ALBANY – The grit displayed by the Albany football team in its Week 5 game against Guilderland helped the Falcons earn victory, even if that win came at a heavy cost.
A pall was cast over a picturesque Saturday afternoon on Albany’s homecoming weekend when Falcons senior standout Haywood Williams-Watson was injured when his punt was blocked and a collision severely injured his right leg. He was taken to Albany Medical Center.
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In the aftermath, Albany registered a pair of interceptions in the fourth quarter to help preserve a 12-8 victory over the Dutchmen in Class AA play.
“This is very meaningful. We wanted to do it for him,” Albany senior tight end and linebacker said of the team’s desire to win in Williams-Watson’s honor.
Both squads entered Saturday’s game at 1-2 in Class AA play, meaning both needed a win to stay in the race for one of the four spots in the sectional playoffs. Albany (3-2 overall, 2-2 Class AA) remained in the mix after winning its second straight game.
Albany quarterback Jah’Quinn Thompson passes against Guilderland during Saturday’s game at Albany High School. (Stephen Weaver)
“I’m stoked. We got beat up pretty good (in a 75-0 loss to Christian Brothers Academy in Week 3). The resiliency they continue to show is amazing,” Albany coach Mike Ware said. “We won a tough game last week against Mohonasen. Things didn’t got the way we envisioned it go right away. Guilderland played us tough and we made some errors. Kudos to our guys for not letting the mistakes stick with us and we played with a ‘next-play’ mentality at the end.”
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Prior to his injury, Williams-Watson staked the Falcons to a 12-0 advantage with a 5-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and a 65-yard touchdown pass from Jah-Quinn Thompson in the second quarter.
Guilderland (1-4, 1-3) trimmed its deficit in half on a 2-yard touchdown run by freshman quarterback Christopher Postiglion with 40.4 seconds remaining before halftime.
A safety resulting from the blocked punt when Williams-Watson was injured pulled Guilderland within 12-8.
The Dutchmen twice drove deep into Albany territory. Both times, the series was halted by an interception. The first one was picked off by senior defensive back Isaiah Bickley with 10:12 left.
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Guilderland got the ball back quickly and drove to the Albany 3-yard line. On fourth-and-goal, Skirvin intercepted a pass in the end zone
“We talked about a potential tight end pop pass. We talked about it (Friday),” Ware said. “Jaylen made a play. I am very proud of him.”
Albany proceeded to run off the game’s final 5:13 from the clock, which included a fourth-and-1 conversion on a yard run from the Falcons’ 22 by senior running back Nas I with 1:35 left.
The Falcons limited Guilderland to just 120 yards offense over 48 plays.
“We’re very proud,” Skirvin said.
Albany’s Sha’Mier Cooperwood somersaults onto the field prior to Saturday’s game against Guilderland at Albany High School. (Stephen Weaver)
Key moment
The Dutchmen appeared poised to score a tying touchdown in the middle of the fourth quarter, but Skirvin stepped in front of a jump pass thrown by sophomore Elijah Fuller. Before throwing the ball, Fuller took a step forward and then launched his pass attempt.
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“My eyes got wide. I knew I had to catch it,” Skirvin said.
Star of the game
Williams-Watson finished with four receptions for 100 yards, the rushing touchdown and he also broke up a pass in the end zone on a play that ended the first half.
“He has probably been our best player this year so far,” Ware said.
Haywood Williams-Watson of Albany scores a touchdown against Guilderland during Saturday’s game at Albany High School. (Stephen Weaver)
Numbers to know
257: Total yards on offense for Albany. The Falcons gained 210 yards during the first half,
57: Rushing yards gained by Guilderland on 35 attempts.
53: Yards gained on the ground by Albany’s I, with the final yard being the most significant among his 13 carries on the day.
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What’s next
Guilderland: The Dutchmen travel to face Colonie on Friday night.
Albany: The Falcons are set to entertain Saratoga Springs, the 2025 Class AA champions, on Friday night.
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This article originally published at Albany holds off Guilderland to secure a gritty Class AA football victory.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
