The Schalmont football team’s three-year reign as Section II Class B champion came to an abrupt end.
Glens Falls took advantage of two Sabre turnovers and limited running back Devon Willis to 104 yards in Saturday’s 21-14 Super Bowl victory at Shenendehowa High School.
`They did a great job. I tip my hat to them,` said Schalmont coach Joe Whipple. `They wanted it more than we did.`
Willis’ 66-yard touchdown run on the first play of the third quarter helped Schalmont (8-2) tie the score at 14, but Cam Girard’s 20-yard touchdown pass to Mike LaNoir put Glens Falls (9-1) ahead for good.
Girard’s touchdown pass was set up on a pair of unreturned Glens Falls punts that pinned Schalmont deep in its own territory. When the Sabres couldn’t get out of the shadow of their own end zone, Marcus Ramundo sent a high punt out of bounds at Schalmont’s 25-yard line. A short time later, Girard connected with LaNoir.
`You’ve got to field the punts, and we didn’t do that (in the third quarter),` said Whipple.
Things looked good for Schalmont early on when sophomore tailback Kyle Strube scored on a 16-yard run. The Sabres missed the extra point, but they led 6-0 early in the second quarter.
The momentum shifted in Glens Falls’ direction later in the second quarter. Joe McMahon picked up a fumbled snap at the Schalmont 5-yard line and raced into the end zone for the Indians’ first touchdown. Heath Armstrong added the extra point to put Glens Falls ahead 7-6.
Another bad snap by Schalmont gave Glens Falls the ball at the Sabres’ 13-yard line. Schalmont’s defense held firm for three plays, but Girard connected with Jake Dailey on fourth down for an 8-yard touchdown pass. Armstrong’s extra point gave Glens Falls a 14-6 halftime lead.
`We had a sophomore at center, and he’s done a great job most of the season,` said Whipple. `It’s unfortunate that he had those two plays.`
It appeared Schalmont was ready to put the mistakes behind it in the third quarter when Willis found a seam on the left side of the line. Willis burst through the hole and ran untouched into the end zone to get the Sabres on the scoreboard quickly. He then added a two-point conversion run to tie the score at 14.
Glens Falls made certain it was the last time Willis or any other Sabre had a big run. The Indians swarmed to every Schalmont ball carrier and stopped them for short gains. The Sabres didn’t manage another first down until late in the fourth quarter.
`Our offense just didn’t do what they usually do and is capable of doing,` said Whipple. `We just didn’t get the push on the (offensive) line.`
Glens Falls advances to Friday’s regional against Section VII champion Peru at Shen, while Schalmont will go back to the drawing board for the 2013 season.
`We need to take this one in and chew on it a bit to get hungry for next year,` said Whipple.