Averill Park pushes Columbia from unbeaten ranks in 1st & 10 “Game of the Week”

EAST GREENBUSH, N.Y. ( NEWS10 ) — Coming off its first regular-season league loss since the 2022 season, the Averill Park football team responded in a big way Friday night when it traveled to Columbia for a Class A, Capital Division clash that headlined the Week 4 Section II slate.

The Warriors, after dropping a tight-knit contest at Bethlehem the week prior, turned right around and handed Columbia – the 22nd-ranked team in the state for Class A – its first loss of the season. Zach Gobel’s bunch quickly recovered from a 6-0 hole, rattled off 20 unanswered points and emerged from East Greenbush with a 20-13 victory in the NEWS10 Sports 1st & 10 “Game of the Week.”

“We brought back the enthusiasm this week; the guys were excited,” said Gobel. “I’ve talked for a while about our offensive line and defensive line, and what they can do, and I think tonight was their game.”

It appeared from the start that this would be Columbia’s game, though. The Blue Devils put together a punishing opening drive – 15 plays, 79 yards in 7:50 – that ended with a three-yard Anthony Ficarra touchdown run. Columbia failed to tack on the PAT, but succeeded in making an early statement, as it jumped out to a 6-0 lead.

But Averill Park was quick to answer. The Warriors moved 60 yards in 3:42, and senior running back Drew Canaday found the end zone from two yards out, leveling the score at six.

After a scoreless second quarter, Averill Park took control in the second half, reaching the end zone on its first two drives out of the break. Quarterback Blake Kilgallon linked up with Shawn Ratigan for a two-yard touchdown pass at the 9:34 mark of the third quarter.

Columbia’s first series of the quarter reached deep into Averill Park territory, but the Warriors’ Jacob Phelps put a stop to it with an interception. He capped the ensuing drive with an 18-yard touchdown run, and Averill Park maintained a 20-6 advantage with 11:54 to play in the final stanza.

The Blue Devils managed to cut the margin in half, as Ficarra scored for the second time on the ground, leaving the A-P offense with four minutes to kill.

But the Warriors did just that. Phelps and Canaday both rushed for first downs – the latter had the game-clincher – and Averill Park celebrated by hoisting the “Lance and Trident” Trophy after another victory over its Capital Division rival.

“We had a [bad] taste in our mouth from last week,” said Canaday. “We came out here, saw a good team – they [had] that momentum. We came in here with that bad taste in our mouth and we proved it; [proved] no one can stop us.”

With the win, Averill Park sits just a half game back now of Bethlehem for that top spot in the division. The Eagles play Amsterdam Saturday at 1:30 p.m., with a chance to grow that lead to a full game.

Gobel isn’t concerning himself with positioning in the standings right now. He was just pleased to see his guys come out and perform the way they did, especially after a loss.

“It just took them buying into what they know they can do,” said Gobel. “We executed far better offensively tonight, despite a bad call, or two, by yours truly.”

Averill Park (3-2, 2-1) turns its attention to a non-league clash with Shaker in Week 5. It’ll be a shorter week of preparation for the team, which welcomes in the No. 8-ranked squad in the state for Class AA Thursday. Opening kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m.

Columbia (4-1, 2-1) will have extra time to prepare for its next matchup; a cross-division clash in with Queensbury next Saturday, Oct. 12. That game will get underway in Queensbury at 2:00 p.m.

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