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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Playoff Hopes in Jeopardy after 34-18 loss.

The Glens Falls Indians run of 14 straight Sectional appearances are in jeopardy after falling to the Broadalbin-Perth Patriots by a score of 34-18.

The game started with promise for the Indians, who recovered an onside kick, which lead to Zach Infield passing to Colin Duell for the 9 yard score.  But the two point conversion was no good.

The very next play, Mike Visco made the Indians pay for kicking to him as he ran the ball about 86 yards to the end zone for the score.  Getting free for the touchdown was easy for Visco, a track and field star for the Patriots who got a wide-open lane in the middle and made his way towards the near sideline for the score. The extra point would give the Patriots the 7-6 lead.

In the second quarter, Quentin Austin rolled with the option to Nate Plocharczyk for the 22 yard score to give the Indians the 12-7 lead.

Quentin Austin would find the end zone with his feet about two minutes later as he ran in for a 3 yard score to widen the Indians lead to 18-7.

But the Patriots bounced back, and Tyler Schmidt scored from 30 yards out to close the gap to 18-14.  The Indians would move the ball on the ensuing drive to within the Broadalbin-Perth 30, but Zach Infield then was picked off by Visco to end the Indians threat.  After a three-and-out, the Indians got the ball back with great field position, but with less than 50 seconds left, Infield's pass to Plocharczyk was called back for pass interference after he pushed off for the completion.

The Indians then let the clock run out to end the half.

In the third quarter, the Indians moved the ball well, but could not finish what they started as they would turnover on downs on the first possession after the half.  Darius Reyes would rush for a 16 yard score to give the Patriots the 20-18 lead.

In the early stages of the fourth quarter, Reyes would chase after Infield, and knocked the ball free, then scooped up the fumble and took it back 72 yards for the score.  The PAT would give the Patriots a 9 point lead.  The Indians moved the ball back into Broadalbin-Perth territory, but would get stopped at around the 35 yard line.  This allowed the Patriots to run down the clock, and then connected on a Zach Morreale to Luigi Magliocca six yard pass to widen the gap to 33-18.  The extra point was good, and the Patriots walked out of Glens Falls with the 34-18 win.

It was the second straight loss for the Glens Falls Indians, and the third they've suffered this year.  With Scotia's win over Schuylerville, and Johnstown's win over Hudson Falls, the Indians now find themselves a game behind Scotia for the fourth and final playoff spot, tied with Johnstown for 5th in the division.  The last time the Indians failed to make the playoffs was in 1998, when a 5-2 Foothills Council record wasn't enough as Gloversville edged the Indians for the Class A Sectionals.

The Broadalbin-Perth Patriots improved to 4-1 on the season, and with Cobleskill losing to Schalmont, the Patriots now are alone in second place in the division, however the two teams still have to face each other.

The Indians travel to Hudson Falls for the Jug Game on Saturday at Moran Field.  The Patriots are at Schuylerville, where they will face the Black Horses.

Note: Any published statistics here are considered unofficial and should not be used for official record-keeping. 

Queensbury Clinches Top Seed

With Queensbury's 48-28 victory over the Amsterdam Rugged Rams last night, the Spartans have clinched the top spot in the Class A Northwest.

Pete Tobey of the Post-Star recaps the game better than we would having been there, so check out his printed recap, as well as his expanded analysis on the game.

The win improves the Spartans to 3-0 in divisional play and 5-0 overall with two games to play.  Since next week's game for the Spartans is a non-divisional game, against Class AA's Columbia, the Spartans will fare no worse than 3-1 in the division.

Amsterdam fell to 1-1 in divisional play, and are 3-2 overall with losses to Troy and Queensbury.  Burnt Hills sits at 2-1 in divisional play, 4-1 overall with their lone loss being to the Spartans.  Since both teams play each other in Week 6, it will be guaranteed that one of those two teams will have a second divisional loss.

In addition, according to Section 2's tie-breaking procedure that was published in 2012, the first tie-breaker is head-to-head competition.  So if Queensbury was to lose their Week 7 game against Gloversville, that would equal their divisional record with the winner of the Burnt Hills/Amsterdam match.  Since Queensbury beat both teams, they would clinch top spot based on head-to-head.

That means the Queensbury Spartans are guaranteed to host a Sectional Quarterfinal game on October 26th, and should they win, they'd be guaranteed to host a Sectional Semifinal game the following Saturday.

High School Recap: Barnes breaks down the barn door on way to four TD's

John Barnes ran for over 200 yards and found the end zone four times as the Greenwich Witches used their magic in a 42-7 win over the Whitehall Railroaders.

The win gives the Witches sole possession of first place in Class D North.

The Witches scored on their first two possessions of the game as John Barnes rushed his way in from four yards out for a score, and Lukas Whitehouse connected with Alex Messina for a six yard score, as the Witches led 12-0 after the first quarter.

But Justin Hoagland helped get the Railroaders back within a possession with his three yard run to score early in the second quarter.

However, that would be all the offense the Railroaders would have.  Down 20-7 after the half, the Railroaders had some momentum, bringing the ball all the way to the Greenwich 40 yard line, but John Barnes picked off Hoagland and ran the entire distance for the touchdown.

John Barnes would score one last time on a 71 yard rush that made the score 35-7.  The run, with 52 seconds left to play in the third quarter, pushed Barnes past the 1,000 yard mark for the season.

The Witches would cap the scoring on a Lukas Whitehouse to Glenn Taylor five yard touchdown pass that would make the score 42-7.

The Railroaders fall to 3-2 with the loss, suffering their first divisional loss this season.  The loss places them second in the Northern Division with two games still to play.  Justin Hoagland threw for 39 yards, but found trouble as he completed only three of his 10 passes, getting picked off twice in the second half.

On the ground, Hoagland scored a touchdown on his way to 139 yards of rushing.  Brad Hanna rushed for 58 yards.

Lukas Whitehouse passed for 64 yards on 5-for-10 passing.  He threw two touchdowns and was picked off once.  John Barnes finished with 222 yards and four touchdowns.  He also had 28 receiving yards.  Brandon DiSanto also crossed the century mark, with 100 yards of rushing.

The Witches now travel to Warrensburg to face the Burghers before wrapping up their regular season at home against the Fort Edward Flying Forts.  The Railroaders will return home to face Salem next week.

Stats reported are unofficial and should not be used for official record purposes.

Week 4: High School Recap

One big win.  One big step forward for a local program.
Four miles away, one big loss.

Week 4 in review... after the jump.

Week 5: Buffalo Bills @ Cleveland Browns

On Thursday, the Buffalo Bills go primetime as they face the Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football.

The 2-2 Buffalo Bills were given a much needed shot of adrenaline when they defeated the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, but could have been more disastrous if the Ravens were able to complete their comeback after starting Quarterback Joe Flacco was picked off 5 times.

Meanwhile the Cleveland Browns are hoping that the energy of the Cleveland Indians cross over to continued success.  Don't look now, but since dumping their Running Back to the Indianapolis Colts, the Browns have won back-to-back games, first winning against Minnesota and then using Hoyer's 2 touchdowns and 269 yards to propel them to victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.

Don't forget 1230 FOX Sports Radio will have your Buffalo Bills coverage starting at 6:00PM with the Buffalo Bills Countdown to Kickoff, as Howard Simon and crew get you ready for the 8:25PM primetime showdown.

BONUS COVERAGE: Whitehall @ Greenwich

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1230 FOX Sports Radio is adding one game to their 2013 High School Football Coverage.

We will be live at Greenwich Central School as the Greenwich Witches face the Whitehall Railroaders in a Class D match.

The match features John Barnes, who has made headlines because of his ability to run through defensive lines, leading to his Section II leading 801 yards through four games.  He's on pace to crack the all-time Top 25 in rushing yards for Section II.  For Whitehall, Justin Hoagland has shown he can rush and pass, but distribute the ball too as Brad Hanna has been picking up some good yardage for the Railroaders.

With both teams at 3-1, 2-0 in the division, the winner of the contest will have the upper path towards the Northern Division's #1 seed come the first round of Sectionals in Week 8.

Broadcast will begin on 1230 FOX Sports Radio at 6:45PM with the pregame, featuring comments from both head coaches.  Kickoff is scheduled for 7PM.

As usual, the broadcast is brought to you by Jerry Brown's Auto Parts, located on Lower Warren Street in Queensbury.  You can find them online at JBAP.com.

Note: This game is in addition to our regular scheduled Saturday Afternoon game, when the Glens Falls Indians host the Broadalbin-Perth Patriots at 1:30PM.  2:00PM.

UPCOMING HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL BROADCASTS
FRIDAY 10/4: Whitehall Railroaders (3-1) at Greenwich Witches (3-1) - 6:45PM
SATURDAY 10/5: Broadalbin-Perth Patriots (3-1) at Glens Falls Indians (2-2) - 1:45PM - SAT Examinations have pushed this game's start time back, as well as several others.
SATURDAY 10/12: Lake George Warriors (1-3) at Fort Edward Flying Forts (0-4) - 12:45PM
SATURDAY 10/19: TO BE ANNOUNCED DURING SATURDAY 10/5 BROADCAST
SATURDAY 10/26: SECTIONAL QUARTERFINALS: TEAMS TBA

Be sure to like 1230 FOX Sports Radio on Facebook for more High School Sports coverage, and follow 1230 FOX Sports Radio on Twitter during game day for live tweeting, game recaps and more.