4	@BETH	ALB
e	Schenectady	1	5	1	5	@SAR	@BETH
e	Albany	0	6	0	6	SHEN	@NISKY
CLASS A
Capital Division
x	Averill Park	4	0	6	0	@TROY
x	Troy	4	0	5	1	A-PARK
x	Columbia	2	2	3	3	@TECH
	La Salle	1	3	3	3	@AMST
	Amsterdam	1	3	2	3	SALLE
e	Green Tech	0	4	1	5	COLUM
Grasso Division
x	Burnt Hills	5	0	6	0	QSBY
x	Queensbury	5	0	6	0	@BH
x	Ballston Spa	3	2	3	3	SGF
	Scotia	2	3	2	4	GLOV
	Gloversville	1	4	1	5	@SCOT
	South Glens Falls	1	4	1	5	@BSPA
e	Mohonasen	1	5	1	5	HUDFLS
CLASS B
North Division
d	Glens Falls	3	0	4	2	@BROAD
h	Schuylerville	2	1	4	2	JOHN
x	Hudson Falls	2	2	4	2	@MOH
x	Broadalbin-Perth	1	2	3	2	GF
e	Johnstown	0	3	2	4	@SCHUY
Reinfurt Division
x	Schalmont	3	0	4	1	@COBLE
x	Cobleskill	4	0	4	2	SCHAL
x	Hudson	2	1	3	2	RAVENA
x	Ravena	2	2	2	4	@HUD
e	Ichabod Crane	0	4	0	6	LANS
e	Lansingburgh	0	4	0	6	@IC
CLASS C
Central Division
x	Stillwater	4	0	6	0	HOLY
x	Holy Trinity	4	0	5	1	@STIL
	Fonda	2	2	3	3	@MECH
	Canajoharie-Fort Plain	1	3	2	4	TAM
e	Mechanicville	1	4	2	4	FONDA
e	Tamarac	0	4	2	4	@CANJO
North Division
d	Cambridge	4	0	6	0	@GREEN
	Hoosick Falls	3	1	5	1	CORN
	Granville	2	2	3	3	LG-HL
	Lake George/Hadley-Luzerne	2	2	4	2	@GRAN
e	Greenwich	1	3	1	5	CAMB
e	Corinth	0	4	0	6	@HOOF
South Division
d	Chatham	6	0	6	0	@GREENE
	Voorheesville	4	1	4	2	@COX
	Helderberg Valley	2	2	3	3	@HILLS
	Catskill-Cairo-Durham	2	2	2	4	VLIET
e	Watervliet	1	4	2	4	@CAT
e	Coxsackie-Athens	1	4	1	5	VOOR
e	Taconic Hills	1	4	1	5	HELDV
CLASS D
x	Warrensburg	4	0	5	1	WHITE
x	Whitehall	4	0	4	2	@WRSBG
x	Hoosic Valley	3	2	4	3	@RENS
x	Fort Edward/Argyle	1	3	1	4	@COH
e	Rensselaer	0	3	1	5	HOOV
i	Cohoes	0	4	0	6	FE

x - clinched playoff spot
d - clinched divisional title
h - clinched second seed, will play at home Week 8
e - eliminated
i - ineligible for playoffs-playing in a lower class.

Several divisional titles are up for grabs in Week 7.  In Class A, both divisional titles will be on the line when Queensbury visits Burnt Hills in the Grasso Division, and the Capital Division will be determined when Averill Park visit Troy.

In Class B, the Reinfurt Division will be determined as Schalmont travels to Cobleskill, although I'm not certain how the cancelled Hudson at Schalmont game from last week will play into this.  This isn't as easy of a scenario as the Amsterdam/Broadalbin-Perth match where the two teams were non-divisional opponents and thus wouldn't impact playoff seeding.  Glens Falls finishes the season against Broadalbin-Perth, but win or lose, they have the North Division's title.  

In Class C, Cambridge and Chatham have their divisional titles sewn up, but the Central Division is up for grabs as Stillwater hosts Holy Trinity.  

Finally, Class D's title will be handed out when Warrensburg hosts Whitehall under the temporary lights on Friday night.  

In Class AA, Shaker can clinch their division this week with a win at CBA, as they will have head-to-head wins over both Saratoga Springs and Shenendehowa, who face each other in Week 8.  Don't forget, Class AA is playing eight weeks regular season this year, and will only admit four teams to the playoffs.

As far as the other teams making the playoffs, Saratoga Springs and Shenendehowa are on the inside path to making the playoffs and can clinch with victories over Schenectady and Albany this week.  If both teams win, they will determine who gets to host the Class AA Semifinal when they face each other next week.  

In Class A, only Mohonasen has been eliminated from consideration as this week's home game is against non-divisional opponent Hudson Falls and thus cannot catch the final seed into the playoffs.  South Glens Falls is in a scenario where they need to win and get help from Gloversville, and then hope the quarter points are good enough to eliminate Scotia, as the Bulldogs have the tiebreaker over Gloversville, but not the Tartans.  If the Bulldogs lose to Ballston Spa, the Gloversville/Scotia game becomes a win-and-you're-in game.  Ballston Spa is in the playoffs, and can do no better than the #3 seed.

In the Capital Division, Green Tech is eliminated as the LaSalle at Amsterdam winner will take the fourth and final playoff spot in the division.  Columbia is in, and will take the #3 seed win or lose, as a win will give it to them outright, and with wins over both LaSalle and Amsterdam this season, the Blue Devils will win the tiebreaker if they do lose. 

In Class B, the eight team field is set.  Johnstown can beat Schuylerville to tie Broadalbin-Perth in the standings, but the Patriots hold the tiebreaker over the Sir Bills by virtue of their 48-6 win this past Friday.  If Schuylerville wins, it will set in stone Schuylerville's place as the #2 seed, Hudson Falls as the #3 seed and Broadalbin-Perth as the #4 seed.  In the Reinfurt Division, Hudson and Ravena meet to see who will be travelling up to Glens Falls next week.  Winner gets the #3 seed and a likely trip to Schuylerville, loser has to go further up the Hudson River to Glens Falls.  

Class C is complicated, as the only guarantee from my understanding talking to Lake George's Athletic Director Kyle Manny on Friday is that the divisional winner is the only team guaranteed in the playoffs.  Those three teams will be seeded 1-3, then it comes down to five wild cards for the remaining spots.  Cambridge is a strong candidate for the #1 seed, with the winner of the Holy Trinity/Stillwater match getting the #2 seed and Chatham getting the #3 seed.  But for the remainder of the teams, you should expect Hoosick Falls, the loser of the Holy Trinity/Stillwater match, Voorheesville to get in, and the other two teams coming down to the Lake George/Granville winner and Fonda, if they get past Mechanicville this week.  Again, this classification is hard to read, so take these words with a grain of salt. 

In Class D, after Whitehall/Warrensburg, Hoosic Valley is in the field of four.  Fort Edward will also get to play a meaningful game in Week 9 by way of their tiebreaker over Rensselaer.  

What this means is a lot of great football coming up this week.  Division titles are up on the line and playoff position is as well.  Give Section II credit, they made some right choices for Week 7 schedules when they came out with the schedules back in March.