The upside is that the Mighty Warriors were once again able to successfully move the ball towards their opponent. They rushed for 224 yards on 28 carries. Quarterback Michael Montanaro, in addition to 13 carries for 65 yards and a touchdown, was also 6 of 7 passing for 149 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Xavierre Perez-Tucker and Kenyon Holmes also made some great plays.
Defensively, however, Mohonasen gave up two key scores to the Rams late in the game: Jasiah Garcia on a 65-yard touchdown on one play after Mohonasen had taken a 26-21 lead, and Giovanni Gonzalez on an 82-yard return from the right side after. as Mohonasen regained the lead 34-27. It also allowed Amsterdam to gain 315 rushing yards.
I didn't think our defense would be in a situation where we gave up so many points, but we've had situations where our defense struggled, so that's what it looks like. Our offense usually does pretty well,” Mohonasen coach John Gallo said.
“We have some (weapons),” Gallo added, “and I'm sure it's hard to plot against us. Special teams helped us a little and hurt us a little (Friday). We obviously didn't take care of things on that side of the ball. Hats off to Amsterdam. They were down by one quarter because some of their guys weren't on the field, and they rallied around it.
GRADE A CHAOS
It's not every year that the top Capital Division team gets the opportunity to play a regular-season crossover game against the top Grasso Division team with a chance to make a statement before the playoffs.
However, that exact same thing happened on Thursday when Bethlehem (3-0 Capital) visited Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake (3-0 Grasso).
After a thrilling first half, Burnt Hills came out roaring in the third quarter, using that momentum to lead the Spartans to a 44-20 victory.
In addition to Burnt Hills and Bethlehem, in the first few weeks of the season, Columbia, Averill Park, Ballston Spa and Queensbury have shown they can stay competitive in big games.
While this week's win may have cemented Burnt Hills as the team to beat in Class A, at least for now, it's a classification where anything can happen come playoff time.
COLLISION COURSE
It was another week of lopsided wins for Fonda-Fultonville and Cobleskill-Richmondville, and the two teams will face each other next week.
Next Friday, the Valley Hawks will host the Bulldogs in one of the biggest matchups of the Section 2 regular season as they battle for the top spot in the Class C West Division.
On Friday, Fonda-Fultonville defeated Johnstown 54-6, and Cobleskill-Richmondville posted an impressive 56-0 non-ranked victory over Schalmont.
Both teams will enter next week's match with a 3-0 record. The Bulldogs are 6-0 on the season and the Valley-Hawks are 5-1 after being eliminated from non-ranked competition in Week 0.
JOHNSTOWN KLINCZY
This wasn't how Johnstown imagined it would clinch a playoff berth, but it happened nonetheless.
Earlier this week, Coxsackie-Athens announced it was ending the 2024 football season due to the program's lack of numbers. With the Riverhawks absent, there are only four playoff-eligible teams left in the Class C West Division. Hudson, which is a Class C team this year, is not eligible for the postseason because it is technically a Class B school.
Sir Bills defeated Coxsackie-Athens 55-0 in their Week 2 matchup and were still well on their way to winning that spot.
MORE BATTLES
Fonda-Fultonville and Cobleskill-Richmondville aren't the only teams that will be on a collision course next week.
Both Christian Brothers Academy and Shaker are undefeated in Class AA, and both teams are 5-0 in divisional play and 6-0 overall. The Brothers and Blue Bison will meet next week in Shaker, which could be a preview of the Section 2 Class AA Super Bowl.
In the Class B North Division, Mechanicville/Hoosic Valley will face Glens Falls in another battle of undefeated teams looking to make a regular season showing. Both the Black Bears and Mechanicville are 4-0 in division play and 6-0 overall after wins this week.
