by Gary Danforth
Last Friday night, October 23, on Ken Baker Field, on a cold, rainy, windy, 41 degree night, Ron Jones’ Hoosick Falls Central School Panther football team overwhelmed Canajoharie Central School 36-0 in a Class C, Section 2 quarterfinal matchup. On a night more fit for ice fishing than football, Hoosick Falls dominated this game, with the only thing worse than waiting out the final score and the weather being the 75 mile trip back to Canajoharie.
The Panthers forced the Cougars into a fourth and thirteen situation on the game’s opening drive. HFCS wasted little time in overwhelming their foe. The Panthers used a mixture of passing and running to move 70 yards in eight plays. Senior running back Alex Hansen bolted into the end zone from two yards out with 8:13 left in period one to give HFCS a 6-0 advantage. Hansen tacked on the conversion run points for a quick 8-0 Panther lead. Canajoharie could not stop a Panther running game fueled by outstanding blocking from the offensive line. Hoosick Falls just steamrolled Canajoharie.
On the Cougars second possession, Panther senior linebacker Hutton Rasmus intercepted a Canajoharie pass and returned it to the Panther 45 yard line. Six plays later, Hansen broke loose on a 28 yard TD run. Junior Quinn Rasmus booted the point after touchdown, good for a 15-0 Panther lead with 11:18 left in period two.
Again, the Panther defense bottled up the Cougars. Taking over at the Canajoharie 49 yard line, HFCS scored in six plays. Hansen got loose again, this time on a 29 yard TD run. Rasmus booted the PAT, good for a 22-0 Panther lead. There was 5:36 left in the first half. The only question left was when or if the rain would turn to sleet or snow. The wind had a real bite.
Hoosick Falls intercepted a pass on the Cougars’ next possession but couldn’t move the ball. Canajoharie ran two plays before the first half ended.
HFCS couldn’t move the ball on the opening possession of period three. Then the Cougars threatened to score. Canajoharie drove from the Panther 40 yard line to a first down at the Hoosick Falls two yard line. For some reason the Cougars threw four straight incomplete passes. It would be the last time they would threaten the Panther goal line.
HFCS took over and marched 98 yards for another score. Along the way, over twelve plays, the Panthers overcame two holding penalties. Such was the dominance of the Hoosick Falls offense. Junior quarterback Mike Brewster, doing yet another fine job of running the Panther offense, scored from a yard out, good for a 28-0 HFCS lead. The conversion run failed but Hoosick Falls had their big lead with :11 left in period three. It was bitter cold.
On the Cougars’ next possession, the Panthers got another interception. This time HFCS took but three plays to go 70 yards to pay dirt. Hansen got loose for a fourth touchdown run, this one coming from 23 yards out. Quinn Rasmus hit sophomore Tanner Williams for the conversion pass points, good for a 36-0 Panther lead with 7:40 left in this bitter cold contest.
Both teams had one more cold possession with each squad fumbling the ball back to the other team. Finally, the frigid 36-0 Panther win was over.
Under the Goalposts: The only thing worse than sitting through the biting wind during this ball game was walking out to the car after the game. HFCS now faces Granville in a 2 pm semi-final this Saturday, October 31, on Stillwater Central School’s new turf field. I have full confidence that HFCS will take care of the now 7-1 Golden Horde, mostly because the Horde has faced only one team remotely equal to HFCS. In that game Cambridge mauled them by almost 40 points. Cambridge takes on Chatham at 7 pm next Saturday, also at Stillwater. CCS is 7-1 and Chatham is 8-0 with Josh Reyes wearing out opposing defenses. Reyes has been scoring touchdowns like people turn pages in a book. But, I think Chatham hasn’t faced anything like a complete team like Cambridge this season. I think Cambridge may just want another shot at HFCS enough to get by Chatham. If Chatham beats Cambridge they’ll make believers of me. Until they line up against Hoosick Falls. Then, I’ll have to be convinced again.
