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.

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Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake's terrible trio of running backs - clockwise, from top left, Brandon Beatty (22), Keaton Flint (2) and Evan Nusbaum (4) torched the Lansingburgh defense for at least 131 rushing yards apiece in Saturday's Section II Class A Super Bowl at Steuerwald Stadium. (Photos by Mike McMahon - The Record).

CLIFTON PARK -- Late in the second quarter of Saturday’s Section II Class A Super Bowl, Lansingburgh High’s defensive coordinator Andy Faragon was already out of ideas on how to stop Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake’s option-based rushing attack.

"Put 10 guys in the box! I don’t know," Faragon shouted in a coaches’ conference on the sidelines.

Burnt Hills’ triple-threat option offense of Evan Nusbaum, Brandon Beatty and Keaton Flint ripped the Lansingburgh defense apart as all three of those rushers finished with at least 131 yards apiece in a 42-21 victory at Steuerwald Stadium on the campus of Shenendehowa High School.

The win marked Burnt Hills’ third consecutive Section II championship and the program’s 30th consecutive victory over a Section II opponent.

Lansingburgh head coach Al McNall shows his displeasure with a call during Saturday's Section II Class A Super Bowl.

Lansingburgh was the last Section II team to top Burnt Hills, having done so in the 2007 Section II Class A Super Bowl.

Out of the Spartans’ pistol formation, where Flint, Burnt Hills’ senior quarterback, lines up three yards behind the center – shorter than a shotgun snap, hence the name – Burnt Hills had its options out of the backfield.

Beatty (16 atts., 139 yds., 4 TD), Flint (14 atts., 137 yds., 2 TD) and Nusbaum (12 atts., 131 yds., 1 TD) scored one touchdown apiece in the first quarter as Burnt Hills (10-0), the Northwest Division’s No. 1 seed, built an early lead.

Matt Shell, head coach of the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake football team, has won three straight Section II Class A Super Bowl titles. (Photo courtsey The Saratogian).

"Coming into this game, the one thing we wanted to do more than anything was make a statement," Beatty said. "We thought a lot of people thought we were on Lansingburgh’s level, but as a team, we didn’t feel like that. We felt like we could do more than just have a close game."

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

Burnt Hills’ backs were slippery, breaking tackles and sliding through the Lansingburgh defense no matter who got the ball.

"They’re fast," said Lansingburgh head coach Al McNall. "Like I said all year, they’re very well coached. We knew coming in it was going to be an uphill battle and we had to play mistake-free football."

The Spartans scored on five of their first six drives, and the defense held Lansingburgh’s offense to just one first down before halftime.

Lansingburgh senior Anthony Fogarty runs out of running room as four Burnt Hills defenders look to close in on the tackle during Saturday's Section II Class A Super Bowl.

Senior running back Anthony Fogarty led the way for the Lansingburgh offense, as he gained 119 receiving yards on five receptions and 71 rushing yards on nine attempts.

Fogarty scored on a 58-yard run just before halftime and caught an 86-yard touchdown pass from Carlos Grillo in the fourth quarter. Marcus Little added a touchdown reception later in the fourth.

Although his team could have thrown in the towel against the state’s No. 3-ranked Class A team, McNall was proud that his players fought right to the end.

"That’s the type of kids they are," he said. "They’re fighters. This is a bittersweet thing for our seniors and I feel bad for them. Hopefully it’s something we can build off of going into next year with our underclassmen."

Burnt Hills advances to a regional round game next week against Potsdam (9-1), the Section X/VII Class A playoff champion, at Massena High.

The Spartans have reached the New York State championship game each of the past two years, losing both times to Rochester-area champion Sweet Home. The Burnt Hills players were hoping that Saturday’s verdict puts them on a track for the Carrier Dome yet again.

“We thought we could make a statement and that’s how it came out,” said Beatty.

Lansingburgh (8-2) lost twice to Burnt Hills in 2010, including a 25-15 opening week victory at home. In between, the Knights won eight straight games and clinched the Southeast Division championship, which all adds up to a successful season in McNall’s eyes.

"A lot of good things came out of this year," he said. "When we got pushed up to the As, nobody expected us to be here. Nobody expected us to be in this game. It’s an honor to play a team like that when nobody thought you’d be there to do it.

"Our kids battled through the whole game. They never let down, even when things were real dismal."

Lansingburgh players, including Jake Luce, 44, lift their helmets at the end of the national anthem prior to Saturday's Section II Class A Super Bowl at Shenendehowa High School.

BURNT HILLS-BALLSTON LAKE 42, LANSINGBURGH 21

Lansingburgh (8-2) 0 7 0 14 - 21
Burnt Hills (10-0) 21 14 7 0 - 42
First Quarter
BH - Evan Nusbaum 39 run (Nusbaum kick) 9:26
BH - Brandon Beatty 44 run (Nusbaum kick) 6:20
BH - Keaton Flint 43 run (Nusbaum kick) 2:22
Second Quarter
BH - Beatty 8 run (Nusbaum kick) 6:57
BH - Beatty 8 run (Nusbaum kick) 2:30
L - Anthony Fogarty 58 run (Jake Shaw kick) 0:51
Third Quarter
BH - Beatty 30 run (Nusbaum kick) 2:40
Fourth Quarter
L - Fogarty 86 pass from Carlos Grillo (Fogarty run) 4:51
L - Marcus Little 16 pass from Grillo (Grillo pass failed) 3:00
Individual Stats:
Rushing: Lansingburgh (24-132): Fogarty 9-71, Little 8-32, Luce 7-29. Burnt Hills (54-435): Beatty 16-139, Flint 14-137, Nusbaum 12-131, Fialkowski 6-19, Guba 3-6, Porter 1-3, Ruppel 2-0.
Passing: Lansingburgh: Grillo 10-15-2-160. Burnt Hills: Flint 2-6-0-38.
Receiving: Lansingburgh (10-160): Fogarty 5-119, Luce 3-19, Little 1-16, Carty 1-6. Burnt Hills: (2-38): Parks 1-28, Beatty 1-10.

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Section II Class A Super Bowl

N1 Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake (9-0) vs. 

S1 Lansingburgh (8-1)

At Shenendehowa High School

Saturday, 7 p.m.

TROY — The Lansingburgh High School football team took its lumps in a Week One loss to Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, but the Knights knew that if they played their cards right the rest of the way they would get another shot at the Spartans.

The Knights haven’t lost since.

“For these kids, that’s been the mission,” said Lansingburgh head coach Al McNall. “The mission was, we had them Week One and we wanted them Week Ten. And here we are.”

Burnt Hills, two-time defending Section II Class A champions and New York State finalists, has been the class of the local football scene in recent years. In fact, the Spartans haven’t lost a game against a Section II opponent since Nov. 3 2007 – a streak of 29 games.

The last local team to defeat Burnt Hills? That was Lansingburgh, which posted a 28-25 victory in the 2007 Class A Super Bowl.

Lansingburgh has been no slouch this decade either. Since 2002, the Knights have appeared in a Section II Super Bowl every year except 2008.

“There is a lot of legacy here,” said McNall, who took over as head coach following Pete Porcelli’s departure in the summer of 2009. “Every team that comes through, they want to uphold that and we’ve been pretty successful.”

The Knights have stuck with their traditional run-based offensive attack. Marcus Little (120 atts., 842 yds., 8 TDs) and Anthony Fogarty (75 atts., 648 yds., 7 TDs) split the rushing responsibilities through the first three weeks, but Lansingburgh unleashed left guard Jake Luce at the fullback position in a Week Four victory over Scotia-Glenville.

In just six games as a fullback, Luce has rushed for 514 yards on 58 attempts and has scored a team-high 11 rushing touchdowns.

“It’s definitely more fun being a running back, because you get to score touchdowns and run people over, you know what I’m saying?” Luce said. “It’s not really a big transition. I’m sure anybody could do it. It’s not too hard. All you have to do is get the ball and run.”

Lansingburgh will also enjoy having Jake Shaw, a senior tight end, defensive end and placekicker, in uniform for this year’s Super Bowl. He missed the 2009 Class B title game against Schalmont recovering from an eye injury sustained in a gym class badminton accident while playing against Luce.

Burnt Hills has outscored its opponents 406 to 81 this season. Since its 10-point victory over Lansingburgh, the Spartans’ closest margin of victory was a 17-point triumph over Queensbury in the semifinals last week.

“We have some tough kids,” said McNall. “The tradition has been here since 2001 when we started, when Pete was here. We ran, and ran and ran. It really hasn’t changed. It hasn’t skipped a beat.

“The kids want to play and they want to perform. And that’s expected here now,” McNall continued. “That’s the crazy thing. You win, you win, you win and the fans expect it, the school expects it and we expect it of ourselves.”

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Troy High head coach Jack Burger (left) and La Salle Institute head coach Al Rapp (right) will square off Friday night in The Record's Collar City Cup game at La Salle. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. (All photos by John Whipple - The Record).

TROY -- The Collar City is going to be rocking this Friday night with a pair of interesting high school football Week One matchups on opposite sides of town.

On the south side, Troy High travels to La Salle Institute's Sutton Field for The Record's Collar City Cup clash against the Cadets.

In Lansingburgh, the Knights play host to Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake. Burnt Hills has played in the New York State Class A title game each of the past two season and Lansingburgh played in that game in 2007.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. for both games.


Those games, of course, are not all that is on the schedule this weekend, so scroll down for game capsules in this post. I'll also have extended stories on the big games in Friday's paper.


Also, look for Record staff picks in Friday's edition of the paper.


Our 48-page high school football preview section, Kickoff 2010, is inserted in every copy of today's paper (Thurs., Sept., 2).

Troy High captains, from left to right, at Section II media day: Brian Marsh (5), Kyle Geraci (44), Jay Yaskanich (63), Jordan Canzeri (34) and Ian Blair (8). 

Troy High at La Salle Institute

Friday, Sept. 3, 7 p.m.

at Sutton Field, La Salle Institute, Troy

About Troy: The Flying Horses are coming off a campaign in which they won nine straight games and appeared in the Section II Class A Super Bowl, losing to eventual state finalist Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, 33-18. Senior running backs Jordan Canzeri and Shatiek Lewis return, both of whom ran for over 1,200 yards as juniors. Keep in mind that Troy also played a number of blowout games during the regular season, meaning those players did not see very much action in the second half at all in 2009. Senior quarterback Brian Marsh also returns and could be a dangerous weapon through the air and on the ground with another year of experience under his belt. Senior lineman Jay Yankaich is the only returning starter on the line for the Flying Horses, who will have to grow up quick up front if they want to create any space at all for their talented skill players. Troy returns to Class AA in 2010 after spending two years as a Class A school. (This is not a decision the school makes. The New York State Public High School Athletic Association takes a list of all the schools in the state that play football and divide that number into five equal groups based on student populations in grades 9-11. Depending on fluctuating student populations from year-to-year, some schools bounce up and others bounce down. Public schools do not get to pick where they play. This seems like a common misconception among fans).

About La Salle: The Cadets will answer many questions Friday night as the team returns just one of its 22 starters from the 2009 season, senior lineman Frank Seitz. Garrett Delory, who started a few games at quarterback last year when Mike Murray went down with an injury, will likely be taking the snaps under center on opening night, giving La Salle a bit of experience there. Junior Kevin Koberger also saw a bit of time in the backfield for the Cadets a season ago, and will be expected to carry a heavier load in 2010. Still, if there is any coach in Section II that can figure out a way to get his players to get the job done, it's La Salle's Al Rapp. His teams have appeared in five Section II Super Bowls since 2000, which was his first year at the school. La Salle went 7-0 in the regular season in 2009 before dropping a heartbreaking overtime decision to Guilderland in the first round of the playoffs.

Notable: See below for a history of The Record's Collar City Cup series. The game will be broadcast on Time Warner Cable Channel 3.

The Record’s Collar City Cup History
2007, La Salle 19, Troy 14
2006, Troy 29, La Salle 21
2005, La Salle 26, Troy 12
2004, La Salle 12, Troy 7
2003, Troy 27, La Salle 25
2002, Troy 14, La Salle 7
2001, La Salle 14, Troy 0

Note: In 2008, Troy defeated Lansingburgh in the inaugural Uncle Sam Cup game, 28-3. There were no intra-city matchups in 2009.

La Salle Institute leaders, from left to right: Garrett Delory, Frank Seitz and Kevin Koberger at Section II media day Sunday at UAlbany.

Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake captains, from left to right: Evan Nusbaum (4), Keaton Flint (2), Jake Batty (50) and Brandon Beatty (22).

Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake at Lansingburgh

Friday, Sept. 3, 7 p.m.

Lansingburgh High School, Troy

About BH-BL: The Spartans are coming off a pair of New York State Class A championship game appearances and will shift returning fourth team all-state wide receiver Keaton Flint to quarterback. BH-BL also returns a big group of players that have played in big games the last two years, including Evan Nusbaum, Brandon Beatty, Willie Fisher and Jake Batty. BH-BL head coach Matt Shell and his son, Jacob, are both cancer survivors. Jacob was declared cancer-free in mid-July.

About 'Burgh: The Knights move back up to Class A after spending 2009 in Class B and making a run to the Section II Class B Super Bowl. Lansingburgh has handed the starting quarterback job to Carlos Grillo following the graduation of T.J. McLaughlin and the decision of heir apparent Ryan McGrath to focus on baseball year-round. Grillo, a lanky lefty, has done nothing but impress the coaching staff this summer, but he still lacks any varsity experience. The Knights are also replacing their entire backfield, but transfer player Anthony Fogarty gained a great deal of experience the past few years across the Hudson River at Cohoes. Still, the Knights are pretty well stacked on the lines both ways, led by Chad Laustrup, Mark Tracey and Jake Luce. Defense is going to have to carry the Knights in the early goings until the offense can put it all together.

Notable: Burnt Hills has won 20 consecutive games against Section II opponents. Lansingburgh was the last Section II team to defeat Burnt Hills, posting a 28-25 victory over the Spartans in the Class A Super Bowl on Nov. 3, 2007. Look below for a list of recent scores from the series.

BH-BL vs. ‘Burgh, recent history
Sept. 11, 2008, regular season, Burnt Hills 60, Lansingburgh 14
Nov. 3 2007, Class A Super Bowl, Lansingburgh 28, Burnt Hills 25
Sept. 28, 2007, regular season, Burnt Hills 35, Lansingburgh 22
Nov. 4 2006, Class A Super Bowl, Burnt Hills 37, Lansingburgh 7

Lansingburgh High School players from left to right: Marcus Little, Chad Laustrup, Mark Tracey, Jake Luce and Quincy Michael.

For video clips with interviews with Troy High, La Salle Institute and Lansingburgh players, visit www.troyrecord.com/video/sports

Columbia High School captains from left to right: Andrew Cleveland (72), Jake Wronoski (10) and Chad DeJohn (68) at Section II media day Sunday at UAlbany.

Columbia at Christian Bros. Academy

Friday, Sept. 3, 7 p.m.

Christian Bros. Academy, Colonie

About Columbia: The Blue Devils are looking to gain traction in 2010 under second-year head coach Drew Romanowski, who inspired an underclass uprising in the weight room during the offseason. Columbia will need to find multiple replacements on offense for Alex Tesoriero, who rushed for 1,445 yards in 2009 and handled the Blue Devils’ kicking duties for the past few years.

About CBA: Head coach Joe Burke will make his debut with the Brothers in this game. A long-time assistant at Bishop Maginn, Burke also had a five-year stint at Albany High in the 2000s. The Brothers return a solid group of players in 2010, led by seniors Casey Crotty, Trey Williams, Max Weaver, Carter Sherman, Ras-I Grady and Logan Frese. Expect the Brothers’ offense in 2010 to look a lot like what Burke saw with his mentor, Joe Grasso, at Bishop Maginn over the past 30 years.

Notable: These teams wrapped up the 2009 season with a crossover game in East Greenbush. CBA won, 14-6. They last met in regular season action on Sept. 9, 2005, a game CBA won, 36-3.

Corinth at Hoosick Falls, 

Friday, Sept. 3, 7 p.m.

Hoosick Falls High School, Hoosick Falls

About Corinth: The Tomahawks will be starting over in 2010 as do-it-all quarterback Jordan Charbonneau, who rushed for 1,791 yards and 19 touchdowns as a senior last year, has graduated. Corinth edged out Mechanicville for the fourth and final playoff berth out of the Class C North Division a season ago. Corinth lost to South Division Chatham in the opening round of the playoffs, 62-0.

About Hoosick Falls: The Panthers will get back to business after making a run to the New York State Class C semifinals and finishing with an 11-1 record overall in 2009. Quarterback Mike Brewster returns for his senior season in head coach Ron Jones’ spread option offense. Brewster passed for 1,651 yards and ran for 450 yards as a junior. To defend their Section II title in 2010, the Panthers will need to replace three players on the offensive line and running back Alex Hansen, who ran for 1,575 yards and 26 touchdowns in his senior season last year.

Notable: Corinth was the last Section II team to defeat Hoosick Falls, as the Tomahawks defeated the Panthers in a crossover game, 32-27, on Halloween, 2008. Hoosick Falls won a regular season game in Corinth last season, 21-7, on Oct. 16.

Lake George at Tamarac

Friday, Sept. 3, 7 p.m.

Tamarac High School, Clums Corners

About Lake George: The Warriors are coming off a season in Class D in which they finished 5-1 in the regular season, but were upset by Saratoga Central Catholic in the opening round of the playoffs. Lake George will also have to replace running back Caleb Meroski, who was a major threat in the backfield for the last two seasons. Playing a Class D schedule as a Class C school in 2008, Lake George finished with a 9-0 record but was ineligible for postseason play.

About Tamarac: The Bengals return all five offensive linemen from a season ago and for the first time in a long time, the Tamarac front five averages over 200 pounds. Junior Nick Casale starts his second season under center and will turn to offensive playmakers Nick Feldmaier, Tyler Larvie and Nick Newell. Tamarac finished 4-5 a season ago and missed the playoffs after having made qualified in 2008. The Bengals last won a Section II title in 1983.

Notable: These two teams last met on Oct. 27, 2006. Lake George won, 18-6.

Mechanicville at Voorheesville

Saturday, Sept. 4

Clayton A. Bouton High School, Voorheesville

About Mechanicville: The Red Raiders finished 4-2 in the Class C North Division a season ago (6-3 overall) but missed the playoffs on a quarterpoints tiebreaker to Corinth. The Red Raiders return 14 of 22 starters and will aim to balance the pass and the run on offense. After a season of technical delays, Mechanicville will play home games under the lights on Friday nights in 2010.

About Voorheesville: The Blackbirds are a consensus pick among local high school football coaches as one of the teams to beat in Class C this year. The Blackbirds finished 6-1 in the South Division a season ago but lost in the first round of the playoffs to Cambridge, 41-0. Quarterback Ryan Duncan figures to be one of Section II’s top passers in 2010. He threw for 995 yards and 12 touchdowns a season ago.

Notable: These traditional Colonial Council rivals last played on Sept. 22, 2007, with Voorheesville winning, 15-13.

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ALBANY — The 2010 high school football season begins this week and a pair of big-time rivalry games dominated the discussion at Sunday’s Media Day festivities at the University at Albany.

Thursday night, South Colonie travels across town to take on Shaker in the annual battle for the Town of Colonie Cup. Friday, La Salle Institute plays host to Troy High School in a resumption of The Record’s Collar City Cup series, which hasn’t been played since 2007.

Both games have been and always will be a once-in-a-lifetime highlight for the players.

“Every day after practice, it’s Bison, Bison, Bison,” said Colonie senior running back and linebacker Davion Brink. “It’s on everyone’s minds and it’s all I’m worried about right now.”

Colonie head coach Mike Ambrosio, however, had two issues with playing the game so early in the season. First, school does not start until next week, so excitement for this game will not be brewing in the hallways.

“For game one, I don’t think the towns and the schools will be excited because no one is in the building,”
Ambrosio said. “It’s kind of tough to get excited if no one is around. I’m sure Troy and La Salle are in the same boat. How do you have a rivalry game in week one?”

Secondly, moving the Colonie-Shaker game ahead a day for a television slot will cause certain players to be ineligible, according to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association’s rule that a player must participate in 15 practices prior to competing in the team’s first game.

South Colonie head coach Mike Ambrosio displays the swim move to players during a recent practice. (Photo by Mike McMahon - The Record).

 “The fact that they moved the game up to Thursday night, if a kid missed one practice, they can’t play in the game,” Ambrosio said. “I have a couple of seniors, the kids got sick and couldn’t make a practice. And their senior year, they can’t play in the rivalry game. That’s wrong.

“I totally disagree with moving it up and playing a rivalry game that early, but it’s not my decision,” Ambrosio continued. “I play where they tell me to go.”

Ambrosio knows the Colonie-Shaker rivalry well. He took a leave of absence at Colonie during the 2008 season to watch his son, Mark, play his senior season at Shaker.

For video highlights from media day, visit www.troyrecord.com/video/sports

The fact that they will not be in school doesn’t seem to damper the excitement that’s building for the Troy-La Salle game, at least on the internet.

“It is fun to be with a lot of your friends talking about the game and stuff, but on Facebook, we have a lot of stuff on that,” said Troy High senior running back Jordan Canzeri. “We sent a couple of invites and we have a good amount of people that are saying they’re going to attend the game, so it’s not a real big issue.”

Quarterback questions open and answered
With the first game of the season to be played later this week, both Cohoes and Watervliet still have question marks at the quarterback positions.

Cohoes head coach James Ducharme said he plans to use junior Danny DeChiaro and senior Darnell Rafalko interchangeably at quarterback throughout the season, as each has their own strengths and weakness under center.

Watervliet head coach Erick Bernard said that Brandon Legault and Sean Daley are still entrenched in a battle for the No. 1 quarterback job. The Cannoneers would like to use one of those players exclusively on offense and the backup quarterback exclusively on defense during games.

Lansingburgh head coach Al McNall announced that the team has full faith in junior Carlos Grillo, who has made a great impression on his coaching staff in about one and a half months of experience at the position in practices and camps.

“Carlos is our guy,” McNall said. “He’s progressing. He’s come a long way in a month and a half. He showed real well in the 7-on-7 at Cohoes and he made some throws that he has to be able to make.”

According to Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake head coach Matt Shell, the Spartans have converted senior Keaton Flint into their starting quarterback. Flint was a fourth team All-State wide receiver in Class A last season, leading the Spartans to the New York State championship game for the second consecutive year.

Burnt Hills plays at Lansingburgh this Friday at 7 p.m. in a non-division Class A game.

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Tommy Kahnle, seen here pitching for the South Troy Dodgers in the summer of 2008, was drafted by the New York Yankees with the final pick in the fifth round of the 2010 Major League Baseball draft. (Photo by Mike McMahon - The Record).

Former Shaker High pitcher Tommy Kahnle was drafted by the New York Yankees in the fifth round of the MLB draft this afternoon. He was the No. 175 pick.

He pitched Lynn University to a Division II championship a season ago and has been clocked at over 100 miles per hour in the Cape Cod League.

Prior to Kahnle's selection, former Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake pitcher Dave Filak was drafted by the Atlanta Braves as the No. 134 pick in the fourth round.

For more on the draft, check out Andrew Santillo's blog at therecordsports.blogspot.com

Update: After I had left the office for the afternoon, former Christian Brothers Academy star Greg Holle was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 11th round.

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Greenwich ace Neil Fryer throws a pitch during Tuesday's Section II Class C championship game against Fort Plain. Fryer went seven strong, scattering five hits and adding three RBI and a home run at the plate in a 9-1 victory for the Witches. (Photo courtesy - The Saratogian).

Greenwich earned the first Section II baseball title Tuesday night after a rain delay at Joe Bruno Stadium. For the full story, check out Wednesday's editions of The Record and The Saratogian.

The Witches will play Class CC champion Canajoharie in the Section II Class CC/C playoff Friday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. at Veterans Field on Geyser Road in Saratoga Springs.

--
Stan Hudy covered the game for us and uncovered a great story on this Greenwich team. Here is an excerpt from his story:

It was also special for the players who wore a shamrock with M.A.C embroidered on it in memory of former assistant coach and former mayor of Greenwich, Christopher McCormick, who died in May from complications due to Type I diabetes.

It was during the wake and a few conversations about Mac (McCormick’s nickname) and his love of the Boston Red Sox that a secret was revealed to the adults. Just as a construction worker has buried a Red Sox baseball jersey in concrete during the construction of the new Yankee Stadium, the favor was returned to McCormick and his former stomping grounds, near third base.

His friends purchased a New York Yankee jersey and buried it underneath the Witches baseball field, they did it quietly, secretly and left little evidence … all except some of the dirt from Yankee Stadium they also left for him.

It was a joke between friends, a snicker at the expense of their Boston-loving friend, but they never had the time or the heart to tell him of the prank. When word got out, along with the tears, speeches and memories about Mac, Beck vowed to dig it up … when the curse was broken.

It’s official, the curse is broken, but there is still a moratorium on any shovels being put to use around the Greenwich baseball field.

"We’ll just wait until the season is finally over," Greenwich head coach Duke Beck said. "We still have some games to play."

Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake's Chase Godfrey attempts to defend a sprawling Matt Sexton in Tuesday's Section II Class B boys lacrosse title game at the University at Albany. Niskayuna won its sixth straight Section II title by a score of 14-4. (Photo by J.S. Carras - The Record).

Guy Waltman scored four goals for Niskayuna in the victory. For more on how Waltman was inspired to win this game for his younger teammates, check out Wednesday's edition of The Record for the full story.

Nisky has won six Section II titles in a row and ten in total. The Silver Warriors showed why they are the class of Capital Region lacrosse Tuesday night in a sharply-played game.

Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake goalie Connor Nash prepares to make one of the 17 saves he made in Tuesday's game. He played well considering that the Silver Warriors took 44 shots in the game.

It was also a highly successful season for Burnt Hills, which advanced to a Section II title game for the second time in its four-year varsity history.

First-year head coach Tom Schwan has helped his team improve its lacrosse IQ and he hopes the Spartans can be Suburban Council and Section II competitors again in 2011.

"I can’t speak highly enough about Jason LaPietro, our assistant varsity coach," Schwan said. "He is just a tremendous man in regards to working with young people. He asks them to do things physically they don’t think they can do, and he also got them to mentally do things they’ve never done before.

"We’re really psyched about the future," Schwan continued. "There are a lot of positives, but we understand that they’re better than us and I think 14-4 was exactly how much better they were than us.

Averill Park's Andrew Fasoldt makes a play during a regular season game against Columbia. The Warriors, the No. 7 seed in the Section II Class A playoffs, will face No. 1 Ichabod Crane in Wednesday's title game at Joe Bruno Stadium. (Photo by J.S. Carras - The Record).

For an preview story on how Suburban Council teams Averill Park, Mohonasen and Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake compete in the Section II Class A tournament with losing records year-in and year-out, check out Wednesday's edition of The Record.

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Cole Godrey of Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake charges past Brodie France of Scotia-Glenville during a 2009 postseason game in Burnt Hills. (Photo courtesy The Saratogian - Ed Burke).

When the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake varsity lacrosse players woke up Tuesday morning, the history of the Spartans' program could be summed up with a song: One is the loneliest number.

In the four years of the program at BH-BL, the team had won just a single game in the Suburban Council. Tuesday, the Spartans beat Ballston Spa. Thursday, they beat Colonie and on Saturday, Burnt Hills beat Bethlehem, 8-5, tripling its program win total in the span of five days.

Not that anybody really cares, but just a few years ago, I was sitting in on petition meetings at Burnt Hills, hoping a lacrosse team would finally be fielded there. It took a few years for that to happen and it took a few more years for the Spartans to get their feet wet, but the folks in Burnt Hills should be proud of a monumental week in the program's history.

Burnt Hills 8, Bethlehem 5: Trevor Hiss scored two goals and six other players added one goal apiece for the Spartans (3-2, 5-3) in the Suburban Council victory over the Eagles.
BURNT HILLS 8, BETHLEHEM 5
Burnt Hills 1 3 2 2 - 8
Bethlehem 1 3 0 1 - 5
Scoring: Burnt Hills - Hiss 2-1, Lewek 1-0, Lauria 1-1, Emmer 1-0, Kissane 1-0, Russell 1-0, Nussbaum 1-0, Nally 0-2. Bethlehem - Russo 3-0, Halek 1-0, Blanchard 1-0, Conroy 0-2, Christensen 02. Goalie saves: Burnt Hills - Nash, 14. Bethlehem - Ferguson, 9.

And now, the rest of the roundup:

High Schools
Baseball
CBA 11, Averill Park 3: Cody Crounse and Casey McPartlon each tripled and drove in two runs for the Brothers in a non-league victory over Averill Park.
Tyler Listing hit a home run, driving in a pair for the Warriors.
CBA 11, AVERILL PARK 3
Averill Park 002 000 1 - 3 3 0
CBA 109 100 x - 11 8 0
Batteries not included.
Bruce Bouck Tournament at Schalmont: Bishop Gibbons topped Schalmont 7-6 in eight innings in a first round game, but Scotia-Glenville won the Bouck Tournament title Saturday afternoon.
Scotia defeated Cobleskill 14-4 in the opening round and handed Gibbons a 9-5 decision in the championship game.
Schalmont defeated Colonial Council rival Cobleskill in the consolation game, 11-4.
Niskayuna 7, Oneonta 1: The Silver Warriors won a non-league game over the Yellow Jackets.
Softball
Tamarac 7, Watervliet 2: Chelsie Matala hit two singles and drove in a run, while Kayla VanAlstyne also collected two hits and an RBI for the Bengals (1-3, 4-3) in a non-league victory over the Cannoneers.
Taylor Daniels hit a single and a triple and scored a run for Watervliet (2-4).
TAMARAC 7, WATERVLIET 2
Watervliet (2-4) 001 001 0 - 2 4 1
Tamarac (1-3, 4-3) 004 120 x - 7 7 1
Gilchrist, Plunkett (6) and Normile Gokey and Fox.
Catholic Central 2, Mohonasen 0: Hannah Kutny hit a double and a pair of singles for the Crusaders in a low-scoring non-legaue victory over Mohonasen (2-5, 4-6).
Anna Cochis struck out nine in a two-hit performance in the circle for Catholic High (3-0, 6-0).
CATHOLIC CENTRAL 2, MOHONASEN 0
Mohonasen (2-5, 4-6) 000 000 0 - 0 2 0
Catholic Central (3-0, 6-0) 000 110 x - 2 5 0
Mattice and Lufi; Cochis and Buchan.

Track and Field
Maple Hill Invitational: Maple Hill’s Katie Roth was named the Outstanding Field Performer, winning the discus and shot put events for the Wildcats, who captured the team title.
Roth’s toss of 107 feet, five inches was the best in the discus and her shot put of 33 feet, 3 and ¾ inches was also good for first place.
Other winners included Watervliet’s Tierney McGlynn in the 200 meter dash (27.1), Berlin’s Rachel Ferris in the 400 meter hurdles (1:13.6) and Maple Hill’s Alyxe Perry in the pole vault (7-0) and Abby Hines in the 110 meter hurdles (17.8).
Maple Hill’s 1,600 meter relay team – Anna Curtain, Taylor Czajkowski, Alyxe Perry and Erin Mosher – also took home a first place finish with a time of 4:23.

Maple Hill Invitational

Team scores: Maple Hill 126, Middleburgh 90, Cambridge 85, B-K-W 47, Duanesburg 35, Canajoharie 23, Salem 20, Berlin 17, Watervliet 14, New Lebanon 10, Schenectady Christian 9, Schoharie 8.
3,000 relay — Duanesburg (Schiable, Fisheg, Kenyon, Loret) 10:42.0. 110H — Hines (MH) 17.8. 100M — Cuddihy (C’brdge) 13.1. 1,500M — Tedeschi (B-K-W) 4:57.2. 4x100 — C’bdge (Tironi, Lawlor, Densmore, Cuddihy) 53.2. 400M — Kenyon (Duanes) 61.7. 400H — Ferris (Berlin) 1:13.6. 800M — Tedeschi (B-K-W) 2:23. 200M — MgGlynn (Vliet) 27.1. 3,000M — Tedeschi (B-K-W) 11:08.6. 4x400 — MH (Curtain, Czajkowski, Perry, Mosher) 4:23. Long jump — Cuddihy (C’brdge) 15-8. Triple jump — Cuddihy (C’bdge) 35-5.5. Pole vault — Perry (MH) 7-0. Discus — Roth (MH) 107-5. Shot put — Roth (MH) 33-3.75. High jump — Fraser (Sch’dy Christian) 4-8.

Girls Lacrosse
Niskayuna 13, Skaneatles 10: Shannon Pfohl scored four goals and Alex Phillips, Celeigh O’Brien and Kayla Treanor added two goals apiece in a non-league victory for the Silver Warriors (6-1).
NISKAYUNA 13, SKANEATLES 10
Skaneatles (5-2) 5 5 - 10
Niskayuna (6-1) 8 5 - 13
Scoring: Skaneatles - Morrissey 3-2, C.Davis 2-0, Callahan 2-3, A.Davis 1-0, Vitkus 1-1, McNeilly 1-1. Niskayuna - Pfohl 4-0, Phillips 2-2, O’Brien 2-0, K.Treanor 2-2, A.Treanor 1-1, Ryan 1-1, Assini 1-0. Goalie saves: Skaneatles - Byrne, 12. Niskayuna - Tiscione, 20.

CBA senior Kam Ritter, seen here driving around a Schenectady High defender during a regular season game at CBA, is looking to lead the Brothers to the New York State Final Four. (Photo by Tom Killips - The Record).

Class AA
Christian Brothers Academy (21-1) vs. Cicero-North Syracuse (19-2, Section III)

Regional Final
Saturday, 8 p.m.
Hudson Valley Community College, Troy
About CBA: The Brothers won their fifth Section II title in seven years Tuesday night. Since 1998, only two schools from Section II have won boys basketball state titles, both Big 10 Conference teams. Schenectady did it in 1998 and 2001, while Bishop Maginn won the Class AA title in 2008.
About C-NS: Cicero topped Utica Proctor 61-60 in the Section III title game, the first-ever sectional basketball title for the Northstars. Andy Falvey, a 6-foot-8 center, could pose matchup problems for CBA.
Read a story from the Syracuse paper by clicking here.

Class A
Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake (10-11) vs. Massena (17-4, Section X)

Regional Semifinal
Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Hudson Valley Community College, Troy
About BH-BL: The Spartans, the No. 7 seed in the Section II tournament, upset No. 1 seeded Lansingburgh in the Section II finals. Burnt Hills has advanced to the New York State Class A football title game each of the last two years, but this was the Spartans' first Section II basketball title since the 2004-05 season. Jacob Meyers and Zach Morton, a dynamic duo as defensive ends on the football team, give the Spartans a great pairing in the post.
About Massena: Massena avenged a pair of regular season losses to Potsdam in the regular season, defeating the Sandstoners in the Section X championship game.
The fairly useless www.SectionXsports.com doesn't list a final score with the recap, but more Massena information is located on that site.
Note: The winner of this game plays Jamesville-Dewitt (21-0, Section III, ranked No. 1 in the state) in the regional final Saturday, to be played at HVCC at 6:15 p.m.

Class B
Fonda-Fultonville (23-0) vs. Plattsburgh (17-4, Section VII)

Regional Semifinal
Friday, 6 p.m.
Hudson Valley Community College, Troy
About Fonda: The Braves are the only undefeated team from Section II still alive.
About Plattsburgh: For more on Plattsburgh's win over AuSable Valley in the Section VII title game, click here.
Note: The winner of this game plays Potsdam (20-2, Section X) in the regional final Saturday, to be played at HVCC at 4:30 p.m.

Maple Hill's David Briggs races past the Cairo-Durham defense during a regular season game this year in Castleton.

Class C Maple Hill (21-1) vs. Brushton-Moira (12-9, Section X)

Regional Semifinal
Friday, 7:45 p.m.
SUNY-Potsdam
About Maple Hill: The Wildcats needed a little more Glens Falls magic in the Section II Class C championship game against Hoosick Falls, as Chris Despart's three-point bucket with four seconds remaining in overtime lifted Maple Hill to a 46-45 victory over the Panthers.
Maple Hill advanced to the state championship game a season ago, but they played regional games right in their own backyard at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy. How will the trip north affect the team's preparation?
About Brushton-Moira: Moira lost its last game to Section X Class B champion Potsdam, 79-31, in the Section X overall playoffs. Moira, the No. 3 seed in the Section X tournament, upset No. 2 Norwood-Norfolk in the semifinals.
For more on Moria, click here and investigate www.SectionXSports.com
Note: The winner of this game plays Ticonderoga (7-12, Section VII) in the regional final Saturday, to be played at Potsdam High School, 4:30 p.m.
For more on Ticonderoga's Section VII title game victory over Seton Catholic, click here.
Notes: In case you can't make the game, it will be broadcast online here.

Class D
Germantown (18-4) vs. Chateaugay (19-3, Section X)

Regional Final
Saturday, 7 p.m.
SUNY-Plattsburgh

Class D

In the first game of the day, Germantown topped Argyle, the No. 1 seed, 70-61. It was Germantown's first Section II title since 1980.

Cody Broast scored 22 points for the Clippers and Larry Niebling added 21 points.

Argyle freshman point guard Joey Lufkin was a pleasure to watch, scoring 18 points for the Scots.

2009-10 Section II Class D boys basketball All-Tournament Team:

Doug Ullman, Sr. Sharon Springs
Nick Beck, Jr., Fort Ann
Bryan Humiston, Jr., Argyle
Joey Lufkin, Frosh, Argyle
Tommy Griffin, Jr., Germantown
MVP – Cody Broast, Jr., Germantown

Class C

The top two teams from Section II squared off in the championship game and the showdown lived up to the billing.

Hoosick Falls screamed out to a 16-3 lead after one quarter, but Maple Hill chipped away in the second, third and fourth quarters, tying the game at 36-36 on a Chris Despart bucket with 23 seconds remaining in regulation. After a Jake Jasiewicz steal, the Wildcats had one last chance, and a Despart three missed at the buzzer, sending the game to overtime.

Despart got his second chance in overtime, as the Wildcats trailed by two and he hit the game-winning three from the wing with just four seconds to spare. Hoosick Falls drew up a last-chance play. The Panthers got the ball to Kevin McMahon, but his last-ditch shot attempt fell short and Maple Hill celebrated another magical afternoon at the Civic Center.

“I'm used to taking big shots,” Despart said. “I knew that could come up.”

“Can you ask for a better game for a final from the two best teams from Class C right now?” asked Maple Hill head coach Scott Hanrahan.

No. 1 seeded Maple Hill (21-1) advances to face Brushton-Moira (12-9), the Section X champion, in a sub-regional game Friday at SUNY-Potsdam. The winner of that game faces the Section VII champion, Ticonderoga (7-12), in the regional final Saturday, which will also be played at SUNY-Potsdam.

“We have a little bit of experience from last year, so I think we're going to be in good shape,” said Despart, who guided Maple Hill to the New York State Class C championship game a season ago.

2009-10 Section II Class C boys basketball All-Tournament Team:

Ethan Mackey, Sr., Voorheesville
Jacob Kirker, Sr., Schoharie
Alex Lilac, Soph., Hoosick Falls
Kevin McMahon, Sr., Hoosick Falls
Dominic Prinzo, Sr., Maple Hill
MVP – Chris Despart, Sr., Maple Hill

For the full story, click here.

Class B

Watervliet sophomore center Griffin Kelly leaps for a shot over Fonda-Fultonville's James Sheehan during Sunday's Section II Class B boys basketball championship game at the Glens Falls Civic Center. (Photo by Erica Miller - The Saratogian).

Fonda-Fultonville shot the lights out Sunday afternoon, shooting at a 44.2% clip, and they also ran the Cannoneers ragged during the third quarter of Sunday's Section II Class B championship game.

Fonda outscored Watervliet 27-15 in the third quarter en route to the 62-54 victory, winning its first Section II title since 1970.

Tournament MVP Seth Hidde scored 22 points for the Braves, while Brandon Mercado added 13 points.

Freshman Jordan Gleason, who was absolutely sensational for the Cannoneers during the postseason, scored 23 points and was named an All-Tournament selection. Nick Durocher, a senior, added 14 points.

“We knew they were a very athletic team,” Watervliet head coach Walter Bowden said. “They're very deep and very good. They're undefeated for a reason.”

2009-10 Section II Class B boys basketball All-Tournament Team:
Chris McCarty, Sr., Schenectady Christian
Ian Yost, Sr., Johnstown
Jordan Gleason, Frosh., Watervliet
Nick Durocher, Sr., Watervliet
Brandon Mercardo, Sr., Fonda-Fultonville
MVP – Seth Hidde, Sr., Fonda-Fultonville

For the full story, click here.

Class A

Lansingburgh junior guard Sajae Pryor dribbles around Burnt Hills' Brandon Beatty during Sunday's Section II Class A championship game at the Glens Falls Civic Center. (Photos by Erica Miller - The Saratogian).

The clock didn't strike midnight Sunday for Cinderella story Burnt Hills, the No. 7 seed in the Section II Class A boys basketball tournament.

Jacob Meyers beat the buzzer before halftime with a layup, giving the Spartans a one-point lead heading into the break. Burnt Hills charged out in the third quarter, as Brandon Beatty scored the first five points of the period, but the teams played to a draw after regulation.

In overtime, Tournament MVP Zach Morton stepped up, scoring an early bucket and making a steal, and Keaton Flint buried a three-point shot as the Spartans raced ahead and the Knights just didn't have enough in the tank to recover.

Lansingburgh's Sajae Pryor leaps with the ball as Burnt Hills' Jacob Meyers defends during Sunday's Section II Class A Championship game in Glens Falls.

"Coming into the tournament, we had a lot of confidence in our team," Morton said. "We bought into the defense and we worked hard and we knew we could make a run in the tournament."

"I think he (Morton) was able and unafraid of taking and making contact," said Lansingburgh head coach Guy DiBacco. "I thought he initiated a lot of the contact, which is good offense. He initiated the contact, which tied Tyler up and didn’t let him block the shots. That kind of neutralized him by making contact."

For the full story, click here.

2009-10 Section II Class A boys basketball All-Tournament Team:

Malcolm Mathias, Sr., Gloversville
Chris Larm, Sr., Ichabod Crane
Sajae Pryor, Jr., Lansingburgh
Tyler Hammett, Sr., Lansingburgh
Keaton Flint, Jr., Burnt Hills
MVP - Zach Morton, Sr., Burnt Hills

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To view brackets for New York State regional round and Final Four competition - both boys and girls - click here.

Thanks for reading. To view a replay, click on the play button below.
'Burgh blog post coming later tonight....hopefully some video from the last few days as well.

Three local athletes recently made verbal commitments to continue playing their sports in college.

La Salle Institute senior J.P. Sportman, who also plays with the South Troy Dodgers, has made his baseball commitment to Central Connecticut State University.

In football news, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake senior defensive end Zach Morton will be the latest in a long line of Spartans to play for Bob Ford at the University at Albany. Paul Layton redshirted there last year. Nik Schultz and Jon George are among the other former Burnt Hills stars to also play for the Great Danes.

Fox 23 News is also reporting that Shenendehowa's Austin Lane will be playing offensive line at Syracuse University.

Section II will wait at least another year for a football championship, as Sweet Home defeated Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class A championship game for the second consecutive year.

Amsterdam's 2005 Class A championship team remains the most recent state championship-winning squad from Section II.
Section II has advanced to the Class A championship game in four of the past five years.

Here are some pictures from the game, courtsey Erica Miller of The Saratogian. Make sure to read Nicole Russo's full account of the game in Sunday's edition of The Saratogian.

I don't usually get the pleasure of writing about my alma mater, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, but thinking about the Spartans' second trip to the Carrier Dome in as many years got me thinking.

I think I know the exact day Burnt Hills' success on the gridiron began.

Turn back the clock to the fall of 2000. Our JV team had just finished a second straight 1-8 season and the varsity team went 2-7. The mood wasn't great as we handed our in pads and helmets that November.

Rather than have the annual banquet at the Holiday Inn in Saratoga Springs, Burnt Hills head coach Ed Ronca switched the location to the Ballston Lake Baptist Church just across Lakehill Road from Stevens Elementary. Unlike most years, it was closed to parents. Players and coaches only were invited to a special meeting.

There were some funny things that happened that night. Varsity players exchanged gag gifts and we traded funny stories from the season. On the other hand, it was a very somber occasion. This was not your typical end-of-season party because the program had, in effect, hit rock bottom.

I don't remember exactly what was said or what happened in the basement of that church, but in a few short hours, the mood surrounding the program changed, excitement was built and many players hit the weight room and camps in the following months.

The next season, Ronca's final year at the helm, Burnt Hills won its first eight games before losing to La Salle in the Section II Class A semis. The Spartans lost in the semis a year later at Amsterdam under then first-year head coach Matt Shell. A foundation for success had been built.

Matt Shell's personal story has been well-documented. His brilliance as a coach - both as a leader and an offensive whiz - is perhaps overshadowed by his circumstances. He, his coaching staff (Jason LaPietro, Shawn Kline and Pete Parisi, longtime BH-BL assistants all) and certainly all of his players deserve the credit for making back-to-back trips to Syracuse.

But what Ed Ronca did in the fall of 2000, when he took a bold step in shaking up the status quo of the program, was the first step on Burnt Hills' journey to the Carrier Dome. Many of today's players may not remember his name or have ever seen a game he coached, but they owe a small part of their trip to Ronca's long tutelage at Burnt Hills.

Ed Ronca, who coached the Burnt Hills varsity football team from 1985 to 2001 is now retired from teaching and works at the University of Nevada Las Vegas.