Shenendehowa football readies for opener at La Salle

PHOTOGRAPHER: Stan Hudy

Shenendehowa head coach Brian Clawson talks to his team after its preseason scrimmage with Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake on Friday, Sept. 2.

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CLIFTON PARK — Shenendehowa football coach Brian Clawson has two options for his quarterback this fall — but his decision is not made yet.

Clawson used the Week 0 scrimmage against Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake as a “prep course” for the 2022 season — but for his two quarterback candidates — juniors Michael Watley and Blake Mello — it was a final exam.

“There has to be a comfort level from him being in the huddle, feeling that he is the leader of the offense,” Clawson said. “The offense has got to love playing for him because he is going to lead them in the game and throughout the whole season. He has to be able to execute also.”

Friday morning provided a real-time look at the two candidates to assess their skills without the pressure of putting points on the board in an opening weekend game situation.

“You’re not necessarily calling it like you would a game, you want to see different things,” Clawson said.

The starting quarterback decision will be announced after Labor Day as the Plainsmen prepare to face La Salle on the road Friday.

A Johnstown graduate, Clawson invited his high school rival, Gloversville graduate and Burnt Hills coach Matt Shell, to scrimmage for the second year in a row.

“Burnt Hills and Shenendehowa were huge rivals in the ’70s and the ’80s,” Clawson said. “We both like this scrimmage concept instead of a Week 0 game.”

Shenendehowa returns five starters on defense, but just one returner on its offensive unit.

“We have the potential to be a very good football team this year, the players know that,” Clawson said after reminding his squad post-game that there were a multitude of things to work on. “I don’t think they were particularly really pleased with their execution either. This is an opportunity to grow as a football player to learn and not make that mistake again.”

Senior running back Aziz Alozie won’t forget the scrimmage soon.

“They’re gang tackling, that hurts, but it was good, I’ll give them props on that,” Alozie said after the scrimmage.

Alozie agreed with Clawson’s assessment about the scrimmage and his offensive line.

“Even though we messed up, they still tried their best and the energy was high, every single play,” Alozie said. “Even if we made a mistake they would make it better on the next play.”

At 6-foot-5, senior Cody Smith again fills the role Shenendehowa has established as a go-to option on critical downs, using the scrimmage to practice his routes against an unfamiliar opponent.

“I think that using a tight end is a big advantage; some programs don’t use a tight end and I think that most programs should,” Smith said. “I like the idea of using a tight end in the corner of the end zone when you really need a touchdown, need a red-zone first down. I think I can do that for this team this year.”

Smith was confident that the extra week of practice will pay off Friday at La Salle.

“The scrimmage is a good way to get ourselves out there and see what we can really do against a team,” Smith said. “We can take a look at the film and see what we’ve got to improve for the game.”