There wasn’t a lot riding on the final game of the season for both Mohonasen and Bishop Maginn last Friday night at Bleecker Stadium since both teams had already secured a Sectional playoff berth.
But for the Mighty Warriors, their 26-19 win in a class A Division I game guaranteed them their first home playoff game since 1997.
I’m so proud of our kids for working hard. A win like this just solidifies all the hard work they did throughout the season and all the effort they put in, said Mohonasen coach Scott Sabourin.
The Mighty Warriors (3-1 league, 4-3 overall) were once again led by senior quarterback Pat Barnes, who has emerged as one of class A’s premier quarterbacks. He finished the game with 157 yards passing and two touchdowns and the regular season with 70 completions on 117 attempts for 1202 yards, throwing for 15 touchdowns. He ranks in the top five in all of Section II in all four categories.
`Pat Barnes is a classic story of a kid who’s always been tall. He’s really matured both physically and mentally. He’s become a great field general, he takes control of the team and he never gets down. He does a great job of doing what we ask him to do,` Sabourin said.
Mohonasen opened up the scoring on a 2-yard first quarter touchdown run by Sam Olszewski. Joey Stone connected on the extra point for a 7-0 Mohonasen lead.
Maginn evened the score on the next possession after quarterback Bunduka Kargbo rolled out and connected with James Torres for a 5-yard touchdown and a Randy Bowers extra point.
The Golden Griffins (3-4, 2-2) took the lead after Jesse Smith recovered a Mohonasen fumble off the kickoff at the end of the first quarter. With great field position, Jamel Lyde carried the ball into the end zone, but had the ball knocked loose before center Nick Generali jumped on it for the touchdown. Bowers’ extra point attempt failed, making the score 13-7.
The Mighty Warriors used trickery to keep a second quarter drive going when they successfully executed a fake punt on the Maginn 41-yard line. On fourth-down-and-six, Mohonasen punter Vincent Gabriele ran for 10 yards, setting up the tying touchdown. Alex Audino made a nice over-the-shoulder catch on Barnes’ next throw for a 32-yard touchdown reception. The extra point failed tying the game at 13.
Mohonsen scored the go-ahead touchdown on the last play of the first half after their defense recovered Lyde’s fumble on its own 41-yard line. With 1:02 left, Barnes rolled out and hit Josh Provost cutting across the middle. Provost ran to the Maginn 4-yard line, and Olszewski scored from two yards out two plays later. The two-point conversion attempt failed, giving Mohonasen a 19-13 lead.
The Golden Griffins tied the score in the third quarter after a 50-yard pass by Kargbo to Isaiah Moore put Maginn at Mohona-sen’s 31-yard line. Lyde, who rushed for 52 yards on 11 carries, ended the drive with a 19-yard touchdown run, but Mohonasen blocked the extra point.
The score remained tied at 19 until late in the fourth quarter. A blocked punt gave the Mighty Warriors good field position at the Maginn 36-yard line. Olszewski and Joe Grassia led Mohonasen on a ground march to Maginn’s 9, and Barnes completed the series with a touchdown pass to Kevin Grzeskowiak. Stone added the extra point to put the Mighty Warriors ahead by seven points with 1:45 left.
Maginn tried to answer, but came up short. After driving to Mohonasen’s 1-yard line, Lyde fumbled the ball in the end zone as time expired.
`In spite of the fact that we were behind, we were able to come back, and I felt the kids met the challenge real well. I couldn’t be more proud. I’m certainly disappointed with the loss but not with how we played,` said Maginn coach Joe Grasso.
Olszewski led all rushers with 88 yards on 24 carries for Mohonasen, which hosts defending state class A champion Amsterdam Friday.
`We have a new principal and a new athletic director, and they’ve done a great job of building up the sportsmanship and school spirit. This is going to be a great opportunity for the Mohonasen community to show their team spirit, and I think it’s going to be fun,` Sabourin said.
In other area football action, Niskayuna and Schalmont suffered home losses, while Scotia-Glenville fell to South Glens Falls by one point on the road.
Scotia-Glenville (1-6) had a nine-point lead heading into the fourth quarter of last Saturday’s game, but a Matt Holcomb touchdown run and a Logan Carpenter field goal lifted South Glens Falls to a 17-16 victory.
Zach Coffinger scored on a 23-yard touchdown run in the first quarter to put the Bulldogs ahead 7-0, but Scotia-Glenville’s Brett Evensen had scoring runs of 3 and 12 yards and a two-point con-version to help the Tartans build a 16-7 halftime lead.
Holcomb pulled South Glens Falls close with a 7-yard touchdown run, and Carpenter completed the comeback with a 27-yard field goal.
Last Friday in Niskayuna, the Silver Warriors built a 9-0 lead, but Saratoga charged back with four straight touchdowns on its way to a 34-15 win. Vonzel Legall led the Blue Streaks with three touchdown runs.
Schalmont fell to Hudson Falls 54-28 last Friday. Mike Saburro returned a kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown, and Ryan Donadio added a 75-yard punt return for the Sabres.“
