Randle handles new spot
Quarterback settles in to passing offense with four TD game
Rotterdam
Deft passing exploits are nothing new for Trent Randle. Anyone who has ever played basketball against Randle knows the Schalmont point guard knows how to set up teammates for baskets. Randle delivering passes on the football field is a new endeavor for the senior standout. Saturday afternoon, Randle showed how quickly he is mastering his new position.
Randle, who will play his college football at Division II Mansfield University, displayed his rushing skills in his first two games at his new position. This time, he completed 10 of 12 passes for 163 yards and four touchdowns — including three to senior receiver Darius Green — as Schalmont registered a 46-14 Class B Reinfurt Division victory over Lansingburgh.
Schalmont (3-0 overall, 2-0 Reinfurt Division) scored touchdowns on all five possessions during the first half to open up a 34-0 advantage against Lansingburgh (3-1, 2-1), a program that won just once total during the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
Randle, who rushed for a combined five touchdowns in wins against Hudson (41-0) and Niskayuna (27-13), connected with Green on touchdown tosses covering 41, 26 and 48 yards. The senior even looked off a safety a couple of times before hitting Green with passes, showing he is picking up the subtle nuances of his new position.
“We have put countless hours in on the field. It is all paying
off,” said Green, who finished with six receptions for 132 yards. “Practice makes perfect.”
“Each week, we have taken three or four concepts going into a game and start working on them on Monday,” Schalmont coach Joe Whipple said. “We go through any looks he might see and any adjustments.
They are starting to get on the same page, which is nice.”
The Sabres went for a fourthdown play on their side of the field in the game’s opening drive. On the next play, following senior running back Rodney Parker’s conversion, Randle using a pump-fake before hitting Green in stride just 1:43 into the game.
The Knights went backward on their opening series as two snaps sailed over the head of quarterback Matt Rodriguez. Schalmont needed just three plays to extend its lead to 14-0 on a Randle-to- Green hook-up from 26 yards out.
“The timing of the routes was a little shaky at the beginning of the season. Now that we are rolling, I am getting the hang of it a little bit more,” Randle said.
Parker culminated the next two possessions with touchdown runs covering 1 and 22 yards and Green’s third touchdown reception saw the senior break three tackling attempts to reach the end zone with 3:40 remaining in the second quarter.
When asked about Randle’s evolution at quarterback, Green said, “He has gotten a lot better. He has gotten way more physical, he is faster and he knows he needs to be a leader.
As he was, he was a slot receiver. He comes in and coach asks him to be QB. That is hard for a lot of players, first year in a new position. He has stepped up. He said he could do it and he is doing it right.”
“I am going to do whatever it takes to get as comfortable as possible by Week 6 or 7 for the (classification) championship,” Randle said.
Parker sat out the fourth quarter after injuring his shoulder. He rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns and Randle added 81 yards on six carries. The defense limited Lansingburgh to 203 yards on 52 plays and recorded four sacks as Parker and Mark Nardini finished with two each.
The Knights reached the end zone in the second half on touchdown runs from Izayah Bashford and Rodriguez, who also threw for 144 yards.
Schalmont still has division road contests upcoming against Cobleskill (Week 5) and Holy Trinity (Week 6). Because four of the six Class B games in Week 1 were scrimmages, the top team from the North and Reinfurt Divisions will meet in Week 7 to determine the winner of the classification in the seven-week Fall Season II format.
“We dictate what happens next,” Randle said. “It is on us to see what happens in the future.”