Troy High senior quarterback Brian Marsh drops back to pass during Saturday's Section II Class AA quarterfinal playoff game against Christian Brothers Academy. CBA lineman Mike Zaloga (70) is in the foreground. (Photos by Jeff Couch - The Record).

TROY — The Troy High School football team’s offense strung together a pair of 12-play scoring drives in the first half and the Flying Horses’ stout run defense was also on display early against Christian Brothers Academy in Saturday’s Section II Class AA quarterfinal game.

But one kickoff gone awry and one blown secondary assignment later, the Brothers had jumped right back into the game.

Troy turned to its passing attack, as senior quarterback Brian Marsh threw for three touchdowns after CBA had come back to tie the score. Senior running back Jordan Canzeri rushed for 122 yards and two touchdowns on 25 attempts in a 43-21 victory on Edward C. Picken Field at Troy High School.

“With all the close games that we’ve had, it’s been because teams are committing completely to the run,” Marsh, pictured at right, said. “If we can come out and throw three touchdown passes like we did today, I think that will keep their defense a little off balance more and open up lanes for our running backs.”

Marsh completed 7-of-9 passes for 95 yards, connecting with Noah Thomas, Josh Blaauboer and Raheem Felder on touchdown passes of five, 11 and 12 yards, respectively.

The Flying Horses ran Canzeri ragged in the first half, handing him the ball 19 times for 86 yards. Senior running back Shatiek Lewis, hobbled with an ankle injury since a Week Five victory at Saratoga Springs, gained 67 yards on eight attempts, but carried the ball just once in the second half.

“I guess we found a way,” Troy head coach Jack Burger said. “We did some things that conventionally we don’t do but we had practiced a lot. Brian got a chance to do some of those things and took a little bit of pressure off our run game.”

Troy High senior running back and cornerback Jordan Canzeri leaves CBA's Torey Williams on the turf during Saturday's Section II Class AA quarterfinal playoff game.

CBA (4-4), the Empire Division’s No. 4 seed, received an 82-yard kick return for a touchdown from Elijah Dukes in the second quarter. Troy was forced to punt on its ensuing drive and CBA quarterback Casey Crotty connected with Peter Luizzi for a 65-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the Brothers’ next drive that tied that score, 14-14.

For video highlights from Saturday's game, visit www.troyrecord.com/video/sports

“We came here and our goal was to win,” said first-year CBA head coach Joe Burke. “We were prepared to win, we thought we had a shot to win and we certainly were in position to win at times. We slipped up a little bit and you can’t do those things against good football teams.”

Troy limited CBA to nine offensive plays in the first half and 84 rushing yards on 30 attempts in the game. Crotty finished 5-of-14 for 146 yards and Elijah Dukes added a 16-yard touchdown pass to Max Weaver in the second half.

Troy (8-0), the Liberty Division’s No. 1 seed, will host Liberty No. 3 Niskayuna (5-3) in a Class AA semifinal Saturday at 1:30 p.m. The Silver Warriors upset Empire Division No. 2 seed Saratoga Springs Friday night, 34-27.

Niskayuna and Troy went to overtime in a regular season game in Week Six, with the Flying Horses pulling out the 35-28 victory, although Niskayuna’s Kyle Bayly passed for 336 yards in the losing effort.

“We didn’t get to them last time and we’re going to try to get to him,” said Luis Lind, at left, a senior defensive end at Troy. “He (Bayly) has a three-step drop and he gets rid of the ball quick, so we’re going to try hard.”

Marsh was among a handful of Troy High players that watched Niskayuna play at Saratoga Friday night and the quarterback is looking forward to the rematch against the Silver Warriors.

“I think it will help us because we’re not expecting to roll right over them like we did with a lot of teams this year,” Marsh said. “We know if we don’t play our game, they’ll beat us. We’ll be a little more on edge this week.”

• Notes: CBA ran nine offensive plays in the first half to Troy's 38.
• Troy's field was not in the greatest of shape for the game. Both Marsh and Crotty slipped to the turf untouched on option runs.
• Prior to Troy's second touchdown, Lewis fumbled a ball out of bounds that wound up giving Troy a first-and-goal from the two yard line. Two plays later, Marsh fumbled a handoff to Canzeri, who wound up scoring from three yards out on the next play.
• Blaauboer made a great diving catch down the Troy sideline for a 28-yard reception early in the second quarter.

Troy High junior running back and linebacker Stephaun Grinage scampers through the CBA defense during Saturday's Section II Class AA quarterfinal playoff game at Troy.

• Carter Sherman paced CBA with 39 rushing yards on 10 attemtps, all of which came in the second half. His sack of Marsh in the second quarter helped force a Troy punt and indirectly set up Crotty's 65-yard touchdown pass to Luizzi.
• Jordan Canzeri bowled over CBA's Max Weaver on an 11-yard run midway through the second quarter. The Flying Horses certainly dominated in the hard hits category, but that may have been the biggest. Canzeri also had a tackle for a loss when CBA tried to run a reverse midway through the third quarter. CBA's Elijah Dukes lost 11 yards on the play.
• Lind recovered a fumble one play after Canzeri's tackle for a loss, which set up the scoring drive that concluded with Marsh's touchdown strike to Blaauboer.
• Victor Pirela added a tackle for a loss on a CBA option play late in the third quarter.

Troy High offensive linemen take a break on the bench just before the start of the second half during Saturday's Class AA quarterfinal game against Christian Brothers Academy. (Videocapture by Will Montgomery - The Record).

• Quotes from the notebook: "It definitely feels a lot different from the regular season because the implications of every game are a little more real," Marsh said. "If you lose, high school football is done forever. You have to keep winning and keep going." 
• "For a while there, he looked like old Sha," Burger said of Lewis. "He got twisted up (ankle) down here again. Once we got up two touchdowns, we said, 'why really get him back in there?' I know he was anxious to get back in, but he had at least five or six carries and a couple of them looked like himself, moving the pile." 

TROY 43, CBA 21

CBA (4-4) 0 14 0 7 — 21
Troy (8-0) 7 14 15 7 — 43
First Quarter
T — Jordan Canzeri 4 run (Bardo Talbi kick) 6:17
Second Quarter
T — Canzeri 3 run (Talbi kick) 9:12
C — Elijah Dukes 82 kick return (Max Weaver kick) 8:58
C — Peter Luizzi 65 pass from Casey Crotty (Weaver kick) 6:27
T — Noah Thomas 5 pass from Brian Marsh (Talbi kick) 1:46
Third Quarter
T — Stephaun Grinage 4 run (Talbi kick) 5:28
T — Josh Blaauboer 11 pass from Marsh (Grinage pass from Marsh) 1:34
Fourth Quarter
C — Weaver 16 pass from Dukes (Weaver kick) 10:26
T — Raheem Felder 12 pass from Marsh (Talbi kick) 6:36
Individual Stats:
Rushing: CBA (30-84): Sherman 10-39, Williams 7-32, Crotty 6-7, Zappone 3-3, Antoinette 2-2, Dukes 2-1. Troy (47-268): Canzeri 25-122, Lewis 8-67, Grinage 2-41, Geraci 3-26, Marsh 9-12.
Passing: CBA: Crotty 5-14-146-1-0; Dukes 1-1-16-1-0. Troy: Marsh 7-9-95-3-0.
Receiving: CBA (6-162): Luizzi 2-81, Sherman 2-53, Weaver 1-16, Rustowicz 1-12. Troy (7-95): Blaauboer 2-39, Blair 1-24, Canzeri 2-15, Felder 1-12, Thomas 1-5.

Section II scoreboard

Friday, Oct. 22
Class AA quarterfinals
(L3) Niskayuna 34, (E2) Saratoga Springs 27
(E1) Ballston Spa 27, (L4) Schenectady 21
(E3) Shenendehowa 48, (L2) Shaker 6
Class A quarterfinals
(N1) Burnt Hills 49, (N5) Glens Falls 6
(N3) Queensbury 22, (S2) Averill Park 7
(S3) Bishop Maginn 35, (N2) Amsterdam 21
(S1) Lansingburgh 24, (N4) Gloversville 15
Class B quarterfinals
(W1) Schalmont 59, (R4) Cairo-Durham 6
(R1) Ravena 13, (W4) Cobleskill 7
Class C quarterfinals
(N1) Hoosick Falls 42, (S4) Watervliet 0
(N2) Greenwich 13, (S3) Voorheesville 8
(S1) Chatham 48, (N4) Tamarac 20
Class D quarterfinals
No. 3 Whitehall 40, No. 6 Warrensburg 20

Sat., Oct. 23
Class AA quarterfinals
(L1) Troy 43, (E4) CBA 21
Class B quarterfinals
(R2) Albany Academy 21, (W3) Schuylerville 17
(W2) Hudson Falls 48, (R3) Hudson 14
Class C quarterfinals
(S2) Fonda-Fultonville 38, (N3) Mechanicville 7
Class D quarterfinals
No. 4 Fort Edward 41, No. 5 Bishop Gibbons 0

Crossover games
Fri., Oct. 22
Mohonasen 54, South Glens Falls 34
Corinth 34, Catholic Central 28
Stillwater 40, Salem 13
Taconic Hills 26, Hoosic Valley 0
Coxsackie-Athens 46, Johnstown 8
Guilderland 25, Colonie 7.
La Salle 33, Albany 13
Canajoharie 16, Rensselaer 0
Scotia-Glenville 41, Broadalbin-Perth 13
Sat., Oct. 22
Cambridge 41, Granville 0
Cohoes 41, Ichabod Crane 27

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