September 07, 2006
Week 2 Preview
(Forgot to publish this in the afternoon...)
Three huge football games today around the capital region. I'm going to break them down somewhat for you right now.
Class A: BH-BL @ Glens Falls
I've had Burnt Hills at the top of my initial preview and my week 1 power rankings. But that was not an easy choice. One could also justifiably put last year's Class B section winner Lansingburgh, reigning state champ Amsterdam or Glens Falls at #1. Burnt Hills went on the road and beat Gloversville 34-13 last week, while Glens Falls enjoyed a 35-0 shutout of Averill Park. QB Danny Wilhelm led the way for GF with a rushing TD and two more in the air. But the defense was spectacular, allowing no points and putting seven on the board themselves (a Harrison Barton interception returned for a touchdown). Meanwhile, the Burnt Hills ground game was sensational last Friday, with the two-headed monster of Kyle Holmes and DJ Moore combining for 289 yards and four touchdowns. Kris Barone did play very well as quarterback for Gloversville, racking up 270 passing yards and two TDs, but they still only put 13 points on the board. This game should be very interesting on both sides of the ball - BH-BL's vaunted ground game will be the first real test for the GF defense, while Wilhelm's ariel attack will test the Spartans' defense. My pick: BH-BL 33, Glens Falls 20
Class B: Cobleskill @ Hudson
Cobleskill and Hudson are back-to-back on my power rankings (#3 and #4, respectively) after impressive wins over Watervliet and Broadalbin-Perth. With Lansingburgh gone, there's no clear favorite in the class (especially after Ravena almost lost to Hudson Falls last week), and both teams have a realistic shot at the Class B crown. Cobleskill beat Watervliet 44-21 last week, while Hudson blanked Broadalbin-Perth 33-0. Nick DeChristopher and Aaron Christman rushed for a combined four TDs and almost 200 yards for Cobleskill, but Willie Simon scored four touchdowns himself for the Blue Hawks. I can't really find any reason to pick one team over the other, so I'll go with home-field advantage as the deciding factor and take Hudson. My pick: Hudson 27, Cobleskill 26
Class C: Cambridge @ Hoosick Falls
Cambridge is new this year in Class C (jumping up from D last year), but they already earned the top spot on my Class C power rankings. They crushed Salem 35-0 in the season opener. Their spread offense is very impressive (and, by all accounts, a hell of a lot of fun to watch), but it was RB Sam Luke doing most of the scoring for the Indians last Saturday - 184 rushing yards and three TDs. But Hoosick Falls will be near the top of the class this year as well. The Panthers beat Schuylerville, 41-24, in a rematch of last year's class title game. Senior RB Jon Burns ran for 215 yards and three TDs, leading the way for Hoosick Falls. This is another hard-to-predict game - it will be a great test for both defenses and offensive lines, not to mention the running backs themselves. But I think that Cambridge's offense is too versitile to beat here. My pick: Cambridge 42, Hoosick Falls 27
Some other games to keep your eye on this weekend:
Lasalle @ Nisky - will any of the middle-of-the-pack AA teams emerge as a title contender?
Chatham @ CCHS - will CCHS recover from a bad loss, or will Chatham put up 71 points again?
Mohon @ Lansingburgh - L'burgh should win this game, but Mohon is not a bad team.
Three huge football games today around the capital region. I'm going to break them down somewhat for you right now.
Class A: BH-BL @ Glens Falls
I've had Burnt Hills at the top of my initial preview and my week 1 power rankings. But that was not an easy choice. One could also justifiably put last year's Class B section winner Lansingburgh, reigning state champ Amsterdam or Glens Falls at #1. Burnt Hills went on the road and beat Gloversville 34-13 last week, while Glens Falls enjoyed a 35-0 shutout of Averill Park. QB Danny Wilhelm led the way for GF with a rushing TD and two more in the air. But the defense was spectacular, allowing no points and putting seven on the board themselves (a Harrison Barton interception returned for a touchdown). Meanwhile, the Burnt Hills ground game was sensational last Friday, with the two-headed monster of Kyle Holmes and DJ Moore combining for 289 yards and four touchdowns. Kris Barone did play very well as quarterback for Gloversville, racking up 270 passing yards and two TDs, but they still only put 13 points on the board. This game should be very interesting on both sides of the ball - BH-BL's vaunted ground game will be the first real test for the GF defense, while Wilhelm's ariel attack will test the Spartans' defense. My pick: BH-BL 33, Glens Falls 20
Class B: Cobleskill @ Hudson
Cobleskill and Hudson are back-to-back on my power rankings (#3 and #4, respectively) after impressive wins over Watervliet and Broadalbin-Perth. With Lansingburgh gone, there's no clear favorite in the class (especially after Ravena almost lost to Hudson Falls last week), and both teams have a realistic shot at the Class B crown. Cobleskill beat Watervliet 44-21 last week, while Hudson blanked Broadalbin-Perth 33-0. Nick DeChristopher and Aaron Christman rushed for a combined four TDs and almost 200 yards for Cobleskill, but Willie Simon scored four touchdowns himself for the Blue Hawks. I can't really find any reason to pick one team over the other, so I'll go with home-field advantage as the deciding factor and take Hudson. My pick: Hudson 27, Cobleskill 26
Class C: Cambridge @ Hoosick Falls
Cambridge is new this year in Class C (jumping up from D last year), but they already earned the top spot on my Class C power rankings. They crushed Salem 35-0 in the season opener. Their spread offense is very impressive (and, by all accounts, a hell of a lot of fun to watch), but it was RB Sam Luke doing most of the scoring for the Indians last Saturday - 184 rushing yards and three TDs. But Hoosick Falls will be near the top of the class this year as well. The Panthers beat Schuylerville, 41-24, in a rematch of last year's class title game. Senior RB Jon Burns ran for 215 yards and three TDs, leading the way for Hoosick Falls. This is another hard-to-predict game - it will be a great test for both defenses and offensive lines, not to mention the running backs themselves. But I think that Cambridge's offense is too versitile to beat here. My pick: Cambridge 42, Hoosick Falls 27
Some other games to keep your eye on this weekend:
Lasalle @ Nisky - will any of the middle-of-the-pack AA teams emerge as a title contender?
Chatham @ CCHS - will CCHS recover from a bad loss, or will Chatham put up 71 points again?
Mohon @ Lansingburgh - L'burgh should win this game, but Mohon is not a bad team.
# posted by Kevin @ 9:00 PM 
