by Gary Danforth
Last Friday evening, September 19, the Hoosick Falls Central School Panther football team used a stingy defense to thwart a Stillwater Central School eleven which tried its best to run right over HFCS in the Panthers’ 19-7 win. Stillwater ran the ball the first five plays it had the ball to open period one and kept up its ground attack all night. But its efforts against the Panther defense was done one better by an improving Panther running game. Time and time again Hoosick Falls got big runs from several different backs and did enough on the ground and in the air to push their Class C, North division record to 2-1.
Both teams stalled on their initial drives with the visiting Warriors being contained at their 40 yard line and HFCS coming up short at their 38 yard line. Stillwater fumbled the ball back to HFCS on their next possession, and HFCS gave it back to the visitors via an interception. HFCS bottled Stillwater up at their own 35 yard line on the Warriors third possession. The Panther offense was stopped on their third possession on a fourth and one situation at the HFCS 43 yard line.
A hard hitting Panther defense stopped the Warriors at their own 38 yard line on their fourth possession. Stillwater had passed the ball just twice in its first twenty plays, completing the pass once for 17 yards. HFCS was getting a heavy dose of the Warrior running game.
HFCS would strike first. The Panthers scored on a five play, 65 yard drive. Senior running back Dan Okerman ripped off a 44 yard run. Then Okerman got four more yards on a run. Senior Panther quarterback Kevin Woods got eight yards on an option run to the left. Junior running back Alex Hansen went the final nine yards on two more Panther running plays, covering the final five yards for the game’s initial score with 8:12 left in period two. Junior Hutton Rasmus booted the point after touchdown to give HFCS a 7-0 lead.
HFCS forced the Warriors into a fourth and seven situation at midfield on their next possession. Then the Panther’s Logan O’Brien made a big play, returning the ensuing Warrior punt all the way to the Stillwater eleven yard line. On the next play, Woods ran an option play into the end zone. Rasmus’s PAT boot was wide left with 5:22 remaining in the first half to keep HFCS ahead, 13-0.
Stillwater came right back at Hoosick Falls, scoring on a six play, 60 yard drive. Stillwater completed their second pass of the evening during the drive with Warrior junior quarterback Dan Palmieri running around the right side of the Panther defense from 22 yards out for the TD. Aaron Tanner’s PAT boot got Stillwater to 13-7 with 2:52 left in the opening half.
A running play and two Panther incompletions gave the ball back to Stillwater, who was unable to score again before the first half ended.
O’Brien made another big special teams play to start off the Panther second half. This time he took the Warrior kickoff and galloped all the way to the Stillwater one yard line. The Warrior defense stiffened with two incomplete passes sandwiched around a stuffed run leaving HFCS with a fourth and goal at the Stillwater seven yard line. But Woods rolled right and found Jordan Brogue with the TD pass. A two-point conversion pass failed as the Panthers clung to a 19-7 advantage.
Neither team could move the ball on the opposing defense as Stillwater bogged down at the Panther 44 yard line and their own 35 yard line on their next two possessions while HFCS gave the ball back at the Warrior 49 yard line and had a second pass picked off.
The Hoosick Falls defense continued to bottle up the Warrior attack during their last three possessions with the Panthers coming out on the long end of the 19-7 score.
Under the Goalposts: In other Class C action, Cambridge beat Mechanicville in overtime and Schuylerville, Fonda-Fultonville and Watervliet picked up wins. HFCS travels to Corinth this Friday night in a game which should be very competitive. The Tomahawks, like HFCS, have lost to Schuylerville.