QUEENSBURY —The Schuylerville Black Horses are bound for the Class C championship after a dominant 35-7 win over Johnstown on Friday, Nov. 3 at Queensbury High School.
Martin Flanders Jr. rushed for 183 of the Black Horses’ 380 total offensive yards. Flanders Jr., Sam Dwyer, Luke Sherman, and Landen Cumm all scored rushing touchdowns in the decisive victory.
Flanders Jr. credited his team’s defense with the win. “The team was really able to have an efficient defensive night, making key stops in the red zone and in the fourth-and-short situations,” he said.
“Our linemen did a great job blocking and creating holes for our running backs,” said Cumm. “Martin did a good job finding the hole and gaining yards to keep the sticks moving.”
“We had a sequence of about eight minutes of clock time that we were really on our heels,” said Coach John Bowen. “We were fortunate enough to keep that zero up on the scoreboard a little bit longer than it probably otherwise would have.”
The Black Horses are 9-1 on the season, and will now face Fonda-Fultonville for the Class C championship on Friday, Nov. 10 at 3 p.m. at Troy High School.
Schuylerville last played Fonda on September 1, when they eked out a 34-32 victory. Fonda has since won ten straight games, setting the stage for an exciting rematch against the Black Horses.
“To be able to beat a great team like Fonda on Friday, it is going to take eleven guys on each side of the ball for us to execute with high proficiency,” Flanders Jr. said. “It will be important for us to compartmentalize every down.”
Coach Bowen noted that the Black Horses would have to play better than they did against Johnstown in order to defeat Fonda. “We’re certainly not going to be able to play that way against Fonda and expect to still be in the game.”
“We are watching film, creating a game plan, and fixing the mistakes that we made last time we played them,” Cumm said. “We are perfecting the little details that most people don’t notice while watching, but have a huge impact on the result of the game.”
“It is going to take a sound game overall to win,” said Sherman, “but we are sure capable of doing so.”
