THE POINT AFTER – There’s still two weeks left in the Section II football regular season — well, one week if you’re Class C, two weeks for the other four classifications — but, barring anything crazy, we now know how many of the postseason scenarios will shake out.
Save for a few games that could change seeding, or some truly surprising results over the next two weeks, a lot of the playoffs are already locked in.
That’s particularly true in the largest and smallest classifications.
In Class AA, it seems fairly cut-and-dry that we’ll end up with semifinal matchups featuring No. 1 Christian Brothers Academy against No. 4 Saratoga Springs, and No. 2 Shenendehowa against No. 3 Shaker.
There are still a few things that can change that — Guilderland, currently on the outside looking in, still has a chance to upset an apple cart or two by wrapping up its regular season against Shaker and Shenendehowa, and CBA hosts Saratoga Springs this coming Friday — but the evidence we’ve seen to date this season suggests that the standings as they are now will look exactly the same two weeks from now.
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In Class D, it’s a similarly set scenario. Undefeated Cambridge/Salem has a lock on the top seed and a likely matchup with No. 4 Canajoharie/Fort Plain, and No. 2 Chatham should host No. 3 Greenwich.
This coming Friday’s Canajoharie/Fort Plain vs. Chatham matchup could throw a wrench in things, with a win from a Cougars team that’s rolled off three straight impressive victories — most recently a 16-0 win over Voorheesville that essentially cemented their playoff berth — creating a three-way tie for second place and the return of the dreaded quarter points tiebreaker to sort things out.
The other three classifications have at least a few more questions marks, in some spots.
Let’s start with Class B.
Barring disaster, three teams are guaranteed postseason spots — Glens Falls, Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk and Gloversville. Glens Falls has beaten every other contender in the classification — Ravena’s the only team to come close to sticking with them — and has a clear path to the No. 1 seed. This coming Friday’s Gloversville at Ravena matchup, a rematch from last year’s Super Bowl, will determine second place and which team hosts a likely semifinal showdown between the two.
The No. 4 seed got a little bit of clarity, but there’s still some questions to answer. Lansingburgh got the inside track with its 20-6 win Friday at Scotia-Glenville, but still must take care of an improving Schalmont team, lest another three-way tie pops up between the Knights, Tartans and Sabres.
In Class C, one major question was answered Friday when Warrensburg/Lake George/North Warren essentially wrapped up the North Division title by beating Schuylerville 18-7 — the first Section II loss for the Black Horses in more than three years. The rest of the division sets up fairly simply with Schuylerville in second, Hoosick Falls/Tamarac in third and Stillwater in fourth taking up the remaining playoff spots.
In the South Division, Fonda-Fultonville cleared its biggest obstacle to a division title with its 47-6 win over Cobleskill-Richmondville. A matchup with Broadalbin-Perth is all that stands between the Braves and a perfect regular season. Cobleskill-Richmdonville now has the inside track to the No. 2 seed with head-to-head wins over Broadalbin-Perth and Johnstown, which look destined for the Nos. 3 and 4 seeds, respectively.
And then there’s Class A. Tricky, chaotic Class A.
The Grasso Division, at least, is fairly simple. This Friday’s Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake vs. Ballston Spa matchup will determine if the Scotties can make some noise and reach the playoffs, and the Burnt Hills vs. Niskayuna matchup in Week 8 will determine the division title.
The always wild Capital Division will still have plenty of drama. Averill Park put itself in pole position with its win over Amsterdam on Friday, and can essentially clinch the division with a win this week against La Salle. Meanwhile, if Amsterdam can pick up a win this week against Troy, the Amsterdam/La Salle matchup in Week 8 will determine the Rams’ playoff fate for the third time in four seasons.
So, a lot’s been determined, but still a lot to play for until it’s win-or-go-home time.
Buckle up.
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