Empire Football League

Red-Black's switcheroo pays off with win No. 2

WILLIAMS-NOEL TANDEM: Watertown changes pair's positions en route to beating Amsterdam

By MATT CORDOVA

TIMES SPORTSWRITER

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2008

There goes Brian Williams, and there goes Anthony Noel. The Amsterdam Zephyrs were left helpless Saturday night, with no real clue about how to stop the Watertown Red and Black's newly discovered backfield tandem.

Knowing it could run the ball effectively against the Zephyrs, Watertown pounded it, racking up a season-best 321 rushing yards that paved the way, through giant running lanes, to a 30-27 Empire Football League victory at the Alex T. Duffy Fairgrounds.

It was exploitation at its best, as the Red and Black (2-7) wrapped up just its second win of the season, and first at home.

"To get a win was great, and having it at home made it even sweeter," head coach George Ashcraft said. "If we could have figured out this combination of Williams at quarterback and Noel running two months ago, we could have done some great things. But there's no sense looking back."

Williams, who already serves as a cornerback and punter, took over at quarterback in the second quarter to stage Watertown's best effort. He chugged 80 yards on his first carry, faking out defenders and shaking off a jarring tug at his face-mask, for Watertown's first touchdown.

The position change allowed Noel to move back to his normal running back spot, and his legs did just as much damage, picking up 172 yards on 13 carries. His 52-yard jaunt late in the fourth quarter sealed the final result.

"It felt like being home again," Noel said of returning to running back. "I love running the ball.

"When you lose games like we have this year, it feels good to get this at home."

Amsterdam got its only score on a 25-yard, second-quarter connection from quarterback Ken Schaefer to Joe Torres. The play gave the Zephyrs (3-6) a 7-6 advantage, but their defense wasn't up to the task of containing Watertown's attack.

The Red and Black, which tallied 315 rushing yards against Amsterdam last month, attempted just one pass in the second half, and it resulted in an interception.

Amsterdam threatened to capitalize on the turnover when Schaefer hit Tim Sweeney on a 26-yard pass to move inside Watertown's five yard line.

But the defense, which allowed Amsterdam to score a late winning score in the first meeting, wasn't about to let it happen again.

The Zephyrs had plenty of chances, but failed seven times to score from inside the six or closer. It was the defense's best stand of the season, and then all Williams had to do was hand the ball to Noel.

"The goal-line stand, and then to go over 90 yards is what truly iced it," Ashcraft said. "(Noel) getting those two first downs right after were huge."

Noel pushed through the middle for consecutive runs of 11 and 10 yards. Two plays later, as receiver Paul Blouin sealed off his defender for about 20 yards, Noel was headed for the end zone.

Published September 28, 2008 12:30 am - Plattsburgh drops EFL finale; heads to Quebec next week in playoffs.

Ice Storm chills Stars


By NICK ST. DENIS
Staff Writer


Plattsburgh North Stars- fullback Kyle Nolan benefits from a good block as he attempts to maneuver his way past Vermont defenders. Vermont defeated Plattsburgh 27-7 as the teams closed out their regular season and prepare for the playoffs.
Staff Photo/Michael Betts /

PLATTSBURGH -- Nothing seemed to go the North Stars' way Saturday night in their regular-season finale, a 27-7 loss to the Vermont Ice Storm.

And although the outcome of the game had absolutely no bearing on the team's already planned playoff trip to Quebec, a win against the Empire Football League powerhouse would have been nice.

"We wanted to perform, and we wanted to beat these guys," Head Coach Pat Keleher said. "Our mindset was that we didn't care it was week 10, it could have been week one. We were prepared to play."

Vermont, however, was prepared to play as well.

Ice Storm quarterback Brad Ruderman had one of his typical nights, completing 17 of his 22 passes for 229 yards, with four touchdowns and no interceptions.

"He's just an outstanding quarterback," Keleher said. "It seemed like every time we tried to get to him with the blitz, which we did a few times, he made the throws."

The Stars' offense showed a few bright spots at times, but failed to reach the end zone until late in the fourth quarter on a one-yard touchdown pass from Kellen Nolan to Jordan Keleher.

Plattsburgh was effective running the ball, as Heath Geiser picked up 73 yards on five carries, and Brandon Keleher recorded 75 yards on 12 carries. But the team lost crucial yardage to offensive penalties throughout the game.

The Stars made an early stop on a Vermont fourth-and-goal in the first quarter, but failed to capitalize on the ensuing possession with a missed field goal.

Ruderman connected with Mike Jabour and Austin Partain for touchdown passes to give Vermont a 14-0 lead midway through the second quarter.

Then, when things seemed like they were about to turn around for the Stars on a late second quarter offensive series, the team hit yet another bump in the road.

On a third down following two incomplete passes, Plattsburgh and its fans were an inadvertent whistle away from a potential touchdown that would have brought the game within a touchdown.

During the play, Nolan completed a nine-yard pass to Matt St. Clair, who put his knee to the ground during the catch, got up and took off for the end zone.

But one of the officials had whistled the play dead, even though St. Clair was untouched by a Vermont defender.

The Stars were rewarded a "redo" of the third down, but failed to take advantage.

"That took a lot of wind out of our sails, I thought," Keleher said. "If he doesn't get ruled down there, St. Clair scores and we go into the half 14-7."

Then, two plays later in the same series, Nolan was whistled down when flopping the ball to a Plattsburgh back while getting taken down by Vermont defenders -- again, a premature whistle.

But while the Plattsburgh crowd got into a sour mood because of the calls, the Vermont fans did just the opposite.

Ruderman connected with Partain for another 15-yard touchdown strike in the second half, and again to Rob Joy for a 6-yard passing score to put Vermont up 27-0 in the fourth quarter to finish the team's scoring.

Plattsburgh will have next weekend off from EFL play, and will then travel to Montreal the following week to take on the Quebec Titans in the first round of the playoffs.

"Everybody's got a 0-0 record now," Keleher said. "The reality is if we go up to Montreal an win, we're in the EFL Championship."

Zephyrs to play on the road

By ADAM SHINDER

Recorder Sports Staff

Time is running out for the Amsterdam Zephyrs to turn a disappointing season around. That doesn't mean there still isn't enough time left to make plenty of noise.

Sitting at 3-5 overall and in fourth place in the Empire Football League, the Zephyrs have just two regular season games remaining to nail down a playoff berth. The home stretch begins tonight, when the Zephyrs travel across the state to take on the 1-7 Watertown Red & Black.

"The regular season has not actually gone the way we thought in the beginning," said team vice president Rick Sager. "We lost a couple of close games right off the bat with the 25-24 loss to Plattsburgh and then the overtime loss in Montreal. Those are games we thought at the beginning of the season we should've won. The balls just didn't bounce our way."

A week ago, however, star running back Elijah White helped the Zephyrs close out their home schedule in style, rushing for 192 yards and three touchdowns in Amsterdam's 27-6 romp over the Massena Raiders.

"Elijah is just a tremendous asset to this team," Sager said. "His running ability is just tremendous."

Although he missed both the Plattsburgh and Quebec games, White still ranks a close second in the league in rushing and has three of the top five rushing performances in the EFL this season, including a 204-yard outburst August 9 against Vermont.

"If he doesn't miss those two games, that easily puts him at the top of the league in rushing," Sager said. "Right now, he's only four yards behind the league leader, and that's with missing two games."

Complimenting White throughout the entire season have been receivers Issmal Green and Cedrick Pearman, who have combined to haul in 70 passes and 14 touchdowns from quarterback Ken Schaefer as the Zephyrs have come on late in the season under first-year coach Tom Manny.

With the top four teams qualifying for postseason play, the Zephyrs are in a close battle with 3-6 Ottawa for the final playoff spot. If the Zephyrs win out, they are guaranteed the final berth, but a tie could create some controversy, as a July 26 game at Lynch Middle School between the teams was suspended in the third due to inclement weather with Amsterdam nursing a 26-19 lead.

"We got down to the nine minute mark when lightning and thunder and rain opened up and we had to stop the game," Sager said. "We waited approximately and hour or so and had various resources -- phone, Internet, the National Weather Service -- they didn't expect it to stop for several hours, so the game was suspended."

Despite having to hit the road for the final two games of the season, the Zephyrs' chances of pulling to .500 for the season and reaching the playoffs look healthy, as their last two opponents own a combined 1-15 record. After taking on Watertown, the Zephyrs' season finale will have them travel for a return engagement with winless Massena.

However, Sager said that the Zephyrs need to make sure they stay focused and put out a maximum effort against the league's cellar dwellers.

"Going into Watertown to play a football game is never a given," he said. "Going up there is never a guarantee that you're going to win. We have to go up there and we've got to give it 110 percent. Anything can happen

 Published September 27, 2008 12:45 am - Plattsburgh to entertain Vermont Ice Storm in Empire Football League play.

Stars wrap up regular season

PLATTSBURGH -- Win or lose, the Plattsburgh North Stars enter tonight's season finale with their playoff fate already decided.

The North Stars will travel to Montreal in two weeks to take on the Quebec Titans regardless of the outcome of tonight's match-up against the Vermont Ice Storm at 7:30 at Melissa Penfield Park.

But the team won't hold anything back during tonight's Fan Appreciation Night.

Since it is the final game of the season, the Stars will have giveaways and raffles throughout the evening for fans.

"We've had good crowds throughout the year," Keleher said. "So we want to do a little something to say thank you."

A win over the Empire Football League powerhouse Ice Storm, however, would be a great way to say thank you.

"We're going to approach Saturday's game like any game," Head Coach Pat Keleher said. "We're preparing to win and are not going to hold anyone out. I don't think we can do that."

Coming off last week's road-loss against Quebec -- in a game Keleher felt the Stars controlled for three quarters -- Plattsburgh will need to finish tonight to have a chance at a victory over the first-place Ice Storm.

Vermont defeated the Stars 35-14 in Colchester earlier in the year and has outscored EFL opponents 368-108 in nine games this season.

"The biggest thing we didn't do in our first game against them was adjust on the field," Keleher said. "When you get to this level there are just certain adjustments you have to make throughout the game. You have to recognize what the other team is doing offensively and defensively, and adjust to that."

Plattsburgh quarterback Kellen Nolan and his offense recorded just 132 yards in the teams' last meeting, so the Stars will have to do a lot more offensively while keeping the Ice Storm's offense somewhat contained to stick with Vermont.

Ice Storm slam Watertown

COLCHESTER -- Jason Young rushed for two touchdowns as the undefeated Vermont Ice Storm ran past the Watertown (N.Y.) Red and Black, 36-7, in semiprofessional football on Saturday night.

Quarterback Brad Ruderman was 13 for 24 for 231 yards and two touchdowns for Vermont, which is ranked 10th in the nation. The Ice Storm (11-0 overall and 8-0 in the Empire Football League) scored three times in each half.

Vermont used strong defense as Andre Martineau had two sacks, while Drew Gordon and Kyle Bombardier and Kevin Fournier recorded interceptions. for Vermont, which scored three times in each half.

Watertown (2-7, 1-7) scored late in the fourth quarter to avoid the shutout.

POSTED: September 14, 2008

AMSTERDAM - Kevin Wyeth threw three touchdown passes leading the Quebec Titans to a 25-15 Empire Football League win over the Amsterdam Zephyrs Saturday.

Ken Schaefer went 19-for-43 in the air for 264 yards and a touchdown pass to Issmal Green that went for 38 yards for the Zephyrs (2-5). Green had 11 catches for 176 yards and caught a two-point pass.

Josh Newborn had six catches for 84 yards and Elijah White carried the ball for 89 yards and a touchdown.

Rick Fish had eight tackles, two solo, and one blocked kick and Eugene Maye had two tackles and an interception.

Quebec improves to 7-1.

Published September 14, 2008 12:30 am - Plattsburgh defeats visiting Ottawa in Empire Football League.

North Stars reach playoffs
By NICK ST. DENIS
Staff Writer

PLATTSBURGH -- The Ottawa Deacon Demons made the long trip to Plattsburgh for a regular-season Empire Football League matchup against the North Stars, but went home with no points to show for it in a 17-0 loss to Plattsburgh at Melissa Penfield Park Saturday night.

A field goal by Stars kicker Tom Montanaro was all that separated his team from the visiting Ottawa Deacon Deamons for almost three quarters in the game.

But Plattsburgh got sick of waiting for its first touchdown of the game after failing to get one during half a dozen prior trips to Ottawa's side of the 50 -- plus a playoff berth was at stake.

"I think some of that was frustration," Stars Head Coach Pat Keleher said. "We had been in the red zone three or four times and only came away with three points."

So, on fourth down, Keleher decided to go for the three yards -- and a fade pass to the back corner of the end zone from Kellen Nolan to Matt St. Clair did the trick.

"I just felt that we could throw one to the back of the end zone and get one," Keleher said. "Kellen made a real nice throw and Matt went up and got it."

The Stars failed to convert on a fourth down a possession before, but a huge hit on Ottawa quarterback Davin Corbett by Elija Parks knocked the ball loose and Ken Ruwett recovered the fumble.

The shutout, which clinched a playoff birth for the Stars, was a direct result of the Plattsburgh defense's containment of Ottawa's all-purpose back Shawn Harkes.

"I was very happy with our defense," Keleher said. "We flew to the ball. Our job was to take care of (Hawkes), and that's what we did."

The EFL rushing leader gained just 28 yard on 13 carries, and caught two passes for 2 yards.

A three-yard Brandon Keleher touchdown run early in the fourth quarter forced Ottawa to start going deep, but no one except Brandon St. John benefited from that type of play-calling, as he recorded two interceptions in the game.

By MIKE ZUMMO, The Leader-Herald

POSTED: September 13, 2008

Football League, the Amsterdam Zephyrs will return to Lynch Field tonight to face the second-place team in the league, the Quebec Titans.

The two teams last faced each other Aug. 2 in Quebec, with the Zephyrs falling just three points short, 15-12.

It was a game that Amsterdam played short handed due to injuries and border issues.

"We have a full roster for this week and we feel a lot more confident than we did when we went up there," Zephyrs coach Tom Manny said. "We're not going to have people out of position. We feel the outcome is going to be much better for us."

Even with those issues, the Zephyrs' defense limited Titans quarterback Kevin Wyeth to only 72 passing yards and one touchdown. On the ground, Recardo Moreau ran for 114 yards on 24 carries helping the Titans set up a pair of field goals, one of which was the game-winner in overtime.

"We worked on that [Thursday]," Manny said. "We reviewed the routes and what they run. They have a solid ground game. Some adjustments have been made and we put more responsibility on lane assignments."

The Zephyrs didn't have Elijah White on offense and Schaefer wound up as the team's leading rusher with 30 yards on four carries. Brian Barrett couldn't get anything going as he managed only 20 on 10 carries.

However, Schaefer did most of his damage through the air to Cedrick Pearman, who pulled down five receptions for 51 yards and two touchdowns. Overall, Schaefer was 10-for-31 for 128 yards and two touchdowns.

Despite suffering a 22-10 loss to the Vermont Ice Storm last week, the Zephyrs (2-4) featured an improved defense and# gave up only one big play during the game, a long touchdown pass from Brad Ruderman to Mike Jabour.

Overall, Ruderman threw for 222 yards and three touchdowns, but the Zephyrs did pick him off for a key interception. However, the Zephyrs put together a better pass rush and although they didn't register a sack, they forced Ruderman to move around in the pocket.

Amsterdam also kept the Ice Storm's running game in check as John Fahey carried for 101 yards. Despite an average of 9.2 yards per carry, Vermont chose to put the ball in Ruderman's hands and ran the ball 11 only times.

"They're confident, but they felt like they let themselves down," Manny said. "They felt they should have held Vermont to less than that, but we can't give up 45-yard punt returns. I'm glad to see they're hungry and annoyed at themselves."

The Zephyrs, however, controlled most of the clock on offense, but the Zephyrs' offense got stuck in the mud last week as White, who ran for a game-high 143 yards on 22 carries, suffered a groin injury late in the first half and didn't have the same speed and explosiveness in the second.

Schaefer threw for 198 yards, but couldn't find a receiver in the end zone and he, too, was shaken up on a first-down run during the second half, which Manny said last week limited their effectiveness.

"We have to play with injuries and we'll have to play with pain," Manny said. "We'll have both of those guys at 90 percent and that will be a good thing for us."

However, Manny said the receivers have to catch the ball as 14 passes were dropped last week, including one that would have gone for a touchdown.

"Our passing game has to get back on track," Manny said. "We're going to go with the same game plan we had before and it should be effective."

Published September 13, 2008 12:16 am - Plattsburgh to host Ottawa tonight with chance to clinch EFL postseason spot.

North Stars look to lock up playoff berth


By NICK ST. DENIS
Staff Writer

PLATTSBURGH -- Win, and they're in.

The Plattsburgh North Stars have a chance to clinch an Empire Football League playoff spot with a victory over the visiting Ottawa Deacon Demons tonight in a 7:30 kickoff at Melissa Penfield Park.

The Stars, who beat Ottawa on the road 34-17 earlier in the season, will face an improved team hungry for a playoff berth of its own.

"I look at it as almost a trap game," Head Coach Pat Keleher said. "I'm very cautious with the guys in not overlooking this team because for Ottawa, it's a must-win game. For any chance at the playoffs, they have to beat us."

Plattsburgh will have to keep all-purpose back and league rushing leader Shawn Harkes contained. Harkes will also line up at receiver, as he leads his team in receiving as well.

"Harkes is their game," Keleher said. "He's a very good football player, he's very talented. But he's their focus.

"Our goal is to shut the run down," he added. "If they have to pass to win, that's not a good thing for them."

With a win over Ottawa, The Stars ensure a playoff spot and can gain a home game in the postseason if things go right the last two games against Quebec and Vermont.

"Without the win against Ottawa, we could go from having a chance for a home playoff game to dropping to the last seed," Keleher said.

"I hope the people of the area come out, because we're now a playoff-bound team," he added. "These next three weeks they're going to get a chance to see some good football, especially with the best team in the league, and one of the best in the nation, Vermont, coming to town."

By MIKE ZUMMO, The Leader-Herald

POSTED: September 7, 2008

AMSTERDAM - The Amsterdam Zephyrs were in the red zone three times and were inside the 30-yard line two other times, but managed only 10 points in Saturday's Empire Football League game against the Vermont Ice Storm.

The Zephyrs, who gave up 62 points when they faced the Ice Storm last month, tightened up the defense and limited the league's highest-scoring offense to 20 points, but couldn't get their own offense across the goal line in a 20-10 loss.

Some minor injuries didn't help, as Elijah White, who ran for 113 yards on 13 carries in the first half, tweaked a groin muscle at the end of the second quarter and was a non-factor in the second half.

"Elijah went in the second half with a slight pull and that made a world of difference with him hitting the hole as quickly as he usually does," Zephyrs coach Tom Manny said. "He still gained yardage. It wasn't the same as the first half. If he was OK, it would have been a different game."

Quarterback Ken Schaefer also took a big hit on a five-yard first down run and had to leave for a play before returning to the field. The Zephyrs also were hurt by several dropped passes, one by White in the second half and five by Cedrick Pearman.

"There were a lot of drops and Kenny was not right either after that hit," Manny said. "He could not step into his throws. That's part of the game. You've got to play hurt."

With a 7-6 halftime lead, the Zephyrs received the ball and went three-and-out. Then on third-and-11, Vermont quarterback Brad Ruderman hit Austin Pertain across the middle, who took the 15-yard pass and ran the ball the rest of the way for a 71-yard touchdown catch. Ruderman then hit Jason Young in the end zone for the two-point conversion giving the Ice Storm a 14-7 lead.

The Zephyrs brought the ball to the Ice Storm's 10-yard line on their next drive after Issmal Green's 42-yard kick return. After White ran the ball for 4 yards, Schaefer connected with Green for a 21-yard completion.

However, Pearman dropped Schaefer's pass in the end zone and after White lost 3 yards and Schaefer's incompletion, Brian Barrett drilled a 30-yard field goal.

Vermont ran five minutes off the clock on their next drive, but Green picked off Ruderman in the end zone, but ran it out and after an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, the Zephyrs were stuck on their own 5-yard line.

"We had a couple of drives too that we went down the field and we didn't score," Vermont coach Doug Perez said. "That's what I told our guys, if we get all those yards, let's get them across the goal line."

Ruderman capped off the scoring for the Ice Storm with 1:53 left in the third quarter when he connected with Akeem Williams for a 3-yard scoring completion.

The Zephyrs' scoring troubles started early in the game. After forcing the Ice Storm (7-0) to punt after a three-and out, the Zephyrs took over on their own 6-yard line and brought the ball to the Ice Storm's 3.

White gained 10 yards on two runs and Schaefer hit Green with a 22-yard screen pass and then hit Josh Newborn over the middle bringing the ball to midfield. On second down, White pummeled the Ice Storm's defense for a 24-yard run and Schaefer connected with Cedrick Pearman for a 17-yard slant pass.

After White brought the ball to the 3-yard line, the Ice Storm intercepted Schaefer in the end zone.

The Zephyrs (2-4) got to the Ice Storm 25-yard line on their next drive, but John Totzack's 41-yard field goal attempt was short and wide to the left, once again keeping Amsterdam off the board.

"They played their hearts out and made a couple of key mistakes," Manny said. "That interception down on that first drive didn't help us. That broke our backs. Missing a field goal didn't help us. We did everything we wanted, we just didn't close the plays."

The Ice Storm took a 6-0 lead when Ruderman threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Mike Jabour, but the Zephyrs blocked the extra-point holding the Ice Storm to six points.

The Zephyrs responded on their next drive with White's 1-yard touchdown run with 44 seconds left in the second quarter. Barrett's extra point kick gave them a 7-6 lead.

"We've got plenty of talent to do the job," Manny said. "I've said it all year long. Now we got Quebec coming in next week. That's more than a doable situation. If we beat Quebec, we should finish out strong and run about 6-4."

Vermont 20, Amsterdam 10

Vermont 0 6 14 0 - 20

Amsterdam 0 7 3 0 - 10

Second Quarter

V - Jabour 31 pass from Ruderman (kick blocked), 4:44

A - White 1 run (Barrett kick), :44

Third Quarter

V - Partain 71 pass from Ruderman (Young pass from Ruderman)

A - FG Barrett 30, 8:32

V - Williams 3 pass from Ruderman (pass failed)

EMPIRE FOOTBALL LEAGUE

OTTAWA 13, WATERTOWN 6

Antonio Alexander scored on an 80-yard kickoff return in the fourth quarter, but the Red and Black (1-6) fell to the Deacon Demons at Ottawa.

Ottawa (3-4) scored touchdowns in the first and fourth quarters.

PLATTSBURGH 47, MASSENA 0

The North Stars scored on their first play from scrimmage when Kellen Nolan completed a 52-yard pass to his brother, Kyle, and things got worse from there for Massena (0-7), which gave up 496 yards in Plattsburgh.

Nolan finished 10-of-11 passing for 173 yards with three touchdowns, and he also rushed for 52 yards for Plattsburgh (5-2). Massena has been outscored 351-21 this season.

By MIKE ZUMMO, The Leader-Herald

POSTED: September 6, 2008

AMSTERDAM - The last time the Amsterdam Zephyrs took the field, they came from behind to top the Watertown Red & Black with a last-minute victory.

Then, they got two weeks off after having a bye Aug. 23 and the entire league was off last week for Labor Day weekend.

Tonight, the Zephyrs will face their toughest test so far when they host the Empire Football League-leading Vermont Ice Storm at Lynch Field, starting the second half of their season.

"The guys were upbeat knowing that our destiny is in our own hands," Zephyrs coach Tom Manny said. "If we win out, we could still end up in second place. They all realize that and their attitudes are upbeat."

The last time the Zephyrs faced off with the Ice Storm, the game left them anything but upbeat as they were torched by the Vermont's passing game in a 62-35 loss. Brad Ruderman went 12-for-16 with four touchdowns and his backup Matt Paul was 8-for-10 with one touchdown.

Ruderman had another strong game Aug. 23 against the Plattsburgh North Stars where he completed 21 of 29 for 234 yards and five touchdowns.

He hooked up with Rob Joy the most, six times for 88 yards and three scores. He also had touchdown throws to Austin Pertain and Mike Jabour.

However, Manny pinned the Ice Storm's gaudy offensive numbers on mental mistakes by the Zephyrs.

"That's what killed us up there. We fell behind quickly and they got up 24-7. The worst that score should have been at halftime was 24-14," Manny said. "A goof here and a goof there and a team like that will make you pay dividends. They will jump on you if you make a mistake."

However, the Zephyrs do have some help on the way on the defensive side of the football as Rick Huelett returns at defensive end, shoring up the Zephyrs' pass rush. Manny also said the Zephyrs will use some nickel packages in the secondary to clamp down on the receivers.

"Getting Rick Huelett back is going to be a big help because he'll man our pass rush," Manny said. "You have to get pressure on Ruderman and in the secondary, we have to nullify their wideouts if we're going to be successful. We're not overly concerned about their ground game. We did OK with that, but it was the passing attack that we fell down on."

Despite concerns about the defense, Manny also has plenty of confidence in his offense, which averages 26.4 points per game.

However, that number is skewed by a 12-point performance in a 15-12 loss to the Chateaugay Titans. In the other four games, they haven't scored less than 24 points.

The Zephyrs also are going to be reloaded on offense as they'll get some players back from injury such as Kelvin Vasquez. Manny also said the Zephyrs will have their full complement of wide receivers.

"We're also picking up some receivers for [tonight] so it's looking very positive," Manny said.

The one thing that doesn't look very positive is the weather forecast, which shows the remnants of Tropical Storm Hanna could heading into the area, throwing a possible aerial game plan into disarray if it rains heavily.

"We do have a contingency plan, but we haven't put a lot of practice time in because we don't have a lot of time on the field," Manny said. "Knowing what we're capable of doing, that's where the adjustments will come to us. We'll rely on Elijah [White] and we'll lean toward the situations with him."

Published September 06, 2008 01:00 am - Massena game moved to Plattsburgh in Empire Football League play.

North Stars at home tonight

PLATTSBURGH -- The Plattsburgh North Stars, looking to get back on track, were happy to see the winless Massena Raiders next on their schedule. Now, they won't have to leave home to catch Massena.

The luckless Raiders, 0-6, ran into field problems this week and, as a result, had to move their game with the North Stars to Plattsburgh and Melissa Lahtinen Penfield Park. Kick-off is set for 7:30 tonight.

The schedule switch means the North Stars will play three of their last four games at home with only a trip to Quebec remaining. Plattsburgh will need all the help it can get; the North Stars have lost their last two to fall to 4-2. They have been idle since a 34-14 setback at the hands of the Vermont Ice Storm on Aug. 23. The game before they fell to the Quebec Titans 23-8.

Plattsburgh had no trouble with Massena the first time around, sacking the Raiders 56-7 at Penfield Park.

Massena has managed just 21 points in six games while giving up 304. Plattsburgh has outscored its opponents 156-119.

A win tonight not only would snap the mini losing streak, but assure the North Stars of at least a .500 record. In all likelihood, it would also give Plattsburgh a solid shot at finishing third and avoiding the Ice Storm in the first round of the playoffs.

The North Stars also could use some momentum heading into the stretch run. Next week, they host the Ottawa Deacon Demons, a team they defeated 34-17 on Aug. 2.

Then Plattsburgh takes on Quebec and Vermont to close out the season.