News & notes

 RPI's women's hockey team has played in streaks this season. They started the season losing four in a row, then won four in a row. After last night's lost to Quinnipiac, 1-0, the Lady Engineers have dropped four straight again to fall to 4-8 on the season.

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Union's women's team can feel the pain. They're 0-6 in ECAC play after losing to Princeton, 4-2. Union falls to 2-10-1 over all with the defeat. Union's men aren't that much better. The Dutchmen went to a shootout before losing to St. Lawrence, 3-2.

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In fact, it wasn't a good day for Union at all.

The Dutchmen football team picked the worst time to see their winning streak end Saturday, falling to Ithaca, 26-7, perhaps looking too far ahead toward the home finale vs. RPI with the Dutchmen's Shoes on the line next Saturday.

RPI, on the other hand, went to overtime before beating St. Lawrence, 22-20. The Engineers & Union are tied atop the Liberty League standings at 4-1 in league play (8-1 overall), so the league title's on the line next Saturday at Bailey Field.

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In celebration of the Atlanta Braves winning the World Series, Shenendehowa alumnus Ian Anderson's ball from Game 3 has been sent to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown as another momento of the 518. That might not be the last item the Hall gets from Anderson.

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After losing to St. Lawrence Friday, RPI's hockey team bounced right back and beat Clarkson, 3-1, on Saturday:

A quick check of the ECAC standings shows RPI tied with Harvard with 9 points apiece. Harvard sits atop the standings, undefeated, despite having played 5 fewer games than the Engineers.

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Saturday's high school scoreboard:

Football:

Class B semi-finals:

Ravena 35, Glens Falls 28. It'll be Ravena vs. Gloversville next Saturday at CBA for the title.

Class D semi-finals:

Greenwich 48, Chatham 20.

Stillwater 31, Warrensburg-North Warren 12. 

Greenwich & Stillwater will meet at Schuylerville next Saturday.

As of press time, Section II has not decided who will host the Class AA title game on Friday or next Saturday's Class A game. Spectrum will broadcast the Class AA title game, a rematch between CBA & Shenendehowa, and could also cover the A title game the next night (Queensbury vs. Burnt Hills).

Women's volleyball:

Class A finals:

Burnt Hills 3, Queensbury 0. Burnt Hills has won 19 straight sectional titles.

Class C finals:

Fonda-Fultonville 3, Mayfield 1.

Class D finals:

Galway 3, Lake George 1.

Men's soccer: 

Class AA state regionals:

Fayetteville-Manilus 2, Shenendehowa 1.

Class B:

Beekmantown & Greenville played to a 1-1 tie. Beekmantown advances via penalty kicks.

Class C:

Maple Hill 2, Madrid-Waddington 0.

Class D:

Mount Academy & OESJ played to a 1-1 tie. Mount Academy advances on penalty kicks.

Women's soccer:

Class AA:

Shenendehowa 2, Fayetteville-Manilus 1.

Class C:

AuSable Valley 2, Schoharie 1.

Class D:

Mount Academy 5, OESJ 0.

High School Fridays: Deja vu (CBA @ Guilderland, 11/5/21)

 Two weeks ago, Guilderland needed a late 2nd half rally to defeat CBA. However, the Brothers beat Shenendehowa last week to secure the #3 seed in Class AA, setting up a rematch, right back at Guilderland, as the defending champions sought to return to the Super Bowl.

After a scoreless 1st quarter, CBA drew first blood on the first play of the 2nd quarter, as Donald Jones picked up a Goebel Peace Prize, hitting Jesse Goebel with a 35 yard touchdown toss to put the Brothers up, 7-0, at the break. This scenario was set up after Guilderland QB Ty Santabarbara was chased so far out of the pocket, he might as well have been running for office. CBA's Jaylen Riggins tracked him down for a huge sack, and the Dutchmen drive ended on a road to nowhere.

Dutchmen coach Dan Penna thought things would be different in terms of scoring, thinking Santabarbara & Jones would light up the sky. Unfortunately, there were more dropped passes than at a picnic, and both clubs opted to keep it on the ground. Both teams also had punting issues. A CBA punt was blocked on the first play of the 4th quarter, and, two plays later, Devon McClaine cashed it in from a yard out. After a Dillon Blanchard PAT, we were tied at 7.

Ok, you're thinking. Could Guilderland do it again? Nope, not this time. CBA's defense kept Santabarbara on the run so much, he could've auditioned for a remake of the old Ben Gazzara drama, Run For Your Life. CBA's running game, which was bottled up for a good chunk of the first half, asserted itself in the final frame. First, Brendan Simek scored from 9 yards out to put CBA up for good. Four minutes later, Jones slammed the door shut with a 4 yard keeper, but the PAT failed, leaving the score at 20-7 with just over 2 minutes left, and time for the Dutchmen to mount a comeback.

However, Santabarbara was called for intentional grounding for the 2nd time in the game. Guilderland then turned it over on downs, and all CBA needed were three kneel downs to lock down a berth in the Super Bowl.

For CBA coach Bob Burns, this is his 1st AA Super Bowl since winning at Troy in 2017.

Up next for the Brothers is a rematch with Shenendehowa, which upset top seeded Shaker, 21-14.

Other scores:

Class A:

Burnt Hills 21, LaSalle 20 (OT). The Kardiac Kadets couldn't convert a PAT that could've sent the game to double OT.

Queensbury 48, Averill Park 35. The quarter point system favored Averill Park, as the Warriors and Amsterdam each had one loss in the Capital Division, so overall record didn't matter, even though if it did, the Rams should've been in the playoff instead.

Class B:

Gloversville 15, Schalmont 14. The Dragons await the winner of tomorrow's Ravena-Glens Falls game.

Class C:

Fonda-Fultonville 20, Hoosick Falls-Tamarac 14. The Braves continued the theme of the night in avenging earlier losses.

Schuylerville 48, Voorheesville 0.

News & notes

 LaSalle's Getachew "Gitch" Hayes has won his 3rd Albany Times-Union Male Athlete of The Week award for the fall season after capturing the individual title in the Colonial Council championships last week. We'd love to see him run in the Troy Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day, three weeks from today.

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There was no momentum transferred from one Shenendehowa grad to another.

Less than 24 hours after Ian Anderson & the Atlanta Braves captured the World Series, Kevin Huerter came off the bench to score 16 points in 22+ minutes in a loss to Brooklyn Wednesday. Don't know what the thinking is having him come off the bench when he had some solid performances as a starter last season.

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Wednesday's high school scoreboard:

Football:

Ichabod Crane 33, Hadley-Luzerne 0.

Men's soccer state sub-regionals:

Class A:

East Syracuse-Minoa 2, Averill Park 0.

Men's volleyball:

Class AA semi-finals:

Columbia def. Saratoga.
Shenendehowa 3, Bethlehem 0.

Women's volleyball:

Class A semi-finals:

Queensbury def. South Glens Falls.

Burnt Hills 3, Averill Park 0.

Class AA semi-finals:

Shenendehowa 3, Ballston Spa 0.

Columbia 3, Colonie 0.

Class B semi-finals:

Broadalbin-Perth def. Hudson Falls.

Academy of Holy Names 3, Ichabod Crane 1.

Class C semi-finals:

Mayfield 3, Chatham 1.

Fonda-Fultonville def. Saratoga Catholic.

Class D semi-finals:

Lake George def. Argyle.

Galway 3, Hartford 0.

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As of now, Troy High's football season is over, and so is South Glens Falls'. The Bulldogs couldn't find an opponent, or reschedule their twice postponed game vs. Troy, so both teams' seasons are over. Troy's sports calendar is empty after Thanksgiving, when bowling season begins.

Update, 1:08 pm: Schedule Galaxy reports that Troy will play a crossover game tonight at home vs. Colonie. Kickoff is at 7 pm. 

LaSalle hockey schedule 2021-2

 LaSalle Institute has finalized its 2021-2 varsity hockey schedule. Coach Tim Flanigan is happy to be back at Hudson Valley Community College's Conway Arena after playing the 2020-1 season at Frear Park, where the Cadets struggled.

The season begins with the return of an annual tradition, as the Cadets travel to Plattsburgh State to play Beekmantown & Plattsburgh on December 4-5, with the two games taking place over a 24 hour period.

Following is the full schedule:

November:

27 vs. Guilderville Storm at Albany County Recreational Facility. The Storm are sharing the venue with CBA & the CD Jets.

December:

4 vs. Beekmantown @ Plattsburgh State.

5 vs. Plattsburgh @ Plattsburgh State.

8 Home opener vs. Bethlehem as high school hockey returns to HVCC.

11 @ CD Jets.

16 CBA. Face-off is set for 5:15. The game was originally set for December 18, but was moved to a Thursday berth. Reason unknown.

22 Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake-Ballston Spa.

27 vs. Brattleboro @ Union College. The Mohawks tournament also returns this season.

28 vs. Tupper Lake @ Union College.

January:

7 @ Albany Academy.

14 @ Shenendehowa.

15 CD Jets (Cadets For Vets IV).

19 Adirondack.

22 Mohawks.

28 Guilderville Storm.

29 @ Saratoga.

February:

2 @ Queensbury.

5 @ CBA (4:45 face-off).

11  Senior Night vs. Albany Academy.

12 @ Bethlehem.

News & notes

 CBA football coach Bob Burns just lost his side gig.

Burns, who still lives in Troy, had switched his political affiliation from Democrat to Troy Strong, an independent party, in Tuesday's election for Rensselaer County Legislature. Unfortunately, that decision proved to be very costly, and likely signals the end of Burns' political career, finishing near the bottom of the ballot with just 323 votes. I suspect there's some backlash involved from his leaving Troy High for CBA back in June.

Burns' focus now is on the Class AA playoffs, which begin Friday with a rematch at Guilderland.

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There may not be a ticker tape parade in Clifton Park, but Shenendehowa's Ian Anderson will be in one in Atlanta, after the Braves won the World Series Tuesday night, 4 games to 2, with a 7-0 shutout of Houston. The Green Machine's alumni department now can focus on their other gift to Atlanta, Hawks guard Kevin Huerter, who was rewarded with a 3 year contract extension over the summer.

Congratulations to Ian and the Braves.

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Tuesday's high school sectional scoreboard:

Men's soccer:

Class C: 

Maple Hill defeated Mayfield on penalty kicks after the teams played to a 2-2 tie after overtime.

Class D:

OESJ 3, Argyle 0.

Women's soccer:

Class C:

Schoharie 3, Waterford 2.

Women's state playoffs:

Class A sub-regional:

New Hartford 6, Queensbury 0.

Class B sub-regional:

Skaneateles 3, Schalmont 2 (OT).

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Speaking of Kevin Huerter, a word to the wise, as he & the Hawks will play Brooklyn tonight, with the game airing on YES and ESPN. So far this season, Huerter is averaging a little more than 20 minutes a game, has made 28% of his shots, 15% from 3-point range, and is a perfect 2-2 at the free throw line.

News & notes

 The World Series returns to Houston for game 6 tonight between the Astros and Atlanta. Should it require a 7th & deciding game tomorrow, Shenendehowa grad Ian Anderson, the game 3 winner, will go for Atlanta. You can only imagine the likely celebration should the Braves win.

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Time to catch up on some recent sectional championships:

Field hockey (Sunday):

Class A:

Shenendehowa 1, Guilderland 0.

Class C:

Hoosick Falls 3, Johnstown 0.

Men's soccer (Monday):

Class AA:

Shenendehowa 2, CBA 0.

Image courtesy Albany Times-Union.

Class B:

Greenville 2, Mechanicville 1.

High school football playoff pairings

 While Section II Class C got a head start last weekend, the football playoffs begin in earnest for the other classifications Friday & Saturday. Spectrum News 1 is hinting they'll cover one of the two Class AA games on Friday, but let's see what lies ahead.......

Class AA:

Shenendehowa, after losing to CBA on Friday, falls into the #4 seed, and will play at Shaker in one of two rematches from the regular season. This is unfamiliar territory if you're a Shen fan, especially after watching Shaker become a Class AA power the last few years, aside from getting bounced by Troy in 2016-17.

The real storyline lies in the rematch between #3 CBA and #2 Guilderland. The defending champions want to get back to the Super Bowl, and a possible rematch with either Shaker or Shen. For CBA coach Bob Burns, it's all about taking the Brothers all the way to Syracuse and the state title in his return to Class AA after three years in Class A at Troy. The Dutchmen won the first meeting, so CBA will be hungering for revenge.

Predictions: Shaker over Shen, but CBA gets payback on Guilderland.

Class A:

With Troy having been gutted with the departure of Burns and Jaylen Riggins to CBA, Averill Park captured the Capital Division title, signaling a changing of the guard in the division. They'll host Grasso Division runner-up Queensbury.

Section II uses a quarter-point system similar to the old Continental Basketball Association, and that explains why, despite losing to Averill Park on October 15, LaSalle gets the second seed in the Capital Division, and a rematch with Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, which gave up a non-conference game to play LaSalle in September after Albany was forced to delay their season until October 1. John Audino's Kardiac Kadets should be better prepared for Matt Shell's defense the second time around.

Prediction: Get ready for another Battle of The Spartans, as it'll be an all-Grasso Division Super Bowl between Burnt Hills & Queensbury.

Class B:

Schalmont hosts Gloversville on Friday night. Ravena visits Glens Falls for a Saturday matinee. In other sports, this would be Colonial Council vs. Foothills Council in each case. Also, Ravena-Glens Falls is an instant rematch, as these two teams just met Saturday, with Glens Falls blowing out Ravena, 42-0.

Prediction: Glens Falls goes back to the Super Bowl for the first time in the post-Joseph Girard III era, and will face Schalmont.

Class C:

The final four consists of Fonda-Fultonville facing Hoosick Falls-Tamarac, while Voorheesville faces Schuylerville. Fonda is coming off a 60 point upset of Watervliet, and hot. But not for long.

Prediction: Form will hold, and we'll see Hoosick Falls-Tamarac meeting Schuylerville.

Class D (Saturday):

Schuylerville will also host a Class D doubleheader, as Greenwich faces Chatham, and Warrensburg meets Stillwater. Cambridge-Salem, the former perennial power, has already been eliminated.

Prediction: Greenwich vs. Stillwater. For old times' sake.

Of course, I could be wrong.