Heath Furbeck’s helmet was over the goal line when Shaker’s Mike Hayes stopped him. The football he was carrying was not.
That miniscule difference was all the Blue Bison needed to pull out a 20-19 victory over Colonie in last Friday’s Colonie Cup game in Latham.
Furbeck caught a screen pass from quarterback Tom Duff and ran into the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown that pulled the Garnet Raiders within a point with 1:04 left. Colonie coach Mike Ambrosio went back to Furbeck for a two-point conversion run, but Hayes stopped the tailback at the goal line to maintain its lead.
We went with our strength see what happens,` said Ambrosio.
`We have confidence whether our defense is on its heels at our 1-yard line or at the 50,` said Shaker coach Dennis Bender.
Last Friday’s performance was a far cry from the efforts both teams had in their season openers. Shaker’s offense operated with an efficiency not seen in its 26-13 loss to Guilderland one week earlier, while Colonie’s offense stumbled under heavy pressure from the Blue Bison’s pass rush.
`Our juniors really stepped it up,` said Shaker tailback Sean Fruscio, who scored two of the Blue Bison’s three touchdowns. `Coaches made great calls and great plays.`
`When you only play half a game, you can’t expect to win,` said Ambrosio.
Fruscio got Shaker (1-1) on the scoreboard early in the second quarter by capping a Blue Bison drive with a 4-yard touchdown run. Furbeck tied the game with a 2-yard scoring run, but junior quarterback Ryan Gifford connected with Brian Tourtellott on an 11-yard touchdown pass with less than 20 seconds left before halftime to put the Blue Bison ahead 14-7.
Duff rebounded from a tough first half by turning to Furbeck as a receiver in the third quarter. The senior signal caller completed a pass over the middle to Furbeck, who broke free for a long gain to Shaker’s 15-yard line. Two plays later, Furbeck took the handoff, swept left and scored a 7-yard touchdown to pull the Garnet Raiders (1-1) within a point. A bad snap on the extra point attempt helped Shaker maintain its slim advantage, though.
Fruscio swung the momentum back in Shaker’s favor by returning the ensuing kickoff to Colonie’s 38-yard line. Several plays later, Fruscio pushed his way into the end zone from one yard out to give the Blue Bison a 20-13 lead.
`I give credit to my offensive line. They did a great job blocking for me,` said Fruscio.
However, like Colonie did on its previous scoring drive, Shaker had a bad snap on its extra point attempt. The Blue Bison then tried an onsides kick, but Colonie recovered the ball near midfield. Duff then connected with Matt June on a long pass to put the Garnet Raiders at Shaker’s 19-yard line at the end of the third quarter. Colonie’s drive stalled once the fourth quarter began, though.
Neither team had much luck moving the ball until Colonie gained possession on a Shaker punt with 1:40 left. Duff completed a 28-yard pass to June and then threw a short pass to Furbeck, who turned it into a 21-yard gain to Shaker’s 11. That set up Colonie’s final touchdown, which ultimately wasn’t enough to pull out the victory.
Gifford completed 7 of 9 passes for more than 100 yards to help Shaker beat Colonie for only the third time since 1994.
`It feels absolutely amazing. It’s one of the greatest nights of my life,` said Fruscio.
`Our juniors are tremendous, and they’re just going to get better and better,` added Bender, who earned his first win in the Colonie Cup rivalry.
Shaker returns to action Friday when unbeaten Bethlehem visits Latham, while Colonie travels to class AA newcomer Queensbury Saturday.“