Shen claims AA title with 35-7 win over Guilderland
TROY, N.Y. >> Football coaches typically don’t ask for miracles in games, especially big games, they ask for commitment, trust and execution on every down. If they are fortunate enough, they get all of those things for 48 minutes and then they get their just rewards – a smile, a win and sometimes a championship title.
The Shenendehowa offense controlled the clock, the line of scrimmage and gave Guilderland a variety of different looks in the Section II Class AA Super Bowl at Troy High Friday night and then let loose a voracious offense that tracked down Dutchmen quarterback Michael Gitto throughout the night, nullifying drive after drive.
The Plainsmen were near perfect on both sides of the ball and the scoreboard, earning its first Class AA title since 2014, 35-7.
“We’re just so happy that we came out and played a great game offensively, defensively and special teams,” Shenendehowa coach Brian Clawson said. “You have to give Guilderland credit, they played really hard for four
full quarters, they were a tough opponent, but you have to give credit to our guys for the second week in a row we really came out and played a complete football game.”
In both halves, the Plainsmen won the grind.
Shenendehowa managed just 14 points in the first half, owning the clock for an eight minute drive late in the first quarter capped by a 25-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Brody Vincenzi to senior wide-out Josh Szwarcberg for the first strike.
The Plainsmen then put together another five-minute 15-play drive capped by senior Billy Beach’s threeyard run with five minutes left in the half for a 14-0 lead in a contest.
While Beach was again the Shenendehowa feature back, Vincenzi who was key to keeping drives alive with plus-yardage on close down and distance plays along with heavy-lifting back Jaysiah Woodrow.
“Our offense is so versatile, we can beat you in many different ways,” Beach said. “Brody is a great runner, he’s a great passer and we just called on him to run the ball a little bit tonight because it was a look they hadn’t really seen and we thought it would work well and it did.”
A two-score lead was no guarantee against a quick strike Guilderland passing scheme that can put a game away quickly.
Credit the Shenendehowa defense that limited Gitto to just six completions on 12 attempts in the first half, all of them in the final drive that ended with a turnover on downs. Two of Gitto’s passes were blocked at the line of scrimmage by the extended paws of the defensive line and the QB was sacked once for a two-yard loss.
The two-score lead couldn’t guarantee a title for the Plainsmen and it didn’t open up the contest until the final stanza.
Another seven-minute drive was capped by Vincenzi’s 29-yard strike in the opposite corner of the end zone to junior tight end Dustin Lewis for the more comfortable 21-0 lead.
“Brody made a lot of big plays,” Clawson said. “In the beginning we asked him to run the football and he really turned out some tough yards because they were keying on Billy early and then the two touchdown passes — that one throw that he had to Josh (Szwarcberg) in this corner of the end zone was a beautiful pass and catch and that one in the corner to Dustin Lewis was a big one too.
“Brody really stepped up and played a heck of a game tonight.”
After another short drive and turnover on downs by the Dutchmen allowed Shenendehowa to take the ball over at the Guilderland 35-yard line. Once again hard work paid off as 235-pound mover and shaker Woodrow shook off or dragged the bulk of the Dutchmen defense 28-yards and into the end zone for the commanding 28-0 lead.
“I saw the end zone and I was like ‘they’re not stopping me,’” Jaysiah Woodrow said. “They were trying to grab the ball; they weren’t even trying to grab me. It’s just a great feeling, man.”
Woodrow would finish with 68 yards on nine carries and his memorable score.
The Guilderland quickstrike offense appeared late as Gitto sent Bradley Igweike long and laid it in his arms for a 72-yard touchdown with less than seven minutes left in the contest.
The Dutchman onside kick was recovered easily by the Plainsmen. Nine plays later, Beach scored his second touchdown of the game, breaking through for a 25-yard score to cap the Plainsmen’s scoring night.
Beach would finish with 186 yards on 26 carries.
“Our two-platoon system we kind of just wore on them, we just kind of broke it open, kept pounding,” Beach said. “The same thing happened the first game, almost a carbon copy of that game, we kept grinding on them, outworking them and everything fell into place for us.”
After watching other teams hoist the Section II championship plaque over the past five years, both on TV and from the opposite sideline, this time it makes its way to Clifton Park.
“All of us have been playing since we were six-, seven-years-old, this moment, we worked our tails off for this moment for years, especially this past off-season,” Beach said. “This is everything coming together, culminating, it feels great.”
Shenendehowa will face the winner of Saturday’s Section IX championship game between Pine Bush and Monroe-Woodbury Friday, November 15 at Shaker High School in the New York State East regional.