It was Senior Night tonight at Bethlehem, as the Eagles hosted LaSalle on Friday Night Matchup.
Bethlehem had been a 2nd division team in Class AA the last two years, but dropping down to Class A may have been the best thing that has happened to them. The Eagles had already punched their ticket to the postseason, as did LaSalle, so tonight was all about playoff positioning.
If there was a priority for John Audino's Cadets, it was to avoid a road trip to Burnt Hills in the playoffs for the 3rd consecutive season. The Spartans had ended LaSalle's season two years in a row, and a win would see LaSalle host the other Spartans, from Queensbury, next week.
Bethlehem won the coin toss, and deferred. LaSalle's offense stalled after a drive, and turned the ball over on downs. However, Bethlehem would end up punting. A more sustained drive late in the 1st quarter led to a field goal to give the hosts an early 3-0 lead.
In the 2nd quarter, however, LaSalle finally broke through the Eagles' defense, led by senior tailback Matt Bott, who capped a long drive with a 3 yard run to put LaSalle in the lead. Will Kelly added the extra point to send the Cadets into halftime with a 7-3 lead.
As the rain started coming down in the 2nd half, things got sloppy on both sides. Bethlehem's senior star, Jason Black, lost a fumble, but when LaSalle couldn't cash in on the turnover, Black was given another chance, and he made the most of it, sprinting 64 yards to the house, putting Bethlehem back in front. However, the point after failed, and the Eagles had just a 2 point lead at 9-7.
Back came the Cadets, who marched all the way down the field, with Bott scoring his 2nd touchdown of the game. However, the 2 point conversion failed, leaving LaSalle with a 4 point lead at 13-9 going into the 4th quarter.
But it wasn't long before LaSalle was back in business. Bott picked off Eagles QB Mike Windelmaier, setting up LaSalle deep in Bethlehem territory. Johnny Rivero then hit Bott with a 17 yard catch in the end zone less than a minute into the frame. Kelly converted his 2nd PAT of the night, and LaSalle extended its lead to 20-9.
Bethlehem wasn't done, though. Down two scores, Windelmaier led the Eagles down the field, then hit CJ Franchini with a 23 yard TD pass to cut the lead to 20-15. The 2 point conversion failed again. Try as they could, Bethlehem's defense could not stop LaSalle from running out the clock, and the Cadets clinched 2nd place in the Capital Division for the 3rd straight year, 20-15.
The Class A playoffs are now set:
South Glens Falls @ Averill Park.
Queensbury @ LaSalle.
Bethlehem @ Burnt Hills.
Columbia @ Niskayuna.
Other action:
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