The Shaker Blue Bison stormed the field this past Friday night with two goals in mind. One, to win the homecoming game, and two, to keep their playoff hopes alive. Shaker opened the game with touchdowns on consecutive drives and secured a 13-point lead at the end of the first quarter. The first touchdown was scored by Kevin Williams on a 28-yard touchdown strike from Sophomore quarterback Marcus Snipes. Shaker´s defense forced Saratoga off the field quickly and put the ball back into the capable hands of Snipes. Snipes hooked up with Senior Matthew Bennett for another touchdown pass from 7 yards out. After the first quarter, it seemed like Shaker was well on their way to a blowout victory but the Blue Streaks had other ideas. Saratoga scored on a 1-yard plunge by # 33 Rhude to cut the lead to 13-7. Shaker´s offense returned to the field and struck quickly, scoring on a beautiful 75-yard throw and catch from Snipes to # 5 Bless Demand to reestablish their double-figure lead.

Before the half, Saratoga had one last drive resulting in a made field goal of 30 yards to close out the scoring and cut the Blue Bison´s lead to 10. And that’s where both teams’ defenses took over.

During halftime, Shaker´s cheerleaders performed and kept the enthusiasm up. The Barn, home of one of the best student sections in the state, took it from there by playing “Sweet Caroline¨ and singing loudly, until both teams returned to the field.

The third quarter started and the next thirty minutes thrilled fans of defensive football. There was a combination of hard hits, turnovers, and many near misses by the offenses resulting in a scoreless second half.

Shaker worked with many players keeping everyone fresh as they continued their pursuit of a playoff wins and the championship. Shaker takes to the road this week, traveling to Ballston Spa to take on the 4 and 2 Scotties in a must-win Suburban Council matchup.