C3

ALL-AREA FOOTBALL - OFFENSE

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2014

Brendan Marra

Shenendehowa, Senior,
All-Purpose Back
On the
ground: 97
yards, 6.06
yards per
rush and
two touchdowns
Outside the hashes: 25
receptions, 518 receiving yards, 20.78 yards
per reception and seven
touchdowns
Through the air: 2-for-3,
98 passing yards and one
touchdown
Year in review: Marra did
it all for the Plainsmen
this season, but noticeably out wide, finishing
second on the team in
receiving.

Brian Williams

Saratoga Springs, Junior,

Quarterback
Through
the air:
59.8
percent
completion
percentage, 957
passing yards, 14 touchdowns and six touchdowns
On the ground: 96 rushes
for 387 yards and one
touchdown
Year in review: Williams
took over as the Blue
Streaks starting quarterback in preseason camp
in August. Williams was
one of the key reasons
why Saratoga finished the
2014 season with a 5-4
record.

Chase DeLossantos

Mechanicville, Senior,
Running
Back
On the
ground:
1,879 rushing yards
(school record), 9.47
yards per rush attempt
and 19 touchdowns
Out of the backfield:
Nine receptions, 156
receiving yards and one
touchdown
Year in review: DeLossantos was one of the
best running backs in all
of Section II this past fall,
gaining over 200 more
yards on the ground than
any other running back.

Dan Busold

Griffin Clancy

Jacob Henes

Jasper Graves

Jordan Zlogar

Matt Taft

Shenendehowa, Senior,
Offensive
Line
Height:
5-foot-11
Weight:
270 lb.
Team
Stats:
468 points, 2,517 rushing
yards and 2,277 passing
yards
Year in review: Busold
was a key cog on the Shen
offensive line this fall,
centering a line that allowed Plainsmen quarterback Ryan Van Galen
the ability to throw for a
Section II-leading 2,137
yards. The senior was a
captain for the Plainsmen
this past fall.

Ballston Spa, Senior,

Offensive
Line
Height:
6-foot-3
Weight:
290 lb.
Team
Stats:
220 points, 1,796 rushing
yards and 604 passing
yards
Year in review: Graves
was an important piece
to the Scotties offensive
line this fall. The senior
helped lead the way for
the 23rd-best rushing offense in Section II
this. Graves represented
Ballston Spa in the Section II Exceptional Seniors
Football Game last month.

Saratoga Springs, Senior,

Offensive
Line
Height:
6-foot-7
Weight:
310 lb.
Team
Stats:
289 points, 1,930 rushing
yards and 975 passing
yards
Year in review: Clancy
was regarded as one of
the best offensive linemen
in the section this past
fall. A physically dominant force, Clancy helped
propel Saratoga running
backs to 1,930 rushing yards on the season.
Clancy has verbally committed to play at UAlbany
next fall.

Shenendehowa, Senior,
Wide Receiver
Outside the
hashes:
59 receptions, 1,182
receiving yards
(Section II record), 20.03
yards per reception and 12
touchdowns
Year in review: Zlogar
had a better season statistically than any other
wide receiver in the section this fall. The seniors
1,182 receiving yards was
400 yards more than any
other wideout in the section. Zlogar compiled 62
of the total 71 yards in the
game-winning touchdown
drive against CBA.

Mechanicville, Junior,
Kicker
Kicking
Stats:
Three field
goals and
18 extra
points
made
Offensive Stats: Five
receptions, 61 receiving yards, one receiving
touchdown
Year in review: Henes
had a successful season
as the place kicker for
the Red Raiders in 2014.
The junior was third in
the section with his three
field goals. Henes finished
third on his team in points
with 33.

Shenendehowa, Senior,
Running
Back
On the
ground:
1,341 rushing yards,
8.23 yards
per rush
attempt
and 21 touchdowns
Out of the backfield: 11
receptions, 139 yards and
two touchdowns
Year in review: Taft
had the game-winning
touchdown in the Class
AA Super Bowl against
CBA. The senior was the
leading rusher for the
sections ninth-best rushing attack, gaining 1,341
of Shens 2,517 rushing
yards.

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

Shens Clawson named

Coach of the Year
By Chris Maley
cmaley@digitalfirstmedia.com
@Cmale730 on Twitter

With a deep, distinct

voice that could project all the way from
Shenendehowa High Schools lobby to the
locker room, Plainsmen football coach
Brian Clawsons presence is always felt.
This past fall, Clawsons impact was felt
in more ways than one.
The third-year head coach guided the
Plainsmen to an undefeated regular season record, its first Section II Class AA
championship since 2011 and a state semifinal appearance.
For his efforts this season, Clawson was
selected as The Saratogian Coach of the
Year.
Im in a great situation here. To be able
to have a great staff, great administrators
and the kids are amazing. Theyre very
smart, theyre very committed year-round
to making themselves better, Clawson
said. We had a great team this year and it
was nice to see everything come together.
Clawson coached a Shen offense that
CLIFTON PARK >>

J.S.CARRAS - JCARRAS@DIGITALFIRSTMEDIA.COM

Shenendhowa quarterback Ryan Van Galen throws during high school football practice
Wednesday, September 17, 2014 at Shenendehowa in Clifton Park, N.Y.

Van Galen
FROM PAGE 1

Nick Anderson

Saratoga Springs, Senior,

Wide Receiver
Outside
the hashes: 30
receptions,
510 yards,
17 yards per
reception
and six touchdowns
On the ground: 30 rushing yards, 10 yards per
rush and one touchdown
Year in review: Anderson was one of the Blue
Streaks most dynamic
players on offense this
fall. The senior was a
major contributor in
Saratogas passing game,
totaling more than half
of the teams receiving
yards.

Packy Brown

Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake,

Senior
Outside
the hashes: 20
receptions,
291 receiving yards,
14.55 yards
per reception and five touchdowns
Year in review: Brown
played a major part in the
Spartans success this
season, ranking second
on the team in receiving yards and fifth on the
team in touchdowns. The
seniors five receiving
touchdowns were good
for 14th in the section and
first on his team.

Will Shill

South Glens Falls, Senior, Offensive

Line
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 225 lb.
Team Stats: 138
points, 1,105 rushing
yards and 748 passing yards
Year in review: Shill
was dominant for the Bulldogs this
past fall, leading an offensive line
that supported South Glens Falls
to the sections 34th-best passing
offense. The seniors memorable
season was recognized by an invite
to play in the Section II Exceptional
Senior Football game last month.

Robert Thivierge

Schuylerville, Senior,
Offensive
Line
Height:
5-foot-11
Weight:
234 lb.
Team
Stats:
370 points, 3,613 rushing
yards and 321 passing
yards
Up next: Thivierge registered a stellar season
for the Black Horses this
fall. The senior was a key
piece in Schuylervilles
rushing attack, which was
fourth-best in the section.
Thivierge was selected to
play in the Section II Exceptional Senior Football
Game last month.

occurred in the Class AA

Super Bowl against CBA,
when he orchestrated the
game-winning, 71-yard
drive capped off by a Matt
Taft touchdown run with
1:47 to lift Shen to the
championship.
When I threw that pick
to give CBA the ball back
I thought our season was
over, but everyone got behind me and said were going to get another opportunity, Van Galen said. We
came down on that last
drive, punched it in and
won the section title.
Van Galen, a two-year
varsity player, did not rise
to stardom by accident. He
was diligent in terms of his
preparation, lifting three
times a week and engaging in four film sessions
per week.

Ive never really sat a

player down and gameplanned with him for an
opponent, but (Van Galen)
was so smart and he prepared so well, we would sit
down twice a week and go
over the passing gameplan
for our opponent, Clawson
said. I think the open communication line that Ryan
and I had was great and to
have him prepare like that
really sets him apart.
Even before the season
started, Van Galen and his
teammates possessed great
chemistry in the passing
game after competing in
the 7-on-7 tournament in
Hoover, Ala.
Down at Alabama there
were a lot stronger kids
and they jammed, so our
receivers had to time their
routes a lot better and I
had to get it out quicker,
said Van Galen, who set the
single-game passing record
on Sept. 26 with 338 yards
against Saratoga. Going

Second Team

Quarterback

John Clayton

Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Jr.

Running Back

Matt Hommel

Ballston Spa

Sr.

Running Back

Josh Thomas

Schuylerville

Jr.

Wide Receiver

John Styzcynski

South Glens Falls

Jr.

Wide Receiver

Tyler Dowdle

Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Sr.

Wide Receiver

Luke Thompson

Saratoga Springs

Jr.

Offensive Line

Theo Slepski

Shen

Sr.

Offensive Line

Chris Stedry

Ballston Spa.

Sr.

Offensive Line

Warren Shaw

Shenendehowa

Sr.

Offensive Line

Joe Messare

Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Jr.

Offensive Line

Zach Smith

Greenwich

Kicker

Thomas Ciurczak Shenendehowa

All-Purpose Back Anthony Abare

Corinth

accumulated more than 2,500 rushing

yards and 2,100 passing yards. In addition, the Plainsmens defense held the
opposition to less than seven points per
game during the regular season, making
for an extremely balanced swuad on both
sides of the ball.
To be able to have Mark McQuaid, Jim
Ward and Ryan Fenton... weve known
each other a long time and we were assistants growing together through the system before I became head coach, Clawson said. Theyre extremely loyal to the
exponential degree and I know I can trust
them. They put in the time, they have
great rapport with the kids and theyre
knowledgeable.
According to senior co-captain Oliver
Robinson, Clawsons burning desire to
win rubbed off on the entire Plainsmen
team this season.
Hes very passionate about the game,
Robinson said. Hes really into it, hes a
leader and he pushes us to get better. He
always puts us in a position to win and
you can see he puts his heart into everything he does. Hes a great coach.

Jr.
Jr.
Jr.

into the season we were

very, very confident in our
passing game. Our preparation was amazing and it
definitely paid off.
The last play of Van Galens high school career
ended with a sack on a
do-or-die two-point conversion in the state semifinals against Newburgh
Free Academy.
Although the senior
didnt achieve his ultimate
goal of playing in the state
championship game, Van
Galen, who plans to compete collegiately next season, will look back at his
senior campaign with a
smile.
11 and 1, dont get me
wrong its a great record
but our goal was to be in
the state championship but
unfortunately we came up
short, he said. All of us
were sad after the game
but its been a great run
and as a whole we had an
excellent season.

Honorable Mention
Quarterback

Chantz Baudoux

Corinth

Jr.

Running Back

Dan Maynard

B.Hills-Ballston Lake

Sr.

Running Back

Alex Messina

Greenwich

Sr.

Wide Receiver

Brandon Stout

Greenwich

So.

Wide Receiver

Jordan Rychcik

Stillwater

Jr.

Offensive Line

Ben Schiher

Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake

Offensive Line

Dan Hayner

Mechanicville

So.

Offensive Line

Sam Kramer

Corinth

So.

Offensive Line

Kyle Boddery

Greenwich

Offensive Line

Ashton Flavin

Corinth

Kicker

Andrew Van Avery Ballston Spa

Kick Return/
All-Purpose Back Ryan Manalapaz

Saratoga Springs

Jr.

Jr.
Jr.
Sr.
Jr.