The Shaker High School varsity girls flag football team defeated Troy, 59-19, in the Section 2 Division-I Quarterfinals, at Arthur Walker Field, in Latham, NY, on Friday, May 17, 2024. (PHOTO BY DREW WEMPLE)
LATHAM, N.Y. — Picking up the program’s first-ever postseason victory? Check. Senior Prom right after? Check.
That was the schedule for several members of the Shaker High School Blue Bison Flag Football team, as after chipping in to a 59-19, Section 2 Division 1 Championship Quarterfinal victory over Troy, they had to head off for a night at the other, big dance.
Anneliese Schneider was one of such seniors, as she had to step away with just under 10 minutes to go in the second half and her team ahead, 46-19. Schneider had a juggling, touchdown grab halfway through the first half, and despite having to leave early for the special occasion, the senior knows she’s already a part of a legacy being left behind for the program, getting its inaugural postseason win, in the league’s inaugural championship tournament.
https://x.com/DrewWemple/status/1791577246496350382
“It kind of feels like a ‘mom moment,’ because you’re the oldest, you’ve been with the sports programs for a long time, and know how things run. But with a completely different sport, this is the first and last time we were ever going to do this, so you want to leave your all in these types of games,” Schneider remarked. “We know the stakes and it’s not making us think negatively, it’s pushing us further.”
Shaker, the three-seed in the Division-I bracket, was tested at Arthur Walker Field in the first half by six-seed Troy, taking only a 26-13 lead into intermission. In the second half, however, Shaker would outscore the visitors 33-6 to open up the ballgame.
“It feels great. This is what we’ve been working for, this is where it matters, so it’s time to do our thing now,” said Blue Bison sophomore quarterback Eleanor Keough, postgame.
Keough had a stellar postseason debut to lead her team, throwing for five touchdowns and rushing for a sixth.
“I don’t know how she does it. I mean, she just pulls stuff out of nowhere,” said freshman wide receiver Alexis MacPherson of her quarterback.”
Keough also brought in two interceptions, both in the first half. The first came with the Flying Horses threatening to tie the game, in plus territory, but instead, set up an eventual passing touchdown to MacPherson for a two-possession advantage before the break.
“She is one of the most athletic people I’ve known,” said Schneider, on Keough. “She was on my soccer team, this past fall, and she’s still just as athletic, just as fast, just as strong, persistent; she’s astonishing. She impresses me every day.”
The Blue Bison got interceptions from MacPherson and Cassidy Gorman as well, with Gorman’s going the other way for the final score of the night.
MacPherson, along with fellow wide-out Saida Temple, each hauled in a pair of touchdowns through the air, earlier in the afternoon’s affair.
“As a coaching staff, we’re super fortunate to have a group of kids that not only are invested during practice hours, we’re invested during our free time, during their free periods, they’re in rooms studying film, going over plays,” Shaker head coach Leigh Stevens said of her group. “We put installs in and they take it home, they prepare, so they’re very dedicated to this and it’s been showing by, hopefully, our success on the field.”
Shaker now advances into the league’s first-ever Division-I Semifinals to meet with two-seed Columbia, this time away from the friendly confines and at Nicholas Budowski Field, Monday at 7 p.m.
Columbia has already beaten Shaker once earlier in the season at home, in a 29-22 thriller back on May 3.
“I think we’re gonna go in with a game plan, I think we’re gonna stick to it, and I think the girls are going to be ready to come out and play and show what we’ve done all year and the progress that we’ve made,” Stevens said.
STRIDES MADE IN YEAR TWO
The loss versus Shaker ended campaign no.2 for the Flying Horses after the team played a trial season last year versus only, out-of-section opponents.
Head Coach Frank Rogers said despite coming out on the losing end of Friday’s quarterfinal bout, positive growth was still seen throughout the program in the sport.
“The result this year was better than last year, and not just record-wise, but the talent level, the education of the team as far as flag football and football in general, that was higher,” Rogers said postgame. “Mentally, their IQ for football went up drastically and I thought that was a major benefit for us.”
“We competed and I’m just really blessed to be part of this program.”
Rogers is also the coordinator for the new Section 2 league since its inception this past winter, with a founding 12 teams. More growth is projected this offseason in the Capital Region.
This season, 10 teams competed in the Division-I bracket, with two play-in games to start the tournament. Only Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake and Albany Leadership Charter made up the Division II bracket, playing for the championship on Monday, at Troy High School at 7 p.m.
“Since we’ve got our 12 teams in, we are adding at least eight more now,” said Rogers, proudly. “We’ll have a good Division-I and Division-IIs so that teams with lesser populations in their school district will have a chance to compete for a championship as well.”
