Stillwater claims Indian Bowl
New QB sophomore James Galarneu makes first start under center and delivers rivalry win, 48-13
STILLWATER, N.Y. » The element of surprise might have been the best weapon for Stillwater on Friday night against their most firce rivals.
James Galarneu, a sophomore, was given the nod at quarterback over incumbent Sean Kane, and dominated the game in all facets of a 48-13 win over two of the state’s top-ranked teams in Class C.
Head coach Ian Godfrey said it was a “personnel decision”, but also hinted that it might have made sense to switch things up after a not-so-sharp game a week ago.
“We had a tough week last week,” Galarneu said. “We just wanted to get the W today. We thought it was what was best for the team. I mean, I’ve got all the respect in the world for Sean, he’s a great QB.”
Galarneau had his two highlight plays on a 51-yard QB keeper touchdown in the third quarter, and a two-point conversion in the first quarter when he barreled over a defender to reach the pylon. He also had a 19-yard touchdown run to start their scoring off and tie the game early in the first quarter.
On the game Galarneau had three touchdowns. Dan Morris added one, so did Adam Ploutz and Mason Seymour. By late in the third quarter, Mechanicville was doing little to stop any part of Stillwater’s offense.
“They were moving the ball at will,” Mechanicville head coach Craig Cavotta said. “We were struggling to tackle them. On offense, we
couldn’t move the ball at all. They were penetrating up front, and we couldn’t move the ball. We couldn’t get anything going offensively.”
Both rivals came into the game having hugely successful seasons, but Stillwater leaves feeling like it set the two programs apart. And they did it with a new quarterback, who has the ability to run the ball a little better thn his predecessor did.
And he punctuated that night with the longest touchdown run of his career.
“Honestly, that hole was so big, even my coach said, when I got off the field,” Galarneau said. “‘You could drive a truck through that hole.’ I honestly have got to thank my offensive line on that one. They played so hard all night long.”
Stillwater gets to take home the Indian River trophy, and they all jumped in a dogpile when it got handed to them.
Stillwater started out the season with four huge wins, not allowing any more than 13 points. But then came last week, when it looked like all of that good work might go by the wayside for the Warriors.
It may have been a rough 49-6 loss last week that disrupted an otherwise great season. But turning to a new QB, one who had just one start at the position under his belt from last season. It’s a decision that ultimately paid dividends right away.
“He’s a ballplayer,” Godfrey said. “He stepped up. The lights weren’t too big for him. He’s a sophomore, he works really hard and I’m just happy that he had a lot of fun out there.”