Shenendehowa football exacts revenge at homecoming

PHOTOGRAPHER: Peter R. Barber

Nick Cosgrove of Shenendehowa hauls Dylan Honis of Saratoga down to the turf at Brent Steuerwald Stadium Friday. Cosgrove had a dominating game on offense and defense for the Plainsmen.

Share on Facebook

Save

In the days leading up to Friday’s matchup with their archrival, senior Nick Cosgrove said the members of the Shenendehowa football team kept a simple message in their minds.

“What goes around,” he said, “comes around.”

Shenendehowa lost both its games with Saratoga Springs last season, including a defeat in the area semifinals during the Blue Streaks’ run to their appearance in the Class AA state championship game. This year, with the teams’ seasons heading in much different directions, the Plainsmen breezed past Saratoga Springs 31-14 in an Empire Division matchup.

“We came with fire today and the score shows it,” said Cosgrove, who rushed for two touchdowns plus had an interception and two sacks on defense.

“We just came out and played solid football on all sides of the football,” said Shenendehowa head coach Brian Clawson, whose defense also received an interception from senior Tyler McFarland, while senior Nick Michalowski blocked a punt.

Offensively, junior Griffin Wallner led Shenendehowa (3-0, 3-1) with 113 yards and a pair of scores on 16 carries. Wallner’s touchdown runs sandwiched Cosgrove’s pair of scores, while senior Nathan Fankhanel finished Shenendehowa’s scoring with a 30-yard field goal.

Saratoga Springs (0-4, 0-4) got its scores off a short run from senior Jack Cairns, who later connected with senior Connor Sullivan for a 26-yard touchdown.

Saratoga Springs head coach Terry Jones credited his team’s hustle throughout Friday’s matchup, but the Blue Streaks’ miscues were too much for them to overcome.

“We said coming into the game we can’t make mistakes. We can’t have a punt blocked, we can’t have a bad snap on a punt and get tackled behind the line, we can’t turn the ball over,” Jones said. “We did those things.”

Shenendehowa opened the game with a 10-play drive that it capped with the first of Wallner’s scores. Cairns scored early in the second quarter to bring the Blue Streaks within 7-6, but the Plainsmen scored the next 24 points as Saratoga Springs unraveled. Michalowski’s blocked punt set up the Plainsmen’s second score, while Shenendehowa scored its final touchdown of the first half after it tried to punt but regained possession when Saratoga Springs was penalized for having too many players on the field. That costly mistake came with 49.8 seconds to go until halftime, and Shenendehowa capitalized on its extra opportunity three plays later with Cosgrove’s second touchdown of the first half.

McFarland’s interception came on Saratoga Springs’ opening drive of the second half, a play the Shenendehowa senior credited to his team’s coaching staff and scout team for having him ready to make.

“That was all from preparation. I saw that [play] all week in practice,” he said. “That’s a team interception right there.”

Wallner scored two plays later to put the game firmly in Shenendehowa’s control on its homecoming night. Shenendehowa athletic director Chris Culnan said approximately 5,000 fans braved the night’s wet weather for the contest, with $12,000 from money raised through admissions donated to three charitable organizations during a halftime ceremony.

While the loss nearly eliminated Saratoga Springs from playoff contention, Shenendehowa has now outscored its opponents 122-14 since its Week 1 loss to Troy. Saratoga Springs plays host to Niskayuna next Friday, while Shenendehowa will travel to take on CBA. That game between the Brothers and Plainsmen will feature two of the Empire Division’s three undefeated-in-divisional-play squads — Guilderland is the other — in a clash in Colonie.

“We’re not worried,” McFarland said of that high-stakes Week 5 matchup. “We’re ready.”

Saratoga Springs 0 6 0 8 — 14

Shenendehowa 7 14 7 3 — 31

Shen —Wallner 11 run (Fankhanel kick)

Sara — Jack Cairns 4 run (Kick fails)

Shen — Cosgrove 7 run (Fankhanel kick)

Shen — Cosgrove 1 run (Fankhanel kick)

Shen — Wallner 2 run (Fankhanel kick)

Shen — Fankhanel 30 field goal

Sara — Sullivan 28 pass from Cairns (Sullivan from Cairns)