If the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk football team wants to own a piece of the Reinfurt Division title, it needs to beat Albany Academy Saturday in Albany.
It won’t be easy. The Cadets rolled over their first five opponents before pulling out a 28-22 victory over Hudson last weekend a game in which the Bluehawks staged a late comeback to get within a touchdown.
We’re going to have to keep them from making big plays and force them to drive the ball,` said RCS coach Gary VanDerzee. `If we do that, we’ll be just fine.`
The Indians (2-1 division, 5-1 overall) have played well since a 14-7 loss at Hudson three weeks ago. RCS ran over Cohoes 42-0 Sept. 29 and then pulled out a 20-14 victory over Bishop Maginn last Friday in a non-league game.
`I feel very good about (the team). They’re playing very well,` said VanDerzee.
RCS is led by the running back duo of Pat Filkins and Jared Fortier. Filkins leads Section II in rushing yards with 1,068 and is coming off a 202-yard effort against Maginn, while Fortier has eight touchdown runs this year, two of which came last Friday.
`It doesn’t matter who gets in the end zone, as long as somebody does,` said VanDerzee.
To beat Albany Academy, though, RCS must contain the Cadets’ balanced offense and be able to throw the ball effectively.
`You’ve always got to be balanced between the run and the pass,` said VanDerzee. `You have to throw the ball so (opposing defenses) don’t put nine, 10 or 11 people up on the line` to stop the running backs.
RCS’s defense came up big when it had to against Maginn. Nate Graham gave the Indians a boost when he returned a Maginn fumble 51 yards for a touchdown late in the first quarter to put his team ahead 7-6. Then, RCS stopped a Maginn drive at the Indians’ 2-yard line with less than two minutes left in the second quarter to preserve its lead.
`Our defense played terrific,` said VanDerzee. `Other than the one big pass play (an 85-yard touchdown pass from Kargbo Bunduka to Isaiah Moore in the first quarter), they played well.`
Fortier extended RCS’s lead to 14-6 in the third quarter with a 1-yard touchdown run, but Bunduka connected with Jamel Lyde on an 8-yard scoring pass and added a two-point conversion run to tie the game. Fortier put the Indians ahead for good late in the fourth quarter with another 1-yard touchdown run.
Fortier added 59 rushing yards for RCS, which remains unbeaten at home this season.
Eagles’ playoff hopes take a hit
In other football action last Friday, Bethlehem’s chances of making the class AA playoffs were placed in doubt with a 33-25 loss to Columbia, while Voorheesville kept its hopes of a class C South Division title alive with a 35-7 victory at Tamarac.
Bethlehem (1-2, 3-3) could have assured itself of no worse than a third-place finish in Division II with a win over Columbia, but the Blue Devils (2-2, 4-2) scored two touchdowns in the second half to put the Eagles in a hole they couldn’t fly out of.
`That loss hurt for us,` said Bethlehem coach Ron Smith. `We were there, and we just couldn’t make the plays.`
Brian Pauquette’s 50-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter pulled Bethlehem within one point of Columbia at halftime, but Jeff McCormick’s 5-yard scoring run in the third quarter gave the Blue Devils some breathing room. Jose George added a 10-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to make the score 33-19.
`We missed some serious plays in the second half,` said Smith. `Defensively, we just can’t find any answers.`
Dan Unright gave Bethlehem some life with a 5-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter, but Columbia held on to the ball the rest of the way to seal the victory.
Peter Berquist contributed a 3-yard touchdown run and a 70-yard kickoff return in a 19-point second quarter for Bethlehem, which travels to last-place Shenendehowa Friday night.
Meanwhile in Clums Corner, the Voorheesville Blackbirds used a big second half to defeat Tamarac.
Leading 14-7 at halftime, the Blackbirds (3-1, 5-1) went to the air to put the game away. Jay Conde connected with Tim Robinson for a 22-yard touchdown pass early in the third quarter to make the score 20-7. Conde then tossed a 6-yard scoring strike to Robinson to cap another Voorheesville drive, and Adam Duncan added a two-point conversion run to increase the lead to 28-7.
Duncan capped the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter for Voorheesville, which enters its final regular season game in a tie for second place with Chatham, one game behind Canajoharie.
The Blackbirds travel to Canajoharie Friday night.“
