The Fordians of Waterford repeated as Class C state champions on Sunday, earning a share of the title after battling Mount Academy to a 2-2 tie in the title game at Homer High School in Cortland.
The Fordians broke on top when Addy Galuski connected on a scoring strike early in the first half.
But Mount Academy answered with goals from Hayley and Brooke Huleatt before the break, taking the 2-1 advantage into intermission.
The Fordians searched for the tying score through nearly the entire second half and it came with 3:00 remaining when Mia O’Brien found Riley Noto for the finish, sending the game into overtime.
Neither squad was able to score through two overtime sessions and the match ended with the Fordians and Mount Academy recognized as co-state champions.
Waterford finishes a remarkable season at 19-1-3 with league, section, regional and state championships.
Waterford with single scoring strikes from Cassidy McClement and Payton and Addy Galuski and a lockdown defensive effort earned the Class C State semifinal victory over Holley on Saturday.
Fordian keeper Maddy Atwood with 10 saves anchored the shutout, pitched by the Waterford “D” for their 13th clean sheet of the season.
Waterford (19-1-1), advances to the Class C championship game this morning at 10 a.m. and will face Mt. Academy of Section XI, as the Fordians look to defend their Class C title from a year ago.
Mount Academy 4 Waterford 2
Mount Academy started fast taking a 2-0 lead just twelve minutes in on goals from Jake Maendel and Chris Reginos and added another Maendel tally in the 24th minute for a 3-0 lead.
But Waterford would answer on a Josh Catanzarita finish off a Tristan Carutasu find in the 25th minute, and pulled to within one, ten minutes into the second half when a Catanzarita header, off a Sam Caulkins corner found the back of the net.
The Fordians however could draw no closer and with 6:00 remaining Mt. Academy connected on a PK to close things out.
Waterford finishes a special season at 19-3-1 with a share of the Wasaren crown, while capturing sectional and regional titles in the C classification.
Spackenkill 3 Mechanicville 0
Spackenkill scored three times before the break and held off Mechanicville over the second half to post the Class B state semifinal win on Saturday.
Dylan Updike with a pair pf goals and Jacob Rivera with a single score paced the Spackenkill attack.
Mechanicville (19-2-1), finishes another outstanding soccer campaign with league, section and regional titles including their second straight trip to the state final four.
Four short weeks ago Warrensburg/Lake George rolled over a depleted Stillwater football team posting a 50-7 decision on their way to an undefeated regular season.
Fast forward to Friday morning at Troy High where a healthy Stillwater squad stepped on the field and flipped the script, scoring the last 27 points of the game to pull away from W/LG and earn the Section II Class D championship.
In an 11:00 start with a December feel in the air, W/LG scored the only points of the first frame taking a 6-0 lead on a Caden Allen to Nick Jeckel 45-yard scoring strike.
Early in the second period Stillwater edged in front on a Jaxon Mueller one-yard run and with the point after held a 7-6 lead.
They would pad that lead when Mueller found Lukas Lilac with a 29-yard touchdown pass extending their advantage to 14-6.
But W/LG pulled even with 2:50 remaining in the half when Allen ran it in from four yards out and with the two-point conversion the teams were knotted at 14-14.
Stillwater answered on a 14-yard TD run by Mueller just before the break and took a 21-14 lead into intermission.
In the third Lilac made it a two-score Stillwater cushion on an 11-yard touchdown run, and later in the quarter Stillwater took total control when Brody Burdo tipped a Wildcat pass to himself and fell into the end zone for six and a 34-14 Stillwater advantage.
Mueller capped the scoring in the fourth period, plowing in from one yard out for his third rushing score of the contest.
Mueller finished the day with 136 rushing yards, while Lilac ran for 157 yards with rushing and receiving scores.
With the “W” Stillwater (9-1), advances to face Moriah (7-1), next Saturday in a state quarterfinal at 12:30 in Mechanicville.
Tomorrow morning at Troy High, Warrensburg/Lake George and Stillwater will play each other for the second time this season all be it with a little more on the line this time in the form of a Section II Championship.
On October 14th Stillwater traveled north to meet the Wildcats and the home squad did what they’ve done to opponents all season long, dominate. The outcome was a 50-7 decision for W/LG which roughly is how things have gone for the 9-0 Wildcats this entire campaign.
Warrensburg/Lake George averages 54 points per contest while allowing just a shade under seven points on the defensive side. Quarterback Caden Allen has thrown for over 1200 yards on the season with 21 touchdowns, completing 75% of his throws.
The Wildcats boast a trio of running back in Gavin McCabe, Ben Sheldon and Nick Jeckel who have combined for over 2500 rushing yards and 36 TD’s.
Stillwater (8-1), averages 32 points per outing and gives up 13 points defensively.
Offensively they lean heavily on seniors Lukas Lilac and Jaxson Mueller who have combined for just under 2000 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns this year averaging 6.5 yards per carry.
While W/LG won convincingly in the first meeting Mueller did not play due to injury, Lilac was limited as well, and their leading tackler Anthony Cocozzo was also out with a knee injury.
All three are back and had big games in the D semifinal with Lilac rushing for 165 yards, Meuller scoring three touchdowns and Cocozzo leading the way defensively with double digit tackles in Stillwater’s 35-14 victory over Canajoharie /Fort Plain.
The two teams met each other last season in the Class C semifinals and with both squads dropping down the Class D this year it’s no surprise they’re matching up in the title game.
W/LG has had their way with opponents in all nine outings this year and did so with Stillwater back in October, but it will be a healthy Stillwater squad that takes the field for the 11 a.m. kick knowing the Wildcats saw nothing close to their best back in week six.
If Stillwater can control tempo and take the game into the final quarter with the decision in the balance, the outcome may be a Stillwater “W” the second time around.
Waterford opened up a 1-0 game at the break with three second half scores, earning the state Class C regional final victory over Northern Adirondack and a return trip to the Final Four.
Cassidy McClement put the Fordians on the board with a first half scoring strike, and after intermission Addy Galuski connected on the next two Waterford goals with Mia O’Brien capping things with the final tally of the match.
Keeper Maddy Atwood and the Fordian defense recorded the clean sheet as Waterford moves to 18-1-2 on the year and onto the state semi’s, two wins away from doubling down with back-to-back state titles.
Behind goals from Tom Wendel and Rece Dyer and suffocating defensive play, Mechanicville posted the shutout “W” over Canton in the state Class B regional final at LaSalle Institute on Saturday.
Mechanicville connected on goals in each half and the Mechanicville defense allowed just one shot on goal in front of keeper Joey Devito.
With the win Mechanicville moves onto the Class B State Final Four next weekend.
Waterford 6 Brushton-Moira 1
Waterford rode its explosive attack, connecting six times, to the comfortable victory over Brushton-Moira in the state Class C regional final on Saturday.
Josh Catanzarita with a pair of goals and Tristan Carutasu, Matt Soden, Jake Malinowski and Mason Noto with single tallies led the Fordian onslaught.
Brushton-Moira avoided the shutout on a goal from Corran Colton.
Keeper Logan Kelley saved four shots for Waterford who with the win move to the Class C State Final Four next weekend.
Stillwater built a 21-0 cushion by halftime, on their way to the comfortable Class D semifinal win over Canjo Friday night in Stillwater.
James Cocozzo ran for a 4-yard TD in the first period, and Jaxon Mueller added scoring runs of five and 41 yards in the second frame to take control.
Mueller finished with 116 yards on 16 carries, Cocozzo ran for 54 yards, while Lukas Lilac led the way with 159 yards on 23 totes.
Cocozzo with 12 tackles, Mueller with nine tackles and a pair of sacks and Brody Burdo with an interception spearheaded the Stillwater “D”.
With the win Stillwater (8-1), advances to the Class D title game on Friday at Troy High where they’ll face undefeated Lake George/Warrensburg.
Lake George/Warrensburg 69 Cambridge/Salem 15
Lake George/Warrensburg led 22-8 at the quarter break, then put the game away with a 41-point second quarter, coasting past Cambridge /Salem in the Class D semifinal in Lake George Friday night.
Nick Jeckel with a pair of rushing scores and an interception return for six led LG/W who move the championship game on Saturday and a matchup with Stillwater.
Cambridge/Salem ends the season with a 5-5 record.
Fonda 48 Hoosick Falls/Tamarac 28
Fonda ran out to a 27-0 lead, minutes into the second quarter and posted the victory over HF/T in a Class C semifinal Friday night in Fonda.
Keegan Croucher threw for three touchdowns and 112 yards, and Jose Vargas ran for 153 yards and two scores to pace the Fonda attack.
HF/T quarterback Sam Fauler threw for 253 yards finding Carson Glover for a pair of scores and Richie Stifter once, while Jack Cavanaugh ran for 117 yards and a TD to lead the Wildcat offense.
Hoosick Falls/Tamarac finishes a fine season with an 8-2 mark.
Ravena 14 Mechanicville/ Hoosic Valley 13 No other info available at this time
The Fordians traveled to Beekmantown High School to face Northern Adirondack in a Class C sub- regional and used a goal in each half along with stellar defensive play to earn the 2-1 win.
Midway through the first half Josh Catanzariti finished a Matt Soden cross giving the Fordians a 1-0 lead that they rode into the halftime break.
Seven minutes into the second half Waterford’s Logan Sheehan ripped a shot from 20 yards out that the Northern Adirondack keeper got hands on but couldn’t keep out of the net and Waterford held the 2-0 advantage.
With 24:00 remaining NA’s Kingston Tucker connected on a penalty kick off the hand of a diving Logan Kelly, trimming the lead to 2-1.
But the Waterford defense shut the door, closing things out and sending the Fordians to a regional finals’ matchup with Section X Bushton-Moira, at LaSalle Institute on Saturday at 5 p.m.
Mechanicville 3 Northeastern Clinton 1
On a windy Wednesday night in the north country, Mechanicville used goals from three different players and their trademark defensive play to top Northeastern Clinton in a Class B sub-regional at Plattsburgh High School.
After a scoreless first half, Mechanicville broke through just four minutes after intermission when Rece Dyer found Logan Starks who finished for the 1-0 lead.
Minutes later it was Dyer’s turn, using a bicycle kick to find the back of the net, on a rebound off the post, giving Mechanicville the 2-0 cushion.
A Northeastern Clinton tally with 14:00 remaining cut the lead in half, but the Mechanicville defense pitched a shutout the rest of the way, and Ethan Raucci sealed things on a breakaway score with 0:40 left, sending Mechanicville on to the Class B regional final.
Waterford 2 Stillwater 1
Mia O’Brien scored goals in each half on finds from Izzy Vecchio and Samara Roberts, which was just enough to earn the hard-fought, 2-1 victory over Stillwater in the Section II Class C championship game Wednesday night in Mechanicville.
Elle Patenaude connected on a second half scoring strike for Stillwater who finishes an outstanding season at 15-3-2.
Waterford keeper Maddy Atwood saved eight shots in the win as the Fordians move to 17-1-2 on the year and advance to regional play.
