COLONIE – Though it had already posted a lopsided regular-season win over Canajoharie/Fort Plain in October, Greenwich took to the field for the Class D Super Bowl hungry to make sure it secured its third straight Section 2 title.
A touchdown on the game’s opening play from scrimmage got the Witches off to a good start and, by the time the first half was over, Greenwich held a 42-0 lead on its way to posting a 56-8 championship win Friday over Canajoharie/Fort Plain at Colonie High.
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The matchup between the Witches and Cougars was determined before the season, as the teams were the lone Section 2 football teams competing in Class D this season. Greenwich had won the teams’ regular-season meeting by a score of 60-6.
“This is the first time we’ve gotten three in a row,” Greenwich coach Brandon Linnett said. “We don’t look past anybody. Our kids were very focused.”
Greenwich’s focus was clear in the first quarter. Playing with a 20-0 lead, Keegan Clayton fielded a punt on the Greenwich 48-yard line well after players had stopped, thinking the play was over as the ball lay motionless on the field.
Clayton, who finished the game with 127 yards rushing while recovering a pair of fumbles, picked up the live ball and raced 52 yards for a touchdown and a 28-0 lead for the Witches.
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“I’ve never seen that live before,” Linnett said. “We preach some of that stuff, but you never know if they are actually going to do it. Keegan did a great job.”
Clayton also rushed for a touchdown.
After stopping a Greenwich fourth-quarter possession at its own 6-yard line, Canajoharie/Fort Plain averted the shutout with a 94-yard drive, culminating in Brandon Memrick’s 4-yard touchdown run with 53 seconds left in the game.
Key moment
It didn’t take long for Greenwich to get started.
On the first play of the game from scrimmage, quarterback Brett Traver spotted Omar DeJesus open down the middle of the field, and DeJesus caught the ball at the Cougars’ 35-yard line before creating room to run as he headed to the right sideline and, eventually, the end zone.
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Following Clayton’s run for a 2-point conversion, Greenwich had an 8-0 lead just 24 seconds into the game.
“We had a great week of practice. Everybody worked really hard,” Traver said. “That (play) was planned. We worked on that during the week; we were going deep on the first play.”
Star of the game
Traver finished the game with eight completions on 11 attempts, all in the first half, for 158 yards and four touchdowns.
The senior hit Ethan Mullen for a 3-yard touchdown pass on Greenwich’s second possession and had TD throws to Ethan Saunders and Mullen in the second quarter.
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“First of all, we are all friends and love each other,” Traver said. “We work hard every day. That is the start of it.”
Numbers to know
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285: Yards of total offense for Greenwich in the first half on 31 plays.
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6: First-half possessions for Greenwich. All resulted in touchdowns.
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0: Yards of total offense for Canajoharie/Fort Plain in the first half on 19 plays.
What’s next
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Canajoharie/Fort Plain: The loss ends Canajoharie/Fort Plain’s season with a 3-6 record.
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Greenwich: Now 8-2, the Witches advanced to regionals against a to-be-determined opponent next Friday.
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This article originally published at Greenwich rolls to Section 2 football Class D Super Bowl win.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
