Albany, NY — Friday marked the start of sectionals for local football teams. The Brothers of CBA were scheduled to face Columbia. CBA went 6-1 overall in the regular season, earning them the number two seed in the Empire Division. The Blue Devils went 4-3, earning them the Liberty Division’s 3 seed. Kickoff was scheduled for seven at CBA.
I’m going to be honest, this article is going to be short and sweet. For the most part, the game was one-sided. CBA has a 4-headed beast in the backfield. The combination of DeNicola, Taylor, Tucker, and Dukes proves to be deadly for most of their opponents. CBA has the combination of great running backs and a mobile quarterback. This allows them to run options and quarterback keepers, as well as draws and pass plays. They have a very strong offense, and it was on display tonight. The first touchdown was a quarterback keeper, and then the running backs took over. They ran until the game was out of Columbia’s reach. There were runs where the CBA backs burst through the line and were completely untouched. There were also runs that would start off by the backs being swarmed by Columbia defenders. Just when you began to think that the play was over, a CBA running back would emerge from the pile of people and add a few more yards to their total. The CBA running game was very successful, along with the Brothers’ defense. The CBA defense had Columbia’s QB running for his life throughout the game. They made it difficult for him to get passes off. When he was able to get them off, it was still hard for him to hit his target because he was on the run. The CBA defensive line was able to pressure him all night long, which is one of the main reasons they won.
Hopefully the Brothers can keep it up. They will face Troy on the road next week. Troy is a tough opponent, but if the Brothers offense plays like it did tonight, and the defensive line is able to pressure the QB, the Brothers have a legitimate shot. It’ll be a good game. The winner will advance to the Section 2 Class AA Championship, where they will face the winner of Shaker @ Guilderland. One thing is for sure, the Capital Region has two weeks of very good football to look forward to. These next two weeks will be interesting, there is a lot on the line. I can’t wait to see what happens.
