Troy High head coach Jack Burger (left) asks his team, "Where are we going?" "The Dome!" they replied, in unison. (Photos by Mike McMahon - The Record).

KINGSTON — The letters Z and E were missing from the back of Jordan Canzeri's jersey Saturday night and a few more were hanging by a thread.

It was that type of game for the Troy High football team.

For the second consecutive week, the Flying Horses came from behind late in the fourth quarter. This time, however, Troy did not earn another trip to Kingston. The Flying Horses instead punched their ticket to the Carrier Dome with a 20-19 New York State Class AA eastern semifinal victory over New Rochelle at Dietz Stadium.

“All we do is play Troy High football,” Canzeri said. “They were a good team. They were strong. They were fast. We didn't give up even though they were ahead. We've been down before at halftime and we've been down in the fourth quarter. We kept fighting and it was a great win.”

For video highlights from the game, click here.

Canzeri, pictured above, scored his second touchdown of the game on a 50-yard run with 11:10 to play in the fourth quarter, but New Rochelle's Jordan Lucas returned the ensuing kickoff 85 yards for the go-ahead score.

Both teams lost possession of the ball on fumbles midway through the fourth quarter, but Troy made the most of a eight-play drive that started at midfield after a New Rochelle fumble. Senior quarterback Brian Marsh scored on an eight-yard run to put the Flying Horses ahead 20-10 with 1:54 to play.

Troy withstood a New Rochelle drive to Troy's 34-yard line in the final minute, forcing a turnover on downs that essentially ended the game.

Troy (12-0) will face Section V champion Rush-Henrietta (12-0) in the New York State Class AA championship game Sun., Nov. 28 at 3 p.m. at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse.



Canzeri, a senior running back and cornerback who finished with 183 rushing yards on 23 attempts, was named Troy's Most Outstanding Offensive Player of the Game.

Senior linebacker Kyle Geraci, who recovered a New Rochelle fumble in the third quarter that did not ultimately result in any points for the Troy offense, was named the team's Defensive Player of the Game.

New Rochelle (9-1), the five-time defending Section I champion, ran just eight plays in the first half, but gained 161 yards of total offense. Troy, comparatively, ran 36 plays before halftime, gaining 205 yards.

Capri Corn scored on a 67-yard run on the second play of New Rochelle's first offensive drive and Khaliq Butts ran for an 80-yard score (pictured, at left) on the first play of the Huguenots' third series.

“We didn't make the plays when we needed to,” Geraci said of the defensive effort in the first half. “We just needed to tackle and we came up big at the end. That's all that counts right now.”

Troy finished with 298 rushing yards on 54 attempts. Marsh, who ran for 74 yards on 13 attempts, added 96 passing yards on a 6-of-11 performance.

The Troy defense, led by Stephaun Grinage, seen here tackling New Rochelle's Jordan Lucas, played its best when it needed to in Saturday's state semifinal victory in Kingston.

New Rochelle has allowed more than 22 points in a single game just four times since the start of the 2004 season. While that stingy streak continued for the Huguenots, Troy's defense was just a little bit better Saturday night.

“Defense wins championships,” said senior wide receiver and safety Ian Blair. “We knew our offense was going to take care of it. We've got Jordan Canzeri and Shatiek (Lewis) running it. And Josh (Blaauboer, a receiver). Our O-line is the best in the section.

“It's all to our defense and our defense did it,” Blair continued.

Troy, which won state championships in 1996 and 1998, returns to the Carrier Dome for the first time since that 1998 season, a fact the players could barely believe as they were mobbed on the Dietz Stadium turf by parents and well-wishers after the victory.

“I'm not processing anything right now,” a teary-eyed Blair said. “It's the best feeling in the world.”

TROY 20, NEW ROCHELLE 19

Troy (12-0) 0 7 0 13 - 20
New Rochelle (9-1) 7 6 0 6 – 19
First Quarter
NR – Capri Corn 67 run (Shaquille Evans kick) 4:39
Second Quarter
T – Jordan Canzeri 43 run (Badro Talbi kick) 7:47
NR – Khaliq Butts 80 run (kick failed) 6:49
Third Quarter
No scoring
Fourth Quarter
T – Canzeri 50 run (Talbi kick) 11:10
NR – Jordan Lucas 85 kick return (pass failed) 10:57
T – Brian Marsh 8 run (run failed) 1:54
Individual Statistics
Rushing: Troy (54-298): Canzeri 23-183, Marsh 13-74, Lewis 12-30, Geraci 4-11, Grinage 2-0. New Rochelle (24-200): Butts 7-70, Corn 3-67, Desir 5-28, Lucas 7-24, Cargill 2-11.
Passing: Troy: Marsh 6-11-0-96; Felder 0-1-0-0. New Rochelle: Butts 3-4-0-22.
Receiving: Troy (6-96): Blaauboer 2-64, Felder 1-13, Lewis 1-12, Blair 1-9, Canzeri 1-(-2). New Rochelle (3-22): Corn 1-12, Lucas 1-8, Evans 1-2.

--
Our Ed Weaver was at the game and penned the following sidebar story:

KINGSTON -- Some time today and perhaps Monday, the Troy Flying Horses will look back and think, if we hadn't been able to pull out that 20-19 victory over New Rochelle on Saturday night, what a terrible loss that would have been to relive -- for the rest of their lives.

The Flying Horses will play for the New York state Class AA championship at the Carrier Dome one week from today. Despite their outstanding defensive play on Saturday at Kingston's Dietz Stadium -- while they certainly deserved to win -- they were fortunate to gain the state title berth.

Take away three big plays -- one on a kickoff -- and Troy held the Huguenots to four first downs and 76 yards.

When Jordan Lucas picked up his own fumble -- which had been kicked ahead about 15 yards -- and returned a kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown, the Flying Horses trailed, 19-14.

They had just taken the lead on the previous play, on Jordan Canzeri's second touchdown run of the game.

"That would have been horrible," said linebacker Stephaun Grinage. "Horrible. "We'd have been real upset. But we're going to the Dome! I'm so happy."

"That would have been the most devastating loss ever," said senior linebacker Sean Peabody. "I couldn't have lived with it."

Flying Horses receiver Ian Blair dropped a sure touchdown in the end zone and dropped another pass that stalled another Troy drive. He played well in the secondary but he would have had a horrible bus ride home had the Horses not pulled out the victory.

"That would have been the worst thing in the world," Blair said. "The worst. I don't want to think about it."

Troy defensive end Luis Lind, who had two big tackles for losses, was asked if he was worried when Lucas scored on the weird kickoff.

"Well, we just had to continue to play hard and in the and never give up."

"We were worried," Grinage said. "But we got it back and got the lead back."

Defensive lineman Jay Yaskanich said, "to get to the Dome, what we worked for all year, I can't describe the feeling right now."

Had the Horses lost on New Rochelle's big play?

"Devastating," Yaskanich said. "I probably would have gone home and thought about all the things I could have done better."

Canzeri had his bell rung in the second quarter and had to leave for a couple plays.

"Yeah, I saw some worried faces (on the Troy sideline)," he admitted.

"I knew I had to do a little extra tonight," Canzeri said. "Everybody came up to me on the sidelines and they were just waiting for me to break something because I have a lot of weight on my back. My team depends on me to make plays like this and I just expect it."

Almost lost in everything that Canzeri did, was the two big receptions -- both on Troy scoring drives - made by receiver Josh Blaauboer.

"I feel great; we won," Blaauboer said. "Coach called my name in a couple big situations and the quarterback (Brian Marsh) came up big and made throws the defenders couldn't get to and I made the catches I had to make."

Yaskanich looked over at the stark disappointment on the New Rochelle sidelines.

"It almost didn't happen for us," he said. "But we did it. We're going to the Dome."

• Notes: Here is a story on Rush-Henrietta's victory over Clarence in the regional round from the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle.
• Here is a preview on the Baldwinsville team from the Syracuse Post-Standard.
• This will be the final post on the Off The Record blog. Saturday was my final day at The Record. I would like to take a minute to thank all of the folks in the sports department for their support and help over the years in giving me the time to expand our digital efforts. And of course, I'm also thankful for the reporting of Ryan Kircher, who authored a great deal of the posts on this blog in its first year. Last but not least, thanks to all of the players and coaches that graciously gave me a few minutes of their time for the sake of telling their stories. I couldn't have done it without all of you and I wish the best of luck to all of you in the future.

-30-

Follow OTR: Twitter
Facebook
YouTube Channel
RSS feed for links to blog posts as soon as they are published
Send an email to OTR
High school football central on www.troyrecord.com

At 8 p.m. tonight, I will be providing Twitter updates from Troy High's New York State Class AA semifinal football game against New Rochelle at Dietz Stadium in Kingston.
I will provide you with every scoring play as well as notable updates from the game.
You may also follow the action directly on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/troyrecordsport

Troy High players celebrate with team manager Mikey Broomall (81) following last Saturday's regional round victory over Monroe-Woodbury. (Photo by J.S. Carras - The Record).

Follow OTR: Twitter
Facebook
YouTube Channel
RSS feed for links to blog posts as soon as they are published
Send an email to OTR
High school football central on www.troyrecord.com

Troy High lineman Jay Yaskanich leads the way for running back Shatiek Lewis in Troy's Week One victory at La Salle for control of the Collar City Cup.

TROY -- One week ago, the Troy High School football team knocked off the No. 1 ranked team in New York State.

The Flying Horses, however, still have something left to prove.

Tonight, Troy (11-0, No. 2 among Class AA teams) will face New Rochelle (9-0, Section I champion, NYS No. 4) in a New York State Class AA semifinal at 8 p.m. at Dietz Stadium in Kingston. Tickets are $10 at the gate.

"It’s huge. This was the biggest game for anyone on this team’s life," said wide receiver Josh Blaauboer after Saturday’s 32-21 victory over Monroe-Woodbury. "We just want to keep playing and trying for the Dome."

The goal, of course, for any high school football team in New York is a chance to play in the state championship game at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse. To get there, the Flying Horses just might have to rely on their secret weapons against New Rochelle.

Troy’s senior running backs Jordan Canzeri (192 atts., 1643 yds., 27 TD) and Shatiek Lewis (84 atts., 911 yds., 11 TD) are the focal points of the Flying Horses offense, but they aren’t the only options for head coach Jack Burger.

Senior quarterback Brian Marsh has rushed for 513 yards on 70 attempts and completed 41-of-76 passes for 649 yards, accounting for 15 total offensive touchdowns.

Blaauober, at left, hauling in a pass during a game at Niskayuna, Troy’s leading receiver and Marsh’s favorite target, has caught 16 passes for 301 yards and four touchdowns. Late in the first quarter of last week’s game against Monroe-Woodbury, Marsh looked for Blaauober deep on the right sideline, only to have M-W’s Andrew Tolosi tip the ball away.

Marsh dialed up Blaauboer again on a similar play to the left side early on Troy’s next drive, which resulted in a 52-yard touchdown strike.

Although the Flying Horses don’t often throw the ball – Marsh averaged just 6.9 attempts per game so far and never attempted more than 11 passes in any one game – the passing game has lurked as a big-play weapon as well.

Troy High also has a number of defensive specialists in Luis Lind (below right), Stephaun Grinage and Danny Danahy, all of whom are adept at delivering the big hit.

"When you play in the Super Bowl, the thing was, let’s win this game and whatever else is gravy," Burger said after Troy’s regional round victory. "Then all of a sudden, you’re getting ready this week and you’re putting in all sorts of hours and you’re saying, ‘We’re not done. We’re not going to be satisfied if we don’t get it done this week."

"We’re going to feel the same thing next week and the week after," continued Burger. "It’s all about playing hard. This is high school football at its best in New York right now."

Troy last played in the Carrier Dome in 1998, when it defeated Fairport, 26-9, to capture its second state title in three years.

The Dome hasn’t been kind to Section II teams since 2001. Just 10 local teams across all five classifications have made it to the championship game in the last nine years, including Shen (‘02), Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake (’08 and ‘09), Lansingburgh (‘07), Albany Academy (‘05), Hoosick Falls (‘03) and Cambridge (’01, ’03 and ’05).

Only one (Amsterdam, Class A, ‘05) captured a state title.

With BH-BL and Schalmont also still alive in the drive to the Dome, the Flying Horses are hoping they can be part of a new standard of excellence for Section II football.

Jordan Canzeri runs against Saratoga Springs in a regular season game.

"Our defense, they’re all ready to play," Blaauboer said. "We can’t wait to play New Rochelle. We just want to win. This isn’t our goal. Our goal is to get to the Dome."

Troy High tickets: Tickets to Friday’s and Saturday’s New York State eastern regional semifinals are $10, which is good for admission to all games on either day. All of the eastern semifinal games will be broadcast locally on Time Warner Cable channel 3.

New York State eastern semifinals

All games at Dietz Stadium, Kingston
Friday, Nov. 19
Class D
Moriah (10-1, VII) vs. Tuckahoe (8-1, I), 4 p.m.
Class A
Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake (11-0, II) vs. Harrison (9-1, I), 8 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 20
Class C
Saranac Lake (10-0, VII) vs. Bronxville (10-0, I), Noon
Class B
Schalmont (11-0, II) vs. Croton-Harmon (10-0, I), 4 p.m.
Class AA
Troy High (11-0, II) vs. New Rochelle (9-0, I), 8 p.m.

New York State western semifinals

All games at Marina Auto Stadium, Rochester
Friday, Nov. 19
Class D
Caledonia-Mumford (10-1, V) vs. Walton (8-3, IV), 5 p.m.
Class A
Aquinas (11-0, V) vs. Whitesboro (10-1, III), 8 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 20
Class C
Fredonia (10-1, VI) vs. General Brown (11-0, III), Noon
Class B
Hornell (11-0, V) vs. Chenango Valley (10-0, IV), 3 p.m.
Class AA
Rush-Henrietta (11-0, V) vs. Baldwinsville (10-1, III), 6 p.m.

New York State championship games schedule

All games at Carrier Dome, Syracuse
Fri., Nov. 26
Class D, 11 a.m.
Class A, 2 p.m.

Sun., Nov. 28
Class C, Noon
Class AA, 3 p.m.
Class B, 6 p.m.

Troy High players celebrate with the Collar City Cup following a Week One victory over La Salle. (Montgomery photo - The Record).

Check back on the blog Saturday evening for live Twitter updates from Kingston.

Follow OTR: Twitter
Facebook
YouTube Channel
RSS feed for links to blog posts as soon as they are published
Send an email to OTR
High school football central on www.troyrecord.com

Jordan Canzeri of Troy (34) was named the Liberty Division Player of the Year in a vote of the Class AA Liberty Division coaches.

Also honored were Kyle Bayly of Niskayuna (Offensive Player of the Year), and Kyle Geraci of Troy and Derek Gadella of Shaker (Defensive Co-Players of the Year).

First Team Offense
QB -- Brian Marsh, Troy
RB -- Shatiek Lewis, Troy; Kirieme Pitts, Schenectady
WR -- Nikhon Schuler, Niskayuna; Josh Callahan, Niskayuna; Adrian Valentino, Shaker
TE -- Christian Sherwin, Shaker
OL -- Shaquille Parker, Schenectady; Sean Cahill, Columbia; Carlos Hills, Troy; Kyle Czarnick, Troy; Dave Morrison, Shaker
K -- Bill Drake, Schenectady
KR -- Chris Henry, Niskayuna

First Team Defense
DL -- Jay Yaskanich, Troy; Andrew Cleveland, Columbia
DT -- Luis Lind, Troy; Schuyler Huntington, Shaker
LB -- Stephaun Grinage, Troy; Isaiah Earing, Schenectady; James Roche, Niskayuna
CB -- Evan Vadney, Troy; Mister Taylor, Schenectady; Peter Kozakiewicz, Niskayuna
S -- Mike Chambers, Niskayuna; Ian Blair, Troy; Tim Cox, Schenectady
P -- Corey Gibson, Columbia

Second Team Offense
QB -- Ben Capeless, Shaker
RB -- Conor Alund, Shaker; Rob Hilweh, Niskayuna
WR -- Josh Blauuboer, Troy; Jallah Tarver, Schenectady; Mike Fitzgibbons, Colonie
TE -- Corey Gibson, Columbia
OL -- Tim Ryan, Troy; Brian Egan, Shaker; Matt McCarty, Colonie; Dominic Sposito, Shaker; Ronny Brzezinski, Niskayuna
K -- Joel Agnes, Niskayuna

Second Team Defense
DL -- Lucas Serriano, Shaker; Jay Colone, Troy
DE -- Carlos Mendez, Shaker; Al Akpanikat, Niskayuna
LB -- Ryan Nolte, Colonie; Pat Keegan, Columbia; Chad DeJohn, Columbia
CB -- Dillon Bethany, Columbia; Chris Landers; Nick Massaroni, Niskayuna
S -- Rich Bell, Colonie; Dan Danahy, Troy
P -- Ryan Griffin, Shaker

Honorable Mention
QB -- John Stanley, Columbia
RB -- Davion Brink, Colonie; Kyle Bernard, Shaker
WR -- Chris Williams, Columbia; Connor Ramone, Columbia; Giancarlo Sainato, Colonie
TE -- Noah Thomas, Troy
OL -- Justin Snider, Columbia; Shane Ross, Troy; Casey O'Hare, Colonie; Russell Molnar, Schenectady; Taylor Johnson, Niskayuna
DL -- Justin Richards, Schenectady; Dan Weingartner, Niskayuna
DE -- Victor Pirella, Troy; Tyler DePasquale, Schenectady
LB -- Cole Lawton, Shaker; D'Metri Gilbert, Schenectady; Steven Brady, LaSalle; Michael Pastore, Troy
CB -- Brian Cross, Colonie
S -- Sam Hyatt, Shaker; Jake Wronoski, Columbia

-------

Chris Ohnsman of Ballston Spa and Bronson Greene of Shenendehowa (above) were named Co-Players of the Year by the Class AA Empire Division coaches.

Also honored were Ryan Smith of Guilderland (Offensive Player of the Year) and Trey Williams of Christian Brothers Academy (Defensive Player of the Year).

First Team Offense
QB -- Troy Gargiulo, Ballston Spa
RB -- Mike Strohecker, Bethlehem; Kyle Warmt, Ballston Spa; Tony Fusco, Shenendehowa
WR -- Kyle Willmott, Saratoga Springs; Tony Stanish, Guilderland; Elijah Dukes, Christian Brothers Academy
OL -- Matt Callanan, Guilderland; Dustin Maguire, Guilderland; Alex Laurenza, Ballston Spa; Zach Forbes. Saratoga Springs; Mike Zaloga, Christian Brothers Academy
TE -- David Boyle, Shenendehowa
K -- John Martin, Bethlehem

First Team Defense
DE -- Landon Moore, Saratoga Springs; Greg Cleveland, Christian Brothers Academy
DT -- Mark Thomas, Shenendehowa; Ras-I Grady, Christian Brothers Academy
LB -- Bill Cook, Ballston Spa; Jeremy Defibaugh, Ballston Spa; Robert Macari, Christian Brothers Academy; Brandon Miller, Shenendehowa
DB -- Carter Sherman, Christian Brothers Academy; Bill Triola, Saratoga Springs; Kevin Hulbert, Shenendehowa; Jack Walsh, Guilderland
P -- Carter Sherman, Christian Brothers Academy

Second Team Offense
QB -- Luke Fauler, Saratoga Springs
RB -- Jaime Perez, Saratoga Springs; Mike Depercin, Albany; Jordan Davis, Ballston Spa
WR -- Dom Litz, Guilderland; Dylan August, Guilderland; Max Weaver, Christian Brothers Academy
TE -- Pete Rustowicz, Christian Brothers Academy
OL -- Tyler Hurd, Saratoga Springs; Logan Frese, Christian Brothers Academy; Tyler Gallaher, Christian Brothers Academy; Zack Nelson, Shenendehowa; Adam Gersowitcz, Guiulderland
K -- Matt Beighey, Ballston Spa

Second Team Defense
DE -- Nate Boehm, Guilderland; Eddie Dernar, Shenendehowa
DT -- Dan Thompson, Bethlehem; Shaquille Fullerton, Albany
LB -- Rashad Avery, Albany; Nick Antoinette, Christian Brothers Academy; Brandon Bogardus, Saratoga Springs; Dan Ritterhouse, Saratoga Springs
DB -- Mike McLeer, Bethlehem; Keenan Marable, Albany; R.J. Borgolini, Ballston Spa; Connor Hartigan, Christian Brothers Academy

Honorable Mention
QB -- Casey Crotty, Christian Brothers Academy
RB -- Cody Zappone, Christian Brothers Academy
WR -- Tim O'Connor, Guilderland; Kyle Bossung, Bethlehem
TE -- Mike Gill, Albany
OL -- Tyler Fraking, Saratoga Springs; Nicholas Soule, Albany; Jordan Scheid, Bethelehem; Mike Williams, Bethlehem; Kyle Sanders, Guilderland
DE -- Regan DeLancey, Saratoga Springs
DT -- Jimmy McLaughlin, Guilderland; Trevor Degre, Christian Brothers Academy
LB -- Jon Reynolds, Bethlehem; Zach Sicard, Guilderland; Stephen Jill; Mike Garcelon, Guilderland
DB -- Jose Hernandez, Saratoga Springs
K -- Josh Sommers, Guilderland; Ryan Vaughn, Saratoga

Follow OTR: Twitter
Facebook
YouTube Channel
RSS feed for links to blog posts as soon as they are published
Send an email to OTR
High school football central on www.troyrecord.com

For a preview story on Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake's New York State Class A semifinal game against Harrison on Friday night, check out Sam Hollingsworth's piece in The Saratogian by clicking here.

Saratoga will be covering that game Friday night, so be sure to check @saratogian_spts and @actionintowords for updates on Twitter.

Saturday, I plan on tweeting (@troyrecordsport) live updates from Troy High's game against New Rochelle right here on the blog, just like I did last week. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m.

Follow OTR: Twitter
Facebook
YouTube Channel
RSS feed for links to blog posts as soon as they are published
Send an email to OTR
High school football central on www.troyrecord.com

TROY -- Artificial turf is coming to Troy High School soon, and it looks like it may be coming to the north side of town as well.

The Lansingburgh Central School District will hold a capital improvement project vote on Tues., Dec. 7. The district claims all of the improvements, which include technology and infrastructure projects, will come at no cost to the taxpayers. For more information on where you can vote, visit www.lansingburgh.org.

Should it pass, Lansingburgh will install an artificial turf field inside the current track and also install a second turf field over the current soccer and baseball field. I'm not sure how that will work for baseball (a grass infield and a turf outfield?) but here is the official wording:

High school athletic field upgrades would include installation of artificial turf at the football field within the existing track and a combination artificial turf field for soccer, lacrosse and baseball. Also included would be athletic field lighting, additional bleacher seating, renovation of the tennis courts, expanded storage, emergency vehicle access, and athletic field drainage to rectify an existing problem of flooding at the secondary complex.

It's been an incredible transformation for the playing surfaces on the football fields in the Collar City in recent years. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute moved from quaint '86 Field to the mammoth East Campus Stadium and Troy High will soon be playing on turf right across the street. Perhaps the Troy Fighting Irish will not have to play their home games in Schenectady any more.

Here is a list of Section II schools and colleges with turf surfaces: (Am I missing any)?
Glens Falls
Schuylerville
Stillwater
Shenendehowa
Schenectady
Columbia
Broadalbin-Perth
Amsterdam
Johnstown
Union College
RPI (football & non-football fields)
UAlbany (non-football)
Skidmore (non-football)
Coming soon:
Troy
Lansingburgh (maybe)

And with Cohoes High School adding lights to its field in the near future, Watervliet will be one of the few local teams that will still play its home games on Saturday afternoons.

A high school football fan from 10 years ago wouldn't believe it.


Follow OTR: Twitter
Facebook
YouTube Channel
RSS feed for links to blog posts as soon as they are published
Send an email to OTR
High school football central on www.troyrecord.com

 Mechanicville's Abby Maiello (left, with head coach Karl Gerstenberger) and Alysa Russell (below) were both named first team Colonial Council forwards in 2010.

First team

Forwards
Caitlin Abelseth, Sr., Voorheesville
Abby Maiello, Jr., Mechanicville
Alysa Russell, Jr., Mechanicville
Katie Saccocio, Jr., Schalmont
Megan Strijek, Jr., Schalmont
Ali Thompson, Sr., Cobleskill-Richmondville

Midfielders
Sarah Agan, Sr., Holy Names
Emily Downie, Jr., Albany Academy
Quinn Massaroni, Jr., Holy Names
Alicia Mink, Jr., Ichabod Crane
Kristen Webster, Sr., Schalmont

Defenders
Jenn Cillis, Jr., Voorheesville
Mikayla Gowett, Soph., Mechanicville
Julia Retell, Frosh., Lansingburgh
Haley Richter, Sr., Ravena
Hannah Saccocio, Jr., Schalmont

Goalkeeper
Lauren Renaud, Sr., Schalmont

Second team

Forwards
Morgan Loder, Frosh., Cobleskill-Richmondville
Bridget Malicki, Sr., Albany Academy
Lindsay Millett, Sr., Ravena

Midfielders
Alexandria Cardinal, Soph., Schalmont
Alysa Chartrand, Jr., Watervliet
Amber Maiello, Jr., Mechanicville
Jenna Retell, Frosh., Lansingburgh
Jenna Saccocio, Jr., Schalmont
Marissa Skaczkowski, Jr., Mechanicville
Meg Strube, Jr., Lansingburgh

Defenders
Catherine Dudek, Jr., Albany Academy
Alex Fasulo, Sr., Voorheesville
Danelle Haner, Jr., Mechanicville
Emily Lloyd, Sr., Albany Academy
Christina Spcier, Jr., Holy Names
Bailei Tetrault, Sr., Cohoes

Goalkeeper
MacKenzie Blake, Voorheesville

Third team

Forwards
Alex Armstrong, Jr., Ichabod Crane
Hannah Brackett, Soph., Voorheesville
Cassandra Egleton, Frosh., Fonda-Fultonville
Rachel Freuh, Sr., Ravena
Nicole Welcome, Jr., Lansingburgh

Midfielders
Kate Billington, Frosh., Cobleskill-Richmondville
Emily Blow, Jr., Voorheesville
Michaela Conway, Sr., Voorheesville
Lauren Graber, Sr., Lansingburgh
Bernadette Jordan, Jr., Holy Names
Emma Malicki, Soph., Albany Academy
Jessie Mink, Frosh., Ichabod Crane

Defenders
Danielle Gargullo, Sr., Fonda-Fultonville
Kaitlin LaBarge, Sr., Watervliet
Kelsey Manchester, Jr., Cobleskill-Richmondville
Kyleigh Roby, Jr., Cohoes
Casey Rue, Jr., Ravena
Katie Walker, Sr., Ichabod Crane

Goalkeepers
Kelsey Dessadore, Sr., Mechanicville
Calli Moise, Jr., Lansingburgh
Teagan Waddingham, Sr., Ravena

Note: As voted on by the league's head coaches. As submitted by Lansingburgh head coach John Cipperly.

Follow OTR: Twitter
Facebook
YouTube Channel
RSS feed for links to blog posts as soon as they are published
Send an email to OTR
High school football central on www.troyrecord.com

TROY — For the past four years, downstate football fans had enjoyed an annual Class AA semifinal showdown at Kingston’s Dietz Stadium between Section IX superpower Monroe-Woodbury and Section I’s New Rochelle.

There will be a new team in town this year.

Troy High rocked New York’s No. 1 team, Monroe-Woodbury, in last week’s regional round game, 32-21, setting up a semifinal game against New Rochelle (9-0), which had earned a bye after winning the Section I title. Saturday’s semifinal at Dietz Stadium is set to kick off at 8 p.m.

Troy (11-0) was once a regular in the state semifinal round as well. The Flying Horses won Section II titles in 1993 and each year from 1996 to 2000, capturing state titles in 1996 and 1998.

New Rochelle, on the other hand, has been dominant recently. The Huguenots have won five consecutive Section I championships and are 78-10 overall since 2003. Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice is the most prominent of the New Rochelle alumni that have gone on to star at the collegiate and professional level this decade.

Led by senior quarterback Khaliq Butts, who saw his first action at the position in the 2009 New York State Class AA championship game, a game New Rochelle lost, 14-7, to North Tonawanda, the Huguenots have outscored opponents 242-50 this season.

Running backs Jordan Lucas and Capri Corn also power the New Rochelle offense.

New Rochelle video highlights are available to view on the school's website.

Troy, on the other hand, has been much more proficient offensively, outscoring opponents 466-89, in two more games than New Rochelle has played.

Senior running backs Jordan Canzeri (192 atts., 1,643 yds., 27 TD) and Shatiek Lewis (84, 911, 11), who missed most of three games with a high ankle sprain late in the regular season, have a dangerous mix of speed and home run potential. Senior quarterback Brian Marsh (70, 513, 8) is also adept at running the ball out of Troy’s predominantly Power-I and wishbone option-based sets.

Kingston’s Dietz Stadium had been a graveyard for Section II Class AA football teams since 2003. Shenendehowa, which advanced to the New York State championship game in 2002, was the last large school team from the Albany area to win a game beyond the Section II Super Bowl.

Baldwinsville (10-1, Section III) and Rush-Henrietta (11-0, Section V) meet in Saturday’s Class AA western semifinal at Rochester’s Marina Auto Stadium at 6 p.m.

The New York State Class AA championship game will be played on Sun., Nov. 28 at 3 p.m. at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse.

New Rochelle reading material:
The Huguenots made the Tri-State top 10 on ESPN.com. (No. 8) The columnist mentions Troy High a few times.
Here is a column from The Journal News on New Rochelle's dominance this decade.
Here is a MaxPreps column on how so much No. 1 ranked teams went down in regional play last week.

Game-by-game
New Rochelle Huguenots (9-0, Section I)
North Rockland, W, 14-7
MOUNT VERNON, W, 35-8
Gorton, W, 28-0
MAMARONECK, W, 35-0
WHITE PLAINS, W, 23-12
Lincoln, W, 42-0
NORTH ROCKLAND, W, 21-0!
YORKTOWN, 21-16@
Mahopac, W, 23-7#

!=Section I quarterfinal
@=Section I semifinal
#=Section I Super Bowl at Mahopac High School

Game-by-game
Troy High Flying Horses (11-0, Section II)
La Salle, W, 55-0
COLONIE, W, 40-0
SCHENECTADY, W, 40-0
Columbia, W, 53-0
Saratoga Springs, W, 33-12
Niskayuna, W, 35-28 (OT)
SHAKER, W, 34-0
CHRISTIAN BROS. ACAD., W, 43-21!
NISKAYUNA, W, 63-7@
SHENENDEHOWA, W, 38-0#
Monroe-Woodbury, W, 32-21$

!=Section II quarterfinal
@=Section II semifinal
#=Section II Super Bowl at South Colonie High School
$=New York State regional at Dietz Stadium, Kingston

Jordan Canzeri (34) powers the Troy High offense. (Photo by J.S. Carras - The Record).

Troy High stat pack
Rushing
Player, Yr., Atts., Yds., Avg., TD
Jordan Canzeri, Sr., 192, 1643, 8.6, 27
Shatiek Lewis, Sr., 84, 911, 10.8, 11
Brian Marsh, Sr., 70, 513, 7.3, 8
Stephaun Grinage, Jr., 40, 384, 9.6, 5
Raheem Felder, Jr., 26, 183, 7.0, 3
Kyle Geraci, Sr., 28, 145, 5.2, 2
Nick Valenti, Soph., 12, 80, 6.7, 0
Michael Pastore, Jr., 9, 37, 4.1, 0
Victor Pirela, Soph., 13, 32, 2.5, 0
D’Ondre Mann, Soph., 6, 28, 4.7, 0
Pat Chamberlain, Soph., 1, -3, -3.0, 0

Passing
Player, Yr., Comp. Atts., Yds., TD, INT
Brian Marsh, Sr., 41, 76, 649, 7, 2

Receiving
Player, Yr., Rec., Yds., Avg., TD
Josh Blaauboer, Sr., 16, 301, 18.8, 4
Ian Blair, Sr., 12, 168, 14.0, 0
Noah Thomas, Sr., 4, 82, 20.5, 2
Evan Vadney, Sr., 2, 48, 24.0, 1
Kyle Geraci, Sr., 2, 25, 12.5, 0
Raheem Felder, Jr., 2, 24, 12.0, 1
Stephaun Grinage, 1, 19, 19.0, 0
Jordan Canzeri, Sr., 3, 13, 4.3, 0

Kicking
Player, Yr., PAT, FG, Tot. points
Badro Talbi, Sr., 39, 0, 39
Michael Pastore, Jr., 3, 0, 3

Total scoring
Player, Yr., TD, PAT, FG, 2-pt., Tot. points
Jordan Canzeri, Sr., 30, 0, 0, 0, 180
Shatiek Lewis, Sr., 11, 0, 0, 1, 68
Badro Talbi, Sr., 0, 39, 0, 0, 39
Stephaun Grinage, Jr., 5, 0, 0, 1, 32
Josh Blaauboer, Sr., 5, 0, 0, 0, 30
Raheem Felder, Jr., 5, 0, 0, 0, 30
Noah Thomas, Sr., 2, 0, 0, 1, 14
Kyle Geraci, Sr., 2, 0, 0, 0, 12
Evan Vadney, Sr., 1, 0, 0, 0, 6
Michael Pastore, Jr., 0, 3, 0, 0, 3

New York State eastern semifinals

All games at Dietz Stadium, Kingston
Friday, Nov. 19
Class D
Moriah (10-1, VII) vs. Tuckahoe (8-1, I), 4 p.m.
Class A
Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake (11-0, II) vs. Harrison (9-1, I), 8 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 20
Noon
Class C
Saranac Lake (10-0, X) vs. Bronxville (10-0, I), Noon
Class B
Schalmont (11-0, II) vs. Croton-Harmon (10-0, I), 4 p.m.
Class AA
Troy High (11-0, II) vs. New Rochelle (9-0, I), 8 p.m.

--
Section II high school football standings, 2010


Class AA, League, Overall
Empire Division, W-L, W-L, PF, PA, QP
Ballston Spa, 5-1, 6-3, 227, 165, 30
Saratoga Springs, 4-2, 5-4, 203, 180, 31
Shenendehowa, 4-2, 7-3, 234, 154, 26
Christian Bros. Acad., 3-3, 5-4, 236, 171, 25.5
Guilderland, 3-3, 5-4, 228, 174, 21.5
Bethlehem, 2-4, 4-5, 142, 223, 13
Albany, 0-6, 0-9, 66, 287, 0
Liberty Division
Troy, 6-0, 11-0, 466, 89, 41
Shaker, 5-1, 6-3, 239, 182, 32
Niskayuna, 3-3, 5-4, 251, 244, 22
Schenectady, 3-3, 4-5, 188, 198, 22.5
Colonie, 2-4, 3-6, 88, 209, 12
Columbia, 1-5, 2-7, 133, 255, 12
La Salle, 1-5, 2-7, 133, 302, 5.5

Class A
Northwest Division
Burnt Hills, 5-0, 11-0, 490, 102, 35
Amsterdam, 4-1, 7-2, 289, 202, 23
Queensbury, 3-2, 6-3, 192, 146, 22.5
Gloversville, 2-3, 2-6, 152, 256, 13.5
Glens Falls, 1-4, 3-5, 182, 227, 9
South Glens Falls, 0-5, 2-7, 188, 301, 2
Southeast Division
Lansingburgh, 4-0, 8-2, 308, 172, 26.5
Averill Park, 3-1, 5-3, 228, 198, 20.5
Bishop Maginn, 2-2, 5-4, 244, 243, 13.5
Scotia-Glenville, 1-3, 3-6, 152, 195, 8.5
Mohonasen, 0-4, 1-7, 137, 289, 1

Class B
Reinfurt Division
Ravena, 4-0, 8-2, 272, 187, 25
Albany Academy, 3-1, 6-3, 304, 160, 21
Hudson, 1-3, 3-6, 168, 239, 11
Cairo-Durham, 1-3, 1-8, 103, 359, 0
Cohoes, 1-3, 3-6, 139, 303, 6
West Division
Schalmont, 5-0, 11-0, 418, 65, 34
Hudson Falls, 3-2, 4-5, 269, 225, 23.5
Schuylerville, 3-2, 5-4, 290, 139, 21.5
Cobleskill, 3-2, 5-4, 203, 141, 19
Broadalbin-Perth, 1-4, 1-8, 137, 415, 7
Johnstown, 0-5, 0-8, 59, 339, 0
Independent
Ichabod Crane, 0-0, 1-8, 141, 281, 0

Class C
North Division
Hoosick Falls, 6-0, 10-1, 378, 95, 34.5
Greenwich, 5-1, 6-3, 291, 161, 35.5
Tamarac, 4-2, 5-4, 200, 240, 24.5
Mechanicville, 4-2, 4-5, 125, 203, 23.5
Granville, 4-3, 5-4, 231, 213, 30.5
Lake George, 3-4, 3-4, 141, 87, 20
Stillwater, 2-4, 4-4, 181, 231, 14
Corinth, 0-6, 3-6, 174, 252, 6
Hoosic Valley, 0-6, 0-8, 39, 339, 0.5
South Division
Chatham, 5-0, 9-1, 377, 192, 34
Fonda-Fultonville, 5-1, 6-3, 239, 170, 34.5
Voorheesville, 3-2, 6-3, 226, 137, 18
Watervliet, 4-2, 4-4, 141, 134, 27.5
Canajoharie, 3-3, 5-3, 127, 119, 19.5
Coxsackie-Athens, 1-4, 4-5, 244, 177, 3
Taconic Hills, 1-5, 2-6, 109, 209, 8.5
Catholic Central, 0-5, 2-6, 130, 220, 1.5

Class D
Cambridge, 6-0, 9-1, 360, 46, 39
Rensselaer, 5-1, 6-3, 168, 138, 26
Whitehall, 4-2, 5-3, 222, 159, 28.5
Fort Edward, 3-3, 4-4, 242, 177, 20.5
Bishop Gibbons, 2-4, 2-5, 61, 173, 14.5
Warrensburg, 1-5, 1-6, 79, 251, 9
Salem, 0-6, 0-7, 54, 240, 2

*QP = quarter points

Follow OTR: Twitter
Facebook
YouTube Channel
RSS feed for links to blog posts as soon as they are published
Send an email to OTR
High school football central on www.troyrecord.com

Catholic Central's Casey O'Brien (left) and Julie McNeff (right) were named first team Big 10 Conference All-Stars. (Photos by Mike McMahon - The Record).

Player of the Year: Cabrielle Santorio, Jr., F, Schenectady
Keeper of the Year: Lilly Regan, Sr., Catholic Central

First team
Kia Ference, Jr., F/GK, Schenectady
Andrea Shaver, Jr., Def, Schenectady
Julie McNeff, Sr., F, Catholic Central
Casey O'Brien, Jr., F, Catholic Central
Morgan Avery, Sr., F, Troy High
Lissi Vink-Lainas, Frosh., Mid., Troy High
Leah Moran, Sr., Mid., Albany High
Alexandria Kellam, Jr., Def., Albany High
Tara Tiemann, Sr., Amsterdam
Angela Damiano, Sr., Amsterdam

Second team
Alex Metcalfe, Jr., GK, Schenectady
Lena LeGere, Sr., Def., Schenectady
Sara Mariois, Jr., Mid., Catholic Central
Jenna Yager, Sr., Def., Catholic Central
Bianca Jordan, Sr., Def., Troy High
Amanda Livolsi, Jr., Mid., Troy High
Hannah Moran, Soph., F, Albany High
Rebecca Vaughn, Sr., Mid., Albany High
Caitlin Czelusniak, Sr., F, Amsterdam
Alyssa Sands, Sr., GK, Amsterdam

Honorable mention
Schenectady: Cassie Harrell (Sr., Mid.) and Gabrielle Billsborrow (Jr., Mid.)
Catholic Central: Kelsey Moss (Frosh., Mid.) and Carley Stewart (Sr., Def.)
Troy High: Helen Dufel (Jr., Mid.)
Albany High: Anne Bell (Jr.)
Amsterdam: Morgan McNamara (Sr.)

Note: As voted on by the league's head coaches.

Follow OTR: Twitter
Facebook
YouTube Channel
RSS feed for links to blog posts as soon as they are published
Send an email to OTR
High school football central on www.troyrecord.com

La Salle's Eamonn Coughlin was a first team Big 10 Conference All-Star in 2010. (Photos by J.S. Carras - The Record).

Boys 

First team
Philo Germano and Aaron Gialanella (Albany High)
Jon Nelson and Nick Raponi (Amsterdam)
Chris Herbs (Catholic Central)
Rick Cummings (Christian Bros. Acad.)
Eamonn Coughlin and Evan Little (La Salle Institute)
Jason Lange, Matt Lange and Jordan Pantalone (Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons)
Joe Comer-Leva (Schenectady)

Second team
Matt Raponi (Amsterdam)
Zach Cook (Bishop Maginn)
Steve Curry (Catholic Central)
Aiden O'Malley (Christian Bros. Acad.)
Alex Isabelle and Gavin O'Brien (La Salle Institute)
Steve Dixon and Nick Przekurat (Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons)
Austin Liebers and Nick Perkins (Schenectady)
Anthony Allegra (Troy High)

Honorable mention
Robert Cosgrove, Isaac Dalls, Dashawn Gates and Brendan Morse (Albany High)
Dan Castro and Bryan Watras (Amsterdam)
Dan Curry (Catholic Central)
Malik McKnight and Matt Schiesel (Christian Bros. Acad.)
Jake Barbato, Liam Doyle, Sam Moore and Charlie Tebbetts (La Salle Institute)
Tyler Banks, John Bowman and Tom Sinkora (Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons)
Zack Baldwin, Dan Bellick, Luke Horvath, Nick Kennedy and Joe Pecci (Schenectady)

Girls

 

Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons' Talya Williams was a first team Big 10 Conference All-Star this season.  

 
First team
Alexa Pettit and Katie Duggan (Albany High)
Deborah Johnson, Rebekah Johnson and Megan Ottati (Amsterdam)
Caroline Couser and Megan Jenney (Catholic Central)
Angelique Cain, Anne Ryan and Talya Williams (Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons)
Megan Dufort (Schenectady)

Second team
Coreena Monroe and McKenna Palczak (Amsterdam)
Julia Engster and Audrey Hughes (Catholic Central)
Claire Sise and Lexi Vendetti (Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons)
Arianna Allwine and Emma Ward (Schenectady)
Katherine Clemente (Troy High)

Honorable mention
Meredith Parmalee (Albany High)
Victoria Rhodes, Samantha Rivera and Danielle Schroeder (Amsterdam)
Keri O'Mara (Catholic Central)
Sarah Neechamen (Schenectady)

Note: As voted on by the league's head coaches. As submitted by La Salle head coach John Leonard.

Follow OTR: Twitter
Facebook
YouTube Channel
RSS feed for links to blog posts as soon as they are published
Send an email to OTR
High school football central on www.troyrecord.com

A number of local student-athletes will be officially putting pen to paper to sign national letters of intent to compete in college athletics.

Here are a few notes on the players that will be signing tomorrow:

Kaitlin Pericak, a star lacrosse and hockey player and member of the Class of 2011 at the Albany Academy for Girls, will sign her National Letter of Intent for lacrosse with Siena College.

In the classroom, Kaitlin has been able to maintain high academic standing at AAG and is a member of the National Latin Honor Society. She has challenged herself with a rigorous course selection and exceeded her graduation requirements in all academic areas.

On the athletic field, Kaitlin has been a member of the AAG Varsity Lacrosse Team for the past four years – helping to lead the team to a record of 16-0 for the second consecutive year in 2010 and its third straight Class C Section II championship. The team has not lost a regular season game in the past two years and has advanced to the regional finals both seasons. Kaitlin has played lacrosse at AAG since Eighth Grade and is also a member of the Albany Elite Lacrosse.

--
Averill Park senior Nick Cioffi will be signing his letter of intent to pitch for the baseball team at Towson University.

--
Lansingburgh's Meg Volz (softball, Siena College) and Rebecca Pratt (bowling, University of Nebraska) will also make their commitments official Wednesday afternoon.

--
Here are some other updates.
Is there anyone we're missing?

Shenendehowa High School
Branden Cogswell – University of Virginia (baseball)
Timothy Coll – West Point (lacrosse)
Andrew Dorsey - Stony Brook (lacrosse)
Nicholas Hourigan - Le Moyne (lacrosse)
Owen Jarem – Merrimack (lacrosse)
Jessica Macaluso – Siena (tennis)
Allison Setter – West Point (basketball)
Robert Wardwell – Syracuse (lacrosse)

Shaker High School
Jimmy O'Brien - Holy Cross (lacrosse)
Jeff Hoffman - East Carolina University (baseball)
Adrianne Devine - Georgetown (lacrosse)
Charlotte Rehfuss - Vermont (lacrosse)

South Colonie High School
Tehresa Coles - Siena (basketball)
Matt Snyder - Virginia Tech (baseball)
Chris Kearney - Siena (baseball)
Chris Kalica - Fairfield (baseball)
Lexi Brannigan - UAlbany (lacrosse)

Bethlehem High School
Jackie Oskam - Quinnipiac (basketball)

Maple Hill High School
Katie Roth - University of Hartford (basketball)

Follow OTR: Twitter
Facebook
YouTube Channel
RSS feed for links to blog posts as soon as they are published
Send an email to OTR
High school football central on www.troyrecord.com

Voorheesville's Ellen Wagner (12) and Morgan Vandervort (18) took home the hardware in the Colonial Council end-of-season awards.

MVP: Ellen Wagner, Sr., Voorheesville
Defensive Player of the Year: Ellen Wagner, Sr., Voorheesville
Offensive Player of the Year: Morgan Vandervort, Sr., Voorheesville
Setter of the Year: Katie Vishneowski, Sr., Ravena

Liberty Division

First team
Rebecca Bablin, Sr., Voorheesville
Libby Bjork, Frosh., Voorheesville
Emily DeChristopher, Sr., Cobleskill
Bri Derby, Sr., Fonda
Nicole Filmer, Sr., Cobleksill
Emily Matuszak, Sr.,  Schalmont
Morgan Vandervort, Sr., Voorheesville
Ellen Wager, Sr., Voorheesville

Second team
Sarah Dykstra, Jr., Voorheesville
Sara Fandl, Sr., Watervliet
Juliann Heigel, Sr., Schalmont
Mariel McGinnis, Soph., Voorheesville
Alex Sinicropi, Sr., Fonda
J'vanay Santos, Jr., Albany Academy

Patriot Division

First team
Anna Arceneaux, Sr., Mechanicville
Michaela Bullis, Soph., Ravena
Monica Hall, Jr., Ichabod Crane
Alisse McGrath, Sr., Lansingburgh
Kristen Neff, Jr., Holy Names
Kat Race, Sr., Ravena
Katie Vishneowski, Sr., Ravena
Alex Walton, Sr., Holy Names


Second team
Courtney Dayter, Jr., Cohoes
Kristina Eccles, Sr., Mechanicville
Anna Nielsen, Jr., Lansingburgh
Jenna Smith, Sr., Ichabod Crane
Christine Spindler, Sr., Ravena
Jacklyn Walsh, Soph., Holy Names

Note: As voted on by the league's head coaches. As submitted by the Schalmont athletic office.

Follow OTR: Twitter
Facebook
YouTube Channel
RSS feed for links to blog posts as soon as they are published
Send an email to OTR
High school football central on www.troyrecord.com

Nick St. Denis
For The Record


CLINTONVILLE – Placekicking wasn’t a strong point Saturday during NYSPHSAA Class C football regional action at AuSable Valley.

Oddly enough, one great kick decided the game.

A combined four failed extra points and a blocked field goal led Saranac Lake and Hoosick Falls to overtime, but Saranac Lake’s Forrest Morgan was good on a 34-yarder in the Red Storm’s first and final possession of extra play, leading his team to a 15-12 victory over the Panthers.

"We had discussed potentially doing something different," Saranac Lake coach Eric Bennett said. "But Forrest said, ‘Give it to me, I got it.’ We’ve listened to our players all year, and he won the game for us."

The Red Storm brought the match to overtime when they blocked a short Hoosick Falls field goal attempt with six seconds remaining in the game. Saranac Lake’s Mike Phelan nearly ran the block back for a score, but Randy Tutunjian made a terrific play to get back and tackle Phelan at the 22-yard line.

"He’s only a sophomore and I expect a lot of great things from him in the future," Hoosick Falls Ron Jones said.

The dramatic blocked kick was a climax of Saranac Lake momentum that had been building since Josh Quinn finally got the Red Storm, who were trailing 12-0, on the board on a 20-yard reverse play at 4:02 in the fourth quarter.

The score was set up by good field position thanks to an interception by Brian Fortune – an interception that was long overdue since Saranac Lake dropped three potential picks in the first half.

"They made a couple plays down the stretch, and that was the difference," Jones said. "There were a couple times it looked like we were going to squirt out for a big gain and they made the tackle. They tipped a couple passes where we had room to run afterward, things like that."

Saranac Lake’s Dalton Demarco made another interception on the ensuing drive after Hoosick Falls’ Brad Burns brought a 50-yard kick return to the Red Storm’s 49-yard line, and a 15-yard personal foul penalty by the Panthers put Saranac Lake 28 yards from the end zone.

Morgan wasted no time getting the Red Storm the tying score when he hit CJ Stewart for a scoring strike.

"We went with a sprint out, and the middle of the field was wide open because they knew we were trying to throw to the other side," Morgan said. "CJ Stewart made an unbeliev¬able catch in the back of the end zone."

Hoosick Falls held a halftime lead thanks to a touchdown run and a scoring pass by Panthers quarterback Mike Brewster.

Brewster, who finished the game with a stellar 287 yards through the air, hooked up with receiver Quinn Rasmus on a 32-yard touchdown strike with just over two minutes to go in the second quarter.

"He’s going to be a great college quarterback," Jones said.

The Red Storm continued its trend of offensive possessions in the third quarter – get one or two big first downs but stall and punt around midfield.

Aside from Morgan’s touchdown pass, Hoosick Falls gave up just one other play longer than 15 yards when it surrendered a 43-yard run by Morgan on the Red Storm’s first possession.

Whenever Saranac Lake tried to get its outside run game going, the backs were met by speedy Panthers defenders.

"That’s what their game seems to be, getting around the perimeter," Jones said. "We did a good job stopping that. They made good plays on defense that got them good field position, because we did have them backed up at times."

Morgan had net punts of 57 and 58 in the first half that helped the Red Storm hold their ground in the field-position battle.

Jones said despite the loss, it’s impossible to look at the Panthers’ 2010 campaign negatively.

"Our guys worked so hard in the offseason to get ready for this," he said. "We’re Section II champs. We would’ve liked to have gone further but it is what it is. We’ll go back to the drawing board, get back to work and keep pushing forward.

"We have nine seniors. It’s a really good group and it’s been a lot of fun watching those guys mature and grow up. We’ll have a lot of guys go on to lead successful lives, I think they know an awful lot about competition, being successful and holding your head up."

The Red Storm will face Bronxville in the state semifinals Saturday at noon at Dietz Stadium in Kingston.

Saranac Lake 15, Hoosick Falls 12 (OT)
Hoosick Falls 0 12 0 0 0 – 12
Saranac Lake 0 0 0 12 3 – 15
First quarter
No scoring.
Second quarter
HF- M. Brewster 2 run (pass failed), 0:05.
HF Rasmus 32 pass from M. Brewster (kick missed), 9:48.
Third quarter
No scoring.
Fourth quarter
SL- Quinn 20 run (kick blocked), 4:02.
SL- Stewart 28 pass from Morgan (kick failed), 6:35.
Overtime
SL- Morgan 34 kick.
Individual statistics
Rushing
SL- Morgan 15-102. Quinn 2-20, TD. Ryan 5-17. Stewart 9-13. Madden 2-0. Phelan 2-0. Totals: 35-152, TD.
HF- Burns 15-79. Williams 7-26. M. Brewster 6-13, TD. Totals: 28-118, TD.
Passing
SL- Morgan 4-12-1-41, TD. Monty 0-1-0-0. Totals: 4-13-1-41, TD.
HF- M. Brewster 24-37-2-287, TD.
Receiving
SL- Stewart 1-28, TD. Ryan 1-7. Quinn 2-6. Totals: 4-41, TD.
HF- Rasmus 12-146, TD. Williams 5-70. Mulready 1-30. Tutunjian 3-26. Burns 1-4. M. Brewster 1-(-5). Totals: 24-287, TD.
Interceptions
SL- Fortune, Demarco.
HF- Rasmus.

--

PAWLING -- Rensselaer County High Schools were well represented Saturday in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association cross country meet at Lakeside Park.
Columbia freshmen Kyle Gronostaj finished ninth with a time of 16:18.6 in the Class AA dash. Lansingburgh senior C.J. Sousis placed 22nd in 17:06.2 in the Class B run. In Class D, Berlin’s Lew Palmer came in 33rd with a time of 18:09.8 while team¬mates Alex French was 43rd (18:36.2) and Connor Hoyt was 53rd (18:52.0).
On the girls side, Columbia eight grader Kaylee Scott finished in 50th place with a time of 19:59.7 in the Class AA girls race. Berlin’s Hannah French was 45th in 22:24.7 and Kayleigh Corrado was 48th in 22.27.6 in the Class D run.
Other top finishers in Section II include Saratoga senior Sam Place who finished second in 15:56.7 for the Class AA boys. Burnt Hills senior Otis Ubriaco was third in a time of 16:17.8 in the Class A boys race. Shaker High juniors Christian DeLago was sixth (16:06.8) and Michael Libruk was seventh (16:12.9).
On the girls side, Saratoga’s Keelin Hollowood finished 10th with a time of 18:44.0 in the Class AA girls race. Bishop Gibbons freshmen Tayla Williams was 11th in 19:43.6 in the Class B race. Betsy Edinger finished fourth in 19:24.5 for Greenwich in the Class C dash.

Girls Volleyball
Voorheesville 3, Ausable Valley 0: The 21-0 Lady Blackbirds swept a Class C Regionals match by scores of 25-15, 25-11 and 25-14. Libby Bjork paced Voorheesville with 13 service points and dished out 19 assists while Ellie Wagner smashed 18 digs and added seven points.
Rebecca Bablin finished with nine kills and 13 service points and Jessica Brower chipped in with 15 digs and 13 service points.
Voorheesville advances to the Class C state Final Four at Glens Falls Civic Center on Saturday at 3 p.m.
Football
Moriah 14, Cambridge 6: Nick Gilbo scored on a one yard touchdown run in the first quarter before adding the game winning score from 50 yards out in the second quarter to give Moriah a Class D regional contest victory at Schuylerville High School.
Ryan Mascarenas connected on two extra point kicks in the victory for Moriah. Matt Best put Cambridge on the board with a 40 yard touchdown run late in the game.

Follow OTR: Twitter
Facebook
YouTube Channel
RSS feed for links to blog posts as soon as they are published
Send an email to OTR
High school football central on www.troyrecord.com

Troy's Evan Vadney raises his arms in celebration following the Flying Horses' 32-21 victory over Monroe-Woodbury in the New York State Class AA regional playoff game at Dietz Stadium. (Photos by J.S. Carras - The Record).

KINGSTON – One of the staff members at Dietz Stadium said it all as the Troy High football team left the field Saturday night.

“See y'all next week.”

Troy High rallied from a one-point deficit with 4:38 remaining in the fourth quarter to post a thrilling 32-21 victory over Monroe-Woodbury in a New York State Class AA regional round game.

On the first play after Monroe had taken a 21-20 lead, senior running back Jordan Canzeri ran 53 yards to the end zone for the game-winning touchdown. He added a 33-yard run with 40 seconds to play to cap the Flying Horses' triumph.

Troy High senior running back Jordan Canzeri runs against Monroe-Woodbury in Saturday's regional Class AA playoff game.

“They were ranked first in the state and a lot of people doubted us,” Canzeri said. “They didn't think we could do it. We were happy to play the first team in the state and show what we could do and show how Troy football is really played. We were happy that we fought hard and came out with the win tonight.”

A Class AA team from the Albany area had not won a game beyond the Section II Super Bowl since Shenendehowa won a regional game in 2002.

Troy High senior wide receiver Josh Blaauboer snares a pass from quarterback Brian Marsh in Saturday's victory at Dietz Stadium in Kingston.

Canzeri, who was named the Offensive Player of the Game, finished with 172 rushing yards on 23 attempts. He also scored on a 58-yard punt return in the second quarter.

Troy (11-0) tied the game at 7-7 in the second quarter on a 52-yard pass from Brian Marsh to Josh Blaauboer. The Flying Horses forced a three-and-out on the ensuing drive and Canzeri returned the following punt all the way for Troy's second touchdown in a 65-second span.

Marsh ran in for a six-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter to put Troy ahead by two touchdowns.

The Flying Horses had a chance to put the game away with 10 minutes to play in the fourth quarter, but Noah Thomas dropped a pass in the end zone.

Monroe-Woodbury (10-1) drove 98 yards for a touchdown on the ensuing drive, as quarterback Ryan Spelman scored from 16 yards out with 7:03 to play. The Crusaders, seven-time defending Section IX champions, took the lead with 4:38 to play, when Trevor Officer broke a number of tackles on a 56-yard option run and Matt Valentini booted to go-ahead extra point.

The Troy High defense stops Monroe-Woodbury quarterback Ryan Spelman behind the line of scrimmage.

“People don't realize what we went up against,” said Troy High head coach Jack Burger. “We went up against a team that was averaging 46 points per game. That was a phenomenal job on the defensive side.”

Spelman finished with 171 passing yards and Officer rushed for 167. Monroe-Woodbury just barely outgained Troy offensively, 359-349.

Monroe's Jared Gennett was named the Defensive Player of the Game.

No. 7 Troy advances to a New York State Class AA eastern semifinal against Section I champion New Rochelle (9-0, No. 4 in the state), which earned a regional round bye. That game will be played as part of a Dietz Stadium semifinal tripleheader, on Sat., Nov. 20 at 8 p.m.

Saturday’s Class AA semifinal will be preceded by the Class C semifinal, which pits Saranac Lake against Bronxville and begins at noon. The Class B semifinal featuring Schalmont and Croton-Harmon is set to start at 4 p.m.

“I can't wait to play New Rochelle,” Blaauboer said. “We're just trying to win. This isn't our goal. Our goal is to get to the dome, but first, we have to beat New Rochelle.”

Monroe-Woodbury's Tom King attempts to tackle Troy's Josh Blaauboer during Saturday's Class AA regional playoff game in Kingston.

Troy had last won a Section II Super Bowl in 2000. The Flying Horses won five straight Section II titles from 1996 to 2000, capturing state championships in 1996 and 1998.

“It's a team effort. The staff, we do our thing and we ask the kids to do their thing,” Burger said. “It's 42 people strong and we push the kids awful hard. I think that when you have moments like this, they don't question why.”

Members of the Troy High football team celebrate during Saturday's regional victory over Monroe-Woodbury.

TROY 32, MONROE-WOODBURY 21

Troy (11-0) 0 14 6 12 – 32
Monroe-Woodbury (10-1) 0 7 0 14 – 21
First Quarter
No scoring.
Second Quarter
MW – Ryan Spelman 51 run (Matt Valentini kick) 10:19.
T – Josh Blaauboer 52 pass from Brian Marsh (Badro Talbi kick) 5:14
T – Jordan Canzeri 58 punt return (Talbi kick) 4:09
Third Quarter
T – Marsh 6 run (kick failed) 6:14
Fourth Quarter
MW – Spelman 16 run (Valentini kick) 7:03
MW – Trevor Officer 56 run (Valentini kick) 4:38
T – Canzeri 53 run (Marsh run failed) 4:12
T – Canzeri 33 run (kick failed) 0:40.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing: Troy (46-272): Canzeri 23-172, Lewis 11-65, Marsh 10-31, Geraci 2-4. Monroe-Woodbury (31-188): Officer 15-167, Spelman 14-21, Patrignelli 2-0.
Passing: Troy: Marsh 3-5-77-1-0. Monroe-Woodbury: Spelman 7-19-171-0-0.
Receiving: Troy (3-77): Blaauboer 2-69, Blair 1-8. Monroe-Woodbury (7-171): Perez 3-132, Patrignelli 1-27, Tolosi 1-8, Cardone 1-4, Officer 1-0.

• Notes: It was so cold Saturday night that my flipcam froze and refused to work....of course, right when everything started to get good late in the fourth quarter. Luckily, I had the company iPhone with me and was able to capture some interviews after the game on that. Apologies for a sub-standard video on this game.
• In iPhone news, here is a glance at some web traffic stats for OTR:
• 
  

• You can see how the traffic, which stretches back one week in this chart, dramatically spiked during the hours I was live tweeting the Troy game from Dietz Stadium. Dear bigwigs at the Journal Register Company...providing reporters with the tools to report from the scene...this is how you drive traffic to the website. So, the moral of the story is, thanks for reading.
• Back to the game, there were a number of highlights on defense I couldn't get to in the main story.
• Stephaun Grinage was great for the Flying Horses at the linebacker position. He sacked Spelman in the first quarter and recovered a M-W fumble early in the second. He added another sack later in the second quarter.
• Ian Blair broke up a screen play with a huge hit late in the second quarter. It almost looked like the receiver held on to the ball long enough before fumbling, but it was called an incomplete pass. Blair dropped what would have been an interception two plays later.
• In the third quarter, Grinage and Nick Valenti combined on another sack. 
• Danny Danahy had a huge hit that broke up a M-W pass attempt on a third down midway through the third quarter.
• Luis Lind made a tackle for a loss that ultimately forced a M-W punt later in the quarter. He added a sack in the fourth quarter.
• Pastore fittingly closed out the game with a big sack of Spelman on a third down play.
  

Follow OTR: Twitter
Facebook
YouTube Channel
RSS feed for links to blog posts as soon as they are published
Send an email to OTR
High school football central on www.troyrecord.com