The varsity football game between Hoosick Falls and Hoosic Valley has been moved to Saturday, October 1, at 7 pm at Stillwater.
by Ryan Mosher
Last Friday night’s Hoosick Falls-Tamarac match up on the gridiron pitted the top two teams in the North Division of Class C. Both the Bengals and the Panthers entered the game undefeated, earning the game the Time Warner “Game of the Week.” The distinction would give the entire Capital Region the chance to see small school football at its best. Ultimately, only one team showed that they were ready to step up to that challenge.
In the steady rain the Panthers struck first, as they have done all season. Quarterback Billy Pine connected with Randy Tutunjian for a 17 yard touchdown pass to get the scoring started. After Hoosick Falls recovered their first of six fumbles in the game, Brad Burns provided what probably could be the play of the year. Racing down the sideline toward the end zone, Burns had just one more defender to beat to score. When the defender moved in to make the tackle, Burns hurdled him and ran in for the touchdown.
In the second quarter Tanner Williams scored on a 33 yard run, and Burns scored again, this time on a 30 yard pass from Pine. Burns also scored on a short run before halftime, giving the home team a 34-0 lead. The Panthers have not allowed a single point in the first half all season.
At this point the field was a full-fledged mud pit, causing the Bengals to have difficulty staying on their feet and handling the ball. Hoosick Falls seemed to adjust much better to the adverse conditions. Unfortunately for Tamarac the conditions would only get worse. Immediately after halftime the rain came down harder than it had all evening.
Williams led off the second half with a 65 yard touchdown run giving the Panthers a 41-0 lead. David Couch and Grady Beck led the defensive charge after that. Couch and Beck each recovered a fumble in the end zone to finish off the Bengals. Tamarac managed two touchdowns in the final quarter, bringing the score to 53-16.
The Panthers took sole possession of first place with the win over Tamarac.
This coming weeks’ game against Hoosic Valley has been moved back to Saturday night, and will be played at Stillwater High School. The field at Hoosick Falls will not be ready to play on after the game Friday.