BUSH’S TDS ENOUGH FOR 5- 0 SHAKER
Blue Bison hold off Raiders rally in Colonie Cup
COLONIE, N. Y. » Jack Bush simply said he was looking for a lane when he caught the kickoff to start the opening half. Once he broke a tackle and saw the outside, there wasn’t much that Bush would have his third touchdown of the day before Colonie even had a single point.
“Luckily their kicker was slow enough that I got by. Once I got in, I felt the adrenaline from the fans in the section and I was just very happy.”
It was one of those weird games where neither teams goes home feeling good, and neither team goes home feeling bad, either.
Shaker held on for a 40- 30 win in the Colonie Cup, led in large part by Bush. But the Blue Bison nearly blew a 33- 0 secondhalf lead. The postgame message from head coach Greg Sheeler was tense, at best. But the Blue Bison were still able to celebrate. Colonie goes home with a loss, but still showed fight and capability in an already impressive season.
“We came out and played well,” Sheeler said. “They were fired up. It was a homecoming game. Hats off to Colonie for playing a big second half. We certainly didn’t play to the best of our ability in the second half. Hats off to them.”
Bush registered three touchdowns, including a kickoff return to start the second half that
made it 33- 0. He also ran in the first two scores of the game. The wheels came off a bit after that. With the score 40- 7, Colonie scored a touchdown then got the ball back on the onside kick and nearly scored on the very next play.
The latter TD run was from nearly midfield to make it 14- 0. He had 95 total rushing yards on the day. Ravion Burt also had two TDs, including one before halftime where he eluded several tackles near the sideline.
The only thing on Shaker’s side in the second half was the clock. Had there been more time, those 33 points might have evaporated. Even on the final play before Shakerwent into victory formation, it fumbled the ball and barely recovered it. Still, a win is a win and it improved the Blue Bison to 5- 0, a week before they face top- ranked Troy.
“It’s bittersweet,” Bush said. “We took home the cup, and we didn’t do it by a lot. This game is for the community. We all wanted to put a shutout on them. Colonie is a great team, 4- 0, both undefeated. I’m very happy we won, just need to make some corrections.”
Getting the shutout seemed like a possibility at halftime. As the team ran off the field at halftime, Shaker fans along the sideline told the team to hold them to zero. And even when Colonie did score, the packed Blue Bison student section chanted, “scoreboard!” But the scoreboard kept getting closer and closer.
“I think our kids got a little hyped up for this game in the beginning,” Colonie head coach Eric Rouleau said. “I think they came out just a little too hyped up. They let it get away a little bit. That second half shows us a lot of pride. A lot of ability. I don’t think there’s any question. I think we can hang with any teamand I think these guys just proved it.”
In the first half, the Blue Bison out- gained Colonie 255- 18. That script flipped in the second half. Colonie had won only four games each of the past two seasons. The Garnet Raiders won their first four games to start this season. But Shaker is one of the perennial powers in Section II Class AA. And even if the hosts didn’t play well the whole game, they played better than Colonie did.
Shaker will face an even bigger test next week when it takes on the defending Class AA state champion — Troy.
“We’re playing the No. 1 team in the state next week,” Sheeler said. “That’s what we got. To play like this, not going to work. We’ve got to play much better.”
Morrisville