Sam Hyatt celebrates a touchdown reception - Shaker High's first touchdown of the 2010 season - in a Week One victory over Colonie. Shaker travels to Troy Saturday as they look to capture their second title of the season, this the Liberty Division championship game. (Photo by J.S. Carras - The Record).
LATHAM — A banner hangs on the outfield fence of the baseball field at Shaker High School, a testament to the success of the Blue Bison football team this season.
“Who dat? 6-0.”
“I don’t really know who did that 6-0 sign out there, nobody really knows who is doing that, but there is a lot of buzz throughout the school with all the kids,”
said senior running back and strong safety Sam Hyatt.
“It’s completely different this year,”
senior middle linebacker Cole Lawton, pictured below, said. “Everybody knows who we are. Everybody knows who plays, who does what and who is part of the team. It’s just a really special feeling to be 6-0 and have this much accomplished and we’re not even done yet.”
Shaker (5-0, 6-0) travels to Troy High (5-0, 6-0) Saturday afternoon in the Section II Class AA Liberty Division regular season finale, the biggest test of the year for either team to this point. Kickoff time, because of another test, the PSATs, has been moved back one hour to 2:30 p.m.
The winner of the game will clinch the No. 1 seed in the Liberty Division and the loser will be No. 2, but both teams are guaranteed a home playoff game in Week Eight.
The Blue Bison were ranked No. 24 in the latest New York State Sportswriters Association Class AA poll. Troy was slotted at No. 8 one week after holding off Niskayuna in overtime, 35-28.
Troy appeared in the Section II Class A Super Bowl a season ago, so this type of game is nothing new for the Flying Horses. But for Shaker, which last played a postseason game in 2005, Saturday’s showdown is a chance to show just how far the program has come under first-year head coach Greg Sheeler.
“It’s really something we’re taking day-by-day,”
said senior cornerback Brendan Kisselback, pictured above. “We’re 6-0, they’re 6-0 and we’re both fighting for a spot. We already have homefield advantage, but this is a big game for us.”
Shaker last won a Section II football championship in 1969. That is the ultimate goal for the Blue Bison players, but a week-by-week mindset has served the team well so far.
“It’s something to be proud of, but we want to finish the season out before we start thinking of what we’ve done so far,”
Hyatt, pictured above, said. “We want to advance in the playoffs and win some games before we start thinking about stuff like that.”
Shaker’s running attack has been paced by junior Kyle Bernard (83 atts., 519 yds., 6 TDs) and senior Conor Alund (39 atts., 404 yds., 5 TDs), who missed the first three games of the season with an injury.
Troy’s backfield features seniors Jordan Canzeri (93 atts., 799 yds., 13 TDs) and Shatiek Lewis (42 atts., 493 yds., 7 TDs), who has managed just one carry the last two games after sustaining an ankle injury at Saratoga Springs.
“We know Troy and the reputation they have as a physical football team,”
Sheeler said. “They’ve been the most dominant team in the area the last few years, them and Burnt Hills, of course. We know it’s a big game, we know it’s their homecoming game and they’re going to be excited for it.”
“It’s a really good game just for us in general coming back from a couple of bad years,”
Lawton said. “We can finally start to step up and show what we can really do and how good we really are. With the game, it’s going to be a great game. There’s not too much more to say. It’s going to be a great game.”
Shaker (5-0, 6-0)at Troy (5-0, 6-0)
Saturday, 2:30 p.m.
Class AA Liberty Division
championship game
Bishop Maginn (2-1, 4-2) at Lansingburgh (3-0, 5-1)
Friday, 7 p.m.
Class A, Southeast Division
About Maginn: The Griffins posted a 47-21 victory over Scotia-Glenville last week to remain in the hunt for a home playoff game. Matthias McKinnon rushed for 218 yards and scored three touchdowns in last weeks’ game.
About ‘Burgh: Jake Luce, who shifted from offensive line to fullback in Week Four, has been instant offense for the Knights. He has gained 246 rushing yards on 29 attempts and has scored six touchdowns since the switch.
Notable: Lansingburgh can clinch the Southeast Division title outright with a victory. Maginn could potentially set up a three-way tie with ‘Burgh and Averill Park with a victory, but ‘Burgh currently owns the quarterpoint tiebreaker and could only be caught by Averill Park. Bishop Maginn won the last meeting between the teams, a 2008 regular season game, 22-16.
Albany Academy (3-0, 5-1) at Ravena (3-0, 5-1)
Friday, 7 p.m.
Class B, Reinfurt Division
championship game
About Academy: The Cadets will be without starting quarterback Hunter McCarthy for the rest of the season – he injured his knee in a game against Hudson on a rainy night at UAlbany – but feature Section II’s top running back, Zay Richardson. Richardson has rushed for 1383 yards on 101 attempts and has scored 26 all-purpose touchdowns in 2010.
About Ravena: The Indians’ two-headed rushing attack of Corey Watts (70 atts., 565 yds.) and Darryl Ford (47 atts., 348 yds.) has proven effective through six weeks.
Notable: The winner of this game secures the No. 1 seed in the Reinfurt Division. The loser will be No. 2. Both schools have lost non-division games to Class A teams. Academy fell against Albany rival Bishop Maginn and Ravena lost at Averill Park last week. Ravena has won four of the past six games against Academy, but the Cadets won the most recent meeting, a 52-35 decision in a regular season game last year.
Mechanicville (3-2, 3-3) at Tamarac (4-1, 5-1)
Friday, 7 p.m.
Class C, North Division
About Mechanicville: The Red Raiders have been relying on running backs David Funaro (87 atts., 424 yds., 4 TDs) and J.J. Abele (56 atts., 406 yds., 5 TDs) on a 3-1 stretch in the last four weeks.
About Tamarac: The Bengals made due without quarterback Nick Casale last week, posting a narrow 14-12 victory over Corinth. Tamarac is dealing with plenty of injures in 2010, as Nick Feldmaier, the Bengals projected No. 1 running back, has not played since Week Two.
Notable: The Red Raiders missed the playoffs a season ago on a quarterpoint tiebreaker but they control their destiny this year. A victory over the Bengals could potentially vault Mechanicville into the No. 3 seed, although Granville, also alive, is the third team in the race for the final two berths out of the Class C North Division. If Mechanicville wins and Granville loses, Mechanicville and Tamarac are in the playoffs. If Granville wins, a three-way tie is possible. It would be decided by quarterpoints scored against common Class C opponents.
Whitehall (4-1, 4-1)
at Rensselaer (4-1, 4-1)
Friday, 7 p.m.
Class D
second-place game
About Whitehall: Josh Hoagland is Section II’s fifth-leading rusher by yards gained, with 930 yards on 104 attempts. What makes the feat that much more incredible is that Whitehall had a bye in Week Four because of the odd number of teams in Class D. He has rushed for at least 161 yards in every game except the Railroaders’ only loss, which came against undefeated Cambridge.
About Rensselaer: The Rams, two-time defending Section II Class D champions, bounced back from a 30-0 defeat to Cambridge by beating Bishop Gibbons 23-0 last Saturday in Schenectady. Senior quarterback Tim Foust has passed for 519 yards and 11 touchdowns this season.
Notable: The winner of this game clinches the No. 2 seed and a ‘bye’ in Week Eight, a game against a non-playoff Class C team. The loser will be the No. 3 seed and will host Class D’s No. 6 seed, most likely Warrensburg, in the opening round of the Class D playoffs next week.
Voorheesville (2-2, 4-2) at Watervliet (4-1, 4-2)
Saturday, 2 p.m.
Class C, South Division
About Voorheesville: Quarterback Ryan Duncan is the fifth-most prolific passer in Section II this season, having tossed for 772 yards and seven touchdowns. Running back Max Schuster has gained 662 yards on 99 attempts. He scored four touchdowns last week against Taconic Hills.
About ‘Vliet: The Cannoneers posted a 16-8 victory at Coxsackie-Athens last week. Quarterback Brandon Legault leads one of the section’s most pass-happy offenses. Legault has passed for 817 yards and seven touchdowns – against seven interceptions – this season.
Notable: The Blackbirds are one of four teams - Canajoharie, Coxsackie-Athens and Taconic Hills are the other three – still alive for the final playoff berth in Class C’s South Division. A victory at ‘Vliet would put Voorheesville in good shape to clinch the No. 4 seed, although Canajoharie has a slight lead in quarterpoints. Unless Fonda-Fultonville loses at Taconic Hills this week, Watervliet looks like a lock for the No. 3 seed in the South Division and a first-round playoff game at North Division No. 2 Greenwich.
Schalmont (4-0, 6-0) at Schuylerville (3-1, 5-1)
Friday, 7 p.m.
Class B, West Division
championship game
Notable: The winner of this game secures the No. 1 seed in the West Division.
Saratoga Springs (3-2, 3-3) at Shenendehowa (4-1, 5-1)
Friday, 7 p.m.
Class AA, Empire Division
Notable: One of the area’s premier rivalry games will also have Empire Division seeding ramifications, especially if the Blue Streaks can pull off the upset at Steuerwald Stadium.
Schenectady (2-3, 2-4) at Colonie (2-3, 3-3)
Friday, 7 p.m.
Class AA, Liberty Division
elimination game
Notable: It’s a win-and-get-in situation for both teams. The winner will be the Liberty Division’s No. 4 seed in the Class AA playoffs. The loser? Well, they’ll be playing a crossover game in Week Eight.
Section II high school football standings, 2010
Class AA, League, Overall
Empire Division, W-L, W-L, PF, PA, QP
Ballston Spa, 5-1, 5-1, 169, 78, 30
Shenendehowa, 4-1, 5-1, 150, 82, 26
Saratoga Springs, 3-2, 3-3, 124, 106, 24
Bethlehem, 2-3, 2-4, 97, 163, 12.5
Christian Bros. Acad., 2-3, 3-3, 131, 103, 18.5
Guilderland, 2-3, 3-3, 163, 148, 15
Albany, 0-5, 0-6, 47, 198, 0
Liberty Division
Troy, 5-0, 6-0, 256, 40, 34
Shaker, 5-0, 6-0, 205, 62, 32
Niskayuna, 3-3, 3-3, 168, 137, 22
Colonie, 2-3, 3-3, 62, 147, 12
Schenectady, 2-3, 2-4, 132, 158, 15.5
La Salle, 1-4, 1-5, 55, 214, 5
Columbia, 0-5, 0-6, 72, 205, 5.5
Class A
Northwest Division
Burnt Hills, 4-0, 6-0, 256, 48, 28
Amsterdam, 3-1, 5-1, 190, 128, 17
Gloversville, 2-2, 2-4, 116, 190, 12.5
Queensbury, 2-2, 4-2, 144, 100, 16
Glens Falls, 1-3, 3-3, 168, 166, 8.5
South Glens Falls, 0-4, 1-5, 100, 137, 2
Southeast Division
Lansingburgh, 3-0, 5-1, 213, 93, 21
Averill Park, 2-1, 4-2, 189, 162, 13.5
Bishop Maginn, 2-1, 4-2, 187, 172, 12
Scotia-Glenville, 1-3, 1-5, 59, 146, 8.5
Mohonasen, 0-3, 0-6, 69, 223, 1
Class B
Reinfurt Division
Albany Academy, 3-0, 5-1, 270, 101, 21
Ravena, 3-0, 5-1, 198, 112, 18
Hudson, 1-2, 3-3, 141, 129, 10
Cairo-Durham, 1-3, 1-5, 63, 218, 0
Cohoes, 0-3, 0-6, 46, 249, 0
West Division
Schalmont, 4-0, 6-0, 239, 32, 27.5
Schuylerville, 3-1, 5-1, 240, 64, 21
Cobleskill, 2-2, 3-3, 136, 115, 12
Hudson Falls, 2-2, 2-4, 146, 150, 16.5
Broadalbin-Perth, 1-3, 1-5, 76, 289, 7
Johnstown, 0-4, 0-6, 45, 267, 0
Independent
Ichabod Crane, 0-0, 1-5, 80, 201, 0
Class C
North Division
Hoosick Falls, 6-0, 7-0, 217, 39, 34.5
Greenwich, 5-1, 5-1, 236, 57, 35.5
Tamarac, 4-1, 5-1, 137, 120, 21.5
Mechanicville, 3-2, 3-3, 90, 115, 19.5
Granville, 3-3, 3-3, 160, 152, 23.5
Lake George, 3-4, 3-4, 141, 87, 20
Stillwater, 1-4, 2-4, 92, 212, 7
Corinth, 0-5, 1-5, 95, 162, 6
Hoosic Valley, 0-5, 0-6, 33, 264, 0.5
South Division
Chatham, 5-0, 6-0, 215, 69, 34
Fonda-Fultonville, 4-1, 4-2, 167, 111, 28
Watervliet, 4-1, 4-2, 141, 68, 27.5
Voorheesville, 2-2, 4-2, 150, 108, 11
Canajoharie, 2-3, 3-3, 98, 113, 13.5
Coxsackie-Athens, 1-3, 2-4, 144, 122, 2
Taconic Hills, 1-4, 1-5, 77, 188, 8.5
Catholic Central, 0-5, 1-5, 88, 173, 1.5
Class D
Cambridge, 5-0, 5-0, 193, 26, 32
Whitehall, 4-1, 4-1, 154, 88, 28.5
Rensselaer, 4-1, 4-1, 117, 59, 19
Bishop Gibbons, 2-3, 2-3, 61, 85, 14.5
Fort Edward, 2-3, 2-3, 148, 144, 13.5
Warrensburg, 1-4, 1-4, 59, 159, 9
Salem, 0-6, 0-6, 41, 209, 2
*QP = quarter points
Schedule note: PSATs are being offered Saturday morning, so a number of kickoff times have been moved back. Please check with your local school to see if there have been any recent changes.
Week Seven Schedule
Fri., Oct. 15
Class AA
Empire Division
Albany at Christian Brothers Academy, 7 p.m.
Bethlehem at Guilderland, 7 p.m.
Saratoga Springs at Shenendehowa, 7 p.m.
Liberty Division
Columbia at La Salle, 7 p.m.
Schenectady at Colonie, 7 p.m.
Non-division
Niskayuna at Ballston Spa, 7 p.m.
Class A
Southeast Division
Bishop Maginn at Lansingburgh, 7 p.m.
Averill Park at Mohonasen, 7 p.m.
Northwest Division
Amsterdam at Gloversville, 7 p.m.
Non-division
Burnt Hills at South Glens Falls, 7 p.m.
Cairo-Durham at Scotia-Glenville, 7 p.m.
Class B
Reinfurt Division
Albany Academy at Ravena, 7 p.m.
West Division
Hudson Falls at Broadalbin-Perth, 7 p.m.
Johnstown at Cobleskill-Richmondville, 7 p.m.
Schalmont at Schuylerville, 7 p.m.
Class C
South Division
Fonda-Fultonville at Taconic Hills, 7 p.m.
North Division
Mechanicville at Tamarac, 7 p.m.
Granville at Corinth, 7 p.m.
Non-division
Chatham at Greenwich, 7 p.m.
Ichabod Crane at Catholic Central, 7 p.m.
Class D
Whitehall at Rensselaer, 7 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 16
Class AA
Liberty Division
Shaker at Troy, 2:30 p.m.
Class A
Northwest Division
Queensbury at Glens Falls, 1:30 p.m.
Class B
Reinfurt Division
Hudson at Cohoes, 1:30 p.m.
Class C
South Division
Voorheesville at Watervliet, 2 p.m.
Canajoharie at Coxsackie-Athens, 1 p.m.
Class D
Bishop Gibbons at Fort Edward, 1 p.m.
Warrensburg at Cambridge, 1 p.m
Section II stat pack
Rushing
Player, School, Att., Yds., Avg., TD
Zay Richardson, Albany Academy, 101, 1383, 13.7, 23
Josh Keyes, Chatham, 90, 1103, 12.3, 14
Dakota Drake, Hudson Falls, 158, 1052, 6.7, 11
Duane Todman, Corinth, 110, 1009, 9.2, 10
Josh Hoagland, Whitehall, 104, 930, 8.9, 14
Matt Best, Cambridge, 75, 891, 11.9, 9
Bronson Greene, Shenendehowa, 116, 811, 7.0, 9
Jordan Canzeri, Troy, 93, 799, 8.6, 13
Wally Kowalski, Fonda, 135, 797, 5.9, 9
Tyler Pruiksma, Greenwich, 86, 760, 8.8, 11
Passing
Player, School, Comp., Att., Yds., TD, INT
Ryan Smith, Guilderland, 84, 171, 1190, 15, 3
Kyle Bayly, Niskayuna, 77, 149, 990, 4, 6
Nick Casale, Tamarac, 41, 83, 827, 5, 6
Brandon Legault, Watervliet, 60, 128, 813, 7, 7
Ryan Duncan, Voorheesville, 57, 94, 772, 7, 1
Mike Brewster, Hoosick Falls, 52, 80, 753, 9, 2
Cullan Hanna, Cobleskill, 58, 113, 716, 9, 5
Garrett Delory, La Salle, 60, 137, 694 3, 3
John Stanley, Columbia, 62, 130, 694, 6, 10
Tony Giroux, Greenwich, 25, 50, 662, 8, 1
NFL QB ratings (minimum 600 yards passing)
Joe Paskevich, Schalmont - 128.4
Tony Giroux, Greenwich - 127.1
Mike Brewster, Hoosick Falls - 122.6
Tanner Niles, Chatham - 113.5
Ben Capeless, Shaker - 108.2
Bobby Noto, Amsterdam - 107.9
Ryan Duncan, Voorheesville - 107.2
Ryan Smith, Guilderland - 93.9
Cullan Hanna, Cobleskill - 79.4
Nick Casale, Tamarac - 74.7
Kyle Bayly, Niskayuna - 65.0
Brandon Legault, Watervliet - 63.1
Jordan Greene, South Glens Falls - 62.8
Jake Gulisane, Ichabod Crane - 59.0
Garrett Delory, La Salle - 57.9
John Stanley, Columbia - 47.4
Receiving
Player, School, Rec., Yds., TD
Tyler Larvie, Tamarac, 20, 459, 23.0, 5
Adrian Valentino, Shaker, 13, 370, 28.5, 5
Matt McGowan, Lake George, 16, 362, 22.6, 2
Ricky Pallozzi, Ichabod Crane, 20, 362, 18.1, 3
Ian McGrath, Chatham, 14, 351, 25.1, 5
Nick Schuler, Niskayuna, 22, 336, 14.0, 4
Dillon Greene, Cobleskill, 25, 328, 13.1, 5
Dom Litz, Guilderland, 18, 320, 17.8, 4
Kyle Willmott, Saratoga Springs, 16, 289, 18.1, 3
Josh Callahan, Niskayuna, 17, 286, 16.8, 0
Kicking
Player, School, PAT, FG, Tot.
Evan Nusbaum, Burnt Hills, 28, 0, 28
Ryan Behrens, Chatham, 27, 0, 27
Harlan Hoose, Ravena, 18, 3, 27
J.J. Murphy, Schalmont, 25, 0, 25
Joel Agnes, Niskayuna, 15, 3, 24
Matt Beighey, Ballston Spa, 23, 0, 23
Ryan Griffin, Shaker, 23, 0, 23
Joshua Sommers, Guilderland, 14, 3, 23
Jared Rivet, Shenendehowa, 16, 2, 22
Matt Best Cambridge, 21, 0, 21
Quinn Rasmus, Hoosick Falls, 21, 0, 21
Total scoring
Player, School, TD, PAT, FG, 2-pt., Tot.
Zay Richardson, Albany Academy, 26, 0, 0, 4, 164
Josh Keyes, Chatham, 18, 0, 0, 0, 108
Josh Hoagland, Whitehall, 16, 0, 0, 3, 102
Tyler Pruiksma, Greenwich, 13, 0, 0, 11, 100
Jordan Canzeri, Troy, 15, 0, 0, 0, 90
Tanner Williams, Hoosick Falls, 14, 0, 0, 1, 86
Brandon Beatty, Burnt Hills, 14, 0, 0, 0, 84
Rob Hilweh, Niskayuna, 14, 0, 0, 0, 84
Evan Nusbaum, Burnt Hills, 9, 28, 0, 0, 82
Matt Best, Cambridge, 10, 21, 0, 0, 81
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