The Niskayuna Silver Warriors will challenge the Amsterdam Rams at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Niskayuna sitting on four straight wins and Amsterdam on three.
On Friday, Niskayuna made easy work of La Salle Institute and carried off a 39-13 victory. The Silver Warriors might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four matchups by 21 points or more this season.
Chase Meisner was a one-man wrecking crew as he rushed for 104 yards and a pair of scores. His longest rush was for an incredible 79 yards. The team also got some help courtesy of Cameron Grasso, who gained 106 total yards and two touchdowns.
Another reason for the win was Niskayuna's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for three sacks. Brayson Cudmore was especially locked on to La Salle Institute's QB and sacked him twice.
The home team had won the previous three meetings between Amsterdam and Columbia, and Amsterdam kept the tradition alive. The Rams walked away with a 30-22 win over the Blue Devils on Saturday.
Amsterdam's win came from a few key players Niskayuna will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Luis Tirado, who threw for 318 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 12.2 yards per attempt, and also rushed for 55 yards and one TD. He is becoming a predictor of Amsterdam's success: when he posts at least 250 passing yards the team is undefeated (and 1-2 when he doesn't). Hector Smith IV was another key player, picking up 166 receiving yards and one score.
Niskayuna's victory bumped their record up to 5-1. As for Amsterdam, their win bumped their record up to 4-2.
Friday's game might be decided in the trenches. Niskayuna has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 210.7 rushing yards per game. It's a different story for Amsterdam, though, as they've been averaging only 89.5 rushing yards. How will they fare against such a dominant running game?
Niskayuna barely slipped by Amsterdam in their previous matchup back in November of 2021, winning 29-28. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was the Rams' Garrett McHeard, who rushed for 102 yards and three touchdowns. Now that he won't be playing on Friday, will it be easier for the Silver Warriors to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
