The Daniel and Michelle Larkin Family - Shane's 2008 Football Season
 

Horses, Indians meet in Class C North showdown
By PETE TOBEY
tobey@poststar.com
Friday, October 17, 2008 1:35 AM EDT
SCHUYLERVILLE - They have been on a collision course since last year's Class C sectional football championship game, and the stakes are high once again for Schuylerville and Cambridge.

Tonight at 7 p.m., the defending Section II champion Indians travel to Schuylerville to meet the undefeated Black Horses in a showdown for first place in Class C North.

The winner locks up the No. 1 seed for the division, while the loser could be second or third. Hoosick Falls, whose division schedule is complete, is also in the mix.

"It's a playoff game, really," said Schuylerville head coach Greg O'Connor, whose team is 5-0 in the division, 6-0 overall. "First place is on the line and they took the Super Bowl from us last year. It'll be a playoff atmosphere."

The Horses bring a team loaded with speed and talent, led by standout quarterback Austin Bateman and a host of playmakers, like running backs Brad Lyon and Shane Larkin, in a spread-option attack that has averaged 40 points per game. Schuylerville can also prevent points -- they have allowed 43 this season.

"It should be a good test of what happens in the playoffs," Indians head coach Doug Luke said. "We won't see another team like Schuylerville. All the teams in the other division are spread-out teams, but Schuylerville is a special team. They have better athletes, and more of them.

"I don't think there's anyone in the league like Bateman," Luke added. "You have to figure out how to deal with him, then you have to deal with Larkin, then you have to deal with Lyon. They hit you from many directions. All of them can score at any time."

Cambridge (4-1, 4-2) defeated the Horses twice last year, including a 21-20 thriller in last year's Class C final on the way to an 11-1 season.

However, the Indians are much younger and smaller this season. They average 30 points a game, but they lost their season opener to Hoosick Falls and fell to Class B Hudson Falls 42-28 on Oct. 4. Quarterback Kyle Parmenter and running back Alex Bell have been catalysts for Cambridge in recent weeks, as well as its traditional swarming defense.

"They're always well-prepared; what they do, they do well," O'Connor said of the Indians. "Last year, they had more of a power game. This year, their quarterback is more on the edge, they run a lot of play-action and misdirection. We have to make sure we're sound in our schemes and assignments."

Cambridge is coming off a 28-12 win over Corinth, despite missing some players because of injuries and academic issues. The Indians had trouble containing Tomahawks wideout Jordon Charbonneau, who racked up 160 yards and two touchdowns on nine catches.

"We've had problems all year making tackles in the open field," Luke said. "We have lots of little holes that Schuylerville is a lot more capable of finding than Corinth. But we'll go out, give it a shot and hopefully make it interesting."

Notes: Cambridge leads the all-time series 21-14-1, including the last eight meetings in a row. Schuylerville last beat the Indians in 1984.

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