by Steve Bradley
In Friday action at HFCS, the 6 – 0 Panthers faced the 2 – 4 Golden Horde of Granville. When the Panthers put 33 points on the board in the first quarter, it didn’t take a fortune teller to see where this was going.
The Panthers came out roaring, totally overwhelming the Horde from the kick-off. After receiving a squib-kick the Panthers started at their 47 yard line and proceeded to march down the field. Three plays and 53 yards later, quarterback Garrett Wright tossed a 12 yard pass to receiver Damon Dubois. The senior receiver fell into the end zone to record his first ever varsity touchdown and the team’s first six points of the evening. Dubois then kicked the extra point, and the rout was on.
After the kick-off, Granville ran three plays, losing seven yards, and punted. The Panthers took over at midfield and quickly moved down the field to score. Mark Hackett hauled in a 17 yard pass from Wright to complete the drive and, with a missed extra point, the Panthers’ lead was extended to 13 – 0. After a kick-off and interception by Evan Hand on the Horde’s first play, the Panthers had possession on the Horde six yard line. Two plays later Wright called his own number and dove in from the one yard line. Dubois tacked on the extra point, and the Panthers held a 20 – 0 lead.
As the half progressed, Alex Mendez scored on a 16 yard pass from Wright, then Colby Davendonis ran in from 16 yards out to complete the first quarter scoring. In the second quarter Dubois nailed a 30 yard field goal, and Connor McCart, who also blocked a punt, turned a fumble recovery into a TD with a 20 yard return.
By the half the Panthers held a 41 – 0 lead. During the first half the Panthers gained 199 yards; the Horde was held to minus 31. Granville never got into Panther territory.
The second half gave Head Coach Ron Jones a chance to give the junior varsity players some varsity experience. The future starters scored twice. Junior running back Noah LaBarge ran for 122 yards, and was named Offensive Player of the Game. Quarterback Evan McCart ended the scoring with a one yard run.
Dubois was named Overall Player of the Game. Dubois scored one receiving TD, had a 30 yard field goal to go along with five made extra points. In addition, he put the Horde in poor starting position by putting three kickoffs into the end zone then topped it all off with four tackles on defense. Connor McCart was named Defensive Player of the Game with two sacks, a TD on a fumble recovery and a blocked punt that set up a score. Evan Hand once again led the defense with 10 tackles, with LaBarge and Hackett each recording six.
Sectionals Begin
Hoosick Falls is currently ranked #5 in New York State, Class C. They have won six straight division titles and an unprecedented 56 straight Section II games.
With the regular season concluded, the post season begins. The Panthers will start their quest for the Holy Grail, another State championship, on the HFCS field. On Friday night, October 31, at 7 pm they will play the (5 – 2 overall) Chatham Panthers. Because it is a sectional game there will be a $3 admission charge. In the only common opponent matchup, Chatham beat Lake George / Hadley Luzerne 43 – 24. Hoosick Falls defeated LG / HL 41 – 0.