All three town football teams posted wins in Week 5 of the Section 2 Class AA football season.
Colonie edged previously unbeaten Bethlehem 28-27 in overtime, while Shaker defeated Bethlehem 20-6 in Liberty Division games Thursday, Oct. 2. Christian Brothers Academy downed Guilderland 52-7 in an Empire Division contest Saturday, Oct. 4.
Colonie (2-1 division, 3-2 overall) rallied from a 20-12 deficit to beat Bethlehem (2-1, 4-1). Quarterback Will McCann hit Ralphie Soler for a 22-yard touchdown pass and added a two-point conversion pass to Eugene Reyes to tie the score at 20-20 early in the fourth quarter.
Bethlehem led off overtime with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Nick Crisorio to Nick Sgroi. The Eagles opted to kick the extra point, which gave them a 27-20 lead.
McCann responded with a 20-yard scoring strike to Reyes to pull Colonie within one point. The Garnet Raiders opted for another two-point conversion, and McCann delivered with a pass to Reyes for the win.
McCann threw for 154 yards and four touchdowns to guide Colonie into a tie with Bethlehem for second place in the Liberty Division, one game behind Shaker (3-0, 4-1).
The Blue Bison maintained their hold on first place in the division with a strong defensive effort against LaSalle (1-2, 1-4). After Joe Germinerio connected with his brother John Germinerio on a 3-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter, Shaker kept LaSalle off the scoreboard by stuffing the run. LaSalle managed only 85 yards on the ground.
Shaker tailback Andrew Bolton continued his strong play from the previous game, when he rushed for 147 yards and five touchdowns in a 42-6 victory over Columbia. The junior gained 93 yards and scored both of Shaker’s second-quarter touchdowns to lead the way. Fullback Ryan Duda added a 2-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
CBA (2-1, 4-1) got off to a slow start against Guilderland (1-2, 1-4). The Brothers led 3-0 until the latter stages of the second quarter when Donald Vivan threw a 53-yard touchdown pass to Austin Ellis. Vivian then caught a 25-yard scoring strike from quarterback Joe Kolbe in the final 10 seconds of the first half to increase CBA’s lead to 17-0.
Kolbe added touchdown passes to Vivian and Ellis in the second half to help CBA put distance between it and Guilderland. Kolbe threw for 125 yards on only four completions, and tailback Nasir Tune contributed 80 yards and a score for the Brothers.