Voorheesville clinches top seed
Blackbirds nest on top of division



VOORHEESVILLE — The Voorheesville football team was on the cusp of reaching one of its major goals on Saturday afternoon.

As afternoon approached evening, the Blackbirds had reached the top.

The Birds blasted winless Coxsackie-Athens, 41-6, to win the the Southern Division of Class C and secure a number-one seed for the sectional tournament that starts on Saturday.

Voorheesville will host Granville, the number-four seed from the Central Division, at Thomas Buckely field on Saturday. Kick-off will be at 2 p.m.
"We got it done," said Voorheesville Coach Joe Sapienza. "For me, the thing that makes me the happiest is that today every single guy contributed. It’s great to win the championship. Every single guy on the 30-man roster contributed. You can’t ask for anything more than that."

Voorheesville dominated from the start, scoring on its first three possessions of the game.

P.J. Hognestad capped off a seven-play drive with a five-yard touchdown run.

The drive began at the 37-yard line and featured strong running by Hognestad and Justin Lupien.

A turnover led to the second touchdown for the Blackbirds.

Lupien intercepted a pass at the Blackbirds’ 18-yard line to end a drive by the Indians.

Voorheesville worked the ball down the field, mixing running and pass plays from Andy Catellier to Tim Robinson and Nick Duncan.

Hognestad finished off the drive, following the blocks of his linemen, to reach the end zone for the second time — this time from three yards out.

Cameron Taylor kicked his second extra point to give the Birds a 14-0 lead. Taylor was subbing for Matt Miller who was playing in a soccer game.

Lupien put an end to the next Coxsackie possession as well. He intercepted a second pass at about the Voorheesville 45-yard line and returned the ball to the Coxsackie 32.

Again, Voorheesville moved the ball down the field and Catellier hit Duncan for an eight-yard touchdown pass to cap a 10-play drive.

Taylor added the extra point, and the Blackbirds led, 21-0, with 8:28 left in the second quarter.
"Our first three offensive possessions," Sapienza said, "were our best three of the year."

Coxsackie got on the scoreboard late in the second quarter.

Coxsackie’s Rich Bell intercepted a pass at the Voorheesville 47-yard line.

Five plays later, the Indians caught the Blackbirds’ defense and quarterback Adam Cole was able to complete a pass to David Dingman for a 21-yard touchdown pass.

The extra-point kick was no good, and the Birds held a 21-6 lead.

Shut out

Voorheesville dominated the second half, scoring 20 points and shutting out the Indians in the half.

Catellier hit Robinson for a touchdown pass with 5:20 left in the third quarter. Taylor missed the extra point, but the Birds led 27-6.

Junior Alex Zvinovsky scored for the Birds with 15 seconds left in the third quarter.

The touchdown came two plays after Duncan recoverd a Coxsackie fumble at the Indians’ 22-yard line.

Zvinovsky’s run was good for 12 yards.

Taylor connected on the extra-point kick and gave the Birds a 34-6 lead.

Sapienza substituted freely in the fourth quarter, as the second stringers got the majority of the play in the final stanza.

Pat Jones scored the final touchdown for the Blackbirds with 10:36 left in the game.

Jones scored on a 17-yard run two plays after Matt O’Brien tackled the Coxsackie punter at the 17-yard line after a bad snap.

It was a big day for Voorheesville all around, but the offense was extremely sharp.

Hognestad finished the game with 105 yards rushing on 14 attempts. Catellier competed eight passes for 84 yards and had two touchdowns.

Duncan made three catches for 32 yards and Robinson made four catches for 44 yards.

But the defense was not outshone either. Defensive lineman Sean Fitzmaurice made 11 tackles and Duncan and Sam Pelham recovered fumbles.
"We have been only giving up an average of 11 points per game," Sapienza said, "which is in the top five in Section II. This game keeps us up there. It was impressive."

With the playoffs here, Sapienza feels his team is starting to play its best football.
"I feel like we’re peaking at the right time," the coach said. "But if you look at Class C, it can be anybody’s. Every team is getting better every week and anyone can win it."