All three Montgomery County high school football teams saw their seasons come to an end this past weekend.
Though none advanced past the Section II semifinals — Fonda-Fultonville and Canajoharie/Fort Plain were both eliminated in the semis, while Amsterdam missed the playoffs via tiebreaker and wrapped up its season with a crossover win over Bethlehem — all three area teams finished the season with winning records.
Here’s a look back at how each team performed in 2022.
AMSTERDAM
The Rugged Rams got their season off to a flying start, and finished strong, but a three-game losing streak to start October and a tendency to start slow left coach John Homich’s team on the outside of the playoff picture looking in .
For the second straight year, Amsterdam, which finished 6-3, missed out on a playoff spot in the Class A Capital Division due to Section II’s quarter points tiebreaker. Amsterdam, La Salle and Troy finished in a three-way tie for second place in the division, but La Salle — which lost 41-14 to Amsterdam in the final week of the regular season — finished with the most quarter points and ended up in the playoffs.
Hampered by injuries in their midseason losing streak, Amsterdam’s powerhouse offense still put up staggering numbers. The Rams scored 311 points in nine games, led by an astounding season from senior quarterback Jhai Vellon, who accounted for more than 3,000 yards of total offense. Vellon completed 69.7% of his passes for 2,295 yards and 22 touchdowns, and added another 754 yards and 14 scores as a runner.
Receivers Louie Gonzalez and Ceasar Thompson combined for 95 catches, 1,609 yards and 17 scores. Thompson, despite missing a game, caught 53 passes for 1,032 yards and eight touchdowns — including a 10-catch, 224-yard, two-touchdown game in the finale against Bethlehem.
FONDA-FULTONVILLE
In head coach Mike Mancini’s first season at the helm, the Braves were perfect through the first nine games of the season. They started with a close win over Section III Class B opponent Central Valley Academy, then reeled off eight consecutive wins by at least 27 points.
Unfortunately for Fonda-Fultonville, the season ended last Friday with a 14-13 overtime loss in the Section II Class C semifinals against the same Schuylerville team that eliminated the Braves in the 2021 Class C Super Bowl.
While the ending was tough to swallow, the season as a whole saw a number of standout performances. Senior Jackson Cusack made the full-time shift to quarterback in 2022 and established himself as one of the area’s top dual-threat playmakers, who also starred as a defensive back and return specialist. Owen Hicks and Jonathan Cranker, long-time defensive stars, maintained those roles while also making the biggest contributions of their careers on offense. Nate Mycek, Jackson Croucher, Peyton Webber, Karsen Bulan and Jose Vargas were among a number of standout contributors on one of the deepest small-school teams in Section II.
CANAJOHARIE/FORT PLAIN
After a 1-2 start to the season, the Cougars bounced back in late September and early October with a three-game winning streak that vaulted the program back into the Section II Class D playoffs.
Coach Shannon Hyney’s team ultimately fell to undefeated Cambridge/Salem, 52-6, in the Class D semifinals, although to date Canajoharie/Fort Plain is the only team this season that’s scored double-digit points against Cambridge/Salem in a game, having done so in a 47-12 loss in Week 2.
Canajoharie/Fort Plain finished 5-4, but the team’s two non-Cambridge/Salem losses — to Greenwich and Chatham — were both in close games.
Jayden Johnson emerged as a two-way standout, with Cody Hyney, Jaxon O’Neil, Aidan Bowerman, Zach Herget and Jordan Hayes among other top performers.
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