Chatham makes splash in win vs. Voorheesville
Coach doused after big South Division victory
As Chatham third-year football coach Rich Sitzer proceeded down the handshake line following the conclusion of Saturday’s Class C South Division tussle against Voorheesville, the trap was already set into motion.
Two players had a water bucket primed and ready to dump, but teammates insisted they wait.
Sitzer walked away from talking with Voorheesville coach Joe Sapienza and had a wry smile on his face as he knew what was coming his way shortly. Sitzer turned around and happily accepted his cold fate. The water was refresh-
ing and the team’s performance proved exhilarating to Sitzer and the rest of his staff as the Panthers took firm hold of the division title race with a 42-20 victory.
“It feels good to come up here and get a win against them. ‘Sap’ is a great coach,” Sitzer said. “Any time you can beat a good coach, you know you are doing something right.”
The win had extra special meaning for Sitzer, who previously served as defensive coordinator prior to assuming the head coaching position. His first varsity game as head coach came Sept. 3, 2016, at Voorheesville and the Panthers suffered a 41-25 loss that day.
The Panthers (3-0 overall, 3-0 South Division), ranked No. 18 in the state, never trailed Saturday and used their running game to gain separation.
Chatham senior running back Triston Schermerhorn led the ground game with 11 carries for 166 yards and three touchdowns — including an 86-yard scoring gallop on a toss sweep right with 10:12 remaining.
“They executed better and were more disciplined than us,” Sapienza said. “They flat out made less mistakes and controlled the line of scrimmage. That is a good football team. They are balanced and well-coached.”
Schermerhorn scored on runs covering 1 and 15 yards in the second quarter as Chatham established a 21-6 halftime advantage.
The Panthers proceeded to march 60 yards over 10 plays to score on their opening possession of the third quarter, capped by a 16-yard touchdown pass from Kaleb Taylor to Casey Sitzer.
In all, Chatham ran the ball 33 times for 305 yards and five touchdowns. The final dash of the game from Schermerhorn saw him turn the corner and race untouched down the right sideline.
“They did a great job today. That is how everything happened,” Schermerhorn said of the offensive line. “That last one was just perfect blocking on (the right side). It was wide open.”
“The offensive line has just continued to work and continued to make adjustments,” Sitzer said. “Working on their endurance is something we tried to do over the summer and we tried to sub on the defensive line to keep that offensive line fresh.”
Voorheesville (2-1, 1-1) refused to go quietly, getting an 89-yard kickoff return for a touchdown from Nick Angelo and a 1-yard TD run by Jake Palmer in the fourth quarter.
Ian Owens, the Blackbirds’ senior quarterback, rushed for 101 yards and one touchdown and passed for 113 yards. He was intercepted twice.
“He plays with so much heart and is talented,” Sapienza said.
Sapienza realizes Chatham is in firm control of the division race. He wants to make sure his team properly handles the rest of its schedule.
Sitzer told his players he was proud of them, but added, “We’ve still got work to do.”