by Gary Danforth
The stage is set. Most likely it has been in the works since Hoosick Falls Central School and Cambridge Central School met for the first day of football practice for this 2009 campaign. Last Friday night, October 2, Ron Jones’ Hoosick Falls eleven beat an undefeated Rensselaer High School team 21-7 to raise their overall record to 5-0 on the season and set up a Class C Northern division showdown with Cambridge Central School. The Doug Luke led Indians smashed Mechanicville 42-0 last Saturday to raise their overall record to 5-0. Both the Hoosick Falls Panthers and Cambridge Indians have been wearing opponents out on their way to this most important match up of the season. The winner of the game, played on Hoosick Falls Ken Baker Field, will win the Ken Baker Jug, symbolic of the championship game now played each year in memory of Baker, who devoted most of his football coaching career to building winning programs at both schools. But getting to the game against Cambridge with an undefeated label was not an easy task for HFCS to accomplish against the Class D Rensselaer Rams.
After forcing the Rams into a fourth and nine situation on the game’s first series, HFCS fumbled the ball back to Rensselaer. A stingy Panther defense forced the Rams into a fourth and eight situation. A good looking Rensselaer team stuffed the Panthers’ fourth and one attempt at the Ram 31 yard line.
But the Panthers’ Kevin McMahon intercepted a Rensselaer pass and returned it to the Ram 14 yard line. Four plays later, senior Panther running back Alex Hansen scored from six yards out for a 6-0 Hoosick Falls lead. Junior Quinn Rasmus booted the point after touchdown with 2:57 left in period one for a 7-0 Panther lead.
The Rams couldn’t move the ball and were forced to punt But a roughing the kicker penalty on HFCS let Rensselaer keep the ball until HFCS forced them into a fourth and ten situation at the Ram 47 yard line. HFCS took over and, after recovering their own fumble, completed a nine play, 48 yard drive. This time Hansen scored from three yards out, good for a 13-0 Panther lead. The PAT boot was partially blocked so the score remained 13-0 with 9:37 left in the first half.
The Rams took over at their own 35 yard line and drove to the Panther 21 yard line. Tim Foust hit Jarrid Wilkinson with a touchdown pass to get Rensselaer to 13-6. Mico De Los Santos booted the PAT for the Rams with 4:30 remaining in the first half to get the Rams within 13-7.
With this defensive battle going on, both teams had two more possessions in the waning minutes of the first half with neither team being able to move the ball against their opponent’s defense.
Both defenses held to start period three with the Panther and Ram offenses bottled up at fourth and nine and fourth and fourteen situations, respectively. Then, HFCS moved the ball to the Ram four yard line before coming up empty on a fourth and goal pass. Rensselaer couldn’t move the ball. Then the Panthers drove 46 yards in six plays, scoring on junior quarterback Mike Brewster’s 25 yard TD pass to senior wide out Greg Stifter. Hansen bolted into the end zone for the conversion run which pushed the Panthers’ lead to 21-7 with 10:31 left in period four.
The Rams took over the football but were forced into a fourth and sixteen situation. HFCS could do no better, stalling on a fourth and five play. Then the Rams took their last possession and drove to the Panther 39 yard line. A completed fourth down pass came up short of a Ram first down, and HFCS ran out the clock to preserve their hard earned 21-7 victory.
Under the Goalposts: This Friday night’s game between HFCS and CCS should be a classic. Both teams have potent offenses and stingy defenses. HFCS won the inaugural Ken Baker Jug Game a year ago. To date the rest of the Panther opponents have been pretenders, but Cambridge is the real deal. Doug Luke and his CCS coaching staff haven’t won 109 games in the past eleven plus seasons because they don’t know how to recognize, use and motivate some very talented high school athletes. Somebody’s defense will have to rise to the occasion big time to keep the opposing team from putting up big numbers. I just don’t know which team will do what. Get there early for a parking spot for this 7 pm kickoff. I don’t see the winner losing in week seven so this will most likely be for the Class C Northern division crown.