GUILDERLAND - As tears rolled down their cheeks, it was hard to tell that Guilderland had been the dominant team in Friday's football game.

For the first three quarters, the Dutchmen had control of the Section II Class AA Super Bowl and felt on top of the world.

It all came crashing down in the fourth and final quarter.

The Dutchmen were reduced to tears after the LaSalle Institute Cadets scored 28 unanswered points to pull out the 28-17 win on Friday night at Colonie High School.

Guilderland had a 17-0 lead after three quarters.

But the Cadets' offense took control in the fourth quarter, producing two scoring drives off Guilderland punts, and two turnovers resulted in the final scores for LaSalle.
"You could feel the momentum shift," said Guilderland Coach Dan Penna. "The fumble gave them great field position and we gave them a good kick return. You can't do that against a good football team."

LaSalle went up, 21-17, taking advantage of a Guilderland fumble and getting a one-yard plunge into the end zone by junior running back Marquis Terrell.

But the Dutchmen gave it one last effort.

Guilderland started at its own 36-yard line but lost 11 yards on first down. But Guilderland chipped away and got those yards back.

Senior quarterback Drew Smith connected with classmate Paul Booker for a nine-yard pass. Smith them picked up nine yards on a run to put the ball on Guilderland's 45-yard line.

Facing a fourth down, Smith completed a pass to Parker Wolff for seven yards to put the ball in LaSalle territory, giving the Dutchmen a fresh set of downs.

Smith then picked up seven yards on a run and added 11 more to move the ball to the 39-yard line. A face-mask penalty on the second run moved the ball another five yards and Guilderland was in good scoring position at the LaSalle 25. With the score 21-17, a touchdown would give Guilderland the win.

Smith picked up nine more yards on a run. And on the next play, he ran again and picked up some tough yards to get near the five-yard line. Then, all of a sudden, the ball was going the other way.

LaSalle's Brian Beaury grabbed the ball from Smith and ran down the far sideline; he went untouched all the way to the end zone for a touchdown.

The coaches and players, in confusion, were hoping that a referee's whistle had blown or that Smith was down, but Beaury was awarded a touchdown and the Dutchmen's dream of being Super Bowl champions was dashed.

"Big plays"
"He makes plays with his legs," Penna said of Smith after the game. "He fights to pick up extra yards and certain times this year he's made big plays. We have confidence in him. He played a great football game."

The Dutchmen scored first in the contest. Guilderland took the opening kick-off and moved the ball down the field and even overcame two penalties - one for holding and one for a block in the back - to score a touchdown.

The big play of the drive was a 33-yard pass play from Smith to Booker that started on the LaSalle 43-yard line and moved the ball to the 10. Smith lofted a beautiful pass over the shoulder of Booker who made a nice catch and ran down the sideline before being tackled at the 10.

Smith scored on a run on the next play to put the Dutch on the scoreboard. E.J. Genzano kicked the extra point to give Guilderland a 7-0 lead with 5:02 left in the first quarter.

The Dutch were moving the ball on its next possession after forcing a LaSalle punt. They had the ball at the LaSalle 28-yard line after a nice 20-yard run by senior Nick Ranalli. But a fumble was recovered by the Cadets, ending the Guilderland threat.

The Dutch stopped the ensuing LaSalle drive early in the second quarter. The Cadets turned the ball over on downs and Guilderland took over at its own 37-yard line.

Again the Dutchmen moved the ball - with the help of a 38-yard run by Smith - but could not get into the end zone.

Genzano kicked a 26-yard field goal to give Guilderland a 10-0 lead about midway through the second quarter.

The Dutchmen got the ball back quickly as Smith intercepted a pass by LaSalle quarterback Jared Henkel. It was the first play from scrimmage, negating a good return by Terrell.

Guilderland took advantage of the turnover, moving the ball and using up time on the clock. Smith capped the drive with a five-yard run and leaped into the end zone for another six points. Genzano's kick was good and the Dutchmen led, 17-0, with 1:20 left until halftime.

LaSalle's defense tightened in the third and fourth quarter, forcing the Dutchmen to punt the ball.

The Cadets got the ball late in the third quarter and scored early in the fourth as Henkel connected with Lou DiNovo for a 11-yard touchdown pass on a fourth-down-and-goal play.

LaSalle forced another punt and the Cadets took advantage as Terrell scored on a 39-yard run; with the extra point, the score was 17-14 with 5:48 left in the game.

Guilderland fumbled on its next possession and LaSalle took advantage and was able to continue its comeback. Terrell gave the Cadets the lead with a one-yard dive into the end zone.

Smith had an amazing final high-school football game.

He finished the game with 157 yards rushing on 27 attempts. He also threw for 129 yards on eight completed passes.

Terrell finished with 119 yards on 21 carries.

"Dedicated everything"

The loss dampens the spirits of a talented and highly successful senior class and team. The Dutchmen accomplished more this year than any other Guilderland football team since 1971.

It was Guilderland's first trip to the Section II Super Bowl since the game was started in 1978. The Dutchmen finished with eight wins, the most ever for any Guilderland team.
"I'm proud, we had a lot of accomplishments," Penna said after the game. "This is a good thing that will help our football program."

Penna praised his senior class, which includes Booker, and linebackers Paul Malamood and Pete Stanish who have been a big part of bringing the Dutchmen to the title game.
"They've dedicated everything to the game," Penna said. "They looked back at last year and the breakthrough we had and wanted to be even better. They led us to the Super Bowl. This is a successful group of guys. I'm proud of these kids"
"It's hard to believe the season is over," Penna said. "It feels like a lifetime. The kids played with everything they had tonight."