What looked like a defensive battle turned into an offensive explosion.
Schalmont scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to pull away for a 48-13 victory over Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk in Saturday’s Section II Class B football championship game at Schenectady High School.
They’re an awfully good ball club, and they just wore us down, said R-C-S coach Gary Vanderzee.
The difference was Schalmont’s speed and toughness. When the Sabres (10-0) reached the open field, Ravena’s defenders had a difficult time stopping them. Five of Schalmont’s seven touchdowns were either created or set up by their ball carriers breaking containment and eluding Indian tacklers.
`We didn’t tackle well, but a lot of the credit goes to their ball carriers,` said Vanderzee. `They are awfully hard to defend with that many weapons, and they are tough to bring down.`
The first weapon Schalmont used was Alberto Beltran. On the Sabres’ sixth play from scrimmage, quarterback Joe Paskevich threw a short pass over the middle to Beltran, who then broke away from a pair of R-C-S defenders for a 61-yard touchdown and a 7-0 Schalmont lead.
The Indians (8-2) responded with a pair of big plays. First, tailback Cory Watts took off on a 33-yard run to get the ball inside Schalmont’s 30-yard line. Then a short time later, quarterback Tyler Swart eluded a sack attempt and threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Connor Zeoli to tie the game.
Schalmont took back command of the game on special teams. Beltran received the ensuing kickoff near his own 10-yard line, turned down the left sideline and didn’t stop until he reached the end zone for his second touchdown of the first quarter. J.J. Murphy’s extra point gave the Sabres a 14-7 lead.
`Everyone did their job [blocking], and I saw the seam and just took it,` said Beltran.
Tailback Jaren Ramundo scored Schalmont’s third touchdown of the first half with 4;31 left in the second quarter to make the score 21-7. R-C-S responded with a long drive that ended when Dan Squires intercepted Swart on Schalmont’s 3-yard line with less than 15 seconds remaining before halftime.
That turned out to be the last chance for the Indians to stay in the game. Schalmont’s Edgar Marcano scored on an 8-yard run late in the third quarter after catching a 33-yard pass from Paskevich to give the Sabres a 21-point lead. Then, a 64-yard pass from Paskevich to Marcano set up Nick Reali’s 8-yard scoring run early in the fourth quarter that put the game out of reach.
`Marcano came up big,` said Schalmont coach Joe Whipple. `We knew all year he could do it. He just needed the opportunity.`
R-C-S got a late touchdown pass from Swart to Watts before freshman tailback Devon Willis scored on a 52-yard run for Schalmont.
`The kids never quit, and I’m very proud of them,` said Vanderzee.
Schalmont advances to the Class B regionals for the second year in a row. The Sabres meet Section X champion Ogdensburg Free Academy Friday at Shenendehowa High School.“
