by Ryan Mosher
The Hoosick Falls football team was back at it again Saturday night. Crushing the dreams of yet another team looking to end the Panthers’ reign as top team in Class C. This one was not exactly a walk in the park, regardless of the lopsided 32-7 score that the Panthers won by. The Fonda-Fultonville Braves entered the Super Bowl undefeated at 8-0.
The Braves came out firing in their first possession, with quarterback Kody Shaw completing three passes on the opening drive. Unfortunately for him, an untimely sack by the Panther defense meant the Braves would have to punt the ball away.
Hoosick Falls quarterback Billy Pine wasted no time warming up once he had the ball. On the second play Pine delivered a deep pass to Randy Tutunjian for a 52 yard touchdown.
The Braves again attacked with the pass, but despite Shaw’s two more completions, Fonda had to punt again. At this point the two teams’ excellent defenses stepped up and forced each other to punt the ball. The Braves’ defense then stopped the Panthers on fourth down to take over on downs, only to have Pine intercept Shaw in the end zone for a touchback. Pine drove Hoosick Falls back up the field where he ran 34 yards for a touchdown, making it 12-0.
The Panthers seemed to be on a roll, forcing the Braves to punt again on their next possession and then driving the ball deep into Fonda territory. Finally, the Braves came through and ended a Panther run when Don Boyer intercepted a pass on the 13 yard line. They did not score on the possession, and time soon ran out in the half with Hoosick Falls up 12-0.
The Braves came out of the locker room ready for battle and gave the Panthers something to think about right away. The defense held Pine and company to a three and out, and then went on the attack. Wally Kowalski, the Braves running back, carried the ball six times on that drive, carrying the team down the field. Fonda got on the scoreboard when Shaw found Kevin Twardzik for an 11 touchdown pass. The extra point made it 12-7.
That seemed to wake the Panthers up. Fonda attempted an onside kick to no avail, and Hoosick Falls went to work. They battled down the field, where Brad Burns finished the drive with a 5 yard touchdown run. Damon DuBois added the extra point to make it 19-7. While Burns’ touchdown got their offense rolling again, it was a defensive play in the next series that really got the Panthers fired up.
After Fonda got one first down in their next possession, Shaw took the snap and went left looking for a receiver. Shaw found and fired a pass towards an open Twardzik, who could not handle it and tipped it into the air where Ryan Hyde grabbed it and sent the Panther sideline and stands into a frenzy. That would shut the door on the Braves, ending their perfect season. Hoosick Falls would add touchdowns by Tanner Williams and another by Burns in the fourth quarter to give them the final 32-7 score. The Braves gave the Panthers an excellent game despite the score and showed that these were the best two teams in Class C.
This is the Panthers third straight Class C Super Bowl title and their 30th straight Section II victory. They will play again this Friday, at 7 pm, against Saranac Lake at Stillwater High School.