Spartans cash in on big plays
Quarterback Lapietro connects to propel Burnt Hills
It ended up being a glorious homecoming football game for Burnt Hills on Saturday afternoon. The winning margin was comfortable, yet when things were tight, senior quarterback Darien Lapietro delivered smoothly in the clutch to help gain separation.
With the scored tied in the second quarter against Glens Falls, Lapietro connected with Gordy Adams for a 23-yard pass on fourth-and-7 to keep the Spartans’ third series alive. After the completion, head coach Matt Shell and several of his assistants rubbed their fingers together to signify a ‘money’ play by Lapietro.
“That is the benefit of having a senior demeanor at quarterback,” Shell said.
Burnt Hills produced a prosperous allaround performance in defeating Glens
Falls 55-27.
Following the fourthdown completion by Lapietro to a diving Adams, the Spartans produced three touchdowns over the final 2:56 of the first half to grab a 34-20 advantage.
Senior running back DJ Lashley scored all three of those touchdowns, including one on a 22-yard swing pass from Lapietro that closed the first half.
Burnt Hills called its final timeout with 5.9 seconds left in the second quarter. Shell said Lashley had the option to make a play and not go out of bounds after the catch if he felt he could score. The senior complied with his directive, making his defender fall down after Lashley faked toward the sideline.
“He was coming at me hard, so I cut back,” Lashley said.
“That was a huge play for us,” said Lapietro, who completed 7 of 8 passes for 141 yards. “He is a great athlete. He made a great play.”
Burnt Hills generated several potent plays through its rushing attack with Lashley and senior Vince Daviero taking turns running behind senior left tackle Chris Serafini, freshman left guard Victor Little, senior center Grant Schaffer, junior right end Matt Siedel, senior right tackle Jalen Bocyck and Adams and Bryce Mussen at tight end. The Spartans controlled the clock and gained 322 yards rushing on 48 attempts.
“Our O-line played really well,” Lashley said. “I just kind of ran to the holes and found space.”
The Spartans (6-0 overall, 5-0 Grasso Division), ranked No. 4 in the state, set up a Week 7 showdown against No. 13 Queensbury (6-0,
5-0) by scoring on their first eight possessions Saturday and rolling up 463 yards on offense. The lone series that failed to net points came on Burnt Hills’ last drive when they ran out the clock.
“It was good for us to play a good team and do well,” Lapietro said.
Glens Falls (4-2) drove 80 yards over 14 plays to open the third quarter, capping its march with a 1-yard touchdown run from senior quarterback Joseph Girard III.
Burnt Hills responded quickly, going 85 yards over four plays — the last being a 25-yard touchdown run by Daviero (game-high 170 yards rushing) for a 41-27 edge.
Lashley capped a fivetouchdown performance on the first play of the fourth quarter when he scored on a 1-yard run.
“He is a very good receiver and runs well inside the tackles,” Shell said of Lashley.
The Spartans outgained Glens Falls 463-244. Girard connected on 12 of 23 passes for 201 yards and one touchdown, but the Indians gained just 43 yards rushing on 20 carries.