Once the Shaker football team got out of its own way, it had no trouble with Schenectady.
The Blue Bison (1-0 league, 2-1 overall) overcame some early penalties to defeat the Patriots 41-0 in their first Liberty Division game of the season Friday, Sept. 19.
“It wasn’t the perfect start to the game. There were the penalties,” said Shaker coach Greg Sheeler. “But I liked the way the guys responded.”
Shaker’s first touchdown came late in the first quarter. Paul Kessler hauled in a pass from Matt Woods, faked out a Schenectady defender and raced 37 yards for a touchdown. The Blue Bison missed the two-point conversion, leaving them with a 6-0 lead.
Shaker’s second touchdown was similar to its first. Woods threw a pass to Seamus McHugh, who avoided a pair of Schenectady tacklers on his way to a 52-yard scoring run that increased the Blue Bison’s lead to 13-0 early in the second quarter.
That looked like what the halftime score would be until Alex Miller picked off Schenectady quarterback Brandon Gwinner and returned the ball to the Patriots’ 1-yard line late in the second quarter. A false start backed up Shaker five yards, but Woods made up for it with a 6-yard touchdown run to make the score 20-0.
Woods continued to play well in the second half. The senior quarterback tossed a 6-yard scoring strike to Brandon Barlow in the third quarter and capped another Shaker drive with a 1-yard touchdown plunge in the fourth quarter. Woods finished the evening with 239 passing yards and a total of five touchdowns – three through the air, and two on the ground.
“I was very happy with the way Matt played overall,” said Sheeler. “The (offensive) line did a great job of protecting him.”
The win gives Shaker more momentum heading into its road game against Columbia Friday, Sept. 26. After starting the season with a 34-16 loss to Christian Brothers Academy, the Blue Bison have outscored their last two opponents, Schenectady and Saratoga Springs, by a combined total of 47-18.
“I definitely think we’ve taken some small steps to improve as a team, but we have a lot of improving left to do,” said Sheeler.