Maple Hill High School girls soccer players react after being upset by Chatham in the Section II Class B championship game Saturday afternoon at Stillwater. (Maple Hill photos by Mike McMahon - The Record).

STILLWATER -- Meeghan Arno scored so many goals in her storied career, but the Maple Hill senior will likely remember the ones she couldn’t get to the back of the net on Saturday.

Arno had a number of chances, but couldn’t convert and the Wildcats fell for the first and last time of the 2010 season.

Chatham scored twice in a three-minute span to shock top-seeded Maple Hill 2-1 in the Section II Class B final at Stillwater High School.

Maple Hill senior striker Meeghan Arno (20) and Chatham's Regina Behn (25) battle for a loose ball during Saturday's Section II Class B championship game at Warrior Park at Stillwater High School.

The Panthers (16-2-0) only two losses of the season came at the hands of the Wildcats (19-1-0), New York State’s No. 12 ranked team.

On this day, the No. 7 seed in the bracket, extracted a little bit of revenge.

"We’ve been improving all along," said Chatham coach David Chrapowitzky. "Going into (this game), the girls felt confident."

The Panthers swarmed the section’s top goal scorer, marking her with soph¬omore Cheyenne Shufelt, who shadowed Arno’s every move.

--
Note: Our Andrew Santillo covered this game for us today. To read his full story, check out Sunday's edition of The Record.

From left, Chelsea Mannion (12), Alyxe Perry (10) and Meeghan Arno (20) react after Saturday's upset loss in the Section II Class B championship game at Stillwater.

The rest of Saturday's local roundup:

SARATOGA SPRINGS -- The Loudonville Christian girls’ volleyball team continues to impress.
The top-seeded Eagles defeated Fonda-Fultonville 3-0 to advance to the Section II Class CC final.
Loudonville Christian (17-2) won by scores of 25-10, 25-16 and 25-19.
Hattie Burgher led the way with 15 service points, 14 kills and 10 digs, while Sam Parry finished with 10 kills and eight digs.
Also chipping in for the Eagles were Chelsea Brown, who finished with 16 service points and five kills and Julia Brown with 25 assists.
Loudonville Christian will play Tamarac in the championship game on Tuesday at Hudson Falls High at 5 p.m.  
Tamarac 3, Schenectady Christian 0: The Bengals (14-4) advanced to Tuesday’s championship behind solid matches from Nancy Vickerson, who finished with 10 kills and 10 service points and Sarah Malsch, who added 10 assists, nine service points and four kills.
Tamarac won by scores of 25-22, 25-17 and 25-14.
Lindsay Doyle added eight service points and five kills for the Bengals, while Taylor Lewis added four kills and four service points.
Kate Nelson had six kills for the Falcons and Rebekah Kimble finished with six service points.   
Class C
Voorheesville 3, Maple Hill 1: The No. 1 seeded Blackbirds posted a semifinal victory over No. 4 Maple Hill by scores of 22-25, 25- 22, 25-13 and 25-11.
Galway 3, Lake George 0: Galway completed a three game sweep by scores of 25-23, 25-15 and 25-22.
They will play Voorheesville in the Class C championship match Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Hudson Falls High School.

Football
Class B
Schalmont 48, Ravena 13: The Sabres, the No. 1 seed from the West Division, won their second consecutive Section II title with a Super Bowl victory over Ravena, the Reinfurt Division’s No. 1 seed, on Larry Mulvaney Field at Schenectady High School.

Boys Soccer
Class A
Scotia-Glenville 4, Ichabod Crane 3 (2 OT): The Tartans, the No. 1 seed in the North Division, scored in the second overtime period to defeat Ichabod Crane, the South Division’s No. 1 in the Section II Class A championship match at Colonie High School.
Class C
Schoharie 2, Greenwich 1: No. 3 Schoharie topped No. 4 Greenwich in the Section II Class C championship match at Colonie High School.
Class D
Fort Ann 1, New Lebanon 0: The top-seeded Cardinals took home the hardware as Class D champions with a one-goal victory. 

Shenendehowa and Saratoga Springs clashed in the Section II Class AA semifinals at Schuylerville High School Saturday evening. (Photos courtsey The Saratogian).

Girls Soccer
Class AA
Shenendehowa 2, Saratoga 1 (OT): Elise Moinzadeh scored the game-winning for the Plainsmen.
Bethlehem 1, Niskayuna 1: The Eagles defeated the Silver Warriors 5-4 on penalty kicks to advance to Wednesday’s championship game.
Class A
Burnt Hills 3, Schalmont 0: Emily Pearce, Maria Malone and Nichole DeCresente all scored for the Spartans in claiming the sectional championship.

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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.

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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 C Super Bowl

N1 Hoosick Falls (9-0) 

vs. S1 Chatham (9-0)

At Stillwater High School

Friday, 7 p.m.

HOOSICK FALLS — It’s déjà vu all over again in Class C, as Hoosick Falls and Chatham have successfully navigated back to the Section II Super Bowl for a second consecutive season.

“It’s Chatham week. Let’s go,” said Steve Colvin, a senior two-way lineman, after Saturday’s semifinal victory over Fonda-Fultonville.

While the uniforms will look the same – and some of the key players from the 2009 game also return – the teams have taken different paths to the 2010 rematch.

Hoosick Falls relied heavily on senior running back Alex Hansen a season ago, as he rushed for 1,575 yards. With Hansen gone, the Panthers have diversified on offense.

Junior running back Tanner Williams leads the way with 473 rushing yards, 382 receiving yards and 19 total touchdowns. Sophomore running back Brad Burns (73 atts., 666 yds., 8 TDs) and senior quarterback Mike Brewster (51 att., 182 yds., 7 TDs) also figure in the running game.

Brewster has passed for 1,097 yards, completing 69-of-105 passes and tossing 13 touchdowns against two interceptions. Williams and Burns join Quinn Rasmus, Randy Tutunjian, Connor Martin and Josh Mulready as receiving threats.

“We have to come out with the intensity,” said Brewster. “If we can hit them hard a couple times – they’re a great team, they’re a well-coached team – we just have to come out intense. We have to come out ready for them.”

Chatham, on the other hand, returns its starting tailback from 2009 in senior Josh Keyes. Diversification has been the name of the game for the South Division champions as well.

Keyes, who has rushed for 1,544 yards on 135 attempts and has scored 21 total touchdowns, is also one of Section II’s most fearsome defensive players from the free safety position.

Chatham rode Keyes for nearly 2,000 yards in 2009, but the Panthers have lightened the load on him by turning to the passing game. Tanner Niles has completed 50-of-91 passes for 1,098 yards, including 21 touchdowns and just two interceptions. Ian McGrath, Section II’s leading receiver, has caught 30 of those passes for 733 yards and 14 touchdowns.

“We know they’re going to have their best game against us because it’s the Super Bowl for them, too,” Colvin said. “They’re going to be just as excited as we are. We’re just going to do what we do every week and hopefully we’ll come out on top.”

If any defense is ready for the challenge that Chatham’s offense presents, it would be Hoosick Falls’, as the starting stoppers have allowed just two touchdowns all season.

Hoosick Falls, which is 4-0 in postseason games at Stillwater High School the past two years, is also hoping to avoid any last-second drama the second time around. Quinn Rasmus’ last-second field goal lifted Hoosick Falls to a 17-14 victory over Chatham in the 2009 Panther Bowl.

“The three of us have been doing this since our sophomore season,” Brewster said of his friendships with Colvin and senior two-way lineman Garrett Foster. “We want to keep continuing on this road and we want to get through Chatham. We’re going to keep working hard.”

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

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Quinn Rasmus had a quietly solid season for the Hooisck Falls Panthers as an extra point specialist this season, but when the time came for the junior, a former soccer player, to step up, he delivered.

Rasmus kicked the game-winning field goal with seven seconds remaining in Saturday's Section II Class C Super Bowl against Chatham, lifting the Panthers to their first Section II title since 2006. The final score at Stillwater High School was 17-14.

"I kept my cool and went out and got it," said Rasmus of his first career field goal, a 39-yard attempt.

"If we win one every three or four years, I’d be okay with that," said Hoosick Falls coach Ron Jones. "It’s not easy to get here."

Hoosick Falls (10-0) returns to Stillwater for the third straight week next Saturday when they'll face Ogdensburg Free Academy in a New York State regional round game.

"This is awesome," junior quarterback Mike Brewster said. "It’s just one of the best feelings you can have ever."

(A big thank you goes to our Andrew Santillo for covering this game for us).

Hoosick Falls players and coaches rush to celebrate with Quinn Rasmus after his game-winning field goal in the waning seconds of Saturday's Section II Class C Super Bowl at Stillwater High School. (Photos by Mike McMahon - The Record).

Hoosick Falls modified football coach, and varsity basketball and baseball coach and Athletic Director Mike Lilac jumps on a pile of players following Quinn Rasmus' game-winning field goal.

Hoosick Falls senior running back Alex Hansen runs into a crowd of Chatham tacklers during Saturday's game. Hansen finished with 68 rushing yards on 19 attempts.

HOOSICK FALLS 17, CHATHAM 14

Hoosick Falls (10-0) 0 14 0 3 - 17
Chatham (9-1) 7 0 0 7 - 14

First Quarter

C - David Coon 20 pass from Tanner Niles (Mike Gilbert kick)

Second Quarter

HF - Tanner Williams 35 pass from Mike Brewster (Quinn Rasmus kick)
HF - Alex Hansen 1 run (Rasmus kick)

Fourth Quarter

C - Josh Keyes 4 run (Gilbert kick)
HF - Q. Rasmus 39 field goal

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing: HF - Hansen 19-68 Williams 3-12 Brewster 9-11. C - Keyes 30-145 D. Coon 9-27 Niles 2-5.
Passing: HF - Brewster 14-20, 149 yards, 1TD. C - Niles 4-6, 56 yards, 1TD Keyes 1-3, 33 yards.
Receiving: HF - Williams 5-69 O’Brien 6-61 McMahon 1-8 Stifter 1-7 Martin 1-4. C - McGrath 4-69 D. Coon 1-25.

Chatham junior running back Josh Keyes rushed for 402 yards at Watervliet Saturday – the fifth-best total in Section II history – and scored all eight Chatham touchdowns in a 56-14 victory on Cannoneers Field at Watervliet High School.

His eight touchdowns topped Keyes’ school record of seven, set just last week, and tied him for second place all-time in Section II history with 48 points scored in a single game. One of the most explosive backs in the area, Keyes has rushed for 1,221 yards on 84 attempts this season, a 14.5 yards per attempt average.

"He’s good, plain and simple," said Watervliet head coach Erick Bernard. "The kids missed tackles and that is one kid you can’t miss tackles on. And you can’t have just one kid trying to tackle him. You need more than one kid tackling. I’m not taking anything away from Keyes. He’s a heck of a football player."

This post is not about Josh Keyes, who was very humble and polite in our brief meeting after the game. He's a true Section II star and should be lauded for the mind-boggling numbers he's put up this season. Keyes has obviously put in the work to become a great player and once he steps between the lines, he's going to compete to the best of his abilities.

This post is about the Chatham coaching staff decision to leave Keyes in the ballgame in the second half.

Chatham head coach Mark Dwyer defended using Keyes in the second half, even though the Panthers led 42-0 early in the third quarter.

"One, he’s been sick, so I wanted to keep him moving," Dwyer said. "The other thing is, at the end of the first half he got tackled and got a knot on his calf. Every time he stood around, it tightened up on him."

Dwyer also said he did not plan for Keyes to run the ball on his final carry, a 65-yard touchdown run with 6:02 remaining in the fourth quarter. Keyes was inserted back into the game after two substitutes failed to make their blocks. Chatham quarterback Tanner Niles audibled to a toss play for Keyes when he saw Watervliet’s defensive alignment on the play.

"We haven’t played a 48-minute game since Voorheesville, so another thing is I have to make sure my kids go in the fourth quarter," he continued.

--
There was absolutely no reason for Keyes to be put on the field by his coaches in the second half of Saturday's game. The Panthers had the game in hand and surely would have been best served making 100% their star back was rested and healthy on the sidelines. His coaches had no business letting him run for 65-yard touchdowns against the Watervliet second team defense midway through the fourth quarter of a blowout game.

Chatham had been on the opposite side of similar beatings from Watervliet for years and years during the Cannoneers' prominence in the 1990s, so perhaps this was a payback victory for years of frustration, not to mention Watervliet's postseason upset in Chatham last season. That's a reason but it's no excuse.

Rather than admit making a mistake in judgment or admit chasing records or admit holding a grudge against Watervliet, Dwyer threw his other players under the bus, telling reporters his second and third string players missed blocks and were removed from the game. He also blamed his quarterback for calling the toss play on Keyes final run, rather than admit having Keyes on the field in the first place was a mistake.

The Panthers were leading by 35 points with mere minutes to go! What better learning experience than that to have your young players make mistakes in a game situation?

Bernard declined to comment on the record about the situation.

--
On the other hand, consider Troy High's situation. The Flying Horses play the first half with the pedal to the metal. If they're up big, as they've been in most games, the second and third team players get in the game in the third quarter, without a thought of chasing records or embarrassing opponents.

That's winning with class. Chatham could have used a lesson in that Saturday afternoon.

--

Top 10 single-game rushing performances in Section II history

Player, Team (opponent), year, attempts-yardage

1, Brandon Ryan, Coxsackie-Athens (Bishop Gibbons), 2002, 16-442
2, Joe McMurry, Hudson Falls (Albany Academy), 2007, 29-435
3, Marc Thompson, Schenectady (Mohonasen), 2007, 33-411
4, John Bonkoski, Cohoes (Coxsackie), 1999, 14-409
5, Josh Keyes, Chatham (Watervliet), 2009, 21-402
6, Marc Thompson, Schenectady (Niskayuna), 2007, 33-381
7, Kareem Jones, Lansingburgh (Hudson), 2003, 21-380
8, Josh Izzo, Stillwater (Coxsackie), 2004, 31-376
9, Larry Starks, Watervliet (Fonda-Fultonville), 2001, 36-369
10, Vincent Hemmingway, Hudson (Catholic Central), 2003, 31-367

CHATHAM 56, WATERVLIET 14

Chatham (6-0, 6-0) 7 28 14 7 - 56
Watervliet (2-3, 3-3) 0 0 6 8 - 14
First Quarter
C – Josh Keyes 11 run (Michael Gilbert kick) 8:21
Second Quarter
C – Keyes 10 run (Gilbert kick) 9:33
C – Keyes 3 run (Gilbert kick) 7:27
C – Keyes 48 run (Gilbert kick) 3:56
C – Keyes 24 run (Gilbert kick) 1:22
Third Quarter
C – Keyes 4 run (Gilbert kick) 9:02
W – Ahshad Thompson 89 kick return (kick failed) 8:45
C – Keyes 44 run (Gilbert kick) 1:33
Fourth Quarter
W – Jordan Gleason 5 run (Jamal McPherson pass from Brandon Legault) 7:53
C – Keyes 65 run (Gilbert kick) 6:02

Individual Statistics

Rushing: Chatham (48-614) Keyes 21-402, R.Coon 11-122, D.Coon 10-69, Niles 1-3, Brahm 2-5, Mishkin 1-2, Chrysler 2-11. Watervliet (28-101) Thompson 8-58, Legault 5-(-10), I.Kelly 4-3, Gleason 4-35, Manning 7-15.
Passing: Chatham: Niles 1-2-(-8)-0-0. Watervliet: Legault 18-23-142-0-0.
Receiving: Chatham (1-(-8)) Keyes 1-(-8). Watervliet (18-142) Donnelly 6-57, Touzin 5-39, Thompson 3-13, Myschuk 1-4, Manning 1-15, G.Kelly 2-14.