Hoosick Falls senior running back Alex Hansen receives a hand shake from quarterback Mike Brewster (12) after scoring a touchdown in Friday's 21-7 victory over Rensselaer on Ken Baker Field. Hansen scored a pair of rushing touchdowns in the crossover triumph. (Photos by J.S. Carras - The Record).

Two of the five unbeaten teams from Rensselaer County* squared off Friday night in a Class C-D crossover game in Hoosick Falls. And if you liked defense, especially run-stuffing tackles, this was your game.

* (La Salle won Friday night to move to 5-0 and Lansingburgh and Troy, both 4-0, play Saturday afternoon).

Hoosick Falls didn't crack the century mark on the ground until late in the fourth quarter and the Panthers held the defending Section II Class D champions from Rensselaer to 73 rushing yards on 35 attempts.

Rensselaer's Paul Dominy (left) and Jason Brown (right) wrap up Hoosick Falls quarterback Mike Brewster during Friday's game. Brewster tossed for 172 yards and also gained 56 yards on the ground for the Panthers.

"We weren’t very consistent running the ball and that had a lot to do with who we were playing," Hoosick Falls head coach Ron Jones said. "They were very rugged. Those Rensselaer kids are tough."

Rensselaer's Jashem Hamilton carried the ball 14 times Friday night, but could gain only 36 yards against an aggressive and gang-tackling 3-5-3 front presented by Hoosick Falls. No Rensselaer running back busted off a run of more than 10 yards. Quarterback Timmy Foust was the only rusher to accomplish the feat on a nice 18-yard keeper scramble.

"They had an answer for just about everything we did and we had some openings, we tried to exploit them, but our throwing game let us down just a little bit tonight," said Rensselaer head coach Joel Preston. "When you have opportunities, you need to capitalize on them and we didn’t make the plays when we needed them."

Rensselaer's Todd DeLuke (60) grabs Alex Hansen (38) during Friday's game in Hoosick Falls. Hansen finished with 81 rushing yards on 21 carries.

Next up for the Panthers? Rival Cambridge in the annual Ken Baker Jug game.
It also figures to be a crucial Class C North Division showdown, as the Indians (3-0, 4-0) are also undefeated heading into Saturday's contest against Mechanicville (3-1, 3-1).

"It’s the biggest game of our season," Hansen said. "It’s Homecoming."

"Cambridge likes to power the ball, but they also have a pass game that we have to figure out," said Brewster. "We’ll scout it out and do our best."