Marlboro advances to state semifinals
Dukes will meet Glens Falls on Saturday with title game berth on line
Marlboro High overcame four first-half turnovers with a heavy dose of defense and rallied to put itself one win away from the state title game Saturday night.
Marlboro, down 13-6 at halftime, bounced back to defeat undefeated Ardsley 27-19 in a Class B quarterfinal game at Dietz Stadium.
The (10-1) Dukes will now play (9-2) Glens Falls of Section II in a state semifinal 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17, at Middletown’s Faller Field. Glens Falls advanced with a 21-7 win over Beekmantown of Section 7 on Friday night.
That winner plays for the state championship noon Nov. 24 at the Carrier Dome.
“I have a group of 20 seniors who want to go to that Dome and they made sure that they came out in the second half and they earned it,” Marlboro coach Brian Beck said.
“I’ve never been there,” Dukes senior quarterback Sam Mongelli said about playing in the semis.
“It feels absolutely great. I’ve seen past Marlboro teams do it. We beat Lourdes here at Dietz one night in probably the craziest game I’ve ever seen. Doing it for the first time in my senior year with all my dudes, man, it’s a great feeling and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.”
Ameer Williams was the workhorse for Marlboro’s ground game, rushing 35 times for 181 yards and one touchdown. Mongelli ran 18 times for 114 yards and one TD and also threw a touchdown pass. Eric Borchert had 84 yards on five carries, including a backbreaking 43-yard TD with 2:55 remaining.
The Dukes were moving the ball well throughout the first half, but the miscues denied them a chance of breaking the game wide open.
“It wasn’t a comeback. We were up in the first half,” Borchert remarked. “It just didn’t look like it.”
Ardsley took the lead on the contest’s second play as Frankie Belarge lofted a 62-yard strike to Vincent Manzi. Belarge had a big day for the Panthers, completing 21 of 34 passes for 300