FootballHigh School Sports

CBA takes down Saratoga, improves to 3-0

Going into the game without a new quarterback for the first time, it was still a learning curve for Saratoga.

The CBA Brothers defeated the Saratoga Blue Streaks on Friday night at Saratoga Springs High School by a score of 27-6.

The game begun slow until turnovers, a mainstay in the contest for the Blue Streaks kicked in gave CBA the first score of the game with a minute and a half left in the first quarter, as Brian Tucker recovered a fumble by Saratoga QB Jack Cairns in the end zone to give the Brothers the first lead of the night.

Saratoga marched downfield after that, and finished the drive by the means of Cairns, who redeemed himself with a one-yard touchdown run, but the extra point would eventually be blocked.
CBA would answer right away, as Taurian Taylor exploded for a 91 yard touchdown on the kickoff return, giving CBA a 14-6 lead, and nearly all the momentum going forward. Saratoga would not score after that.

“Hats off to Taurian, Taurian made a great kickoff return, that was a big run for us, and the freebie with the bad snap, and sometimes things happen differently for different reasons, and that’s kind of the way it went early on,” CBA head coach Joe Burke said.

Penalties would play a major role in the game for CBA as well, as they had 73 and 76 yard touchdowns called back in the first half due to a holding and a personal foul, respectively.
“We did have a lot of penalties. But, I was just saying that anytime that you come out of a game 28-7 (27-6), and we’re scratching our heads, we gotta be in a pretty good place,” Burke added.

At halftime, Saratoga, despite trailing, had the shutout the Brothers on defense, and looked to do the same in the second half, vying for their first win of the season after dropping their first two contests of the fall. However, this would not happen.
CBA would go on to score two more touchdowns in the second half, the first being a three yard rush from quarterback and Harvard commit Max Jones with 4:15 left in the third quarter to extend their lead to 21-6. They would tack on some more points in the fourth on a 27 yard rush touchdown from Jones again to make it 27-6. Jones would finish with two rushing touchdowns Friday.

“We shut them out in the first half, which is saying something with the amount of talented players, go-to kids they have on that offense, so we’re extremely proud of the defense,” Saratoga head coach Terry Jones said. “We’re not in a position offensively where we can make mistakes and have penalties and put the ball on the ground.”

CBA would cap their big day on the ground with a 53 yard run from Aiden Sausville in the final minute, but did not score from that.

CBA improves to 3-0 on the season, remaining undefeated with other wins over Albany and Ballston Spa. They have outscored opponents by a whopping 118-24 so far this season, and averaging 39.3 points per game so far this year. They will be back on the road next week, taking on Niskayuna on Friday. That game will begin at 7 p.m.

For Saratoga, they fall to 0-3 on the season, but came out of a game without a quarterback injury for the first time this season. They will renew their rivalry with Shenendehowa next Friday, with this year’s edition being played in Clifton Park this fall. That game will also begin at 7 PM.

Aidan Joly

Aidan Joly is Senior Managing Editor of The Upstate Courier. In the past, he has been a beat reporter covering Section II Athletics, Siena College men's basketball, the Tri-City ValleyCats, and the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League. In Aidan's current role, he oversees game coverage and content. Aidan is a native of Saratoga Springs and a graduate of Saratoga Springs High School.

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