Glens Falls' Girard III repeats as football player of year

PHOTOGRAPHER: Peter R. Barber

Joseph Girard III led Glens Falls to a state title.

For the second year in a row, Glens Falls senior quarterback and safety Joseph Girard III has been named the state Class B Co-Player of the Year for his exploits on the football field.

Girard III shares the New York State Sportswriters Association honor with Batavia senior running back and linebacker Ray Leach. Girard III led his Indians past Leach’s Blue Devils 55-32 in the Class B state title game when he threw for two touchdowns and 314 yards, ran for two scores and intercepted a pass. Leach ran for 410 yards and three touchdowns in that game, and also threw for a touchdown and caught a scoring pass.

Girard III set a Section II record last fall with 3,166 passing yards and tossed 37 touchdown passes, two shy of the Section II record set in 2017 by Holy Trinity’s Joe Tortello. Girard III also ran for 399 yards and scored 16 touchdowns with two on punt returns and another on a fumble return.

Glens Falls went 16-1 in playoff games that Girard III started at quarterback, with a state championship run in 2016 when he was named to the all-state first team. Girard III was tabbed the NYSSA’s Class B basketball Player of the Year following his junior season when he set the all-time New York scoring record, and the Syracuse commit earned first-team laurels as a sophomore and freshman.

This year’s all-state Class B first-team football cast includes Glens Falls place kicker Sam Hogan and Hudson linebacker Spencer Goldstein.

End Nacier Hundley and defensive back Nelon Priest of Holy Trinity were selected to the all-state Class C first team for the second year in a row, and are joined by teammate Wil Lawson, the soccer standout who excelled in his first year as the Pride’s kicker.

Cambridge/Salem running back Tommy English and defensive tackle Nate Genevick, and Stillwater defensive tackle Brian McNeil and offensive guard Brody Peacock, are Section II’s other Class C first-team honorees. Genevick was an all-state Class D offensive line first-team pick in 2017.

The all-state Class AA and Class A teams will be released next week.

CLASS B

Co-Player of the Year

Joseph Girard III, Glens Falls, QB/DB, 12.

Offense

Sam Hogan, Glens Falls, PK, 12 (first team); Haydon Broockmann, Ichabod Crane, OL, 11 (second); Hunter Edwards, Cobleskill-Richmondville, RB, 11 (fifth); Trent Girard, Glens Falls, OE, 12 (fifth); Aalijah Sampson, Glens Falls, AP, 10 (fifth).

Defense

Spencer Goldstein, Hudson, LB, 12 (first); Kyle Vachon, Glens Falls, LB, 12 (second); Donovan Pacatte, Cobleskill-Richmondville, DB, 12 (second); Stratton Sherman, Schuylerville, DB, 12 (second); Darnell Green, Schalmont, LB, 12 (third); Thompson Collins, Glens Falls, DL, 12 (fourth); Nick Danahy, Glens Falls, DL, 11 (fourth); David Barclay, Glens Falls, LB, 11 (fourth).

Honorable Mention

Caleb Condon, Hudson Falls, QB, 12; Shane O’Dell, Schalmont, QB, 11; Josh Wallace, Hudson, RB, 11; Dante Calderone, Broadalbin-Perth, OE, 11; Connor Hermanson, Hudson Falls, OE, 11; Terrelle Bonner-Welch, Glens Falls, L, 12; Spencer Lindstead, Cobleskill-Richmondville, L, 12; Pat Nichols, Cobleskill-Richmondville, L, 12; Ben Reid, Hudson Falls, L, 12; Jared Thivierge, Schuylerville, L, 12; Brodryk Benton, Broadalbin-Perth, LB, 12; Connor Girard, Glens Falls, LB, 12; Paul Harshbarger, Schuylerville, DB, 12; Justin Carte, Schuylerville, AP, 12.

CLASS C

Offense

Tommy English, Cambridge, RB, 12 (first); Nacier Hundley, Holy Trinity, OE, 11 (first); Brody Peacock, Stillwater, OL, 12 (first); Wil Lawson, Holy Trinity, PK, 12 (first); Joe Tortello, Holy Trinity, QB, 11 (second); Triston Schermerhorn, Chatham, RB, 12 (third).

Defense

Nate Genevick, Cambridge/Salem, DL, 12 (first); Brian McNeil, Stillwater, DL, 11 (first); Nelon Priest, Holy Trinity, DB, 12 (first); Sean King, Chatham, DL, 11 (second); James Galarneau, Stillwater, DB, 11 (second); Ja-Del Whitfield, Holy Trinity, DB, 12 (third).

Honorable Mention

Sam Richard, Hoosick Falls, QB, 12; Kaleb Taylor, Chatham, QB, 12; Tyler Linendoll, Cambridge, RB, 12; Jake Palmer, Voorheesville, RB, 12; Mason Seymour, Stillwater, RB, 11; Jeffrey Vincent, Hoosick Falls, RB, 12; Noah Foster, Holy Trinity, OE, 11; Nate Miller, Hoosick Falls, L, 12; Sterling Spoon, Watervliet, L, 12; Jordan Dean, Cambridge/Salem, LB, 11; Jimmy Kelleher, Lake George/Hadley-Luzerne, LB, 12; Ian Owens, Voorheesville, LB, 12.

CLASS D

Offense

Jesse Griffin, Warrensburg, RB, 11 (second).

Defense

Evan MacDuff, Warrensburg, DB, 12 (first); Brendan Covey, Whitehall, LB, 11 (second); Matt Fusco, Hoosic Valley, LB, 12 (second); Jake Moore, Whitehall, LB, 12 (second).

Honorable Mention

William Scofield, Hoosic Valley, RB, 12; Brandon Bailey, Warrensburg, L, 12; Ryan Etu, Fort Edward, L, 12; Hunter Mosher, Warrensburg, L, 12; Dominic Smith, Hoosic Valley, L, 12; Isaac Carlo, Hoosic Valley, K, 12.

Reach Gazette Sportswriter Jim Schiltz at 518-395-3143, [email protected] or @jim_schiltz on Twitter.