JAMESVILLE, N.Y. -- It was a chilly night for the final outdoor Friday Night Matchup of the season. It was a meeting of two Class "B" powerhouses in the section semifinals with unbeaten Solvay taking on the 12th ranked team in the state in New Hartford. The game was held at J-D, which is just 13 miles away from Solvay, so there were a lot of Bearcats fans in attendance for the contest.
Coming into the contest, New Hartford felt confident in their pass defense and their ability to slow down Brock Bagozzi. For Solvay, their keys to the game were eliminate mistakes and do their jobs. They did their job right out of the gate, when Elijah Wright picked off Tyler Potocki's pass and took it all the way to the endzone to break a scorless tie. New Hartford came right back with an interception of their own in the 1st quarter, so after one, it was a 7-6 game.
In the second, Solvay started to break through and made some big plays to go into the half up 28-12. At the half, Solay Coach Dan Salisbury was impressed with the offense that already put up 28 on a Spartans team that only gives up 10 points per game.
"The line is blocking really well. We've got speed. It's nice when you've got speed and can go at them," said Salisbury.
In the second half, the three-seeded Spartans showed why they're 7-1. Jim Kramer had to say something to get them going, because they scored quickly after Potocki hit Logan Kraft to make it a 28-20 game. The entire second half was back-and-forth, and the final stats showed that. Solvay had 401 total yards to New Hartford's 395. They had 182 passing yards and the Spartans' 181. The big number was the turnover, and the biggest one came in the final few minutes.
New Hartford made it a 42-39 game late in the 4th quarter, and they intercepted a pass to give themselves a chance to win in the final minutes. Potocki threw a deep pass, and Solvay's Justin Scott ripped out the rock for the interception. That turnover sealed the game for the Bearcats.
"Man. We're going to that Dome. That's all it was. I couldn't do it without my team," Scott said after.
At the end of the game, the team huddled up and started chanting "6.5!" The reason is because it's their motto. It's actually 6.5 miles from their locker room to the front of the Carrier Dome. That chant will become a reality for the Bearcats, who will take on Oneida for the section title next Saturday on the hill.