The defense certainly showed up for Troy in Friday's Section II Class AA Super Bowl against Shenendehowa. The Flying Horses posted a 38-0 shutout, capturing the first Section II title for the school since 2000. (Troy photos by J.S. Carras - The Record). 

COLONIE -- The Troy High School football looked super Friday night against Shenendehowa in the Section II Class AA championship game.

Troy limited Shen to 63 yards of total offense and the Flying Horses piled up 367 rushing yards on 44 attempts in a 38-0 victory over the Plainsmen at South Colonie High School.

Luis Lind (21) leads a group of Troy tacklers in pursuit of a Shenendehowa ballcarrier in Friday's Section II Class AA Super Bowl.

Jordan Canzeri, a senior running back and defensive back for Troy, gained 173 yards on 13 carries, scoring four touchdowns, including all three of Troy’s scores before halftime.

Troy (10-0), the Liberty Division’s No. 1 seed, held the Plainsmen to seven first downs in the game, two of which came on defensive pass interference calls. Shen’s star senior running back Bronson Greene was kept to 10 rushing yards on eight attempts – he ran the ball just once after halftime.

For video highlights from Troy's Super Bowl win, visit www.troyrecord.com/video/sports

"It’s a shutout in the Super Bowl. How much better does it get?" asked a soaking wet Troy head coach Jack Burger, who, like defensive coordinator Bob Burns, had been drenched with the contents of the water bucket in the game’s waning moments.

It was Troy’s first Section II Super Bowl title since 2000, which was the last in a string of five consecutive titles for the Flying Horses.

Troy's Michael Pastore drags down a Shen running back during Friday's game. Troy limited Shen superstar Bronson Greene to just 10 rushing yards in the game.

"This is what we’ve been waiting for," said senior lineman Jay Yaskanich. "We’ve been busting our tail all year for this. The first thing we have to do is say thanks to the coaches, our parents and everyone on the team that supported us."

Troy advances to play the Section IX champion in a regional game Saturday Nov. 13 at Dietz Stadium in Kingston at 7:30 p.m.

Monroe-Woodbury (9-0, No. 1 in the state) and Kingston play today in the Section IX championship game at Dietz Stadium at 7 p.m.

"Everybody is on the same page right now," said senior fullback and middle linebacker Kyle Geraci. "We’re all working hard in practice. We had three decent weeks of practice in a row. We’ve all been working hard and we all want the same goal."

Troy's Stephaun Grinage (31), a tough-as-nails linebacker, is the Flying Horses' No. 4 option out of the backfield and a pretty potent one at that.

Troy drained five and one half minutes off the clock on its first drive, a 10-play series that resulted in a seven-yard touchdown run for Canzeri. He scored on a 34-yard scamper on the first play in the second quarter and added a 36-yard touchdown run later in the period.

"We had to put it in their heads early that we had to stop them on defense and we had to score quick on offense," Canzeri said. "We just had to push, push, push and get the ball down the field and score. We knew that that would shake them up a little bit."

Troy High's Jordan Canzeri runs behind Shatiek Lewis (41) and Kyle Geraci (44) in Friday's Section II Class AA Super Bowl at Colonie High School.

Senior quarterback Brian Marsh added 87 rushing yards on nine attempts and Shatiek Lewis, who scored a pair of touchdowns, gained 70 yards on 10 carries.

"We’re as good as the sum of our parts," Burger said. "If you try to shut down Jordan, Sha will carry the load. If you try to shut down Sha, Brian can carry the load.

"We should have probably thrown the ball a little bit more since they were getting nine guys up, but we knew they’re not a quick strike offense and they were going to have to burn five, six minutes to move the ball and score," continued Burger. "We were trying to shorten the game just like they were."

Shenendehowa (7-3), the Empire Division No. 3 seed, sputtered in the Super Bowl but made a tremendous run just to get there after losing its final two regular season games.

"I thought that showed a little character," said Shen head coach Brent Steuerwald. "They responded in the correct manner to adversity and that is one of the great lessons that you learn from playing football."

TROY 38, SHENENDEHOWA 0

Shenendehowa (7-3) 0 0 0 0 - 0
Troy (10-0) 6 12 13 7 - 38
First Quarter
T - Jordan Canzeri 7 run (Badro Talbi kick blocked) 6:32
Second Quarter
T - Canzeri 25 run (Brian Marsh run failed) 11:54
T - Canzeri 36 run (Marsh pass to Canzeri failed) 8:32
Third Quarter
T - Shatiek Lewis 8 run (Talbi kick failed) 5:56
T - Canzeri 56 run (Talbi kick) 0:57
Fourth Quarter
T - Lewis 10 run (Talbi kick) 11:10
Individual Stats:
Rushing: Shenendehowa (37-30): Fusco 8-15, McCart 3-11, Greene 8-10, Walrath 6-1, No. 6 10, Neumann 1-5, Schilling 2-4, Sutton 1-1, Gailor 1-0, Van Galen 6-(-27). Troy (43-367): Canzeri 13-173, Marsh 9-87, Lewis 10-70, Grinage 5-28, Felder 4-7, Geraci 1-6, Mann 1-(-1), Chamberlain 1-(-3).
Passing: Shenendehowa: Van Galen 2-9-33-0-0. Troy: Marsh 1-3-18-0-0.
Receiving: Shenendehowa (2-33): Wall 1-17, Sutton 1-16. Troy (1-18): Thomas 1-18.

--

Hoosick Falls senior quarterback Mike Brewster pumps his fists as he runs into the end zone against Chatham in Friday night's Section II Class C Super Bowl game at Stillwater. (Hoosick Falls photos by Mike McMahon - The Record).

Ed Weaver

The Record

STILLWATER — Hoosick Falls delivered a message to contenders for the New York State Class C football championship on Friday night.

'Just try to stop us' was that message, as the Panthers overwhelmed their namesakes from Chatham in an avalanche of offense, scoring nine touchdowns, gaining 31 first downs and amassing 674 yards in total offense in a 61-28 Section II Super Bowl blowout.

The 10-0 Panthers scored late in the wild first half to gain a 28-28 tie, then dominated Chatham -- the state's 4th-ranked Class C team -- on both sides of the ball in the second half.

Sophomore running back Brad Burns rushed for 248 yards and five touchdowns, while senior Tanner Williams, the Panthers No. 1 rusher this season, carried 24 times for 201 yards and one touchdown.

He also set up another first-half score, taking a swing pass on a tackle-breaking, direction-changing 60 yard gain.

Panthers quarterback Mike Brewster passed for 166 yards, one for a touchdown, and also rushed for 60 yards and a touchdown.

Hoosick Falls rushed for 508 yards.

"Never did I imagine we would rack up over 600 yards, especially in a (Section II) Super Bowl against such a strong team," Hoosick Falls coach Ron Jones said.

"Our two running backs did a great job of running through tackles and finishing runs," Jones said.

"This is awesome," Burns said. "Our offensive line took control and we just started running the ball and when we got up, we stayed up. I love it."

Hoosick Falls defense surrendered four touchdowns and 277 yards in the first half but kept Chatham off the board over the final 24 minutes and held them to 74 yards.

"The coaches made some great adjustments to the play-calling and we followed that up," linebacker Garrett Foster said of the great defensive showing in the second half.

"There wasn't one person who didn't step it up in the second half," said fellow linebacker Steve Colvin. "We knew we had to do that."

Chatham speedy star running back Josh Keyes rushed for 110 yards and one touchdown in the first half and also threw an option pass to Ian McGrath for a 21-yard TD.

In the second half, Keyes rushed just five times for 14 yards and Chatham fell behind.

Hoosick Falls senior linebacker Garrett Foster tackles Chatham's Josh Keyes during Friday's Section II Class C Super Bowl at Stillwater.

Chatham quarterback Tanner Niles passed for 199 yards and one TD but a pair of second-half interceptions killed any chance for a Chatham rally.

"It was almost like an arena football game," Jones said. "We felt like if we could get a couple stops, we'd be all right."

Burns capped scoring drives of 70 and 65 yards with 5-yard scoring runs over the first eight minutes of the third quarter, then an interception by Ryan Hyde killed a Chatham drive deep in Hoosick Falls territory. 

Then Brewster capped a 63-yard drive with a 37-yard, scrambling run for a touchdown that gave HF a 48-28 lead early in the fourth quarter.

That, coupled with the fact that Keyes was showing a limp, virtually ended Chatham's hopes.

 

Hoosick Falls receiver Josh Mulready leaps with the football during Friday's Section II Class C Super Bowl victory over Chatham.

"We thought it was going to be a great game and it was," Burns said.

"Not a clue," Burns said when asked if the Panthers suspected they could run so effectively against Chatham.

"We saw that some other teams ran the ball against them, so that was our game plan but no, nothing like this.

"Just amazing," Burns said. "We came out firing in the second half, we ran all over them and I love it."

HOOSICK FALLS 61, CHATHAM 28

Hoosick Falls (10-0) 7 21 14 19 — 61

Chatham (9-1) 14 14 0 0 — 28

First quarter

HF — Quinn Rasmus 21 pass from Mike Brewster Erick Mulready kick) 7:31

Ch. — Ian McGrath 21 pass from Josh Keyes (Ryan Behrens kick) 5:14

Ch. — Keyes 8 run (Behrens kick) 0:08

Second period

HF — Brad Burns 5 run (Mulready kick) 9:28

Ch. — McGrath 28 pass from Mike Brewster (Behrens kick) 7:33

HF — Burns 4 run (Mulready kick) 5:42

Ch. — Keyes 7 run (Behrens kick) 4:24

HF — Brewster 7 run (Mulready kick) 3:21

Third quarter

HF — Burns 5 run (kick failed) 8:05

HF — Burns 5 run (Connor Williams pass from Randy Tutunjian) 4:14

Fourth quarter

HF — Brewster 37 run (kick failed) 11:50

HF — Williams 1 run (kick blocked) 7:53

HF — Burns 1 run (Mulready kick) 4:46

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING: Hoosick Falls -- Burns 18-248, 5 TDs; Tanner Williams 24-201, 1TD; Mike Brewster 6-60, 1 TD. Chatham-- Keyes 17-124, 2 TDs; Chase Smith 6-30; Trevor Madsen 2-6; Mike Dorato 1-6; Tanner Niles 5-minus-8; Zack 1-minus-3.

PASSING: Hoosick Falls -- Brewster 7-10-0, 166 yards, 1 TD; Niles 14-28-0, 199 yards, 1 TD.

RECEIVING: Hoosick Falls -- Rasmus 3-62, 1 TD; Williams 1-60; Josh Mulready 1-20; Tutunjian 1-13; Burns 1-11. Chatham -- McGrath 4-81, 2 TDs; Gilbert Rivera 4-69; Jordan Sirani 4-37; Keyes 1-6; Smith 1-6.

Hoosick Falls junior Tanner Williams (40) gained over 200 yards of total offense in Friday's Section II Class C Super Bowl victory over Chatham.

--

Cambridge's Matt Best runs against Rensselaer in the Section II Class D Super Bowl Friday night at Schuylerville High School. (Rensselaer photos by Mike McMahon - The Record).

Mike Cioffi
The Record

SCHUYLERVILLE -- The Cambridge High School football team is back. After a three year hiatus, the Indians are returning to the Class D regionals after overcoming a sluggish first half to post a convincing 35-0 Class D Super Bowl victory over Rensselaer Friday night at Schuylerville High School. The Indians last advanced past the Section II playoffs in 2007 when it won the Class C Super Bowl.

"We didn’t start off very well and little mistakes cost us points," Cambridge coach Doug Luke said. "We could have taken care of things a little earlier I think but eventually we got it together. Every time you win a sectional championship it feels good, there’s no question about it. It’s new for these guys so it’s even more special in that way," he added.

"We just came out with emotion and played great tonight," Cambridge running back Matt Best said. "It feels wonderful their (Rensselaer) a very good team."

Best finished with 151 yards rushing on 12 carries and three touchdowns.

Rensselaer's Tom Collins (7) looks to slip through the Cambridge defense Friday night at Schuylerville High School.

Rensselaer opened the game with a 12 play drive that was stalled on a failed fourth down attempt. The Rams lost starting quarterback Timmy Foust during that drive and he did not return.

"Tommy Collins tonight, hell of an effort but he’s also our number one weapon when we can move him around. With no quarterback we can’t move him around to much," Rensselaer coach Joel Preston said. "He (Collins) is not as sharp with it and it really handcuffed what we could do offensively."

Collins replaced Foust and fumbled the ball three plays later into the hands of Cambridge’s Jeremy Stevens deep in Rams territory. Cambridge took advantage and converted on a two yard touchdown run by Will Bromirski with 1:18 left in the first.

Matt Best scored from 60 yards out for one of his two touchdown runs on the night to give the Indians a 14-0 advantage with 5:51 left in the half.

"It helps to break a 50 yard run and then block a punt, everything went our way at that point," Luke said.

Bromirski picked off a Collins pass three plays later but the Rams front line stymied four consecutive Indian rushing attempts on the goal line to escape with a 14-0 deficit at the half.

Cambridge came out re-energized in the third quarter, rattling off two scores in a span of five minutes to stun the Rams. Best capped a four play, 57 yard drive with a 20 yard touchdown run just 1:42 into the quarter.

"Intensity, we all played with emotion (in the second half) and we played great. We came together, worked out all of our kinks and did what we needed to do to get better," Best said.

Later in the third, Cambridge snuffed out a fake punt attempt by Collins at mid field and took over at Rensselaer’s 11. On the next play, Billy Pine connected with Nick Diotte on an 11 yard scoring pass.

"Its one of those things that can happen, a little momentum change then bang you have three touchdowns," Luke said.

After a high snap resulted in a 29 yard loss for the Rams Collins had to punt from his own end line. The attempt was blocked and recovered by Best in the end zone for a touchdown and a 35-0 advantage for the Indians.

Cambridge will play the winner of today’s Section VIII Super Bowl between Moriah and Ticonderoga.

Moriah had beaten Rensselaer the past two years.

"We concentrate on the same thing every week, and hope that we do a good job with our scouting and put the kids in a position to play well and we take it from there," Luke said. "Its going to be nothing different than any other week, were just playing a different team," he added.

Cambridge's Bill Englehardt tackles a Rensselaer rusher during Friday's Section II Class D Super Bowl at Schuylerville.

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Section II Class D Super Bowl

No. 2 Rensselaer (6-2) vs.

No. 1 Cambridge (8-0)

Friday, 7 p.m.

Schuylerville High School

RENSSELAER — For the third consecutive season, the Rensselaer High School football team will be playing in the Section II Class D Super Bowl.

The 2010 campaign, however, certainly wasn’t an all-smiles victory lap for the Rams.

“It’s definitely been a rebuilding year for us,” said head coach Joel Preston, “a very challenging year for us in that regard. There is a lot of football talent out there, but I think our biggest struggle is our junior class. It’s really just a void there. Between that and injuries, it’s been a very tough year.”

First, the Rams had to replace nearly all of their skill players from the 2008 and 2009 Section II Super Bowl championship squads and remodel a defense that was one of the toughest in Class D. Numbers were up this season, but only three juniors are on the team, meaning Preston has had to lean on sophomores and freshman in key positions.

Although Rensselaer returned three true starters on the offensive line and added two players with significant experience, injuries have beset the team. Three players have been ruled out for the season and a handful of others are playing at less than 100%.

With only seven teams in Class D this season, Rensselaer also faced two bye weeks in 2010, including a 16-0 crossover defeat at Class C Canajoharie in Week Eight.

“The last few years we won the Super Bowl. We lost a couple of great players, but we want to three-peat,” said senior Tom Collins. “We want to win for a third year in a row.”

Collins, an outside linebacker at 5-foot-9, 155 pounds, has been a boon to the Rensselaer offense, as he plays a multitude of different positions and gives the Rams flexibility from week-to-week and from play-to-play.

“I’m whatever coach tells me to play,” he laughed. “Receiver, quarterback, running back.”

The Rams face undefeated Cambridge tonight in the Super Bowl, but it won’t be the first meeting of the teams this season. Cambridge won, 30-0, at Rensselaer on Oct. 1.

“I kind of knew we were going to see them in the Super Bowl,” Collins said. “I wasn’t expecting a loss the first time around, especially 30-0. But we learned from that loss. We learned we can lose and we fixed a lot of things and we all came together as a team.”

The Rensselaer players and coaches know they’ll have their hands full with Cambridge’s tough five-man defensive line and offensive weapons Matt Best and Billy Pine, but half the fun for the Rams this year was simply defying the relentless string of bad luck thrown their way so far in 2010.

“This Super Bowl is kind of special because we didn’t know if we had much of a shot to get there,” Preston said. “It’s a credit to the coaches and the kids who were on the bench at the beginning of the year who have stepped up and made the adjustments. We have guys playing spots they weren’t playing at the beginning of the year because we had so many injuries.”

--
Look for previews on the other four Section II Super Bowls coming soon.

Here are some notes from Week Nine in the meantime.

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, 7-2, 234, 116, 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, 9-0, 396, 68, 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, 9-0, 406, 81, 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, 8-1, 287, 130, 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, 8-1, 259, 139, 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, 9-0, 332, 45, 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, 9-0, 305, 52, 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, 9-0, 359, 131, 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, 8-0, 319, 32, 39
Rensselaer, 5-1, 6-2, 168, 103, 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

• Notes: Sabre series stats: CBA defeated La Salle in the 60th Sabre game in series history in a Week Nine crossover meeting, 49-25. CBA holds the all-time series edge, 33-21-6, although La Salle won previously every meeting since the series resumed in 2001. The CBA vs. La Salle rivalry dates back to 1932, but has been suspended on occasion. La Salle dropped down to play in Class B in 1984 and the series was scrapped until 2001.
• Falcons winless again: Columbia defeated Albany High in a Week Nine crossover game, 21-6. For the Falcons, it was their third straight winless season under their third head coach in that span. Albany last won a football game on Oct. 19, 2007, having defeated Shaker, 13-6.
• Light schedule in week nine: 15 teams in Section II declined to play a second crossover game or could not schedule an opponent. Salem, Warrensburg, Bishop Gibbons, Catholic Central, Taconic Hills, Canajoharie, Watervliet, Hoosic Valley, Stillwater, Lake George, Johnstown, Mohonasen, Averill Park, Glens Falls and Gloversville all played eight games or fewer in 2010.

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Hoosic Valley sophomore midfielder Kim Kocienski hugs head coach Joel Beecroft following the Indians' 1-1 tie with Cambridge Monday, which clinched the Wasaren League regular season title for Hoosic Valley, the first in school history. (Photos by Mike McMahon - The Record).

SCHAGHTICOKE — Call the Hoosic Valley High School girls soccer team crazy for running and screaming off the field following Monday’s 1-1 double overtime tie against Cambridge, but they had their reason.

The team had just clinched the first-ever Wasaren League regular season title in school history.

Senior striker Mollie Gilchrist scored a goal with under two minutes to play in the first half and freshman goalkeeper Sam Carlo made 10 saves - including three in overtime – as Hoosic Valley was able to remain one win ahead in the Wasaren standings.

What made Hoosic Valley’s dream season even sweeter was that not only were the Indians not expected to be one of the top contenders in the Wasaren League, the players didn’t dare dream that big when the season opened.

“I don’t think we expected us to be in the running until we kind of got into our season and said, ‘Hey, we can do this,” Gilchrist said. “We can pull this off. After our Hoosick Falls win (Thursday), which was huge, I think we all wanted to make school history.”

Hoosic Valley's Mollie Gilchrist looks to advance the ball as Cambridge's Sandra Andrew chases during Monday's game in Schaghticoke.

Hoosic Valley, (11-2-1, 13-2-1), the No. 17 ranked Class B in New York State, will likely be one of the top seeds in the Section II Class B tournament. Wednesday, the Indians will host an opening round playoff game against an opponent to be announced today when the Section II brackets are released.

“It’s really exciting and crazy,” Carlo said. “I can’t believe we did it. Oh my gosh. We worked so hard all season and I’m so glad we did it.”

Mechanicville, Maple Hill and Hoosick Falls are the other Section II teams ranked in the latest New York State Class B poll.

Allie Robert, a junior midfielder for Hoosic Valley, battles for control of the ball with Cambridge's Bridget Cuddihy during Monday's game.

Gilchrist suffered a scare before the game even began. She backed onto a soccer ball passed by one of her teammates in pregame warm-ups and said she “heard a pop.”

“I wasn’t quite 100%, but it worked itself out as the game went on,” she said. “I pushed through it.”

With under two minutes to play in the first half, Gilchrist corralled a ball that bounced off a Cambridge defender and blasted a left-footed shot toward the net. It hit the crossbar and bounced straight down, over the goal line and out of the grasp of Cambridge keeper Cheyanne Hall, who made 17 saves in the game.

“It was funny because they do a really nice job. The Cambridge defense was containing me all game,”
Gilchrist, at left, said. “All they do is keep their space so I can’t make a move to get around them and they just allowed me a little bit of space and I was able to chip a shot in and got a lucky bounce down, I guess.”

Cambridge (10-2-2, 11-3-2), the No. 16 Class C team in New York, received an equalizing goal from Kelsey Lawlor with 3:01 remaining in regulation.

As darkness descended on Indians Field, the teams battled in a pair of 10-minute overtime periods. Cambridge’s best chance came when it hit the post with 3:10 remaining in the first overtime. Hoosic Valley’s Allie Robert blasted a direct kick from 30 yards out with less than one minute to play in the second period, but the Indians couldn’t convert.

Hoosic Valley head coach Joel Beecroft, a former goalkeeper on the boys teams at Hoosic Valley, won his first Wasaren League regular season title as a coach Monday evening.

Still, the tie was good enough for an outright league championship.

“I don’t think anyone was expecting it,” said Carlo, at right, who played on the modified team as an eighth-grader last season. “We kind of just came out and showed everybody what we had and surprised everybody. So, that was really cool. It’s very exciting.”

“They’ve got such a mentality for winning,” said head coach Joel Beecroft. “They’ve had success in the basketball program and success in the softball program. And you know what? It’s our turn.”

 
CAMBRIDGE 1, HOOSIC VALLEY 1 (2 OT)

Cambridge (10-2-2, 11-3-2) 0 1 0 0 — 1
Hoosic Valley (11-2-1, 13-2-1) 1 0 0 0 — 1
Scoring: C: Kelsey Lawlor 1-0. HV: Mollie Gilchrist 1-0.
Goalie saves: C: Cheyanne Hall, 17. HV: Sam Carlo, 10.
Corner kicks: C: 12. HV: 10.

• Notes: Hoosic Valley peppered Cambridge with a bunch of scoring chances right from the opening whistle. HV hit the crossbar two minutes into the game. A long shot off the left foot of Gilchrist nearly, slowly, rolled into the far corner of the Cambridge net 10 minutes into the half, but was scooped by by Cambridge keeper Cheyanne Hall. 
• Five minutes after that, Cambridge's Bridget Cuddihy nearly scored off a corner kick.
• I've never seen so many corner kicks in a soccer game before. Cambridge had 12 and Hoosic Valley took 10, all of which came in regulation.
• Gilchrist, who not only suffered a pregame scare, took a soccer ball straight to the face off an intended pass by Cambridge's Sandra Andrew midway through the second half.
• Sam Carlo took a big risk with 17 minutes to play, running way out of the box to make a sliding save attempt on Cambridge's Sara Tironi.
• Quotes from the notebook: "It helps. It’s going to definitely make us better and I think we’re going to learn a lot from this game," Carlo said on the tough games Hoosic Valley played right before sectionals.
• "Last year, we had a good game against Maple Hill where we almost got it done," Gilchrist said. "It was looking good, but we’ve never really been successful in sectionals. I think we’re all looking forward to it."
• "I told them, you just watch, pay attention and learn. When you do something like this, it’s a great experience for them," head coach Joel Beecroft said of all the junior varsity players called up for the Indians' postseason run.
• "There is no drama on this team. They’re all friends," Beecroft said. "They’ve all played together since they were kids. They joke around, they kid around. It’s nice to have a team like that. You roll the balls out there, say 'OK, this is what we’re going to do' and they do it. And they have a great leader in Mollie. Janelle, she gives you everything she’s got. She’s outstanding there on the right wing."

Hoosic Valley senior forward Janelle Stannard races for the ball with Cambridge's Ellen Villafuerte during Monday's game.

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CASTLETON — Two of Section II’s premier girls soccer teams met in Monday’s championship game of the Maple Hill Fall Sports Tournament, and Maple Hill’s Meeghan Arno said it all as she walked off the field with head coach Shelia Golden.

“Sweet revenge.”

The Wildcats scored twice in the game’s first 11 minutes en route to a 3-0 victory over Cambridge at Maple Hill Middle School. It was the first time the teams had played each other since they met in the 2009 Section II Class CC semifinals, a game which Cambridge won, 4-3, in the second overtime.

Maple Hill players congratulate Sierra Legge (8) after she scored the first goal in Monday's championship game against Cambridge. (Photo by J.S. Carras - The Record).

“It’s great to play higher-level teams at this point in our season so we can prepare for sectionals,” said Arno, a senior striker who scored a pair of goals in the game. “And we know that we actually can step up and play at a higher level and beat the higher-level teams.”

Arno, who also tallied three goals in a first round victory over Albany High, was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Offensive Player.

Maple Hill's Meeghan Arno (20) battles for the ball with Cambridge's Sandra Andrews (8) during Monday's championship game. Arno, Maple Hill's all-time leading scorer, scored a pair of goals. (Carras photo - The Record).

Maple Hill (10-0-0, 12-0-0), ranked No. 13 in the latest New York State Class B poll, received its first goal off a direct kick by senior captain Sierra Legge in the eighth minute.

“Normally I cross it for somebody else to finish, but my coach told me yesterday that I should start shooting myself,” Legge said. “With her advice, I went for it.”

Cambridge's Alexi Howland leaps to head the ball between Maple Hill's Sierra Legge (8) and Alysha Cross (15). (Carras photo - The Record).

Arno scored three minutes after that on an assist from Taylor Czajkowski and added her third tally on an assist from Legge six minutes into the second half.

Sierra Legge was all smiles after Monday's game, in which she scored the first goal off a direct kick. (Will Montgomery photo - The Record).

Czajkowski injured her left knee in the second half and did not return, but the Wildcats are hopeful she will return to action soon. In fact, Maple Hill is already dealing with a great deal of injuries and sickness, which forced some team members to shift positions drastically in Monday’s game.

For video highlights from both the boys and girls games, visit www.troyrecord.com/video/sports

Maple Hill senior striker Meeghan Arno is the leading goal-scorer in Section II this season. (Montgomery photo - The Record).

Somer Connolly, typically a midfielder, was pulled back to defend Cambridge’s leading scorer Bridget Cuddihy.

“She did a marvelous job on her,” Golden said. “She (Cuddihy) is a left-footer, and Somer forced her to use her right foot, left her when she should have, stepped to her when she should have and made good decisions.”

"Every girl on the team can play anywhere on the field," Legge said. "We have a lot of flexibility with this team. We’re all just really close and come to work together hard."

"Our defense and midfielders have been outstanding so far this year," Arno said. "Erin Mosher back there in midfield, as sweeper, she really stepped up. That’s not her position at all, whatsoever, but she’s been playing really well this year."

Cambridge’s Iris Collins was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player. Cambridge (7-2-1, 8-3-1) was No. 15 in the latest Class C poll.

Maple Hill has had to host Patroon Conference teams in the tournament in the past because the New York State Public High School Athletic Association cut regular season schedules back to just 16 games. Now that Ichabod Crane defected to the Colonial Council, a pair of non-league dates were opened up for the Wildcats, who played a Class AA Albany High team and a tough Cambridge team that is sure to be a factor in the Section II Class C playoffs this season. Maple Hill, however, won't be running into the Indians again this postseason, as they have been classified in the Bs in 2010.

"This is great, because last year we didn’t get to play outside of our league at all," Golden said. "I think mentally that takes your team down. Nothing against the rest of our league, but there is something about playing the unknown, playing something different. These girls (Cambridge) play in a league where they’re banging at each other every day. They play Hoosick Falls, Stillwater. They play Schuylerville. They’re used to working hard all the time for every single win. It was good for us to play Albany and have these guys here where they take it to us a little more physical and stepped hard to the ball."

Maple Hill's Sierra Legge gets ready to blast her goal-scoring kick in the first half of Monday's game. (Montgomery photo - The Record).

In the consolation game, Catholic Central (2-1-1, 7-3-1) defeated Albany High (0-4-0, 1-8-0) nine minutes into the first overtime, 1-0, on a goal from Aja Evans. The two teams meet again today in Big 10 Conference action.

Girls championship game

MAPLE HILL 3, CAMBRIDGE 0

Cambridge (7-2-1, 8-3-1) 0 0 — 0
Maple Hill (10-0-0, 12-0-0) 2 1 — 3
Scoring: MH: Arno 2-1, Legge 1-1, Czajkowski 0-1.
Goalie saves: C: Hall, 5. MH: Briggs, 6.
Corner kicks: C: 2. MH: 1.

Maple Hill boys also victorious

Maple Hill boys soccer head coach Dan Gillespie had summoned Ryan Smith off the bench to spell Paul Ancin with under 20 minutes to play in Monday’s championship game against Johnstown, but was certainly glad he didn’t pull Ancin too early.

Ancin, a junior forward, headed in the game-winning goal off a free kick by teammate Steve Sepowski with 16:38 remaining in regulation, lifting the Wildcats to a 1-0 victory.

Maple Hill High School head coach Dan Gillespie (left) congratulates Paul Ancin just seconds after he had scored the go-ahead and ultimate game-winning goal in Monday's game against Johnstown. (Montgomery photo - The Record).

“We had a lot of opportunities to score,” Ancin said. “The last game against Cobleskill, we had so many shots and only had one goal. This game, we had a lot of shots and we only had one goal. My teammate Steve, he set me up perfectly and I headed it in.”

Maple Hill outshot its opponents 43-8 in the tournament’s two games, but only outscored them 2-0.

“As soon as he finished the celebration, somebody on the field said, ‘Paul, you’re off. We got a sub for you,” joked senior Pat Curtain. “So he was gone.”

Maple Hill senior Pat Curtain was named the Most Outstanding Defensive Player of the tournament, leading the Wildcats to a pair of 1-0 shutout victories. (Montgomery photo - The Record).

Maple Hill (8-0-0, 10-0-0) was ranked No. 6 in the latest New York State Class B poll. Johnstown’s (4-4-0, 5-5-0) Matt Sagan was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Offensive Player.

"People have the impression of us that it’s just Steve Sepowksi," said Curtain. "As impressive as he is, and his stats show it, everybody else on the team is working really hard to back him up and show that we’re more than a one-dimensional team."

Tamarac (2-3-3, 3-4-3) posted a 2-1 victory over Cobleskill-Richmondville (2-7-0, 2-9-0) in the consolation game.

Maple Hill junior forward Paul Ancin scored the game-winning goal although his head coach was looking to substitute for him just minutes before he scored the goal. (Montgomery photo - The Record).

Curtain, who was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player, leads the Maple Hill defense alongside fellow captain Matt Palmer. As the Wildcats’ offense continues to struggle to put goals in the net, the team is still proud the defense is doing more than its share.

"To beat a team with a tradition like this and comes from a school where soccer is this important, it’s huge," said Curtain. "You can’t beat this environment with all these people out here. That boosts you up a lot. And coming out of here with a win, that’s just icing on top." 


“If people don’t score on you, you can’t lose games,” Ancin said. “It’s a really nice feeling when you can say that about yourself that you shut out a really good team like Johnstown.”

Maple Hill players - and their ballboy - look on from midfield during Monday's championship game against Johnstown. (Montgomery photo - The Record).

It was a great weekend for high school sports at Maple Hill. For a recap of Saturday's events, click here.

For a small school such as Maple Hill, which doesn't field a football team, soccer is king. And the big crowd that came out to watch the games on Columbus Day certainly proved that Castleton and Schodack are great sports towns that support their teams.

"I have my friends who play soccer and they don’t have half of the fan base that we have," Curtain said. "To see this come out for soccer, which isn’t necessarily a mainstream sport yet, it’s incredible to come from a school like this. I couldn’t ask for anything better, especially on a weekend like this.

"It’s a sport-oriented town," continued Curtain. "When you can play on a team this good and play in a town that cares about it this much. You can’t ask for anthing more. It’s incredible."

"This is pretty much our main sport because boys soccer at Maple Hill has always been really good and we have to keep it up," said Ancin.

Boys championship game

MAPLE HILL 1, JOHNSTOWN 0

Johnstown (4-4-0, 5-5-0) 0 0 — 0
Maple Hill (8-0-0, 10-0-0) 0 1 — 1
Scoring: MH: Ancin 1-0, Sepowski 0-1.
Goalie saves: J: Simon, 5. MH: VanAlstyne, 0.
Corner kicks: J: 1. MH: 1.

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One year after Troy High won its first playoff game in school history, the Lansingburgh Knights, a second-year program, followed suit.

Lansingburgh's McKenzie Marois (left) fights for a loose ball with Cambridge's Mason Niles (2) and Jeremy Stevens (18) during Tuesday's Section II Class C opening round game against first-year program Cambridge. (Photos by J.S. Carras - The Record).

Senior midfielder Josh Wangler tallied two goals and senior midfielders Charlie Casey and Josh Guilbeault each scored a crucial goal in the final six minutes as Lansingburgh held off Cambridge, 6-4 in a Class C opening-round sectional game on Tuesday.

"This is a huge game for us," Wangler said. "There’s four players on the team - me, Josh Gilbeault, Charlie has been here for a while and (defender) Garrett (Cassidy) - we’ve all been since the start of the program and brought it to where it is. This is huge for this team."

No. 4 Lansingburgh (6-9) advances to face top-seeded Glens Falls Friday at 5 p.m.

Lansingburgh's Josh Wangler (left) advances the ball against Cambridge long stick Mason Niles (right) during Tuesday's playoff game in Troy.

It was a monumental win for the Lansingburgh program, but it was also an eventful season for Cambridge, which finished 4-13. Lacrosse is one of the area's growing sports and it's starting to take off in small towns like Cambridge, which bodes well for the future and continued growth of the sport in Section II.

"Our guys ended the season well," Cambridge head coach Tom Pillsworth said. "We started as the smallest and newest school in Section II and we paid our dues early on. … I wish we played a little better and I concede the fact that they’re a good team and I wish them well in the playoffs."

To read the whole report written by our Chris Fitz Gerald, check out Wednesday's edition of The Record.

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Troy High traveled to Burnt Hills for a Class B playoff showdown against the Spartans.

It was a clash of two young programs, but the Spartans have grown by leaps and bounds this season and it showed as Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake posted a 16-3 victory over the Flying Horses.

"We’re getting better but we couldn’t do the basics tonight; we couldn’t throw and catch," said Troy head coach Brian Benner. "We had a lot of turnovers. We threw it away a lot."

For the full story from Ed Weaver, check out Wednesday's edition of The Record.

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Cambridge lacrosse captains (from L to R) Jordan Fortier, Kyle Thomas, Mason Niles and Thomas Hemmerling. (Photos by J.S. Carras - The Record).

Our Chris Fitz Gerald, The Record's lacrosse guru, reported from Cambridge High School yesterday. Traditionally a football power, Cambridge fields a varsity lacrosse team for the first time this season.

“I love this sport,” said Jordan Fortier, a senior attackman who has been playing lacrosse for eight years since the youth program in Cambridge was founded. “It’s grown. Everybody’s gotten way better, and since the very beginning I’ve been playing with a lot of these kids since the very first year (at the youth level) and they’ve gotten so much better. It’s just awesome to watch it progress.”

Cambridge lacrosse coach Tom Pillsworth positions a player at Wednesday's practice.

Kyle Thomas throws a pass during a team drill at practice.

Players warm-up as Cambridge starts practice on Wednesday. The team plays its first varsity game today (Thursday) at Glens Falls.

For the full story, visit www.troyrecord.com

Christian Brothers Academy senior Jack Reilly, seen here leading the Brothers in a drill during a recent practice, will play college lacrosse at Johns Hopkins University.

Be sure to check out Chris Fitz Gerald's boys and girls lacrosse previews, which will be published in The Record on Sunday.

A pair of former Wasaren League rivals recently earned accolades on the collegiate level.


Shea Bromirski, a Cambridge native and a sophomore at the College of Saint Rose, was named to the Northeast-10 Conference All-Star second team. (Photo above courtesy of Saint Rose)

Bromirski has canned 45.4 percent (69-for-152) of his 3-pointers that help him produce a team-leading 15.3 points per-game.

Saint Rose will host first round conference tournament games this Saturday and Sunday. The men’s squad will meet Southern New Hampshire on Saturday, while the women’s team will welcome Merrimack College to the Daniel P. Nolan Gymnasium on Sunday. Tip-off for both games is 1:00 pm. Tickets are $7 for adults, $4 for children and seniors, $1 for students from other NE-10 institutions, and are free for anyone who holds a Saint Rose ID.

Former Tamarac High standout Steve Hunt, seen here in a high school game against Catskill during the 2008-09 season, had a wonderful first season at Hudson Valley Community College. (Photo - J.S. Carras - The Record).

HVCC Freshman Steven Hunt, a Wynantskill native, has been named Third-Team All-Mountain Valley Conference. Hunt is averaging 11.3 points per game and 7.2 rebounds per game for the Vikings.

Hudson Valley defeated Schenectady County Community College 86-67 in a Region III Division III National Junior College Athletic Association playoff game today in Watertown.
HVCC will face Herkimer in a semifinal game Saturday at 1 p.m. in Watertown.

The Section II girls volleyball championships were played today at Queensbury High School (and one at Lake George High School). Here were the scores from Wednesday's action:

Class AA
Bethlehem 3, Shenendehowa 1

Class A
Burnt Hills 3, Queensbury 0

Class B
Ravena 3, Schalmont 0

Class C
Loudonville Christian 3, Voorheesville 0

Class D
Mayfield 3, Lake George 2

Click here to see the final Section II girls volleyball brackets.

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In boys soccer action, Waterford-Halfmoon defeated Norwood-Norfolk today at Colonie High School in a New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class C regional semifinal, 2-0. They play again Saturday at Queensbury High School against Section VII champion Northern Adirondack.

Read that story tomorrow morning in The Record.

Click here to view the final Section II boys soccer brackets.

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In girls soccer action Wednesday, Cambridge topped Fort Plain in the Class CC/C playoff game at Stillwater, 5-0.

Sophomore Molly Lauver scored a pair of first half goals and senior goalkeeper Amelia Bromirski posted her third shutout of the postseason for the Indians, who won their first-ever Section II title just four days ago. They'll face Seton Catholic in the NYSPHSAA regional finals Saturday at Plattsburgh High School.

You can also read that story in Thursday's edition of The Record.

Click here to see the finals Section II girls soccer brackets.

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In football news, we'll have stories on Rensselaer's rematch with Moriah in Friday's edition of the paper and we'll follow that up on Saturday with the Rensselaer-Moriah game story and previews on Saturday's Class C regional game between Hoosick Falls and Ogdensburg Free Academy at Stillwater.

We'll also have a preview on the six Rensselaer County cross country runners to qualify for the NYSPHSAA meet at Plattsburgh in Saturday's paper.

Don't forget the weekly high school football chat on this site around 7 p.m. Thursday (11/12). Fire away with your questions about Rensselaer and Hoosick Falls football, as well as any regional soccer or volleyball matches that are on your mind.

We have been playing tackle football in this country for well over 100 years, but it felt like everything right in the entire history of the game culminated Friday night in Hoosick Falls.

Hoosick Falls and Cambridge, both undefeated, were playing for a share of first place in Section II's Class C North Division. But that wasn't all. Both schools owe their programs to Ken Baker, who coached both teams before retiring in 1995. He passed away unexpectedly last year and the programs he inspired have been paying tribute to him ever since.

The Ken Baker Jug now goes to the winner of the annual Cambridge-Hoosick Falls game, and Baker's widow Ann, son, Brian and the winners of the Ken Baker Scholarship (Hoosick Falls' Carly Pine and Cambridge's Jordan Hastings - fine athletes and good interviews both) were among the thousands on hand for the celebration.

It was everything one could ask for in a high school football game. Cheering fans as far as the eye could see, the band and cheerleaders screaming away and a wonderful game between the lines, too.

Hoosick Falls jumped out to a 14-point lead, but the Indians clawed their way back into the game with a pair of unanswered rushing touchdowns in the third quarter. The Panthers' narrow two-point lead held up, as Cambridge quarterback Kyle Parmenter lofted a last-ditch pass to his top target Jesse Lybert in the corner of the end zone, only to have it poked away and the Panthers storm the field in celebration of their hard-fought 21-19 victory.

With the light mist and the lights and the drama...it was like Hoosiers...just with football.
This was what high school football is supposed to be all about and all the players from Hoosick Falls and Cambridge should be proud that they were a part of it. Bravo.

"Ken Baker was having fun watching this game up there in Heaven," Hoosick Falls junior quarterback Mike Brewster said. "I’m sure he had a great time."

Hoosick Falls boosters hang out in the press box at Ken Baker Field at Hoosick Falls Central School Friday night before the Panthers' game against Cambridge. This was the last regular season game that press box saw - the Panthers will install new bleachers next season - and was it ever a dandy. (All photos by J.S. Carras - The Record).

Hoosick Falls junior quarterback Mike Brewster is brought down by Cambridge's Cody Motisiff (9). Brewster passed for 111 yards and rushed for 25 more on 11 carries.

Hoosick Falls senior running back Alex Hansen is wrapped up by a Cambridge defender during Friday's game. Hansen rushed for 70 yards on 23 carries and scored a touchdown in the second quarter.

Hoosick Falls players run through the cheerleader's banner at the beginning of their rivalry game with Cambridge.

Youth football players form a gauntlet for the varsity players to run through prior to Friday's game. Second-graders played a flag football game and youth cheerleader performed on the field at halftime.

Hoosick Falls players stand at attention during the national anthem before Friday's game against Cambridge. Tanner Williams stands behind No. 21 Steven Colvin. Both played big roles defensively in the second half, protecting the Panthers' narrow lead.

Hoosick Falls senior cheerleader Kayla Snyder is all smiles during the Senior Day/Homecoming ceremonies prior to Friday's game at Hoosick Falls Central School.

Check out the story and the behind-the-scenes tale of Tanner Williams' goat-to-hero game in Saturday's edition of The Record.