It was Homecoming at Troy High. A football tradition since 1982, this year's game saw two teams that appeared to be trending in reverse directions.
Troy had snapped a 3 game losing streak last week in beating Mohonasen. Amsterdam had lost two in a row, in danger of being left out of the playoff chase.
Still, the Rams won the toss, and elected to receive. Star QB Jhan Vellon directed the offense down the field, and took it in himself. However, the PAT sailed wide, and Amsterdam had a 6-0 lead.
Not for long.
Troy came right back, and Michael Dinardo ran it in from 2 yards out. Lineman Cloud Rucker, subbing for injured kicker Phil "Pip" Ryan, nailed the extra point, and Troy had a 7-6 lead after the 1st quarter.
Troy's defense also demonstrated that Vellon is human after all. After an interception, Troy cashed in as Justin Gilmore crashed in from 25 yards out. Rucker's extra point made it 14-7. After a 2nd Vellon interception, Troy went 3 and out. Caesar Thompson returned the subsequent punt 70 yards, and after a 2 point conversion, we were tied at 14.
Not for long.
Dinardo & Gilmore struck again right before halftime, with Gilmore catching a 35 yard pass. Another Rucker PAT, and Troy led, 21-14, at the break.
Despite the recognition early, Rucker all of a sudden was the victim of an identity crisis, as Troy's veteran PA announcer was losing his vision as the night progressed, confusing Rucker & Ryan, because the two are listed close together on the active roster in your program. We just consulted an alleged expert of senior vision.
What a surprise.
Halftime meant the crowning of the Homecoming Queen. Margaret Adams, a standout volleyball player, is the Queen of the Class of 2023.
The only scoring in the 3rd quarter came when Vellon found Thompson for a 8 yard pass play. Another 2 point conversion gave Amsterdam back the lead at 22-21.
Not for long.
A Troy drive in the 4th quarter was capped with a Troy rarity, a field goal, as Rucker drilled one from 22 yards away, putting Troy up for good. After an Amsterdam fumble, Dinardo ran it in from 2 yards out, but Rucker's PAT was blocked, leaving the score at 30-22. With 2 1/2 minutes remaining, things suddenly got tense. And chippy.
On the next Amsterdam possession, there was a little scrum in front of the Troy bench. Offsetting fouls, which only prolonged the drive. Vellon threw his 2nd TD pass of the night (the PA guy didn't bother identifying the Amsterdam player), but the 2 point conversion failed, leaving Troy with a slim 2 point lead at 30-28 with under a minute to go.
Everyone in the stadium knew Amsterdam would go for the onside kick. The first try didn't count, apparently because the referee wasn't ready. On the 2nd attempt, Amsterdam was offside, sending them back 5 yards. Third time seemed to be the charm, despite the fact that it appeared as though the Rams took possession before the ball traveled 10 yards. The officials huddled for what felt like a week.
I'm not so sure about that.
Karma, though, was on Troy's side. Back to back penalties sent the Rams backward, but they recovered to get within striking distance of the goal. However, another fumble, and Troy clinched the game. Dinardo took a knee, and Troy won its 2nd straight, 30-28. Amsterdam suffers its 3rd straight loss, and, at 2-2 in the Capital Division, Troy now owns a tiebreaker against the Rams, sending Amsterdam into a 3rd place tie with a week to go.
Meanwhile, Averill Park & LaSalle went to overtime again, 2nd straight year this has happened between the Warriors and Cadets. LaSalle's 5 game winning streak is history, as Averill Park, now winners of 4 of their last 5, prevailed, 27-21. Amsterdam hosts LaSalle next week, while Averill Park plays Mohonasen, and Troy has Senior Night vs. Columbia.
Other scores:
Soccer season is officially over at Troy High, as the Lady Horses were eliminated by Columbia, 5-0, earlier today in the Class A quarter-finals.
Averill Park 2, South Glens Falls 0.
No comments:
Post a Comment