The Schalmont football team proved Friday night that it’s not afraid to throw the ball.
In fact, it’s becoming the Sabres’ preferred method of moving down the field.
Quarterback Joe Paskevich threw four touchdown passes — three to Alberto Beltran — to guide Schalmont past Broadalbin-Perth 62-13 in Friday night’s Class B West Division game in Rotterdam.
Schalmont’s never really had a passing game before, said Paskevich, who threw for more than 200 yards.
`I knew we could have success passing the ball,` said Schalmont coach Joe Whipple. `Joe Paskevich brings another dimension to this offense. He can throw the ball really well.`
Before the Sabres (3-0) could throw the ball, they first had to get the ball away from Broadalbin-Perth. The Patriots (0-3) took the opening kickoff and drove to Schalmont’s 19-yard line before the Sabres defense forced and recovered a Broadalbin-Perth fumble.
`High school football is all about momentum,` said Whipple. `Our red zone defense responded well.`
Once Schalmont had the ball, Broadalbin-Perth was in trouble. The Sabres drove quickly down the field, with Beltran capping the series on a 28-yard touchdown reception where he caught Paskevich’s screen pass and avoided several tacklers on his way to the end zone.
`I just saw the end zone, and I wasn’t going to be denied,` said Beltran.
`I knew they were going to play man [coverage], and I knew we could take advantage of it,` said Paskevich.
Schalmont’s defense scored the next touchdown. J.J. Murphy intercepted R.J. Pingitore’s pass and returned it 30 yards for six points. Murphy then added the extra point to make the score 14-0.
`J.J. Murphy works so hard,` said Whipple. `The kid is all of 5-9 and 200 pounds, but he studies game film and works very hard in practice.`
Paskevich and Beltran teamed up for another touchdown in the second quarter. Like the first, Beltran caught a screen pass from Paskevich, but he had fewer defenders to dodge on his way to a 52-yard touchdown.
The Patriots thought they had gained some momentum when a big kickoff return placed them on Schalmont’s 26-yard line. But the Sabres’ defense once again stalled Broadalbin-Perth’s offense and forced the Patriots to turn the ball over on downs. Four plays later, Paskevich lobbed a pass to Jaren Ramundo, who had gotten behind the Patriots’ defense. Ramundo caught the ball in stride and raced the rest of the way for a 64-yard touchdown to make the score 28-0.
Paskevich capped the first half by calling his own number for a 37-yard touchdown run. That play was set up by a fumbled snap on a Broadalbin-Perth punt attempt.
Schalmont kept piling up the points in the second half. Paskevich completed a 12-yard touchdown pass to Beltran early in the third quarter and Ramundo returned a punt 67 yards for another score to increase the Sabres’ lead to 48-0.
Cody Menge ended Schalmont’s shutout bid with a 37-yard touchdown run with 9.5 seconds left in the third quarter for Broadalbin-Perth. But that was enough time for Beltran to return the ensuing kickoff 82 yards for another Sabres touchdown and a 55-7 lead.
The two teams traded touchdowns in the fourth quarter as Schalmont cruised to its first divisional win of the season.“