Panther Football Team Opens 2009 Season With 39-19 Upset Over Horses

by Gary Danforth
Coach Ron Jones’ Hoosick Falls Central School varsity football team got its 2009 season off to a rousing success last Friday evening, September 4, when they thrashed home standing Schuylerville Central School to the tune of 39-19.
Schuylerville, coming off a Class C sectional final loss to Watervliet a year ago, took a 7-6 lead in period one. Steve Backus took an Austin Bateman pass forty-two yards to pay dirt for a 6-0 Horses lead. Ray Rodriquez’s point after touchdown boot made it 7-0.
Hoosick Falls struck back when senior Alex Hansen scored on a twelve yard run. The conversion points pass failed, and the Horses led 7-6. The Horses widened their lead to 13-6 in period two when Bateman scored from four yards out. The conversion pass failed.
HFCS got back to 13-12 when senior end Logan O’Brien scored on a 23 yard pass from junior Panther quarterback Mike Brewster. Ryan Crobok’s point after touchdown boot knotted the score at 13-13. Schuylerville came right back when senior Brad Lyon scored on a nine yard run. The conversion pass failed. The Horses led 19-13.
Hoosick Falls tied the score at 19-19 when Brewster scored on a 10 yard run. The PAT was errant as the first half ended in the 19-19 stalemate.
Hoosick Falls took the lead for good in period three when Hansen bolted into the end zone from thirty-one yards out, good for a 25-19 Panther lead. Crobok’s PAT boot put Hoosick Falls ahead 26-19. In period four, the Panthers opened up their passing game. Brewster hit senior end Kevin McMahon with a 74 yard scoring pass, and Crobok’s kick put Hoosick Falls ahead, 32-19. Then Brewster fired a 37 yard TD strike to O’Brien, good for a 38-19 Panther lead, Crobok’s PAT boot ended the night’s scoring and left HFCS with their 39-19 opening night win.
Under the Goalposts: Elsewhere around the section in Class C action, Canajoharie, coming up in class from Class D, beat Taconic Hills, 45-3. Taconic Hills is dropping down this year from Class B where they played a year ago. The Titans will not be eligible for the Class C playoffs. Mechanicville beat Hoosic Valley, 28-6. Granville beat Corinth 14-6. Watervliet beat Catholic Central 13-0. Chatham beat Voorheesville 35-14 and Fonda beat Coxsackie-Athens 55-12.
This Friday night Hoosick Falls entertains Hoosic Valley. Hoosic Valley’s varsity football program is only four years old, and you can count their total number of wins on one hand. Forgive me, but the Panthers’ execution on offense is going to turn this into an execution. I predict HFCS will be ahead 28-0, by halftime, maybe more.
Looking ahead at the Panthers’ remaining schedule after Hoosic Valley, HFCS should have no trouble at Brittonkill-Tamarac on September 18 nor should they have much difficulty with Stillwater at home on September 25. HFCS may get a game from Rensselaer on October 2 when the Panthers entertain the Rams. The big game will most likely occur in the Ken Baker Jug Game when HFCS hosts Cambridge on October 9. That game should be for The Jug and North divisional supremacy in Class C. HFCS should run and pass all over Corinth on October 16 on the Tomahawks’s field. The rest of the games will be warm ups for Cambridge.
Circle Friday night, October 9, on your calendars. That should be a dandy.