Voorheesville denied Schalmont its 20th league title on the last day of the 2005 Colonial Council boys soccer season.
The Sabres made certain that didn’t happen this year.
Schalmont (12-1 league, 16-1 overall) locked up its Section II-record 20th league title with Monday’s 3-0 victory over Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk, which made Wednesday’s regular season finale against second-place Voorheesville only a possible class B playoff game preview instead of a showdown for Colonial Council supremacy.
These guys look at all the banners in the gym, and they want to put their team up there, said Schalmont coach Chris Bailey. `It’s a goal that they set for themselves, and it’s an attainable goal.`
Schalmont had been tied with South Glens Falls for most league titles entering the season, but the Bulldogs are not in contention for the Foothills Council championship, which gave the Sabres the opportunity to take the Section II lead.
`Twenty league titles over the inception of the school is great. It shows longevity,` said Bailey.
There was a moment when Schalmont’s bid for a league title was in jeopardy following a 3-0 loss to Albany Academy Oct. 3. The victory pulled the Cadets within two points of the Sabres, but Albany Academy fell off the trail after a 2-1 loss to Voorheesville Oct. 12.
Meanwhile, the Sabres bounced back with four consecutive wins to keep both Albany Academy and Voorheesville at bay.
`In reality, when we played Albany Academy, we were flat the entire time, and Albany came out and played hard,` said Bailey. `The message that we gave the kids was you have to play hard every time. Nobody is going to hand you a game.`
Bailey credited the Rotterdam Soccer Club with helping establish his program as one of the perennial powers in Section II.
`With the school season only two months long, these kids are learning the sport outside of the school program, and Rotterdam Soccer is a big part of it,` he said.
Following Wednesday’s game at Voorheesville, Schalmont will have at least a week off before Sectionals begin. Seedings are determined next Tuesday, and Bailey said his team stands a good chance of grabbing the No. 1 seed with a win against the Blackbirds.
`We would have the same league record as (Wasaren League champion) Tamarac, but we have the edge because we beat them at their tournament earlier this year,` said Bailey.
Tartans take control in Foothills Council
South Glens Falls may not be in contention for the Foothills title, but Scotia-Glenville is.
The Tartans moved a step closer to winning the league championship Monday with a 5-0 win against Hudson Falls. The victory improved Scotia-Glenville’s league record to 11-1 with two games remaining, including Wednesday’s contest against South Glens Falls.
Kyle Copel scored two second half goals against Hudson Falls, and three other Tartans tallied to lead Scotia-Glenville, which has a four-point lead over Broadalbin-Perth in the standings. The Tartans close out the regular season against Broadalbin-Perth Friday.“
