WEEK IN REVIEW: FOOTBALL
Greg Dedrick
ccSCOOP Sports
Only one local football team was still alive in their quest for a Super Bowl berth this week as Chatham faced off with Cambridge. Hudson, Taconic Hills and Ichabod Crane were each slated to play one last crossover game against another team who was also eliminated from their respective playoffs.
Despite our best efforts, we've been unable to find out any results regarding the Ichabod Crane-Hoosic Valley game that was slated to be played on Thursday.
Cambridge v. Chatham
Taking on one of the more storied small school football programs in all of New York State, the Panthers came in as the higher seed but considered a slight underdog to Cambridge, which was actually ranked higher in the latest New York State poll.
The Panthers took care of business on the ground as usual and also kept their opponents offguard while attempting nine passes, as Chatham won 31-14 and got ready for their second Super Bowl appearance in the past three years.
As he has all season long, Josh Keyes paced the Panther offense with more than 300 yards on the ground. In the opening quarter he got his team on board first with a 35-yard touchdown run, followed by a Mike Gilbert extra point.
The Panthers then found themselves in an unusual position as Cambridge went to the air and scored twice before the end of the first quarter, and Chatham found themselves down 14-7. In the second quarter, the Panthers went back to Keyes, and he responded with two scores. Chatham went up 19-14 and would never look back.
Coming out of the half the Panthers added two more scores as Keyes ran in a 30-yarder and Ryan Coons added a 60-yard trot. Coons rushed for more than 130 yards on the ground in addition to Keyes' massive total.
Chatham threw the ball an unusual nine times with junior quarterback Tanner Niles completing four of them. The vaunted Panther defense continued their strong season of play after having a rough first quarter. The Chatham defense has allowed just one team all season to score on them three times in one game.
Up next for the Panthers is a highly anticipated showdown against fellow unbeaten Hoosick Falls. The Panthers will come in as the slight underdog since Hoosick Falls was ranked seventh in the latest New York State poll while Chatham was twelfth.
Hudson v. Cobleskill
The Bluehawks, who season ended earlier than they had hoped, had a crossover game this week against Cobleskill. Hudson faced the Bulldogs once already this year and came away with an 18-13 win.
In this contest Hudson scored first before falling behind and scoring last to pull out an exciting 22-18 win. Hudson got on the board first when Talib Barksdale hit Tayron Bryant on a 70-yard touchdown strike. Mike Black added the two-point conversion for an 8-0 lead.
Cobleskill responded with a touchdown in the second quarter and two more in the third for an 18-8 lead before Hudson finally got on board again. Barksdale hooked up with the always dangerous Nevin Sheldon this time, and Bryant added the two-point conversion to pull the Bluehawks within two.
In the fourth quarter, Barksdale hooked up with Bryant again for the game-winning touchdown as Hudson pulled ahead for good.
Taconic Hills v. Mechanicville
The Titans' season came to a close this week when they fell 21-20 in a heartbreaker to Mechanicville. The Titans got touchdowns by Nick Warren and Nolan Boice on the ground, while Spencer Winter added a blocked punt for a score.
With less than a minute to play, Mechanicville marched down the field for a score that pulled them within one. Rather than go for the kick and the tie, Mechanicville went for two and converted to pull out the win.
