Colonie didn’t need overtime to defeat Saratoga this time. Not with Heath Furbeck carrying the load.
Furbeck rushed for 162 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Garnet Raiders to a 27-13 victory over the Blue Streaks in last Friday’s Section II, Class AA football semifinal in Saratoga.
Colonie (7-2) advanced to its first Super Bowl in four years and denied Saratoga (7-2) a third consecutive championship game appearance.
It’s a great opportunity for the kids, said Colonie coach Mike Ambrosio. `As a sophomore class (last year), the juniors went undefeated at the junior varsity level, and our senior class was undefeated two years ago. So, we knew they could step up and do well.`
`I was wishing for the seniors that they could go back for a third time, and it didn’t happen,` said Saratoga coach Blase Iuliano.
The turning point came early in the third quarter with the score tied at 7. Colonie defensive back Brian Sleasman anticipated a screen pass by Saratoga’s Dan McLaughlin, stepped into the route and intercepted it. Sleasman ran down the right sideline and nearly got into the end zone before McLaughlin chased him down, but it put the Garnet Raiders on Saratoga’s 1-yard line. Joe Poleto finished what Sleasman started on the next play to give Colonie a 13-7 lead.
`We did a good job of flushing McLaughlin out, and Sleasman did a nice job of jumping the route,` said Ambrosio.
`They were sky high after that, and we knew we were in trouble,` said Iuliano.
Saratoga bounced back on its next possession. A 37-yard run by Vonzel Legall gave the Blue Streaks a first-and-goal at Colonie’s 6-yard line. The Garnet Raiders held their ground for three plays, but James DeLoatch got into the end zone on fourth down to tie the game at 13.
Colonie turned to Furbeck, and the senior running back didn’t disappoint. Furbeck rushed for one first down and caught a pass for another first down to move the Garnet Raiders deep into Saratoga’s territory. He then finished the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run to put Colonie ahead 19-13 with 2:25 left in the third quarter.
Saratoga tried to rally, but its subsequent series was stopped at Colonie’s 25-yard line early in the fourth quarter. The Garnet Raiders then ate more than eight minutes off the clock with a series of runs by Furbeck and quarterback Tom Duff. Furbeck finished the drive with a 4-yard touchdown run, and Duff added a two-point conversion pass to Marcus Malkiewicz to seal the victory.
`I think we had three offensive plays in the fourth quarter until the very end,` said Iuliano. `We had some opportunities earlier in the game to score, and we didn’t get the job done.`
Poleto contributed 65 rushing yards, and Duff threw for 92 yards for Colonie. Legall paced Saratoga’s offense with 115 yards, but he needed 26 carries to get there.
`I thought they played great defense and took away our running game,` said Iuliano.
`I told them at the beginning whoever executed better was going to win (tonight),` said Ambrosio.
The win propels Colonie into a Super Bowl matchup against Christian Brothers Academy, which upended Ballston Spa 55-20 in the other class AA semifinal game last Friday. It`s the Garnet Raiders’ first appearance since losing to Shenendehowa in the 2002 final.“