The Bethlehem football team still has a chance to make the Section II, class AA playoffs.
With Thursday’s 16-13 Empire Division victory over Saratoga Springs, the Eagles (1-3) moved a game closer to the fourth-place Blue Streaks (2-2) and gave them a tiebreaker should an end-of-season deadlock occur.
For us to get a win like that against Saratoga, it’s a confidence boost, said Bethlehem coach Ron Smith. `We’ve gotten better every week, but we still have to win every week.`
The turning point of the game ` and perhaps Bethlehem’s season ` came on the fourth play from scrimmage. Facing fourth down and three near midfield, Saratoga elected to go for the first down rather than punt. That turned out to be a mistake, as the Eagles stuffed the Blue Streaks’ attempt and took over inside Saratoga territory.
`I think our kids took it as a slap in the face,` said Smith of Saratoga’s decision.
Once the Eagles had the ball, it didn’t take long for them to drive into the end zone. Sean Murphy capped the series with a 1-yard touchdown run, and Sam Smith added the extra point to put Bethlehem ahead 7-0.
`(The defensive stop) gave us some energy to feed off of,` said coach Smith.
Saratoga got on the scoreboard early in the second quarter when Tony DeLoatch plowed his way into the end zone from four yards out, but Bethlehem blocked Jimmy Minogue’s extra point attempt to hold on to a 7-6 lead. Casiem Maxwell then broke free for a 58-yard touchdown run to re-establish the Eagles seven-point advantage. It was the longest run of the night for Maxwell, a sophomore tailback.
`We’re really excited about him because he’s a sophomore, and he’s getting better every week,` said Smith.
Bethlehem extended its lead to 16-6 two seconds before halftime when Sam Smith drilled a 25-yard field goal. That proved to be the winning points, as Saratoga shut out the Eagles in the second half, but could only manage a Minogue 47-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
`We didn’t score any touchdowns (in the second half), but we had two drives that took up seven-and-a-half minutes each,` said coach Smith.
Murphy rushed for a season-high 133 yards on 23 carries, and Joe Paratore added 75 yards on 11 attempts for Bethlehem, which outgained Saratoga 329-149 on the ground.
`We started playing better offense, and that kept our defense off the field,` said Smith. `And we didn’t see anything (out of Saratoga) that we didn’t prepare for.`
The Eagles have three games left to try to make the playoffs, starting with Friday’s game at winless Albany. Bethlehem wraps up its regular season with games against unbeaten Shenendehowa and Christian Brothers Academy, which has one win in its first four games.
`We obviously want to win every game, but if we can win two out of three and finish in a tie with Saratoga, then we’ll have the tiebreaker on them,` said Smith.
In other weekend football action, Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk (3-1) defeated Hudson 34-6 Friday behind two touchdowns each from Jared Fortier and Zach Deering, and Voorheesville remained un-defeated with a 15-13 victory over Mechanicville Saturday.
Jay Conde threw for one touchdown and rushed for another to lead the Blackbirds (4-0), but it was Dan Flynn’s safety on a fourth quarter sack that provided the winning points against the Red Raiders.“
