Sabres pound Indians, 48-0

The Schalmont football team is no stranger to the Class B championship game.

The one-two punch of Nick Gallo and Devon Willis scored three touchdowns apiece, and the Schalmont defense put in a stellar performance beating Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk, 48-0, in a Section II Class B semifinal football game Friday night.

Schalmont, 8-1, will aim for its fourth straight sectional championship when it meets the winner of today’s Glens Falls-Schuylerville game.

“It feels great,” Schalmont head coach Joe Whipple said. “Our kids continue to work hard. The kids continue to surprise the coaching staff. We’ve been fortunate to win three Super Bowls in a row.

“We had the killer mentality tonight. We get everybody’s A game. I didn’t think it would be this many points. They probably didn’t play up to what they can play, and we did. They’re a great program and very well coached.”

While the Sabres’ running game had its way with Ravena, the defensive unit continued to shine and kept the Indians off the board.

A 29-point second quarter put the game out of reach.

Both teams came up empty on their opening series.

On their second possession, the Sabres took over on its 20 and put together an impressive ground game.

Willis highlighted the seven-play scoring drive with a 47-yard pickup. Gallo went through the Indians’ line for a two-yard touchdown with 1:55 left in the first quarter.

The Schalmont offense exploded, and Ravena didn’t have an answer.

Again, Schalmont went with a potent running attack going 46 yards on five plays. Gallo found the end zone from 26 yards away, darting down the left sidelines.

Willis got the call on the next possession, and scored from three yards with 5:14 left in the half.

The Sabres’ defense rose to the occasion when Chas Higgins intercepted a pass and returned it 20 yards to the Indians’ five.

Four plays later, Willis went up the middle for a two-yard touchdown and a 27-0 advantage.

Linebacker Kevin Paskevich, who played an outstanding game, took the spotlight when he stripped the ball away from quarterback Connor Zeoli, scooped it up and ran three yards for a touchdown to make it 35-0 at halftime, and the Indians’ crowd was silent.

“We expected a close defensive game, and it got away from us early,” Zeoli said. “We didn’t play our best,” said Zeoli. “They’re a great team. We just couldn’t handle it. They have a lot of guys who can do things. Defensively, we couldn’t stop them.”

Willis gained 197 yards on 21 carries, and Gallo had 76 yards on 12 rushes to lead the Schalmont offensive surge.

R-C-S 0 0 0 0 — 0

Schalmont 6 29 13 0 — 48

S-Gallo 2 run (kick failed)

S-Gallo 26 run (Sichak kick)

S-Willis 3 run (Sichak kick)

S-Willis 2 run (Sichak kick)

S-Paskevich 3 fumble (Ramundo pass from Motyka)

S-Willis 1 run (kick failed)

S-Gallo 1 run (Sinchak kick)