Whenever the Saratoga Springs football team needed a big play, Leejay Pollacchi was there.
Pollacchi rushed for two touchdowns, returned a punt for a touchdown and intercepted a pass at the goal line to help the Blue Streaks defeat Guilderland 49-7 in last Friday’s Empire Division game in Saratoga Springs.
Leejay has certainly been one of our key players all year, said Saratoga coach Terry Jones.
There were two critical moments in the game where Guilderland (2-4 division, 2-5 overall) let a possible upset slip out of its grasp. The first came in the first quarter when Pollacchi returned a punt 78 yards for a touchdown to give Saratoga (6-0, 6-1) a 14-0 lead, and then the Dutchmen fumbled the ensuing kickoff to give the Blue Streaks prime field position. Quarterback Collin Mulholland capped the short drive early in the second quarter with a four-yard touchdown pass to Joey Moore to make the score 21-0.
`We moved Leejay into returning punts three or four weeks ago, and he’s really taken to it,` said Jones. `That punt return was all him.`
The second critical moment came midway through the second quarter. Guilderland drove deep into Saratoga territory, but the series ended when Pollacchi intercepted a Ryan Smith pass at the goal line after Bobby Falcone tipped the ball in the air for what would have been the Dutchmen’s first touchdown.
`That really hurt because we were about to put it in,` said Guilderland coach Dan Penna. `A Saratoga defender knocked into our receiver (Falcone), which put the ball in the air.`
The Blue Streaks capitalized on Pollacchi’s interception, as they drove deep into Guilderland territory on the ensuing series. Pollacchi finished the drive with a 15-yard touchdown run to give Saratoga a 28-0 lead.
Guilderland tried to get back in the game. Smith engineered a last-minute drive that ended with a six-yard touchdown pass to Falcone to cut Saratoga’s lead to 28-7 at halftime, but the Blue Streaks limited the Dutchmen to less than 10 total yards of offense in the second half to make certain Guilderland wouldn’t pull off a comeback.
`That (Guilderland) touchdown right before the half really inspired the kids,` said Jones. `They came out crisper on defense in the second half.`
`Against a team like Saratoga, it’s very difficult to dig out of a hole like that,` said Penna.
Pollacchi only rushed for 48 yards, but he had plenty of help from fellow tailbacks Ford Plowman, Ben Cook and Tony DeLoatch. Plowman, Cook and DeLoatch combined to rush for 85 yards and two touchdowns as Saratoga pounded the ball at Guilderland’s defense.
`The one thing about our team is that when we need them, they’re fresh,` Jones said of his running backs. `They’re not carrying the ball seven, eight or nine times in a row. They’re rotating the carries, and the nice thing about it is they will rotate themselves. They’ll take themselves out if they’re feeling tired.`
Saratoga moves on to face Columbia in the opening round of the Section II, Class AA playoffs Friday, while Guilderland hosts Shaker in a crossover game.
The Saratoga-Columbia game could turn into a defensive battle, since both teams have been stingy when it comes to giving up points. Saratoga has allowed more than 21 points twice in seven regular season games, while Columbia has done so four times.
`Defensively, I think we run to the ball very well,` said Jones. `We have a defense built on speed.“