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Entering their first-round playoff game Oct. 23, LaSalle Institute knew the road to the Super Bowl would not be easy. They did not expect to get knocked out immediately, however.

After finishing the regular season 7-0 and winning the No. 1 overall seed in the Class AA playoffs, the Troy school’s football team was stunned by Guilderland, losing in overtime 34-33.

LaSalle (7-1, 5-0) trailed 13-6 at halftime, but rallied in the second half to eventually take a 27-19 lead. But Guilderland (4-4, 2-3) scored a late touchdown and converted the two-point conversion to tie the game and send it into overtime.

In the extra session, Vinny Planz ran for a 20-yard touchdown, but Delory Garrett missed the extra point. Guilderland then responded with touchdown of their own on a Ryan Smith pass to Peter Quinn, and Michael Lavelle sealed the upset by making the extra point.

SARATOGA CATHOLIC
Saratoga Central Catholic High was also involved in an upset playoff thriller Oct. 23, but were able to pull off a 17-14 victory over Lake George. Dave Mulachy and Jeremy Furey each had rushing touchdowns in the first quarter to give Spa Catholic (3-5, 2-5) an early 14-0 lead, but the offense was shut down after that.

After Lake George (5-3, 5-1) rallied to tie the game, Spa Catholic kicker Tim Pompa hit a 21-yard field goal with two seconds remaining to give his team the lead and the Class D playoff win.

Saratoga will play Greenwich in the second round Oct. 30.

ND-BG AND OTHERS
Things were much easier for Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons School in Schenectady on Oct. 25. Derrick Pitts ran for five touchdowns as ND-BG trumped Warrensburg 46-12 in their first-round Class D matchup. The Gibbons (6-2, 4-2) defense did not allow a score until the fourth quarter.

They will face Rensselaer in the second round Oct. 30.

Two other Catholic schools saw their seasons come to an end over the weekend, as Bishop Maginn High in Albany lost to Gloversville 39-0 and Colonie’s Christian Brothers Academy was shut out by Shaker 21-0.

WOMEN’S SOCCER
The Academy of the Holy Names in Albany won the Colonial Council on Oct. 23 by beating Schalmont 2-1, handing the team its first loss of the season. Kierra Moore had two goals and Katie Sawicki had 14 saves for AHN. The new champions finish the season with a 14-3 overall record, going 9-3 in the Colonial Council.

The College of Saint Rose women’s soccer team had a rare test Oct. 24, but wound up passing it to keep their undefeated season in tact. A heavy rain and two overtimes were not enough to take down the No. 2 ranked team in Division II, as Saint Rose beat UMass-Lowell 1-0. Sopho-more Nicola D’Errico won the game with a goal in the 102nd minute.

Along with the game-winning goal, Saint Rose snapped Umass Lowell goalie Jamie Gillis’ shutout record at 1,333 consecutive minutes.[[In-content Ad]]

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