The scoreboard operator at Schenectady High School will have to be alert Friday night when the Patriots meet Niskayuna in the Section II, Class AA football semifinals.
The last time these two Liberty Division rivals met Sept. 19, the two teams put on an offensive show the likes of which have been rarely seen outside of Arena Football. In the end, Schenectady pulled out a 64-42 victory after Niskayuna entered halftime with a 42-35 lead.
We’ll just work hard on our basic reads and keys (on defense) this week in practice, said Niskayuna coach John Furey. `We’ve done a better job of late.`
Indeed, Niskayuna’s defense has been better at keeping opponents out of the end zone. The Silver Warriors (6-2) forced four Shenendehowa turnovers in a 34-28 victory in last Friday’s Class AA quarterfinal in Clifton Park.
`I thought we played the run pretty well,` said Furey. `The turnovers ` most of them resulted from passes.`
The key sequence came early in the fourth quarter. Shen (5-3) had just gotten the ball on a Niskayuna turnover near midfield and decided to go for a big play. Quarterback Andrew Kalish handed the ball off to Tyler Dehmer, who heaved a long pass into Niskayuna territory, where it was picked off by Brian Krol and returned to Niskayuna’s 43-yard line.
`He did a great job of reading that play,` Furey said of Krol.
Niskayuna quarterback Danny Peters made certain that his team capitalized on Shen’s turnover. The senior called his own number, found a seam on the right side of the Plainsmen’s defensive line and took off on a 42-yard touchdown run to give the Silver Warriors a 34-21 lead.
`He found the seam and went for it,` Furey said of Peters, who finished the night with 174 rushing yards and 248 passing yards.
Shen drew within a touchdown on Mike Daly’s six-yard scoring run and had a couple of chances to tie the game in the closing seconds, but Kalish’s passes into the end zone fell incomplete.
Peters had plenty of success throwing the ball early on for Niskayuna. He connected on three touchdown strikes to Kadeem Miller, which helped the Silver Warriors establish a 21-13 halftime lead.
Tailback Bronson Greene helped pull Shen even with a six-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter before Peters gave Niskayuna the lead for good with a 43-yard scoring scamper.
Schenectady (7-1) survived its own quarterfinal challenge last weekend with a 27-21 victory over Ballston Spa. The Patriots led 21-7 after quarterback Nick Ottati’s five-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter, but the Scotties (4-4) stayed within striking distance on Mark Seager’s 37-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Warmt. The two teams traded touchdowns in the fourth quarter before Schenectady held on for the win.
The winner of Friday’s Schenectady-Niskayuna game meets either LaSalle or Saratoga Springs in next Friday’s Class AA final at Colonie Central High School.
Hudson trips up Schalmont
In other Sectional playoff action, Schalmont’s bid at the Class B title came to an early end as Hudson pulled off a 13-12 upset last Friday in Rotterdam.
The Sabres (6-2) grabbed a 12-0 lead in the first half on touchdown runs by Madison DeCerce and Vincent Gallo, but Talib Barksdale scored on a one-yard run before halftime to pull the Blue Hawks (3-5) within six points. Paul Gray then scored on a nine-yard run in the third quarter, and Hudson added the extra point to take the lead for good.
Gallo carried the ball 20 times for 131 yards, and quarterback Kyle McKelvey threw for 61 yards for Schalmont, which faces Cobleskill-Richmondville in a crossover game.“
