Schenectady’s football mantra all season long has been to forget the past and focus on the task that lies ahead.
Head coach Carm DePoalo said it is paramount for his Patriots to do so again after their perfect season slipped away Friday with a 17-7 loss to Shaker at Larry Mulvaney Field. They’ll be home again this Friday for a Section II Class AA quarterfinal game with Ballston Spa.
“We’re going to take the same attitude. Throw it away,” Schenectady coach Carm DePoalo said Sunday afternoon. “We’ll burn the newspapers Monday. Last week is over. Monday, we’ll go in and try to make everything positive.”
In accordance with that, one thing Schenectady (6-1) won’t do is watch film of the Shaker game.
“We usually watch film or our game Monday, but we’re not
going to do it. We’ll watch Ballston Spa,” DePoalo said. “The kids know in their hearts what they did. We don’t need them to be getting down on themselves.
“We’ve preached to them all along that we’re good. We’re a solid football team, and we’re going to regroup.”
They’ll need to do it in a hurry after a couple of key breakdowns and several missed opportunities proved costly against a Shaker team that came to Schenectady with just one victory. Schenectady was ranked No. 11 in the state, and coming off its emotional 34-7 triumph over LaSalle, the 2007 Section II Class AA champion.
With that triumph, Schenectady not only set a team record for wins, yet also secured the Liberty Division title and its No. 1 playoff seed.
“We got whooped in all phases, and hopefully, they learned,”
DePoalo said of the Shaker game. “We were just flat. We can’t be flat against Ballston Spa. They’re an exciting team with an outstanding quarterback. We’ve got to play with our heads up this week.”
The Ballston Spa (4-3)-Schenectady Class AA quarterfinal is one of four scheduled for Friday night, with Columbia (3-4) traveling to Empire Division champ Saratoga Springs (6-1), Niskayuna (5-2) going to Shenendehowa
(5-2) in a matchup of streaking teams and Bethlehem (5-2) going to LaSalle (5-2).
Class A division champs Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake (7-0) and Bishop Maginn (7-0) will also see action Friday, as will Schalmont (6-1), a first-time division titlist, in Class B.
The tournament will be staged over three weekends, with champions in each class to be crowned Nov. 7-8.
Schenectady will be hosting its first playoff game, and will be looking for only its second postseason win. The Patriots beat Shenendehowa in a 2001 quarterfinal before losing to Troy.
Schenectady lost in the quarterfinals at Guilderland last fall, in what was its sixth postseason appearance.
“We’ve beaten some very good teams. We’re a No. 1 seed. We’re at home. We deserve to be where we are, and I like our chances,” DePoalo said. “We’re going to be ready to play. I’m confident we’ll be there. We’ll show up with our weapons, and if we play our game, I think we’ll move on to the next round.”
Ballston Spa has moved on in each of the last two years, beating Troy in 2007 and Queensbury in 2006 quarterfinals before semifinal defeats.
“The last three or four years they’ve been right there,” DePoalo said. “We’ve been there before, too. It’s not going to be a new thing. We know what to expect. It’s going to be an interesting game.”
Ballston Spa was one stop away from beating Shenendehowa Friday, but lost, 45-41, on Tyler Dehmer’s 82-yard kickoff return in the final seconds. Scotties quarterback Mark Seager accounted for 280 rushing and passing yards in the defeat.
“We’ve got to concentrate on stopping their option. On film, their quarterback looks like a magician with the ball,” DePoalo said.
Friday’s Class A quarterfinal schedule sends Gloversville (3-4) to Bishop Maginn, Lansingburgh
(4-3) to Amsterdam (4-3), and Averill Park (4-3) to Burnt Hills. Burnt Hills and Lansingburgh have met in the last two finals, with the Knights prevailing in 2007 and the Spartans winning in 2006. Glens Falls (4-3) plays at Troy (6-1) Saturday to complete the Class A quarters.
Friday’s Class B quarterfinals have Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk
(5-2) hosting Cobleskill-Richmondville (2-5), and Schalmont entertaining Hudson (2-5). Schalmont’s six-game win streak includes a win over Hudson, and has the Sabres at home for playoffs for the first time.
“We’ve got a few things to work on this week, but we’re ready to go,” said Schalmont senior Madison DeCerce, who’s quarterback sack in the final seconds ended Friday’s
26-20 win at Broadalbin-Perth. “We’re excited about the opportunity.”
Saturday’s Class B games have Broadalbin-Perth (2-5) at Cohoes (7-0), and Albany Academy (4-3) at Hudson Falls (6-1). Fonda-Fultonville (6-1) hosts Cambridge (4-3) in the lone Class C game Saturday, with the other three set for Friday.
SCHOOL FOOTBALL
SECTION II TOURNAMENT
CLASS AA
Quarterfinals
Friday
Empire No. 4 Ballston Spa (3-3, 4-3) at Liberty No. 1 Schenectady (4-1, 6-1), 7
Empire No. 3 Bethlehem (4-2, 4-3) at Liberty No. 2 LaSalle (4-1, 5-2), 7
Liberty No. 4 Columbia (2-3, 3-4) at Empire No. 1 Saratoga Springs (6-0, 6-1), 7
Liberty No. 3 Niskayuna (3-2, 5-2)
at Empire No. 2 Shenendehowa (5-1,
5-2), 7
Semifinals
Friday, Oct. 31
Ballston Spa-Schenectady vs. Niskayuna-Shenendehowa; Bethlehem-LaSalle vs. Columbia-Saratoga Springs.
Championship
Friday, Nov. 7
Semifinal winners at TBA, 7
———
CLASS A
Quarterfinals
Friday
Southeast No. 4 Averill Park (2-3, 3-4) at Northwest No. 1 Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake (5-0, 7-0), 7
Southeast No. 3 Lansingburgh (3-2, 4-3) at Northwest No. 2 Amsterdam (4-1, 4-3), 7
Northwest No. 4 Gloversville
(2-3, 3-4) at Southeast No. 1 Bishop Maginn (5-0, 7-0), 7
Saturday
Northwest No. 3 Glens Falls (3-2, 4-3) at Southeast No. 2 Troy (4-1,
6-1), 1:30
Semifinals
Oct. 31-Nov. 1
Averill Park/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake vs. Glens Falls-Troy; Gloversville-Bishop Maginn vs. Lansingburgh-Amsterdam.
Championship
Saturday, Nov. 8
Semifinal winners at TBA, 7
———
CLASS B
Quarterfinals
Friday
Reinfurt No. 4 Hudson (2-3, 2-5) at West No. 1 Schalmont (4-0, 6-1), 7
West No. 3 Cobleskill-Richmondville (1-3, 2-5) at No. 2. Ravena-
Coeymans-Selkirk (4-1, 5-2), 7
Saturday
Reinfurt No. 3 Albany Academy (3-2, 4-3) at West No. 2 Hudson Falls (3-1, 6-1), 1:30
West No. 4 Broadalbin-Perth
(1-3, 2-5) at Reinfurt No. 1 Cohoes (5-0, 7-0), 1:30
Semifinals
Oct. 31-Nov. 1
Hudson-Schalmont vs. Ravena-
Coeymans-Selkirk/Cobleskill-Richmondville ; Albany Academy-
Hudson Falls vs. Broadalbin-Perth/Cohoes.
Championship
Saturday, Nov. 8
Semifinal winners at TBA, 3
———
CLASS C
Quarterfinals
Friday
South No. 4 Tamarac (4-3, 4-3) at North No. 1 Schuylerville (6-0, 7-0), 7
South No. 3 Watervliet (5-2, 5-2) at North No. 2 Hoosick Falls (5-1, 6-1), 7
North No. 4. Corinth (2-4, 3-4) at South No. 1 Chatham (7-0, 7-0), 7
Saturday
North No. 3 Cambridge (4-2, 4-3)
at South No. 2 Fonda-Fultonville
(6-1, 6-1), 1
Semifinals
Oct. 31-Nov. 1
Tamarac-Schuylerville vs. Cambridge/Fonda-Fultonville; Corinth-Chatham vs. Watervliet-Hoosick Falls.
Championship
Friday, Nov. 7
Semifinal winners at TBA, 7
———
CLASS D
Semifinals
Thursday, Oct. 30
North No. 2 Warrensburg (2-1, 4-3) at South No. 1 Rensselaer (4-0, 6-1), 7
Saturday, Nov. 1
South No. 2 Canajoharie (2-2,
4-3) at North No. 1 Fort Edward
(3-0, 4-3), 1
Championship
Saturday, Nov. 8
Semifinal winners at TBA, 1
Class D completes regular season Friday and Saturday. Friday: Salem at Saratoga Catholic, 7; Fort Edward at Greenwich, 7. Saturday: Canajoharie at Warrensburg, 1; Rensselaer at Whitehall, 1; Lake George at Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons, 1
———
CROSSOVER GAMES
Friday (7)
Albany at Pine Bush; Shaker at Guilderland; CBA at Colonie; Queensbury at Mohonasen; Cairo-Durham at Johnstown; Stillwater at Catholic Central.
Saturday (1)
Scotia-Glenville at South Glens Falls; Taconic Hills at Coxsackie-Athens; Hoosic Valley at Mechanicville; Voorheesville at Granville.
Categories: High School Sports
