Junior Lou DiNovo’s first LaSalle start at wide receiver went better than the junior from Colonie could have expected.
DiNovo caught six passes for more than 200 yards including touchdown receptions of 79, 20 and 58 yards to lead the Cadets past Colonie 25-14 in last Friday’s Liberty Division opener in Troy.
This is great to start with a victory, said DiNovo. `We have a lot of young players.`
`They have a lot of team speed, which doesn’t give you a chance to look at any one player,` said Colonie coach John Preston.
No one knew what to expect from LaSalle (1-0) after graduating most of its starters from last year’s Section II, Class AA championship team. But when quarterback Mike Murray connected with DiNovo for a 79-yard touchdown midway through the first quarter, it became clear the Cadets had a new weapon in their arsenal.
`We watched a lot of film this week, and I have to give props to my (offensive) line for blocking,` said DiNovo. `I figured we had some opportunities (for big plays), and we took advantage of them.`
`Murray to DiNovo ` I think we’ll hear a lot about that connection,` said LaSalle coach Al Rapp.
Colonie (0-1) shook off DiNovo’s first touchdown by putting together its best drive of the game. The Garnet Raiders marched down the field and got on the scoreboard early in the second quarter on a 26-yard touchdown pass from Mike Branche to John Charton. Matt Hamilton added a two-point conversion run to give Colonie an 8-6 lead.
LaSalle regained the lead late in the second quarter, thanks to another touchdown pass from Murray to DiNovo. Josh Terry added the extra point to put the Cadets ahead 13-8.
Colonie’s defense did its best to contain LaSalle’s offense in the third quarter, but the Garnet Raiders couldn’t prevent Murray from finding DiNovo for a 58-yard scoring strike with three minutes left in the period. Colonie blocked the extra point, leaving it with a 19-8 deficit.
The blocked kick seemed to spark Colonie’s defense. Just as the third quarter ended, Sean Peer intercepted Murray in LaSalle territory. That set up a short Garnet Raider scoring drive, capped by Branche’s 19-yard touchdown pass to Jose Martinez to trim the deficit to 19-14.
Just as it looked like the momentum had swung in Colonie’s favor, LaSalle took it away when Nick Edgington intercepted a Branche pass on the Garnet Raiders’ next drive. Turning to senior running back Marquis Terrell, the Cadets steadily moved down the field on the ground. Terrell then finished the series with a 16-yard touchdown run to seal LaSalle’s victory.
`We made a pact that we would win the (fourth) quarter, and we made a comeback and put ourselves in a position to win the game. We just couldn’t quite finish it,` said Preston.
The road to a victory won’t get easier for Colonie this week, as the Garnet Raiders host red-hot Schenectady Friday. The Patriots are coming off an impressive 36-7 non-league victory over Shenendehowa in their season opener last weekend and feature a balanced attack with running back Marc Thompson, quarterback Nick Ottati and tight end Marcus Brandon.
`We’re a young team, but I can tell you that with our work ethic, we will get better as the season goes on,` said Preston.
In other Class AA football action last weekend, Christian Brothers Academy scored 40 unanswered points to defeat Albany 43-22 in Colonie, while Shaker lost a non-league game to Section IX power Newburgh Free Academy 35-10 in Latham.
Albany (0-1) got off to a good start against CBA, as Jalon Scott scored on a 25-yard touchdown run and Zine Massey hauled in a 21-yard scoring strike from Jake Valentine to give the Falcons a 14-3 lead early in the second quarter.
That’s when the Brothers (1-0) got rolling. A 28-yard interception return by Dan Sipperly pulled CBA within five points of Albany. Then, tailback Jack Reilly broke free for a 56-yard touchdown run ` the first of two for the junior ` to put the Brothers ahead for good.
Sipperly caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from Andrew Vivian late in the second quarter, and Ras-I Grady opened the third quarter with a 45-yard fumble return for six points to break the game open.
Reilly finished with 159 yards to lead CBA, which travels to Guilderland Friday.
At Shaker, Newburgh Free Academy used big plays to establish a commanding lead. Quarterback Johnny Pliego threw a 53-yard touchdown pass to Dareon Myers and a 47-yard scoring strike to Marcus Spearman in the first quarter to put NFA ahead 14-0. NFA touchdown runs of 77 and 65 yards in the third quarter sealed Shaker’s fate.
Mark Ambrosio scored on a 4-yard touchdown run, and Luke Walsh added a 36-yard field goal for the Blue Bison (0-1), who visit Ballston Spa Friday.“