GUILDERLAND - The Guilderland football team is sailing into uncharted waters and making history along the way.

The Flying Dutchmen has set a course for a new land and will reach it on Friday night as the Guilderland football team will play in its first ever Section II Super Bowl.

Guilderland clinched the spot with a 21-7 win over Ballston Spa in the Class AA semifinals played at Guilderland on a dark, rainy night.

The Dutchmen will play this Friday night against LaSalle Institute of Troy, the winners of the Liberty Division. The game will be held at Colonie High School at 7 p.m.
"This is the first time Guilderland has ever been to the Super Bowl," said Drew Smith, Guilderland's very excited senior quarterback. "I'm so happy to get there. And I couldn't think of a better way to get there than beating Ballston Spa. They have a great coach and are a great program. We play each other with great respect and pride. They are a great bunch of kids. We have mutual respect."

The win revenged a 32-27 loss the Dutch suffered during the regular season, their only loss of the season.
"Going to the Super Bowl is unbelievable," Smith added. "We want to show our Dutchmen pride. Our motto is" 'The pride is back.'"

Smith has been a big part of why the pride is back for Guilderland football. On Friday, the win was just as much for his play on defense as on offense.

The Dutchmen scored touchdowns on their first two possessions. Ballston Spa cut the lead in half with a touchdown in the second quarter and was driving to get another score late in the half.

Smith had been standing on the sidelines when Ballston Spa had the ball in the first half, but as he watched the Scotties move the ball down the field just before halftime, he put himself into the game.

The Scotties got the ball down to the Guilderland 23-yard line when Eric Marciano picked up four yards on a run. On the next play, Smith subbed in on defense and it was at the right time.

Marciano took a pitch from quarterback Mark Seager and rolled right. Instead of looking to run, Marciano threw the ball toward the end zone. Smith leaped in the air and intercepted the pass landing in the end zone and ending the Scotties' threat, preserving the lead going into the intermission.
"The play of the game was Drew's interception at the end of the first half," said senior linebacker and tight end Paul Malamood.
"That really shifted the momentum," added classmate and fellow linebacker Pete Stanish.

The second half was all about defense, as the rain came down in sheets and the field became sloppy, which played right into Guilderland's strong run defense.

They also made adjustments to the Ballston Spa option offense.
"On the option, we had to trust that the outside guys were going to do their job," said Guilderland Coach Dan Penna. "And they did. They had trust in each other and they stepped up in the second half."
"I can never say enough about Pete and Paul and the defense," Smith said of Stanish and Malamood. "They are out there making things happen."

The Dutchmen defense held Ballston Spa scoreless in the second half and really did not give up many yards as it bottled up the Scotties' running attack.

Smith ended the Scotties last best scoring chance with an interception with about three minutes left in the contest.

"Our best complete game"

By then, Smith had scored his second touchdown of the game early in the fourth quarter to help seal the win.

Guilderland started a drive late in the third quarter at the Ballston Spa 44-yard line.

Smith lost two yards on a run, but junior fullback Jason Lawrence made up 10 of those yards on third down to set up a fourth down. Coach Penna sent the punting unit out onto the field and looked like he was giving the ball back to the Scotties.

But the ball was directly snapped to the up-back Tony Denn and he ran for three yards and gave the Dutchmen a big first down.

The Dutch continued to move the ball and 12 plays later Smith ran from three yards out on a bootleg after reversing field.

E.J. Genzano kicked the extra point, and the Dutch led, 21-7, with 8:31 left in the game.
"The fake punt was a great call by Coach Penna," Smith said. "When he called us off the field, I was upset because I wanted to go for it. But then, after the punt, I was like, 'Good call.'"

Senior running back Paul Booker scored, capping Guilderland's first possession of the game with a touchdown.

The Dutch used 14 plays and took most of the first quarter to put seven points on the board. Guilderland moved the ball with running and passing as the Dutchmen put together one of their best drives of the season.

Booker scored from one yard out and Genzano kicked the extra point to make it 7-0 in favor of the Dutch.

After forcing Ballston Spa to punt, Guilderland got the ball back and added to its lead.

The Dutchmen started at their own 35-yard line and moved the ball up the field.

Smith capped the drive with a 13-yard run into the end zone for a touchdown. Genzano's kick made it 14-0 with 10:15 left in the second quarter.

Booker finished the game with 81 yards rushing on 19 carries through the sloppy conditions. Smith ran for 57 yards on 12 carries. Smith passed for 49 yards, completing four of nine passes.
"It was our best complete game as a team this season," Malamood said.
"It was a great way to do it," Stanish added.

Having a second chance at Ballston Spa was something the Dutchmen were happy to have.
"Since we beat Schenectady [in the quarterfinals] we were thinking about this game," Malamood said. "We didn't need any motivation. Playing Ballston Spa was the only motivation we needed."
"The kids deserve this," Penna said. "We've matured as the season went on. We've made great improvements from game to game."

With its first trip to the Super Bowl comes the toughest contest for the Dutchmen this season. LaSalle has just one loss, to an out-of-section team, and beat Shenendehowa, 42-14, in its Class AA semifinal game.
"LaSalle's got a great team," Malamood said. "We'll have to have a great week of practice."
"We'll be facing one of the strongest and most physical teams in the section," Penna said. "They have two great offensive players in [running back Marquis] Terrell and [quarterback Jared] Henkel. They have a good offensive line. I've seen them on film and it looks like they take control of the line of scrimmage. They have some beef up there."

The Dutchmen will be prepared and ready to play their best on Friday night.

But this version of the Guilderland Dutchmen has accomplished so much more than any other in school history. The program has had only two winning seasons in the last couple of decades.
"We've worked so hard to maintain our focus and not looking at what we've accomplished," Penna said. "This hasn't really hit me yet. I don't know how to react."
"Pete, Drew, and I, we've been playing together since Pop Warner," Malamood said. "And we are finally here. We've been working up for this since we were 10."
"It feels like we've been waiting for this forever," Stanish said. "This is a great way to do it."