40 DELMAR GUILD 12.pdf - Spotlight Newspapers

Page 32 October 3, 2012 The Spotlight
Lady Eagles win
in North Carolina
The Bethlehem girls cross
country team fi nished fi rst in the
seeded invitational division at
Saturday’s Great American Cross
Country Festival in Cary, N.C. The
Lady Eagles had three runners
in the top 30 and fi ve runners in
the top 40 to defeat teams from
across the eastern United States.
See Page 30.
Follow us
on Twitter
Hear about local sports as
they happen with Rob Jonas —
@jonas_spotlight.
Weekly poll
Who would you trust to
score the winning goal in a
girls soccer game?
Anka Parzych (Niskayuna)
Tara Teal (Bethlehem)
Diana DiCocco (Schalmont)
Morgan Burchhardt (BH-BL)
Go to www.spotlightnews.
com and click on sports to cast
your vote.
Last week’s
poll results:
Who would you trust to
score the winning goal in a
boys soccer game?
Liam Roohan 78%
Chris Schmid 10%
Eric Denny 8%
Ryan Casserly 4%
Guilderland moves into
fi rst place tie with BC
in South Division standings
After some early-season
stumbles, the Guilderland girls
soccer team has risen to the top
of the Suburban Council South
Division standings.
The Lady Dutch (6-2-1) tied
Bethlehem for the divisional
lead with Saturday’s 8-1 victory
over Averill Park in Guilderland.
Four Guilderland players found
the back of the net led by Jess
Capone’s four-goal afternoon.
“I think we have more players
(this year) who are dangerous
(around the goal), and two
players who are excellent,” said
Guilderland coach Curtis Snyder.
Capone had a hat trick before
halftime as the Lady Dutch built
a 4-0 lead against Averill Park.
She then added her team-leading
10
■ Stride Page 31
th goal of the season early in the
second half to put Guilderland
ahead 6-0.
Alyssa Kogelmann contributed
a pair of late goals, and Laurie
Knapp and Angela Luizzi also
tallied for Guilderland.
The Lady Dutch positioned
themselves to tie Bethlehem for
the division lead last Thursday by
defeating a pesky Colonie squad
3-0. With Bethlehem’s 2-2 tie
against Columbia, the Lady Dutch
trimmed the Lady Eagles’ lead to
a half game.
“The Suburban Council is so
tough this year,” said Snyder.
“Look at Columbia. They tied
www.spotlightnews.com
Hitting their stride
By ROB JONAS
jonasr@spotlightnews.com
Sports Editor Rob Jonas
439-4949, ext 422
jonasr@spotlightnews.com
Here
they go
again
Bethlehem meets
Guilderland
for Sectional berth
Shaker’s win changes everything in AA
Normally I don’t lead off my column with
an apology, but I feel I owe one to the Shaker
football team – even if no one asked for one.
I’m sorry I doubted you could beat
Shenendehowa. I’m especially sorry I
doubted you could limit the Plainsmen to a
last-minute touchdown after you scored fi ve
of your own to post a 35-8 victory.
Then again, I doubt I’m the only one who
doubted what Shaker was capable of.
Certainly, history favored Shen in this
match-up. The Plainsmen rolled past Shaker
each of the last three times they met over
the past two seasons, including a pair of
impressive playoff wins.
How each team played entering last
Friday’s game in Latham also played a role
in everybody’s expectations, including
mine. Shen pounded Ballston Spa 49-7 for
its fourth consecutive victory by six or more
touchdowns, while Shaker survived a fi veturnover
performance to edge Schenectady
21-14. My thought was if Shaker committed
any turnovers against Shen, the Blue Bison
would pay dearly.
Boy, was I wrong. Shaker coughed up the
ball twice on a rainy night at home, and the
Blue Bison still won convincingly.
I also thought Shen would dominate
Shaker at the line of scrimmage, just as it
Guilderland’s Alyssa Kogelmann, right, and Colonie’s Kaleigh Fowler
pursue the ball during last Thursday’s Suburban Council South Division
game in Colonie. Robert Goo/Spotlight
From the
S Desk
ports
Rob Jonas
had in each of its last three games against
the Blue Bison. Instead Shaker’s offensive
line consistently opened holes for its running
backs, and its defense took away the corner
routes Shen’s tailbacks favor for big gains.
The end result was Shaker rushed for
more than 400 yards, while Shen’s trio of
Corey Acker, Marcelino Christie and Kyle
Buss couldn’t collectively run for 100 yards.
So, what does Shaker’s performance
against Shen mean in the greater Class
AA picture? For one thing, it means the
Blue Bison are now offi cially the team to
beat for the Section II title. The common
theory was the Plainsmen were that team,
but that theory is no longer relevant to the
discussion. Not after what happened in
Latham last Friday, anyway.
For another thing, it gives Shen’s next two
opponents – Saratoga Springs and Christian
Brothers Academy – a blueprint to work off
By ROB JONAS
jonasr@spotlightnews.com
For the third year in
a row, Guilderland and
Bethlehem meet late in
the Section II Class AA
football season with a
playoff berth on the line.
Guilderland (2-2
division, 2-3 overall) hosts
Bethlehem (2-3, 2-3)
Friday in a game where the
winning team is assured
of a spot in Sectionals,
while the losing team
could be eliminated from
contention.
“It seems to happen
every year,” said
Bethlehem coach Rick
Leach.
Guilderland and Bethlehem
enter this week’s
game as two teams
heading in opposite
directions. Guilderland
defeated Saratoga 30-21
last Friday for its second
win in its last three games,
while Christian Brothers
Academy downed
Bethlehem 61-26 to hand
the Eagles their third loss
in their last four contests.
Guilderland coach Dan
Penna said just because
■ Again Page 31
of when they formulate their game plans.
Saratoga and CBA will see what Shaker’s
defense did to lock down Shen’s running
game, and they will try to duplicate it. Only
Shen can make the corrections necessary
to avoid another shutdown.
Finally, it means Class AA is more wide
open than originally believed. Whereas it
appeared a Shen-Shaker rematch in the
Sectional fi nals was likely before last Friday’s
game, other teams could be in the mix
beginning with CBA. The Brothers have an
explosive run game led by Cameron Wynn,
and their defense has been very good this
year. Schenectady also might be a threat with
its passing attack, but the Patriots need wins
over LaSalle and Niskayuna fi rst to make
the playoffs.
Still, those teams might only be a threat
to beat Shen. I don’t know what CBA,
Schenectady or Shen can do to slow down
Shaker at this point.
The Section II football world is larger than
Class AA, though. To prove it, here are three
more observations from Week 5.
Scotia-Glenville’s return to football
relevance is complete. The Tartans (3-2)
all but assured themselves of a secondplace
finish in the Southeast Division
■ Win Page 30