TROY — During halftime, the sun began to set, cooling off the field and turning an afternoon game into a Friday night contest under the lights. The crowd busted out their blankets and hand warmers. But as the air chilled, the intensity on the field began to boil.
At the half, Fonda-Fultonville led the Schuylerville Black Horses 18 to 14. With just 22 seconds left in the second quarter, Fonda completed a short pass into the endzone to put them ahead. But a two-point conversion attempt failed, keeping Schuylerville within just one touchdown of the lead.
The Section 2 Class C title game was a contest between two contrasting offenses: Fonda’s pass game, and Schuylerville’s run game. But the Black Horses’ strategy suffered a major blow in the third quarter when running back Martin Flanders Jr. was sidelined with a knee injury.
“Martin is a critical part of who we are on both sides of the ball,” said Coach John Bowen. “Losing him there was a huge loss.”
Landen Cumm scored a rushing touchdown in the third quarter to put the Black Horses ahead by three. But Fonda fired back with a long pass completion that set up a touchdown of their own, putting them ahead once again, 25 to 21, with only four minutes left in the third.
In the final quarter, Schuylerville’s defense was able to force a punt, giving them one more opportunity to reclaim the lead. With a little over six minutes left in the game, the Black Horses went for it on fourth down. The grandstands rumbled in support of both teams. But Schuylerville couldn’t reach the markers and faced a turnover on downs.
A long pass attempt by Fonda resulted in a pass interference call that was loudly protested by fans of the Black Horses. With less than a minute left on the clock, Fonda then sealed Schuylerville’s fate with a rushing touchdown. The final score: Fonda 31, Schuylerville 21.
“We really love this group of kids,” Bowen said. “They gave us everything they had.”
Although Schuylerville’s season has come to an end, the focus is already shifting towards next year.
“We’ll get back to the drawing board,” Bowen said, “and hopefully start working on taking that next step in 2024.”
