Saratoga Central Catholic/Stillwater Football Claims Eight-Man Title, School’s First Football Championship Since 1974
Stillwater/Saratoga Central Catholic Football and Cheer Team After Winning Independent Championship
(Courtesy of Ian Godfrey)
In August, three days before preseason, Ian Godfrey, the head coach of the Stillwater/Saratoga Central Catholic Football team confirmed the team would move to eight-man football this season.
Due to low participation across Section 2 football, multiple teams were forced to transition to eight-man football and play an independent schedule including; Hudson Falls/Fort Edward, Broadalbin-Perth, Lake George/Warrensburg/Bolton, and Rensselaer/Loudonville Christian.
As for the students on the 14-man Saratoga Central Catholic/Stillwater roster, they could only play the games on their schedule.
On Thursday, Nov. 5 Saratoga Central Catholic/Stillwater capped off an eight-game winning streak with an Independent Championship over Broadalbin-Perth by a score of 43-13.
The team’s only loss was their opening game to number one ranked Watervliet/Hamilton.
Following that defeat, Coach Godfrey moved Saratoga Central Catholic Senior Luke Dejnozka to running back. Dejnozka finished the season with a school record of 1,579 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns.
“We were a totally different team after we moved him there,” said Godfrey. “I would say Luke is one of the top five eight-man football players in the state.”
Because the team played an independent schedule, it is ineligible for regional play. Still, Dejnozka, who already holds two state baseball championships, has added another title to his résumé.
“It feels amazing to be a part of something so special, especially knowing how long it’s been since we won a league championship in football,” wrote Dejnozka. “It’s something that I’ll always remember.”
The last time Saratoga Central Catholic won a football championship, the school was called St. Peter’s Academy. In 1974, the team finished 7-2 and beat Whitehall High School 20-8 in the title game.
Like many small private high schools, Saratoga Central Catholic has struggled throughout its history to field a football team, including a 20-year hiatus from varsity play from 1988 to 2008.
From 2008 to 2013, Saratoga Central Catholic was able to field its own varsity football program. Then for the next two years they merged with Notre Dame Bishop Gibbons and Catholic Central High School, known as Holy Trinity. However, the merger dissolved after 2015, and Spa Catholic was again left without a football program until 2024 when they merged with Stillwater.
Coach Ian Godfrey is hopeful to see a rebound in participation next year.
“I’m hoping that we can take this success from this season and bring that into next year when we return back to 11-man football,” said Godfrey. “We’re going to be young for sure, but we have some talent coming up.”