A combination of timely defense and critical penalties gave Christian Brothers Acadmey its first Section II Class AA football title in seven years.
The Brothers (9-1) fended off a pair of Shaker scoring chances in the fourth quarter to help them beat the Blue Bison 13-8 in Friday’s Sectional final at the University at Albany’s Bob Ford Field.
`We did a great job defensively all night,` said CBA coach Joe Burke. `We had many times where we had our backs against the wall, and the kids kept making plays.`
`Unreal. There’s no other word to describe it except unreal,` said linebacker/tailback Max Anthony.
Shaker (8-2) didn’t help its own cause as the Blue Bison had two second-half touchdowns called back due to penalties, either of which would have given them the lead.
`We got bit by penalties a couple of times,` said Shaker coach Greg Sheeler. `It was just bad timing.`
CBA jumped out quickly on Shaker. On the game’s second play from scrimmage, quarterback Joe Kolbe connected with Ryan O’Hagan on a 70-yard touchdown pass to put the Brothers ahead 6-0 55 seconds into the first quarter.
`We thought their safeties were biting down pretty hard, so we took a chance,` said Burke. `Joey (Kolbe) made a great throw, and Ryan made a great catch.`
Shaker grabbed some momentum a short time later on an unconventional play. A Blue Bison punt was mishandled by a CBA player and rolled through the back of the end zone for a safety, which cut the Brothers’ lead to 6-2.
Shaker received good field position off the ensuing free kick, and the Blue Bison took advantage. A key fourth-down pass from quarterback Matt Woods to receiver Michael Lewis set up tailback Jake Quay’s 8-yard touchdown run with 4:18 left in the first quarter. A missed extra point gave Shaker an 8-6 lead.
The score stayed that way until the latter stages of the second quarter, when Kolbe capped a CBA series with a 1-yard touchdown plunge. Matt Hamel’s extra point put the Brothers ahead 13-8 with three minutes remaining before halftime.
A series of passes by Woods moved Shaker deep into CBA territory, but Donald Vivian picked him off at the Brothers’ 15-yard line with 55 seconds left in the first half to end the drive. It wouldn’t be the last time CBA denied Shaker that close to the goal line.
The Blue Bison thought they took the lead midway through the third quarter when Woods’ pass deflected off one Shaker receiver’s fingertips and into Lewis’ hands. Lewis raced his way to the end zone for what would have been an 86-yard touchdown pass, but the play was called back when a Shaker player was whistled for a block in the back penalty at CBA’s 27-yard line. The 10-yard penalty gave the Blue Bison a first down at the 37-yard line.
Three plays later, Shaker found itself in a fourth-down situation with one yard to go. However, an offsides penalty and a delay of game penalty pushed the Blue Bison back to CBA’s 38-yard line. Woods’ fourth-down pass fell incomplete, and the Brothers took over on downs.
Another penalty cost Shaker six points early in the fourth quarter. On fourth-and-goal from CBA’s 1-yard line, Quay took the handoff from Woods and burst into the end zone, but a holding call back at the 5 sent the Blue Bison backwards. Shaker got eight yards back on a pass interference penalty against CBA, and then Woods hit Lloyd Smalling with a pass. But Smalling was tackled at CBA’s 3-yard line to end the scoring threat.
Shaker got one more chance at scoring a game-winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter. The sequence began when Nick Griffin blocked a CBA punt and recovered it at the Brothers’ 27-yard line with 1:26 left. The Blue Bison drove to CBA’s 7-yard line in the closing seconds, but Woods’ final pass to Lewis on fourth down fell incomplete.
`They had all the momentum after that blocked punt, and we shut it down,` said Anthony.
`I felt like we would win the game all the way through,` said Sheeler. `We made several key plays to keep us in the game, but we couldn’t get it done.`
CBA moves on to next weekend’s Class AA regional round against the Section IX champion. It’s the Brothers’ first trip to regionals since winning the Section II title in 2006.
`We’re proud of our kids, and we’re proud of CBA and its alumni,` said Burke. `These kids have worked hard for this.`