By Nolan Rabine
For Saratoga TODAY
Led by star players such as Dakota Harvey - arguably the best halfback in the state, quarterback Brian Williams, receivers Nick Kondo and Luke Thompson, and versatile Ryan Manlapaz, the Saratoga Blue Streaks football team made the 2015 season the most successful one in school history. They won the sectional Super Bowl, and made it all the way to the Carrier Dome in Syracuse for the state championship, where they were defeated by Aquinas Institute, a private school from the Rochester area who's eligibility has been the subject of controversy around the state over the past few years.
The Blue Streaks finished the season with a stellar 11-1 record, and shattered expectations. The year started with a 42-0 rout of Bethlehem, followed by a 43-7 win over Colonie, a 40-7 win over Guilderland, and a 40-14 beating of rival Shenendehowa - a game that made a statement about the entire season - showing that this team was the real deal. The team moved to 5-0 on the year by putting up a jaw-dropping 69 points on Albany, before nipping the Christian Brothers Academy 25-24. After that, they were back to domination over their section, as they followed that narrow victory with a 47-13 win over Ballston Spa. The regular season ended the same way it began, with the Blue Streaks pulling out a resounding win against Bethlehem, this time by a score of 41-13.
The team's first playoff game was a rematch against Shenendehowa. They won by another big margin, 35-7. The big win led Coach Terry Jones' team to their toughest challenge yet, the Section 2 Super Bowl, where they knocked off previously undefeated Shaker, 19-14.
The Super Bowl was a prime example of Dakota Harvey's success under pressure. In that game he rushed for 230 yards and 2 touchdowns to secure the sectional championship.
Despite the big win, the team wasn't done yet. The Streaks trained for a week without knowing who their next opponent was. They eventually met undefeated New Rochelle at Dietz Stadium in Kingston for the state semi-final. Saratoga's second straight matchup of two undefeated teams was an offensive shootout, which the Blue Streaks ended up winning 32-29, after Coach Terry Jones made a heads-up call to ice the opponent's kicker with a time out, who then missed a game-tying field goal.
After yet another huge win, the team went on to the state final, which is played every year in the Carrier Dome at Syracuse University. Despite everything the Blue Streaks had overcome to this point, even they couldn't stop the dynamic duo of Penn State-commited quarterback Jake Zembiec and wide reciever Earnest Edwards, who had four total touchdowns in a stunning performance by Aquinas Institute, who won their second state title in three years. In the loss, highlights for the Blue Streaks included a touchdown run from Harvey, who had 130 yards on the day, a touchdown pass from Williams to Kondo, and a punt block, which Lukas Carlson returned for the final touchdown of the game.
Even though they fell just short of the state title, the Blue Streaks had an overwhelming amount of success this season, and put their name on the map. The loyalty of the entire Saratoga school, not only the players to each other, but the student section to their team, was unbelievable, as the Streaks still heard the same roars from the crowd they had all season, even when they were down multiple touchdowns in the state final. The seniors at Saratoga thoroughly proved themselves in their final year of high school football, and now they hope the underclassmen can keep the momentum going into next year.
Nolan Rabine is a senior at Saratoga Springs High School and an intern at Saratoga TODAY.
