by Gary Danforth
When you win a league title you should feel good about yourself. When you win a sectional championship you should feel very good about yourself. When you win a state regional championship you should feel like you’re on top of the world. And, if you fall one point short of going to the Syracuse Carrier Dome to play for the New York State Class C championship, you’ll most likely have a lot of good stories to tell your friends, neighbors, family, children and grandchildren some day. That is the place the members of the Hoosick Falls Central School Panther football team find themselves after a superlative effort last Saturday afternoon, November 21, in a thrilling 28-27 defeat to Bronxville High School in a New York State Class C semi-final played at Kingston’s Dietz Stadium. It was just a whale of a game and season which the Panthers provided their fans. In the end, the Bronxville Broncos, now 11-0, made the plays which settled the game against Ron Jones’ Panther eleven, who ended their season 11-1.
Hoosick Falls made the 87 mile trek to Kingston and saw the Broncos take a 7-0 advantage. Bronxville gave an indication of
what was to come the rest of the day when they went 70 yards in eight plays for the score. Will Karol caught an eight yard TD pass from Jake Near on the drive’s only passing play. Ryan Grunseich booted the point after touchdown for the Broncos’ 7-0 lead with 8:04 left in period one. The Broncos overcame a holding penalty and converted two third down plays on the drive.
HFCS, like the champions they are, came right back. A reverse by the Panthers on the ensuing kickoff brought them to their own 46 yard line. Seven plays later, sophomore Tanner Williams broke a tackle on a pass over the middle from junior quarterback Mike Brewster for a 28 yard TD score. Quinn Rasmus knotted the score at 7-7 with the PAT boot; 6:32 remained in period one.
A stingy Panther defense forced Bronxville into fourth and eleven and fourth and twelve situations on their next two possessions, the latter coming after the Broncos recovered a Panther fumble. HFCS couldn’t score on their next possession but neither could Bronxville.
Hoosick Falls took over at their own 25 yard line and scored in five plays. A fifteen yard personal foul penalty on the Broncos aided the Panther effort. Senior Logan O’Brien took a pass over the middle and sprinted through the Bronxville defense to complete a 29 yard touchdown pass from Brewster. Rasmus, who had kicked the game winning field goal with 2.9 seconds left against Chatham Central School two weeks earlier in the sectional championship game, saw his PAT go wide right on a day when the wind blew across the field, maybe just enough to keep the ball outside the right upright. HFCS still led, 13-7, with 7:29 left in period two.
Then, HFCS recovered a Bronco fumble on their next drive. The Panthers moved 45 yards in five plays with senior running back Alex Hansen going the final three yards around his right end for the score. Rasmus booted the PAT with 4:21 left in the opening half to give HFCS a 20-7 advantage. Brewster completed two passes and ran a keeper to keep the drive going.
But Bronxville is a very good football team. They did what all good football teams do. They responded. The Broncos marched 58 yards in ten plays for a score with :20 left in the initial half. Dillon Mitchell scored on a two yard run with Grunseich’s PAT cutting the Panther lead to 20-14 at the half.
You can’t give a good team like Bronxville good field position. HFCS started out at their five yard line to start period three. Then a penalty on a Panther punt resulted in a re-kick. Bronxville took over on their 48 yard line. Six plays later, the Broncos tied the game at 20-20 on Mitchell’s 23 yard run. Grunseich put Bronxville ahead 21-20 with 6:06 left in period three. The Broncos were running hard at the Panther defense.
HFCS, like the champions they are, came right back. Quick. HFCS moved 67 yards in two plays. A long pass set up a 16 yard Hansen TD run; 5:26 remained in period three. Rasmus’ PAT boot put the Panthers ahead, 27-21.
Bronxville came right back, moving the ball to the HFCS four yard line before being stuffed on an incompletion and three runs from the Panther seven yard line. What a defensive effort from HFCS. Eighteen plays and Bronxville came up short. The Broncos, going for broke, converted on third down once and on two fourth down plays on the drive but still were stopped by a ferocious Panther defense. There were about eight and one half minutes to be played.
But Bronxville was winning the field position battle. HFCS got one first down before being forced to punt from its own twenty yard line.
Bronxville took over at the Panther 49 yard line. You can’t give a quality team like the Broncos too many cracks at winning a game. With 5:40 to play, Bronxville took over the football. They converted a second and fourteen situation by connecting on a long pass to the Hoosick Falls 20 yard line. Two plays later, John Shkreli scored from two yards out on his first and only carry of the day to give Bronxville a 27-27 tie with 2:45 to play. Grunseich booted the game winning PAT for a 28-27 Bronco lead.
Taking over at their own 33 yard line, HFCS drove to the Bronxville 30 yard line after Brewster hit a short pass and then a long pass to O’Brien. Four consecutive incomplete Panther passes gave the ball back to Bronxville with about 1:40 to play. The Broncos ran out the clock on their hard earned victory over a great Panther team for their 28-27 win.
Under the Goalposts: Bronxville ran the ball hard in the second half and did what they had to do to win this game. HFCS had a fantastic year. How many other teams would have traded places with HFCS to have a shot at going to the Dome for a state championship. A job well done Panthers. You had a great, great season. I can hear those stories now.
