Voorheesville holds off Red Raiders 146 final charge





VOORHEESVILLE — It came down to one play.

One is all that separated the Voorheesville football team from keeping intact its perfect season.

With less than a minute left in Saturday’s contest in Mechanicville, the hosting Red Raiders had just scored a touchdown to pull within two points, 15-13. Mechanicville then went for the two-point conversion to tie the game, but Voorheesville got a big play from an unlikely source.

Quarterback Jay Conde, who usually doesn’t play defense, intercepted the pass attempt and sealed the win for the Blackbirds.

Voorheesville is now 4-0 this season and sits atop the South Division in Class C.
"I haven’t played defense," Conde said of his play. "I don’t know how I made that play. I haven’t been in that situation."
"I made the call to put him out there," said Voorheesville Coach Joe Sapienza. "He is fast and athletic."

"A great defensive line"

Voorheesville struggled against one of its toughest rivals; Mechanicville entered the game with a 2-1 record. But the Blackbirds made plays when they needed to.

Voorheesville scored on its first possession of the game, but gave up a second-quarter touchdown to go into halftime tied, 7-7.

The Blackbirds scored with 11:09 left in the fourth quarter.

A great punt return by Jimmy Carroll to the Mechanicville 29-yard line gave the Birds excellent field position.

The Birds moved the ball, including an 11-yard completion from Conde to Chris Massaroni, to get to the Mechanicville four-yard line.

After a couple of run attempts by Pat Jones, Conde ran around the left end and dove into the end zone to give his team the lead.

The extra-point kick was blocked, but the Blackbirds led, 13-7.

Voorheesville forced a punt on Mechanicville’s next possession, and got the ball on its own 20-yard line.

On the first play of the possession, Conde threw a pin-point pass to Jordan Murphy, who made a nice over-the-shoulder catch.

The 71-yard pass and catch play put the Blackbirds on the Mechanicville nine-yard line.

The Birds got the ball to the three-yard line on a run by Jones and to the one-yard line on a run by Dan Whiteley. But the Blackbirds could not punch it in and turned over the ball on downs.

Then, like it has all season, Voorheesville’s defense stepped up.

On the next play, Mechanicville quarterback Paul McMillan rolled to his right but was still in the end zone. Voorheesville defensive tackle Dan Flynn tackled McMillan before he could get out of the end zone for a saftety.

The two points gave Voorheesville a 15-7 lead.
"We have a great defensive line," Conde said. "They really stepped up when we needed them with that safety. They work real hard. We were joking before the game, that we have the most safeties. I’m proud of the defensive line."

It was an eight-point lead, but it was not a comfortable eight-point lead.

After a Mechanicville interception at the Voorheesville 18-yard line, the Red Raiders put together an impressive drive. With just 23 seconds left in the game, McMillan capped the 12-play drive with a one-yard touchdown run.

Then the Red Raiders went for two points to try and tie the contest. But Conde intercepted McMillan’s pass and sealed the win for the Blackbirds.

Scoring first

The Blackbirds scored first in Saturday’s game. They held Mechanicville on its first possession and got the ball back and moved down the field.

Conde connected with Murphy on 23-yard pass for the touchdown. Lee Fenner kicked the extra point and the Birds led, 7-0.

Voorheesville held the lead until late in the second quarter.

McMillan scored on a six-yard run to cap another good Mechanicville drive. With the extra-point kick, the game was tied, 7-7, and remained that way until the fourth quarter.

The Blackbirds had one more opportunity to score just before halftime, but a field goal attempt by Fenner was blocked.
"Mechanicville is probably four or five plays away from being undefeated themselves," Sapienza said. "I like the kids they have. They worked and they played great. And that is what makes you better."

Jones rushed for 87 yards on 23 carries. Conde completed 10 out of 15 pass attempts for 161 yards and one touchdown and one interception.

Murphy made four catches for 114 yards and had a touchdown reception.
"We have to make adjustments on offense," Sapienza said. "We have too much talent not to be able to move the ball consistently. We’ll have to make a couple of adjustments."

"Test of character"
"They were ready for us," Conde said of Mechanicville. "We played our hearts out. This is the second team we’ve beaten on guts.
"These games are a test of character," Conde added. "We showed that we have a lot of character and we fight in games and are able to get the job done when something is not working."

The Blackbirds did play without one of their leaders and best players.

Adam Duncan injured his ankle during Mechanicville’s first possession of the game and sat out for the rest of the contest.
"Not having Adam makes a difference on both sides of the ball," Sapienza said. "And not just on the football part, but the leadership part of it. He is our defensive captain. He has also been Pat’s lead blocker for the past two years."
"When Adam Duncan went out," Conde said, "Dan Whiteley did a great job. He stepped up and really led the defense. And we got the job done in the trenches."

Conde was also happy that his offensive line helped him for most of the game.
"The line gave me a lot of time to pass," the quarterback said. "We were able to make plays. He played all right. We lost Adam Duncan in the first series, and to get the win, I’ll take it.
"A wins a win," Conde added. "We’re 4-0. We’ll continue to work and get ready for Chatham."

Big game ahead

The Blackbirds will host the Panthers for homecoming this Saturday. Chatham handed Voorheesville two of its three losses last year, including in last year’s Class C semifinals. Both games were in the small village in Columbia County.

Chatham is 3-1, with its one loss against Watervliet. Voorheesville beat Watervliet last week on a late field goal by Fenner.
"This was a tough game to have sandwiched between the two games," Sapienza said. "But Mechanicville is as good as anyone we play. They still have to play Chatham and Watervliet. They are capable of beating one of those two teams."

Sapienza said that his team will re-group and focus for the big game coming up on Saturday.
"We definitely did not have a great week of practice," Sapienza said. "We’ll get focused this week. That is a given. We have to play better."

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