Fresh off the release of the NYSSWA first state-wide football poll, I humbly present my own rankings of our Capital District squads.

I'm finding it tough to believe we're already into week three of the season, but with the movement comes team break outs and drop offs. As per usual I've ranked the top five teams in each class and, also per usual, if you agree or disagree, sound off in the comments. I want to hear from you! What did I pick right? What did I pick wrong? Let me know.

- Laura



Class AA
1.    Shenendhowa, 2-0, 2-0, 1
The Plainsmen are shaping up to once again be the team to beat in Class AA; even with a first-year coach. Corey Acker led the way for Shen in week two’s 34-0 victory over Guilderland, rushing six times for 81 yards and three touchdowns.
2.    Columba, 2-0, 2-0, 2
The Blue Devils may have found another arm to their dominant rushing attack in senior Kenny Mathieu, who rushed for 174 yards and four touchdowns, in Friday’s 46-18 victory over Niskayuna. He’s now rushed for over 260 yards on the season, averaging almost 11.5 yards a carry.
3.    Shaker, 1-0, 2-0, 3
The Blue Bison broke into the state-wide standings this week, coming in at twelfth among all Class AA teams. Paced by senior quarterback Chris Landers, the Shaker offense has dominated play, scoring 88 points and racking up just under 700 total yards.
4.    CBA, 2-0, 2-0, 4
Cameron Wynn led the Brothers to a dominant 46-6 victory over Albany last week. The senior running back had only seven carries on the night, but racked up 143 yards and two touchdowns in the process. Spencer Hall added 66 rushing yards and one touchdown of his own as well.
5.    La Salle, 0-1, 1-1, ---
Gabe Smith sparked a come-from-behind 14-7 victory for the Cadets over cross-town rival Troy in last week’s Collar City Cup. The senior wide receiver and safety, picked off a pass in the endzone before finding himself in the opposite endzone three plays later, scoring La Salle’s game winning touchdown.

Class A
1.    Burnt Hills, 0-0, 1-1, 4
The Spartans didn’t let that week one loss to Troy bother them for too long. Instead of moping, Burnt Hills turned around and shutout Schamont, with a 37-0 victory last Friday. Ryan McDonnell looked much calmer under center, going 5-of-8 in the air and adding two rushing touchdowns.
2.    Troy, 0-0, 1-1, 1
Although they earned a surprising 14-7 loss to La Salle in the Collar City Cup on Friday, the Flying Horses still rank eighth among all Class A teams in New York State. They may have only posted 24 points on the board, but they’ve also only given up 21 points.
3.    Amsterdam, 0-0, 1-1, 5
The Rugged Rams returned to form, topping Mohonasen with a solid offensive showing on Friday night. Brett Stanavich finished the victory with 174 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries. Geo Rodriquez added 163 yards and three touchdowns in the air.
4.    Mohonasen, 0-0, 1-1, 3
The Warriors fell 42-20 to Amsterdam at home last week, scoring just six total points in the first half. Unable to convert on fourth and four, Mohon was never able to get much going on either side of the ball.
5.    Averill Park, 0-0, 1-1, 2
The Warriors held onto a tight match, but couldn’t hold onto the game, falling 26-12 to Queensbury on Saturday afternoon.

Class B
1.    Ravena, 2-0, 2-0, 4
The Indians have set up the highest scoring offense in Section II, racking up 102 points in the first two games of the season, including 58 in last week’s victory over Hudson. Ravena finished with 322 rushing yards in last week’s victory, with 101 yards and two touchdowns off the feet of Dylan Keyer.
2.    Lansingburgh, 1-0, 2-0, 3
Anthony Walker can run and that’s helping the Knights find some major consistency and success in Class B play thus far this season. Walker rushed for 254 yards and five touchdowns as ‘Burgh cruised to a 47-12 victory over Green Tech last week.
3.    Albany Academy, 2-0, 2-0, 2
Darrien White did a little bit of everything for the Cadets as they grabbed a 35-26 victory over Cohoes. White not only rushed for 121 yards and three touchdowns, but added six receptions for 71 yards and broke up a would-be Cohoes touchdown in the second quarter.
4.    Broadalbin-Perth, 1-0, 2-0, ---
The Patriots allowed just eight points for the second straight game, cruising to a 53-8 victory over Johnstown on Friday. Gabe Mendez almost single-handedly controlled the offense, throwing for 107 yards and rushing for 106 more.
5.    Schalmont, 1-0, 1-1, 1
The Sabres fell back to Earth hard last Friday night, dropping a 37-0 shutout to Burnt Hills. Devon Willis, who ran for over 350 yards in week one, rushed for just 49 yards against the Spartans and passed for only nine yards in the lopsided loss.

Class C
1.    Hoosick Falls, 2-0, 2-0, 1
Brad Burns continues to simply run past, or in some cases run over, the entire Class C
competition. The senior running back rushed for 152 yards and two touchdowns on
only 12 carriers, as the Panthers topped Granville 42-10 and also rushed for a team total
of over 300 yards
2.    Chatham, 1-0, 2-0, 4
The Panthers didn’t blow up the score board this past Friday night, but they did shutout
Stillwater, cruising to a dominant 28-0 victory. Jesse Whiteman led the way for
Chatham, scoring all of the first half’s 14 points and rushing for 59 yards.
3.    Watervliet, 1-0, 2-0
The Cannoneers broke out an almost perfectly balanced attack on both sides of the ball,
en route to a 39-7 victory over Voorheesville on Saturday afternoon. With 491 yards of
total offense and four interceptions on defense, ‘Vliet took control of the game from the
opening whistle.
4.    Fonda, 1-0, 1-0, 2
The Braves’ week off didn’t affect their NYS standings, as they ranked seventeenth
among all Class C teams in the first poll of the season thanks to their 48-12 victory over
Taconic Hills. Russ Williams threw for 300 yards and five touchdowns in that week one
game.
5.    Corinth, 1-0, 2-0, 5
The Tomahawks barely squeaked out a 34-33 victory over Ichabod Crane on Friday
night, thanks to Caleb Tucker, who tackled Shawn Gerkman for a loss on the Riders’
two point conversion attempt. Blake Basmajin passed for 239 yards and three
touchdowns for Corinth.

Class D
1.    Cambridge, 0-0, 2-0, 1
The Indians have scored an impressive 89 points in two games so far this season.
What’s more impressive is that they haven’t allowed any points either. In last week’s
48-0 victory over Hoosic Valley, Matt Parmenter nearly matched his career rushing
stats with 290 yards and five touchdowns.
2.    Rensselaer, 0-0, 2-0, 2
Seth Butler rushed for 141 yards and three touchdowns last week to lead the Rams to a
42-16 victory over Warensburg. Rensselaer racked up the offensive yards, with 362
yards on the ground and 92 more in the air.
3.    Greenwich, 0-0, 2-0, 3
The Witches continue to find a rhythm in their Class D schedule, topping Salem 42-18 in
week two. John Barnes rushed for 169 and one touchdown as well recording three
receptions for 64 yards and two more touchdowns. Jake Jennings went 7-of-12 in the air
for 138 yards.
4.    Canajoharie, 0-0, 2-0, ---
The Cougars stayed undefeated thanks to a dominant first half that led to a 37-6 victory
over Lake George. Kevin Shannon sparked the scoring with a 74-yard touchdown run
that was just the third play of the game. Shannon went on to rush for 197 yard and
three touchdowns.
5.    Fort Edward, 0-0, 1-1, ---
The Forts bounced back from a shutout loss in week one against Cambridge to do a little
shutting out of their own, with a 43-0 victory over Bishop Gibbons on Saturday
afternoon. Nate Burkhardt made three trips to the endzone to spark Fort Edwards’
offensive attack, while Dylan White recorded 117 rushing yards.