Shaker continues win streak versus Shen, 28-14
The Shenendehowa football team didn’t have luck on its side Friday the 13th at home and under a harvest moon as Shaker extended its winning streak against the Plainsmen to eight games Friday night with a 28-7 win at Brent T. Steuerwald Stadium.
Shenendehowa opened the contest with a fumble on the first play from scrimmage giving Shaker the ball on its own 30-yard line leading to the first of Jake Notarino’s three touchdowns on the night nine plays later.
Fate mocked the Plainsmen again as a fumble on fourth down near midfield handed the Bison prime field position and three plays later, another Notarino score for a 14-0 lead.
Down, but not out Shenendehowa responded with a 78-yard drive to close out the first and open the second quarter capped by Dyvante Terrelonge’s threeyard to cut the Shaker lead, 14-7.
That would conclude the Plainsmen’s highlight reel on the night.
Shaker opened up the third with a five-play 74yard drive capped by Porter Nistant’s 59-yard jaunt up the right sideline and subsequent score for a 21-7 lead.
After a four and out by Shenendehowa the Bison kept the ball the remaining seven minutes of the third quarter.
“That first drive in the third quarter was huge, Porter Nistant had some really good blocking, had a huge run, awesome balance,” Shaker coach Greg Sheeler said. “That was a huge part of the game, I think that really gave us some breathing room and allowed us to finish off the game in the fourth quarter.
The Plainsmen were then forced to make changes, in its offense and personnel, Brody Vincenzi inserted for Michael Decker at quarter at the half who didn’t fare better, throwing an interception at midfield early in the fourth leading to Notario’s third score with 3:25 left in the contest and a commanding 28-7 lead.
Shenendehowa would tack on a score on the final drive, a five-yard run by Plainsmen workhorse Billy Beach. The senior all-purpose back finished with 115 yards on nine carries, the bulk of Shen’s 166 yards on the ground.
Notarino would finish with nine touches and 23 yards, but the three scores made the difference Friday night.
“Every year it is probably our toughest game of the year and we know for a fact we’re going to see these guys again down the road in the playoffs,” Jake Notarino said. “It’s just a dogfight every time we play these guys.”
In the condensed Class AA group there are few contests that are available this season to test a team’s skill and mindset with Friday circled for both squads.
“I think going into the game this was a good test for us to see where we were at as a football team,” Shenendehowa Coach Brian Clawson said. “If you look at the overall performance I thought at times we played very, very well, but it wasn’t just consistent for four full quarters.
“When you put yourself in a hole and turn the ball over twice early to a Shaker team, they capitalized on our mistakes and our kids fought back. We came back and we scored a touchdown (first half) and then we got down by a couple more scores and we came back and finished on a good note.” The The early setback doesn’t derail the expectations of the Plainsmen program.
“I think it is a good test to have this early in the season because after a loss like that you get kind of come back down to Earth, re-evaluate where we’re at and plan on where we need to go moving forward,” Clawson said.