Senior powers A.P. to 2-seed
MCSHANE
Dan Mcshane is a senior fullback for the Averill Park football team.
Mcshane rushed for 76 yards and two touchdowns Friday to help lead the Warriors past La Salle 20-13 to secure the No. 2 seed from the Class A Capital Division. The senior is playing in his third varsity football season. He also competed two years on the varsity basketball team and will shortly embark on his fourth season with the track and field team.
Headed to play his college football at Utica, Mcshane and his teammates look to advance as the Warriors (4-1) travel to take on Burnt Hills (5-0) in the semifinals.
Q: There are a number of athletes that had their fall seasons pushed back to the Fall Season II format. I imagine it is a little unique to be playing football games in March and April. What has it been like?
A: It is definitely a weird experience. Right now, pretty much everyone would be prepping for baseball, track and lacrosse. People that want to play their fall sport in college are pretty much getting done now and soon will be getting ready to play again in college. That is going to be a weird experience, but also a fun one.
Q: The team opened with two wins and then went to Troy and lost 46-0. What was the feeling coming out of that game, knowing you had to win in Week 4 and Week 5 in order to qualify for the Class A playoffs?
A: Coming out of that game, I feel for the team it was an eye-opener. If we want to accomplish what we want to accomplish, we really needed to tighten up our execution on offense, defense and special teams. We needed to go all-out in practice every play, maximize everything and get better every rep. We were
helping each other compete in practice and made each other better. I feel like we showed what we could do after that game against Amsterdam and La Salle. Hopefully, we will keep going as we will be put to the test against Burnt Hills.
Q: The Amsterdam game was the latest in a string of highly competitive football games between the two programs, this time a wild 41-40 win. It had to be fun and nerve-racking to compete in, so explain what the experience was like?
A: It was a crazy game, probably the most exciting and gut-wrenching game I have ever played in. It was also our Senior Night, so that played a big role in the emotions that night. With all the back-and-forth and back-and-forth, we knew we needed to execute and stop them. When they got the ball in their hands, they were good with it and shooting back at us. The offense was firing on all cylinders that night, and it came down to the two-point conversion we stopped. The energy in that game was crazy, and we were trying to feed that energy to the defense from the sideline. I believe it was Olin Wagner and a couple of the defensive lineman that stopped (Amsterdam’s Garrett Mcheard). The place just went nuts and I was kind of speechless. You don’t play in a game like that every day.
Q: The game against La Salle essentially was a playoff game, as the winner advanced to meet Burnt Hills and the loser would shift into playing a crossover. The offense was not as prolific, but put together one long sustained drive in the second half covering 88 yards that provided a 20-7 lead. That drive had to feel good and was really what you wanted to do, right?
A: We were planning on doing that
to start the first quarter. Obviously, their defense was doing a good job. After halftime, we sorted everything out and saw what we could improve on our offense. We made some game-time adjustments. I think with all of our guys, everyone really stepped up and executed. That drive in the third quarter going into the fourth quarter was really the big point in the game in how we ran down time, around 10 minutes off the clock, and punched it in. Our defense was playing very good that night, and we were confident with them out there. I feel like that is when our offense showed what we can do. We got rolling. We are going to need that again this week.
Q: Fullback in the Averill Park offense has been an important element in coach Zach Gobel’s attack. How much pride do you take in being part of that tradition and being as productive as you are?
A: I take a lot of pride in that. It is not just me. It is Olin Wagner, Anthony
Cordero and Daniel Milanese. It is great to be part of the productive and efficient fullbacks that can pound a defense, especially in our triple-option offense. It is the first option you need to develop. The fullback also has to block for the quarterback and even the slotbacks. One of the most important things is pass-blocking for the quarterback, giving him the time he needs.
Q: What was it about the situation at Utica you felt comfortable with?
A: It was a long process for me. I was talking with a couple of schools. After a long conversation with my family, it just felt like home and where I wanted to be for the next four or five years. They have a great program and I am excited to be a part of it. I know some other guys from Section II going there, two from Amsterdam and one from Scotia. I like the location and they have great academics. I could not be happier.