When the Colonie football team found itself trailing East Syracuse-Minoa 13-0 at halftime, it didn’t panic.
When the Garnet Raiders trailed 20-8 after three quarters, they didn’t throw in the towel.
Instead, Colonie (2-0) scored 22 points in the final 12 minutes to pull out a 30-20 victory over the visitors from Section III in last Friday’s waterlogged home debut.
“I told the kids (at halftime) we had a lot of time left and a lot of football left to be played,” said Colonie coach Bill Roemer.
Tailback Wayne Burt’s 9-yard touchdown and two-point conversion midway through the fourth quarter put the Garnet Raiders ahead 24-20. Burt then added a 38-yard scoring scamper to seal the victory.
Colonie’s fourth-quarter performance on offense was far better than what took place during a rain-soaked first half. The Garnet Raiders turned the ball over on each of their first four possessions, and they finished the half with a total of 158 yards.
The one thing that kept Colonie in the game was its defense. ESM’s first two possessions came off Garnet Raider fumbles, but the Spartans were turned away inside Colonie territory each time. Then, the Garnet Raiders blocked a field goal attempt that would have given ESM a 16-0 lead entering halftime.
“Our defense really stepped up,” said Roemer. “I told the guys at halftime that it could have easily been a 28-0 deficit.”
Things got better for Colonie once the rain stopped in the second half. Kevon Johnson caught a 29-yard touchdown pass from Will McCann, and Devon Edwards added a two-point conversion to cut ESM’s lead to 13-8.
Sean Richardson’s 6-yard touchdown pass to Patrick Bryant late in the third quarter – his second scoring reception of the game – put ESM ahead by 12 points. But, a 17-yard touchdown run by Johnson and Burt’s two scoring scampers gave Colonie its second come-from-behind win of the season.
Johnson rushed for 109 yards and caught four passes for 76 yards to lead the Garnet Raiders. Burt rushed for 151 yards, and Edwards added 138 net yards between running and receiving.
Colonie hosts Saratoga Springs Friday.