By Jordan J. Michael

GUILDERLAND –– The Flying Dutchmen football team docked its ship and unleashed an array of scoring on Friday night at home.

Guilderland beat Columbia, 47-7, after pulling away in the second half. Quarterback Ryan Smith rushed for three scores and threw to Matt Ward for two more.

“We continued to play aggressive and fundamentally sound football,” Head Coach Dan Penna told The Enterprise on Wednesday. “My offense is responding well to our playbook.”

Smith rushed six yards for the first touchdown with 6:50 left in the first quarter. E.J. Larcom provided a nice lead block.

Ward had an interception in the final minutes of the first quarter to bring the Dutchmen offense down to the three-yard line. Smith tucked the ball under his arm for another rushing touchdown and it was 12 to 0.

Smith and Ward have been the leaders of the Guilderland offense thus far in 2009.

“Ward is a good all-around football player. He has good hands, runs hard, and hits hard,” Penna said. “Smith is continuing to work on his game and the offensive line is working hard to protect him. He’s coming along.”

Alex Tesoriero brought the Columbia offense down to the one-yard line with a run of 30 yards down the left side with 2:32 left in the second quarter. Tesoriero punched in a touchdown moments later and the score was 12 to 7.

The Dutchmen received the ball and looked to answer Columbia’s score. Smith threw a pass to Peter Quinn for a 40-yard gain and Smith eventually found Ward for a five-yard touchdown through the air.

Guilderland had an 18-to-7 lead at halftime.

“I think that was the key moment in the game,” said Penna. “They scored and we marched right back out there and answered. We took the wind out of Columbia’s sails.”

Smith and Ward traded carries during the first drive for the Dutch in the third quarter. Smith ran for his third touchdown of 5 yards after a fake handoff to Ward. On Guilderland’s next drive, Smith found a wide-open Ward for another touchdown pass.

The Dutchmen were running on all cylinders, 32-7. Smith threw for 226 yards and the offense had 440 total yards.

“Our backfield and receiving core are featured on the offense and it’s their job to make plays,” Penna said.

Ballston Spa, seen by many as a Suburban Council powerhouse, also had a big win over Columbia in week one. Penna isn’t making any comparisons just yet.

“It’s really too early to tell where we are at,” said Penna. “It’s tough to gauge the relativity of a blowout. Ballston Spa is a great team and we still have a lot to prove.”

Guilderland travels to Christian Brothers Academy on Thursday and the schedule won’t get any easier after that.

“We need to be at our best over the next month,” Penna said. “We’re getting better, but so are our opponents.”