CLIFTON PARK – Glens Falls had to earn every bit of its third straight Section 2 Class B football championship on Saturday night.
In a rematch of last year’s Class B Super Bowl against Averill Park, which saw Glens Falls win in blowout fashion, the story was much different this time around.
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The Black Bears prevailed 28-21, on behalf of a go-ahead touchdown run in overtime from Brayden Bennett, in a back-and-forth contest that encompassed everything from long extended drives, to big plays, fourth-down attempts, fumble recoveries and interceptions.
“I would be lying if I said this wasn’t these guys’ goal coming in,” Glens Falls head coach Pat Lilac said after the title win. “Most of them have been on the two previous teams that won, and I know they would have been disappointed with anything less than a sectional title. That, combined with how they had to fight and come from behind, it makes it that much more satisfying and I’m really proud of them for that.”
After Averill Park took the lead in the first quarter, the two teams traded jabs in the second. Glens Falls tied the game when quarterback Chase McTague connected with Samuel Canale on a 54-yard touchdown reception.
The Golden Knights took the lead back later in the period when Mason Phelps bolted up the sideline for a 44-yard receiving touchdown on a pass from Mason Sansone.
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“Hats off to Averill Park for their game plan,” Lilac said. “They came and took it to us in the first half. They kept our offense off the field and they took away the things that we do best. We made some adjustments at halftime to some things that we don’t typically do, and we were able to get some momentum and ride that into the fourth quarter.”
Down 14-7 at halftime, Glens Falls tied the game once again in the third quarter, as McTague completed a drive with a goal-line run.
It then made the most of an Averill Park fumble, which was forced by Jeffery Woodell and recovered by Nicholas Romeo. After the turnover, the Black Bears took their first lead of the game, 21-14, late in the third quarter when Steven Endieveri reeled in a 25-yard touchdown pass from McTague.
Key Moment
Averill Park was able to tie the game, 21-21, late in the fourth quarter, but not without the help of backup quarterback Vincenzo Merola.
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With starter Mason Sansone briefly sidelined after taking a hit, Merola came on for the Golden Knights and promptly threw a 34-yard pass to Braeden Kilgallon, putting the Golden Knights in scoring position.
Sansone returned to complete the 17-play, game-tying drive with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Griffin Baker, with less than two minutes left to play.
“All you can do is forget that play and move on to the next one,” Lilac said. “I think both teams had some situations like that, but in games like this where it’s so back and forth … you have to forget (the last) play and move on to the next one.”
Glens Falls attempted a 35-yard field goal in the final seconds of regulation, but it was blocked by Averill Park, and the game was sent to overtime.
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Star of the game
McTague had his hand in the first three scores for Glens Falls on Saturday, but it was Bennett who ran in the go-ahead touchdown from 16 yards out in overtime to put his team in position to clinch its third straight title.
Since every team gets a possession in overtime, the Glens Falls defense then had to hold off the Golden Knights one last time – and, on fourth down, Jacob Hubert came away with a game-ending interception to seal the victory for the Black Bears.
“We worked so hard for this, from the loss last year (in the state semifinals),” McTague said. “We really want to get back to that game and this is a step in that direction. We have a lot of stuff to work on. We have to refocus for next week, go into states and just play how we play.”
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Numbers to know
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10: Section 2 titles for Glens Falls, including seven under Lilac and the program’s third straight.
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4: Interceptions in the game, two for each team. Glens Falls’ Hubert ended the game in overtime with a pick, while Endieveri intercepted a screen-pass attempt in the final seconds of the fourth quarter. Landen Welcome had both interceptions for Averill Park.
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3: Fourth-down conversions during Averill Park’s opening drive, which lasted nine minutes and 11 seconds on a 16-play drive. The Golden Knights converted fourth downs of eight yards and four yards, before Kody Thompson finished off a fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line to score a touchdown.
What’s next
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Glens Falls: Continues its perfect 11-0 season, and will take on either the Section 7 or 10 champion in the regional championship game, either next Friday or Saturday.
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Averill Park: The Golden Knights finish their season with an overall record of 9-2.
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This article originally published at Glens Falls defeats Averill Park in overtime to win Section 2 Class B championship.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
