Photos: Football Firsts
Getting off to a quick start in an eight-game season for Guilderland, Voorheesville, and Helderberg Valley is critical for a good position in sectionals. The season started on Friday night for the Dutch and on Saturday for Helderberg Valley and the Blackbirds.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Helderberg Valley, made up of players from Berne-Knox-Westerlo and Duanesburg, moved up from Class D to Class C this year. Saturday’s game was chippy from the start, and late in the third quarter, two players — one from each team — were ejected. The Blackbirds hit Helderberg Valley hard and won, 38 to 21. Blackbird Sam Wakely leaps to catch a pass from Ian Owens in the second half. Wakely had two catches for 66 yards and a touchdown.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Helderberg Valley had trouble with Owens’s speed all game long; he had 285 yards rushing on 12 carries and three touchdowns to go along with 77 yards passing on three completions on 12 attempts, and a touchdown and an interception.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Playing well: Helderberg Valley’s Xander Monroe looks to pass to an open teammate. Monroe had 13 completions on 24 attempts for 61 yards and a touchdown.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Meeting mano a mano: Helderberg Valley’s Kyle Waddell, right, makes an attempt to stiff arm Voorheesville’s Ian Owens after Waddell made a catch. Waddell had 10 yards on that one catch.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Tough defense: Helderberg Valley’s Kyle Waddell, center, attempts to run up the middle but is met by Voorheesville’s Aiden Crouse and other Blackbird defenders. Waddell had eight rushes for 15 yards and one catch for 10 yards.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Shedding a tackle: Voorheesville’s Gavin Esposito runs up the sideline but gets tackled by a Helderberg Valley player in the third quarter.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Guilderland traveled to take on Shenendehowa and played well but fell, 28 to 14. Brad Igweike, bottom right, eludes the grasp of Shen’s Cameron McNamara and Zach Brenner in the third quarter. Igweike outran his opponents throughout the game. He had five rushes for 32 yards and three catches for 78 yards scoring on both touchdowns for the Dutch.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Going long: The Dutch’s starting quarterback, Mike Gitto, attempts a pass over the outstretched arm of Sebastian Underwood of Shen. Gitto went 14 completions on 20 attempts for a total of 209 yards and the one touchdown to Igweike.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Get back here! Guilderland’s Dylan Olson, left, chases after Shenendehowa’s quarterback Brendan Belott while attempting to sack Belott in the first quarter.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Breaking a tackle: Guilderland’s Vincent Lia, left, escapes the grasp of Shen’s Cameron McNamara after Shenendehowa punted the ball away. Lia made it deep into Shen territory before being tackled; teammate Brad Igweike scored later. Lia had four carries for one yard and had three catches for 72 yards in the game.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Not much room: Guilderland’s Kyle Glenn attempts to run after catching a Shenendehowa punt in the first quarter. He was tackled by Shen’s Liam Cunningham Friday’s first game of the season. The Dutch lost, 28 to 14.