GUILDERLAND — Big plays determined the outcome in Friday night’s football contest, and Columbia happened to have one more than Guilderland.

Trailing by one point, Columbia used a fake punt to score and take the lead for good with 7:44 left in the fourth and final quarter.
"It was a game of big plays," Guilderland Coach Dan Penna said of the 33-28 defeat. "We gave up one more. We’ve got to keep momentum going. We gave up one too many big plays. We have to cut down on them. It’s uncharacteristic, but very fixable."

Columbia looked to be in control of the game at halftime as the Blue Devils held a 20-7 lead.

After a halftime show put on by the Guilderland varsity, junior varsity, and Pop Warner cheerleaders and a small game by two Guilderland Pop Warner teams, the varsity Dutchmen put on a show of their own.

That show got off to a late start as they found themselves behind, 27-7, with 7:16 left in the third quarter.

Blue Devil Bryan Rose scored on a 68-yard touchdown run and the extra point to increase their lead.

But Guilderland came right back on the next drive.

The Dutchmen started on their own 32-yard line. Quarterback Bill Rafferty completed a pass to Judd Robinson for 12 yards to move the ball to the 44-yard line.

After a run went for no gain, Rafferty kept the ball on an option run on the left side. He dodged tacklers and sprinted to the end zone for a 56-yard touchdown run.

Nick Zanotta kicked the extra point and the score was 27-14 with 5:53 left in the third quarter.

The Dutch took advantage of a Columbia mistake to score a minute-and-a-half later.

A fumble by a Columbia running back was recovered by Guilderland’s Tim Montgomery on Columbia’s 16-yard line.

Rafferty found Robinson for a 13-yard completion that put the ball on the one-yard line. And on the next play, Kevin Doherty ran into the end zone for the score. Zanotta added the extra-point kick and the lead was cut to one touchdown with 4:31 left in the third quarter.

"A good play"

The third quarter ended with Columbia on a long drive. But, as the first few seconds of the fourth quarter ticked away, Guilderland’s defense was able to hold off Columbia and forced the Blue Devils to punt.

The punt was blocked and downed at the Columbia 36-yard line. Paul Booker and Pete Stanish were in on the blocked kick.

It took the Dutchmen three plays to score, as Rafferty hooked up with Montgomery for a 16-yard touchdown pass.

The play that set up the touchdown was a 23-yard pass from Rafferty to Scott Raffensperger.

Zanotta gave the Dutch the lead with his extra-point kick.

Columbia then scored, using a fake punt on its next possession to take the lead for good.

Punter Luke Naughton passed to John-Michael Donaghue for the touchdown.
"It was a good play," Penna said. "We were adjusting our alignments and we wanted to give them a punt block look. They took advantage of our mistakes. It was gutsy on their part."

Guilderland stopped the two-point attempt and trailed 33-28 with 7:44 left.

But Guilderland could not get any more points and the Dutch players left the field disappointed.
"They didn’t get rattled," Penna said of his players. "It shows the character of this team. The kids still never gave up and they never got down. I’m proud of them, very much."

A banana peel

The Dutchmen offense had been dormant for the first three games of the year, but came alive against Columbia. They scored more points in this one game than the previous three combined.
"We got strong pass protection," Penna said. "We had new assignments on offense. We played overall solid defense. We just gave up the big play. I relate it to slipping on a banana peel. We’d be doing well and then we’d slip and fall down. They’ve got some explosive kids."

The regular season is winding down for the Dutchmen, as there are three more games to go before the cross-over games.

The Dutch hope to get totally healthy — three starters were out of Friday’s game — to finish up the season on a strong note.
"They should be returning in a few weeks," Penna said. "That will be a jolt for our team. We just have to focus and settle down on every play. If they can do the right things, they can beat anybody.
"There’s definitely a positive side," Penna added. "We just need to fix the little things. The kids just need to step up and make plays like I think they are able to do."

The Dutch will play Ballston Spa at home on Friday and then host Colonie the next week. They finish the regular season with a trip to Bethlehem.