New York State Class D regional final
Friday, Nov. 13, 7 p.m.
Ticonderoga High School

Moriah Vikings (7-2) vs. Rensselaer Rams (9-1)

This is a rematch of the 2008 regional final, when Moriah defeated Rensselaer 19-0 at Hudson Falls High School. Click here to read that story.

Here was what Rensselaer head coach Joel Preston told our Chris Fitz Gerald after that game:

“This was a great run,” Preston said. “I’m so proud of the seniors, they said three years ago that we were going to get here and they did it. And we have a lot of young kids on this team and we’re going to be back here next year.”

Click here to read last year's story about the long postseason history between the two schools.
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Moriah Vikings 2009 game-by-game results

BELLOWS FALLS, W, 20-0
Beekmantown, L, 27-21
PERU, L, 19-18
FRANKLIN ACADEMY-MALONE, W, 34-20
Tupper Lake, W, 41-8
TICONDEROGA, W, 20-0
Seton Catholic, W, 53-0
Plattsburgh, W, 54-12
Ticonderoga, W, 42-12 *

Home games in CAPS

*= Section VII/Section X Class D Super Bowl


Moriah defeated Ticonderoga in the Section VII/X Class D Super Bowl - you can read an account of that game from the Plattsburgh newspaper, The Press Republican, by clicking here.

Moriah's Ron Schofield was a threat on the ground, rushing for two touchdowns and 165 yards in the Super Bowl victory. He also added a kick return for a score. This season, Schofield has rushed for 991 yards and 14 touchdowns, but he also missed two of Moriah's games.

According to the Press Republican, the Vikings rushed for 2,024 yards and 31 touchdowns during the regular season. Moriah has only played nine games because they received a postseason bye. Rensselaer also received a bye in Section II, but the Rams played Mechanicville, a Class C team in a crossover game, winning big before they hosted Bishop Gibbons in the Section II Class D semifinals.

Nick Gilbo is the Vikings' fullback (366 rushing yards in the regular season) and Nathan Gilbo is Moriah's quarterback. He's only thrown the ball 35 times during the regular season (plus five more attempts in the Super Bowl) for a grand total of 415 passing yards.

Also check out North Country Sports Net for some Moriah information.

Here are Rensselaer's offensive leaders:
RB Nate Butler (85-677-10)
WR-RB Mico De Los Santos (54-636-15)
RB Jashem Hamilton (109-628-10)
QB Timmy Foust (32-63-542-5 TDs - 3 INTs)

That adds up to 1,941 rushing yards from the Rams' top backs and that doesn't include all of the yardage guys like Paul Dominy and Phil Sayers have piled up here and there for the Rams.

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Rensselaer Rams 2009 game-by-game results

Greenwich, W, 20-7
WARRENSBURG, W, 38-14
Bishop Gibbons, W, 49-14
SPA CATHOLIC, W, 50-3
Hoosick Falls, L, 21-7
SALEM, W, 67-0
LAKE GEORGE, W, 49-14
MECHANICVILLE, W, 44-6
BISHOP GIBBONS, W, 50-22*
Greenwich, W, 42-24#

Home games in CAPS

* = Section II Class D semifinals
# = Section II Class D Super Bowl at Shenendehowa


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The factor I think about when I think about this game is how the loss to Moriah focused the Rams all through the offseason and all through the 2009 season. During the first day or two of practices when I stopped by for our preview section, the kids were using that Moriah game as motivation during end-of-practice sprints.
If we want to play Moriah again, we can't quit now...that kind of stuff.
These Rensselaer kids want nothing less than a shot at redemption at Moriah and the whole 2009 season was just a stepping stone on their route to that goal. This is their Super Bowl, essentially, and I don't think there is any way these kids are stopped Friday night because they've been dreaming about this game for a year.