However, the favored Salamanca Warriors, trailing 26-20, had 1:05 to drive 57 yards and after a few plays it looked like that just might happen.

With the ball on the Schuylerville-8 and five seconds remaining, Salamanca had a final shot and the Horses brought the blitz forcing quarterback Maddox Isaac to peel out of the pocket. As Isaac evaded the rush and rolled left it looked like the Horses could be in trouble, but then Schuylerville’s Luke Griffen stepped up to take down Isaac and deliver the Horses the Class C title at the JMA Wireless Dome 26-20.

Griffen’s tackle became the biggest sack in Schuylerville history delivering the team its first title and it came in a game of big moments, but the biggest play was a gutsy decision by Head Coach John Bowen that led to the Horses taking the lead.

After tying the game on a big 44-yard run from senior Landen Cumm, the Horses did not want to give the ball back to Salamanca with around four minutes remaining and opted for an onside kick.

Pictured from left to right, Xavier Peters, Cory Holleran, Maddox Isaac, Warrick Kyler and Zach Trietley hold the finalist plaque for Salamanca after falling to Schuylerville in the NYSPHSAA Class C championship at the JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday. P-J photo by Tim Frank

In a game of inches, the kick just slipped under a Salamanca player’s fingers into open field for the Horses to recover at the Warriors-39. Schuylerville marched in the remaining distance and even received some help from another Salamanca penalty before Cumm secured his third touchdown of the game on a 7-yard pass from Ollie Bolduc.

Schuylerville nearly made it a 7-point game, but the PAT was blocked by a diving Cory Holleran and on the play kicker Silas Schulte-Lindhorst was injured needing a stretcher to come off the field.

Trailing just by the touchdown, the undefeated Warriors had 1:05 to save their perfect season and secure the program’s first state title.

It looked like the Warriors were going to pull it off, but the game of inches was not on their side Saturday afternoon. A play-action pass inside the final 30 seconds saw Xavier Peters wheel out wide open down the sideline and Isaac connected a pass, but it bounced off the fingertips on the would-be touchdown.

That was not the first time a Peters touchdown was just missed or taken away, in the third quarter the senior running back broke free for a 55-yard touchdown that was brought back on a holding.

However, Peters would not be denied as the Warriors top-rusher scored a highlight-reel touchdown just a few plays later when he first ran right before seeing his gap close and cutting back across the field to receive a block from Isaac to dart in for a long 28-yard touchdown.

The Peters touchdown gave Salamanca the 20-7 lead and he finished with 117 yards on 16 carries with the one touchdown.

At that point Salamanca had established a lead it had been familiar with all season long and from the first snap it looked like the Warriors would get to that point.

On Schuylerville’s first drive of the game the first rush up the gut resulted in a fumble that Evan Spruce Jr. recovered. Then in the blink of an eye, Isaac connected with Holleran for a 27-yard catch and then a 6-yard touchdown pass to go up 6-0.

Salamanca got the exact start it wanted, but Schuylerville did not back down and mustered up quite the response, driving down for a 13-yard touchdown catch by Joe Headen from Bolduc and a Schulte-Lindhorst kick gave the Horses a 7-6 lead.

Salamanca regained the lead at halftime when it finished off a gritty drive working with a short field, needing to convert on a couple fourth downs to maintain possession. Zach Trietley who shined in several moments for the Warriors caught an 8-yard touchdown pass before halftime to make it 12-7.

Salamanca received the ball to start the second half and it culminated with the Peters touchdown which ended up being the final time the Warriors put points on the board.

Schuylerville (13-1) got the most out of its stars when it needed them, scoring 19 unanswered points in the second half with all three touchdowns from Cumm.

Coming up short of the championship goal, the Warriors (13-1) will hope that their next opportunity is not another 25 years later.

Schuylerville 7 0 7 12 — 26

Salamanca 6 6 8 0 — 20

Sal–Holleran 6 pass from Isaac (Kick failed)

Sch–Headen 13 pass from Bolduc (Schulte-Lindhorst kick)

Sal–Trietley 8 pass from Isaac (Pass failed)

Sal–Peters 28 run (Holleran catch)

Sch–Cumm 6 run (Schulte-Lindhorst kick)

Sch–Cumm 44 run (Kick blocked)

Sch–Cumm 7 pass from Bolduc (Pass failed)