Schuylerville to square off with Salamanca in pursuit of first-ever state championship

QUEENSBURY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- 48 minutes separates Schuylerville from etching its name in the New York State high school football record book.

Saturday morning, the Black Horses will embark for the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse to make their fourth appearance in a state championship game since 2015.

Schuylerville has yet to bring home a state title, and this year's squad is intent on making history.

"If you lose, you get talked about for like a week, or two," said senior running back/linebacker Landen Cumm. "But if you win, you cement [your] state and high school legacy."

"I think now we've been there so many times...it's time to get it done at this point," added senior offensive/defensive lineman Josh Bowen.

As many trips as head coach John Bowen has made to the Dome, each one has had its own identity. This year's no different.

"In 2015, we had an excellent football team, but the fact we got to the game for the first time in school history, I think that was something that we probably embraced," said Bowen. "2019, we [were] very fortunate just to get out of our own section against a really talented Holy Trinity team. In '21, we played a really talented Chenango Forks team. Every game we've gone into has had its own different narrative. I don't really see this time around...any similarities to previous times. It's kinda got its own character."

Schuylerville advanced to the Class C final after last Saturday's convincing, 24-7 win over a previously unbeaten Valhalla squad. Now, they'll square off with another team boasting an unblemished record: Section VI's Salamanca - the top-ranked team in the state for Class C.

"We haven't seen a team this big all season long," said Bowen. "I do liken their running backs to what we saw from Lake George/Warrensburg; very similar type of personnel on their perimeter. We can not afford to not play a full 48 minutes. If we think we're gonna come out and feel through the first 12 minutes of the game, and then get settled in, we're gonna find ourselves in a hole that I don't know if we're gonna be able to come out of."

Fortunately, the Black Horses have the benefit of experience. Much of this senior class was on that '21 team, and will know how to better handle the adjustment to playing in a venue like the Dome, and be able to help the younger players settle in.

"Take it in at first, and then just play your game afterwards," said Josh Bowen. "I remember my freshman year I was a little bit in awe. I wanna make sure with these younger kids that they're not in awe. They take it all in at first, realize the magnitude of what's gonna happen Saturday and then just, you know...play their butts off."

And that steadiness the veterans on this team bring is also crucial to the practices leading up to the big game.

"We can't get too amped up and lose focus of what we're trying to accomplish here," said Cumm. "[We're] having fun, but also staying disciplined, and, you know, doing what we gotta do to win a state championship."

Bowen recognizes this isn't just any other game, as some coaches try to make it out to be.

But the finality of the game could actually benefit his team.

"Last week against Valhalla, we didn't know if that was gonna be our last week," said Bowen. "We knew there was the potential for more football to be played. The stress of not knowing if you're going to be able to continue with each other for another week...that stress is gone. We know that this ends on Saturday. For us to just be able to kind of relax from that standpoint and just embrace the fact that, "Guys, we've got 48 minutes of football together - let's just go out, have a good time and enjoy the opportunity that you've earned; hasn't been handed to you." I think that's the way you approach this game, and from a mental standpoint...I think will be in our best interest."

Kickoff Saturday from the Dome is set for noon.