TROY -- High school football playoff berths will be on the line this weekend, the final of the regular season. The Record takes a look at some of the key games on the schedule in Week Seven.

For the full Section II football playoff scenario post, click here. One major news flash is that Lake George has forfeited its Week Seven game at Hoosick Falls, meaning the Warriors are now out of the equation for the final berth in the North Division, as long as Mechanicville or Granville win their Week Seven games.

Class AA

Shaker (5-0, 6-0) at Troy (5-0, 6-0), Saturday, 2:30 p.m.
The winner secures the No. 1 seed in the Liberty Division and the loser will be No. 2.

Schenectady (2-3, 2-4) at Colonie (2-3, 3-3), Friday, 7 p.m.
Schenectady, winner of two straight, con¬trols its playoff destiny in this elimination game. The winner clinches the No. 4 seed in the Liberty Division and the loser will be playing a crossover game in Week Eight.

Bethlehem (2-3, 2-4) at Guilderland (2-3, 3-3), Friday, 7 p.m.
The winner of this game isn’t assured a postseason berth, but the loser will be eliminated. Both of these teams are chasing Saratoga Springs and Christian Brothers Academy in a race for the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds in the Liberty Division. Ballston Spa and Shenendehowa will likely be No. 1 and No. 2 in some order.

Class A

Amsterdam (3-1, 5-1) at Gloversville, Friday, 7 p.m. and Queensbury (2-2, 4-2) at Glens Falls (1-3, 3-3), Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
All four of these teams are likely to quali¬fy for the postseason behind Northwest Division leader Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake – in a new Class A rule this season, a No. 5 seed from one division can bump out the No. 4 from the other if they have a better overall record – but these two games will determine the order of finish.

Bishop Maginn (2-1, 4-1) at Lansingburgh, Friday, 7 p.m.
The Knights can clinch the Southeast Division title outright with a victory over the Griffins, or Maginn can make the seeding situation a bit murkier with an upset.

Class B

Albany Academy (3-0, 5-1) at Ravena (3-0, 5-1), Friday, 7 p.m.
The winner claims the No. 1 seed in the Reinfurt Division and the loser will be No. 2.

Hudson (1-2, 3-3) at Cohoes (1-3, 1-6), Saturday, 1:30 p.m.

The Bluehawks can eliminate the Tigers with a victory and clinch the No. 3 seed in the Reinfurt Division in the process.

Schalmont (4-0, 6-0) at Schuylerville (3-1, 5-1), Friday, 7 p.m.
The victor will be the No. 1 seed in the West Division and the No. 2 seed goes to the loser. Cobleskill-Richmondville, Hudson Falls and Broadalbin-Perth are all alive for the final two playoff spots in the division behind Schalmont and Schuylerville.

Class C

Mechanicville (3-2, 3-3) at Tamarac (4-1, 5-1), Friday, 7 p.m.
The Red Raiders can vault into the North Division’s No. 3 seed with a victory over the Bengals but run the risk of not even making the playoffs if they lose at Tamarac. Hoosick Falls, which gets a bye in Week Seven since Lake George had to forfeit with just 14 healthy players on the roster after six weeks, is the No. 1 seed in the North, followed by No. 2 Greenwich. Granville is also alive for the No. 4 seed depending on how Mechanicville fares at Tamarac.

Voorheesville (2-2, 4-2) at Watervliet (4-1, 4-1), Saturday, 1 p.m.
The Cannoneers can keep their chances at the South Division’s No. 2 seed and a home playoff game alive with a victory over the Blackbirds. Voorheesville can all but clinch a playoff berth with a win over Watervliet. Canajoharie, Taconic Hills and Coxsackie-Athens all remain in the chase for the fourth and final playoff berth out of the South Division.

Class D

Whitehall (4-1, 4-1) at Rensselaer (4-1, 4-1), Friday, 7 p.m.
The winner of this game clinches the No. 2 seed and a bye until the Class D semifi¬nals. The top two seeds in Class D will play Week Eight crossover game against a non-playoff Class C teams. The loser of this game will be the No. 3 seed and host the No. 6 seed, Warrensburg, in an opening round Class D game in Week Eight.

Bishop Gibbons (2-3, 2-3) at Fort Edward (2-3, 2-3), Saturday, 1 p.m.
The winner clinches the No. 4 seed and will host the loser, which becomes the No. 5 seed, in an opening round playoff game next week.

The Record’s Power Polls

Class AA
Team, League, Overall, Last Week
1, Troy High, 5-0, 6-0, 1
The Flying Horses’ legendary defense didn’t show up against Niskayuna – Kyle Bayly threw for 336 yards against Troy’s secondary – but the Liberty Division leaders still pulled it out in overtime, 35-28.
2, Shaker, 5-0, 6-0, 2
The Blue Bison get their biggest test of the season Saturday afternoon at Troy High with the Liberty Division title on the line. Kickoff for that game has been moved back to 2:30 p.m.
3, Ballston Spa, 5-1, 5-1, 4
The Scotties kept pace in the Empire Division last week, beating CBA in Colonie. Ballston Spa plays hosts to pass-happy Niskayuna in a non-division Week Seven tilt.
4, Shenendehowa, 4-1, 5-1, 3
The Plainsmen lost in shocking fashion last week to Guilderland, 37-13. Is Shenendehowa still one of the favorites in the Section II Class AA race?
5, Niskayuna, 3-3, 3-3, NR
The Silver Warriors made a big statement last Friday, taking Troy High to overtime but ultimately losing by a touchdown. Can Nisky control the tempo of the game against Ballston Spa’s run-first strategy this week?

Class A
Team, League, Overall, Last Week
1, Burnt Hills, 4-0, 6-0, 1
The Spartans rolled over previously unbeaten Amsterdam, clinching the No. 1 seed in the Northwest Division.
2, Lansingburgh, 3-0, 5-1, 2
The Knights posted a big victory over Mohonasen last week, gaining the inside track to the No. 1 seed in the Southeast Division as long as they defeat Bishop Maginn on Friday.
3, Amsterdam, 3-1, 5-1, 3
The Rugged Rams couldn’t hang with Burnt Hills last week, but no team in Section II, aside from Lansingburgh, has done so this season.
4, Averill Park, 2-1, 4-2, 4
The Warriors played a challenging non-conference game last week, handing Class B’s Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk its first loss of the season.
5, Queensbury, 2-2, 4-2, NR
The Spartans defeated Gloversville last week, 30-0, making their claim for postseason positioning in the Northwest Division.

Class B
Team, League, Overall, Last Week
1, Schalmont, 4-0, 6-0, 1
The Sabres have outscored opponents 239-32 this season, but played a close one last week against Hudson Falls, winning 13-6.
2, Albany Academy, 3-0, 5-1, 2
The Cadets got back to their winning ways in Week Six, topping Cohoes 43-7. Senior running back Zay Richardson has gained 1,383 yards on 101 attempts this season.
3, Ravena, 3-0, 5-1, 3
The Indians saw their perfect season dashed last week at Averill Park, but Ravena gets a chance to clinch the Reinfurt Division’s No. 1 seed at home Friday night against Academy.
4, Hudson Falls, 2-2, 2-4, 4
The Tigers didn’t pick up a victory last week, but Hudson Falls was the first team to slow Schalmont’s offense this season, holding the Sabres to 13 points. The problem? Hudson Falls scored just six in the game.
5, Schuylerville, 3-1, 5-1, 5
The Black Horses bounced back from a surprising loss to Hudson Falls with a 56-0 victory over Johnstown in Week Six.

Class C
Team, League, Overall, Last Week
1, Hoosick Falls, 5-0, 6-0, 1
The Panthers earned a bye in Week Seven when they learned Lake George had just 14 healthy players on the roster, two under the New York State minimum.
2, Chatham, 5-0, 6-0, 2
The Panthers close out the regular season schedule with an interesting non-division game at Greenwich. How much will the game mean to either team, especially considering they meet again two weeks from now in the Class C semifinals.
3, Fonda-Fultonville, 4-1, 4-2, 3
The Braves dropped a non-division game to Hoosick Falls last week, 21-6. Fonda can take a big step toward the No. 2 seed with a victory over Taconic Hills this week.
4, Greenwich, 5-1, 5-1, 4
The Witches posted yet another large margin of victory in Week Six, topping Stillwater, 57-10. Can Greenwich play in its second straight Section II Super Bowl? The Witches appeared in the Class D game in 2009.
5, Mechanicville, 3-2, 3-3, 5
Following their Indian Bowl victory over Stillwater in Week Five, the Red Raiders continued their late-season surge with a 21-14 victory over Lake George. Mechanicville plays in a big game Friday night at Tamarac.

Class D
Team, League, Overall, Last Week
1, Cambridge, 5-0, 4-0, 1
Running back Matt Best is one of Section II’s best, having gained 891 yards on 75 attempts through five games in 2010.
2, Rensselaer, 4-1, 4-1, 2
The Rams have a chance to clinch a first round bye with a victory over Whitehall this Friday night. Rensselaer has won two straight Section II Class D Super Bowl titles.
3, Whitehall, 4-1, 4-1, 3
Jason Hoagland, who has gained 930 rushing yards on 104 attempts, scored six total touchdowns in last week’s 48-7 victory over Warrensburg.



Section II high school football standings, 2010

Class AA, League, Overall
Empire Division, W-L, W-L, PF, PA, QP
Ballston Spa, 5-1, 5-1, 169, 78, 30
Shenendehowa, 4-1, 5-1, 150, 82, 26
Saratoga Springs, 3-2, 3-3, 124, 106, 24
Bethlehem, 2-3, 2-4, 97, 163, 12.5
Christian Bros. Acad., 2-3, 3-3, 131, 103, 18.5
Guilderland, 2-3, 3-3, 163, 148, 15
Albany, 0-5, 0-6, 47, 198, 0
Liberty Division
Shaker, 5-0, 6-0, 205, 62, 32
Troy, 5-0, 6-0, 256, 40, 34
Niskayuna, 3-3, 3-3, 168, 137, 22
Colonie, 2-3, 3-3, 62, 147, 12
Schenectady, 2-3, 2-4, 132, 158, 15.5
La Salle, 1-4, 1-5, 55, 214, 5
Columbia, 0-5, 0-6, 72, 205, 5.5

Class A
Northwest Division
Burnt Hills, 4-0, 6-0, 256, 48, 28
Amsterdam, 3-1, 5-1, 190, 128, 17
Gloversville, 2-2, 2-4, 116, 190, 12.5
Queensbury, 2-2, 4-2, 144, 100, 16
Glens Falls, 1-3, 3-3, 168, 166, 8.5
South Glens Falls, 0-4, 1-5, 100, 137, 2
Southeast Division
Lansingburgh, 3-0, 5-1, 213, 93, 21
Averill Park, 2-1, 4-2, 189, 162, 13.5
Bishop Maginn, 2-1, 4-2, 187, 172, 12
Scotia-Glenville, 1-3, 1-5, 59, 146, 8.5
Mohonasen, 0-3, 0-6, 69, 223, 1

Class B
Reinfurt Division
Albany Academy, 3-0, 5-1, 270, 101, 21
Ravena, 3-0, 5-1, 198, 112, 18
Hudson, 1-2, 3-3, 141, 129, 10
Cairo-Durham, 1-3, 1-5, 63, 218, 0
Cohoes, 0-3, 0-6, 46, 249, 0
West Division
Schalmont, 4-0, 6-0, 239, 32, 27.5
Schuylerville, 3-1, 5-1, 240, 64, 21
Cobleskill, 2-2, 3-3, 136, 115, 12
Hudson Falls, 2-2, 2-4, 146, 150, 16.5
Broadalbin-Perth, 1-3, 1-5, 76, 289, 7
Johnstown, 0-4, 0-6, 45, 267, 0
Independent
Ichabod Crane, 0-0, 1-5, 80, 201, 0

Class C
North Division
Hoosick Falls, 5-0, 6-0, 217, 39, 34.5
Greenwich, 5-1, 5-1, 236, 57, 35.5
Tamarac, 4-1, 5-1, 137, 120, 21.5
Mechanicville, 3-2, 3-3, 90, 115, 19.5
Granville, 3-3, 3-3, 160, 152, 23.5
Lake George, 3-4, 3-4, 141, 87, 20
Stillwater, 1-4, 2-4, 92, 212, 7
Corinth, 0-5, 1-5, 95, 162, 6
Hoosic Valley, 0-5, 0-6, 33, 264, 0.5
South Division
Chatham, 5-0, 6-0, 215, 69, 34
Fonda-Fultonville, 4-1, 4-2, 167, 111, 28
Watervliet, 4-1, 4-2, 141, 68, 27.5
Voorheesville, 2-2, 4-2, 150, 108, 11
Canajoharie, 2-3, 3-3, 98, 113, 13.5
Coxsackie-Athens, 1-3, 2-4, 144, 122, 2
Taconic Hills, 1-4, 1-5, 77, 188, 8.5
Catholic Central, 0-5, 1-5, 88, 173, 1.5

Class D
Cambridge, 5-0, 5-0, 193, 26, 32
Rensselaer, 4-1, 4-1, 117, 59, 19
Whitehall, 4-1, 4-1, 154, 88, 28.5
Bishop Gibbons, 2-3, 2-3, 61, 85, 14.5
Fort Edward, 2-3, 2-3, 148, 144, 13.5
Warrensburg, 1-4, 1-4, 59, 159, 9
Salem, 0-6, 0-6, 41, 209, 2

*QP = quarter points

Note: I'll be adding game capsules to this post later in the week. I'll bump it up to the top of the blog as soon as I do that.

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