Troy High put Amsterdam in a box back on Sept. 18.
There was no way for anyone to tell at the time, but it was in fact a cocoon, not a box.
On Saturday, the Rugged Rams emerged from that cocoon fully transformed as the Section II Class A champions, beating the No. 2-ranked Flying Horses 49-35 at Shenendehowa for Amsterdam’s first Super Bowl victory since 2005.
It was a far cry from September, when Troy held a 26-0 halftime lead on Amsterdam and finished off the game despite a spirited comeback by the Rams.
That 0-3 team that was going nowhere is now going to the East Semifinal on Nov. 20.
“I think it’s been a 180 [degree] turnaround, or 360, whatever you want to call it,” Amsterdam senior Bryan Stanavich said. “Everyone’s been playing better, the defense is insane and the coaches are calling the perfect plays at the perfect time.”
Amsterdam (7-3) took a 35-7 halftime lead on touchdowns from four different players, including two by Stanavich. His 70-yard run made it 28-7, and he also threw 30 yards to David Crawford for a TD as the Rams took over with just 55.6 seconds left in the first half and still managed to score from their own 31.
It was a remarkable reversal of fortune from the first meeting between the two teams, which Troy (9-1) held on to win 26-21.
Still, Amsterdam was wary of the Flying Horses, considering they came back to beat Queensbury last weekend despite a 30-8 deficit.
“I’m always nervous until it’s zero-zero on the clock,” Amsterdam coach Doug Edick said. “We knew they could climb back.
“I told them, ‘Listen, they came back against a very good Queensbury team and didn’t quit.’ And they didn’t quit. We had to put it to them and keep scoring. It got scary.”
“We knew they were coming back, but we just stood with it,” Stanavich said.
They did so in large part because of a back-breaking play by Stanavich’s brother, Dale.
Troy got within 42-21 on two TD passes from John Germenerio to Dajuan Hudson in the third quarter, and the Flying Horses were threatening to score again with a first-and-goal from the 4 midway through the fourth quarter, but Dale Stanavich stepped in front of Germenerio’s pass at the goalline and returned it untouched for a TD and, with the PAT, a 49-21 lead with 7:58 left in the game.
“Bryan gets a lot of credit and deserves all of it, but Dale has been amazing on defense,” Edick said.
Amsterdam was able to milk the clock from there and held on comfortably despite a touchdown pass from Germenerio to Ethan Evans to cut it to 49-35.
Edick admitted he never envisioned being in this position when the Rams were 0-3 after the loss to Troy in September.
“Not really. But they bought into it,” he said. “We told them not to worry about who we’re playing. Let’s just get better as a team, let’s worry about Amsterdam. We had 44 kids, we got it down to 31, and the 31 that stayed bought into it.”
Amsterdam 14 21 7 7 — 49
Troy 7 0 14 14 — 35
A — B. Stanavich 44 run (Rodecker kick).
A — T. Holloway 11 pass to Spagnola (Rodecker kick).
T — Hudson 54 pass from Germinerio (kick good).
A — Strudivant 33 INT return (Rodecker kick).
A — B. Stanavich 70 run (Rodecker kick).
A — Crawford 30 pass from B. Stanavich (Rodecker kick).
T — Hudson 28 pass from Germenerio (kick failed).
A — T. Holloway 3 run (Rodecker kick).
T — Hudson 75 pass from Germenerio (Germenerio run).
A — D. Stanavich 99 INT return (Rodecker kick).
T — Germenerio 1 run (run failed).
T — Evans 45 pass from Germenerio (run good).
GAZETTE COVERAGE
Ensure access to everything we do, today and every day, check out our subscribe page at DailyGazette.com/SubscribeMore from The Daily Gazette:
Union men's lacrosse blanked in second half, loses 14-7 to Tufts
Ski Lines: Spring skiing season is here
Sports briefs: Union hockey’s Petruolo enters NCAA transfer portal
UAlbany women's basketball heads into pivotal offseason
3 of men's Final Four teams visited Capital Region during 2022-23 men's basketball season
Categories: High School Sports, Sports
