Two quarterbacks are better than one in Guilderland.
Andrew Smith rushed for 108 yards and a touchdown, and fellow signal caller Greg Barcomb threw for 58 yards and added a touchdown run of his own to help the Dutchmen defeat Shaker 26-13 in last Friday’s home opener.
We were really happy with our offensive execution, said Guilderland coach Dan Penna. `The game plan we put in place last year we started clicking late in the season, and we carried that momentum into this season.`
On the other side of the field, the news wasn’t good for Shaker quarterback Eddie Cross. The senior broke his ankle in the fourth quarter and is done for the season following surgery last Saturday.
`It’s not going to change anything other than what he brings to the game,` said Shaker coach Dennis Bender. `He’s a senior, he’s a captain and he’s a dynamic offensive player.`
Guilderland contained Cross and Shaker’s offense for much of the game. The Blue Bison managed only 126 yards of offense, much of that coming in the fourth quarter.
`We didn’t get into a rhythm offensively until late,` said Bender. `We need to get into a rhythm early in the game.`
Guilderland’s offense was in a rhythm early on, though. The Dutchmen went on a long drive to open the game, which was capped by Barcomb’s 1-yard touchdown run. Smith then guided the next series and finished it with a 24-yard scoring run to put Guilderland ahead 14-0.
The score remained the same until tailback Kevin Forbes completed a Guilderland drive with a 1-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter. Cross got Shaker on the scoreboard a short time later with a 35-yard touchdown pass to Tom Mercandante, but Guilderland’s Nick Ranalli ended any comeback hopes with an 11-yard scoring run that gave the Dutchmen a 26-7 lead.
Forbes kept Guilderland’s ground game rolling with 105 yards on 20 carries, and Paul Booker added 48 yards on four rushes for the Dutchmen.
`We were able to spread the ball around well, and I think that was a key for us early on,` said Penna.
Cross led Shaker with 74 passing yards and 20 rushing yards.
The Blue Bison will have to regroup quickly, as they will host Colonie Friday night in Latham.
`They’ve got tremendous speed on both sides of the ball, so we have to slow them down,` said Bender.“