The Ballston Spa football team flew under the radar for six weeks.
Now with one eye-popping performance against Colonie, the Scotties are the team to beat for the Section II, Class AA title.
Ballston Spa rushed for more than 300 yards and shut down Colonie’s offense in a 31-14 victory last Friday.
I’m just so proud of the whole group, said Ballston Spa coach John Bowen. `We’ve got 28 kids with unbelievable pride in what they do.`
`They came up with the plays when they needed them ` we didn’t,` said Colonie coach Mike Ambrosio.
The victory not only gave Ballston Spa (3-1 division, 6-1 overall) the Division I title in a tiebreaker over Colonie, but also the No. 1 seed for Sectionals. Colonie (3-1, 5-2), which led Division I throughout the first six weeks, dropped to the No. 6 seed.
`We didn’t want to leave things in other teams’ hands. I told the kids we had to control what we could control,` said Bowen.
The Scotties controlled Colonie’s offense for most of the game. They limited leading running back Heath Furbeck to 19 yards on nine carries and didn’t allow quarterback Tom Duff to complete a deep pass.
Meanwhile, Colonie’s defense had a hard time stopping Ballston Spa’s option running game. Though no Scottie gained more than 100 yards, three players ` led by quarterback Dom Monaco ` had more than 50 rushing yards.
`Our defense is getting a lot of accolades for allowing the fewest points (in the league) but I’ll tell you, our defense is driven by what our offense can do,` said Bowen.
The one breakdown Ballston Spa had came on the first play of the game. Furbeck caught the opening kickoff at his own 1-yard line and raced all the way for a touchdown that put Colonie ahead 7-0.
The Scotties came right back, though. Monaco threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Scarpetti to cap a 64-yard drive that tied the game at 7. Then, Chris Adams scored on a 7-yard run with less than four minutes left in the first quarter to put Ballston Spa ahead 14-7.
Colonie had a chance to tie the game late in the second quarter when it drove to Ballston Spa’s 2-yard line. But, the Scotties stopped the Garnet Raiders twice at the goal line to force Colonie to turn the ball over on downs.
`We’re always good in the red zone against other teams,` said Scarpetti. `I think we’re at our best in that area.`
That defensive stand became more critical to the outcome a short time later. A 41-yard pass from Monaco to Ryan Ostrander got the Scotties deep into Colonie territory. Then, Kyle Baldani kicked a 22-yard field goal with seven seconds left in the first half to put the Scotties ahead 17-7.
Colonie took advantage of a Ballston Spa turnover early in the third quarter. After recovering a fumble at the Scotties’ 20-yard line, the Garnet Raiders drove to Ballston Spa’s 2, where they faced another fourth-and-goal situation. This time, Duff threw a screen pass to Jim Kehrer in the end zone for six points. Tyler Moffatt added the extra point to pull Colonie within a field goal.
That was as close as the Garnet Raiders got. Eric Marciano capped Ballston Spa’s next series with a 4-yard touchdown run to put the Scotties up by 10 points again. Then in the fourth quarter, Marciano broke free for a 32-yard run that set up an 8-yard touchdown scamper by Scarpetti to increase the lead to 17 points.
Colonie tried to get a drive going midway through the fourth quarter. Duff completed a pass to Furbeck, but Furbeck fumbled the ball away after being hit by a Ballston Spa defender. The Scotties gained possession and executed a drive that took several minutes off the clock. By the time the Garnet Raiders got the ball back following a missed field goal, there was little they could do to erase the deficit.
Monaco led Ballston Spa’s offense with nearly 190 yards between running and passing the ball. Scarpetti rushed for 79 yards and two touchdowns, while Marciano added 59 rushing yards.
`We knew team speed was a concern, and they hurt us with their speed,` said Ambrosio.
Joe Poleto gained 111 yards on eight carries to lead Colonie, which travels to Troy Saturday for a class AA quarterfinal game.
`When the playoffs begin, we’ll regroup and see what happens,` said Ambrosio.
Ballston Spa stays home Friday to face Queensbury in a match-up of two unique offenses. The Spartans run the double wing, which packs three running backs in tight formation with the quarterback and the offensive line, while the Scotties use a modified version where the backs are spread out in a semi-circle.
`They’re going to get their yards. We just have to make our stops,` said Bowen.“