Red & Black faces top-seeded Shock in semifinals

The Syracuse Shock semipro football team has an undefeated record, the Empire Football League’s highest-scoring offense, stingiest defense, and a 55-0 victory over the Watertown Red and Black this season.

But to the Red and Black, the Shock is just a football team, that happens to be standing in the way of a chance to play for the EFL championship.

“They don’t have better athletes, they don’t have tougher men,” Red and Black coach George Ashcraft said. “They’re just people. They put their pants on the same way we do. They were very blessed to win out here 55-0 the first week of August. Let’s see what happens (tonight).”

Tonight’s EFL semifinal matchup between the No. 5 Red and Black (6-5) and No. 1 Shock (10-0) at Henninger high school at 7 will be the first meeting between the two teams since Watertown was decisively beaten in its home opener on Aug. 6.

The Red and Black offense committed five turnovers in that game, and had two interceptions returned for touchdowns.

Watertown’s defense gave up more than 250 yards on the ground, including 207 to Syracuse running back Justyn Hardwick, and more than 160 through the air.

“I know our defense is ready for round two after what they did to us last time, and kind of tried to humiliate us,” said linebacker Matt Kepler, who has a team-high 57 tackles this season. “We want to go out there and hit them hard, and want to go on to the championship game. I think we’re ready this time. They’re not going to put up 55 on us again, that’s for sure.”

Though that was one of the worst home losses in the Red and Black’s 115-year history, the team recovered to win five of its last six games. Since its first on-field victory of the season against Montreal on Aug. 20, The Red and Black’s 222 points scored is the most in the league.

“Right now, we’re playing good football,” said running back Joe Brennan, who ran for 121 yards and the game-sealing touchdown in last week’s 21-16 first-round playoff victory at Glens Falls. “We’re confident, we’re an entirely different team than we were the first time we met up. I feel like, with confidence, we can do anything, and I think we’re just the team to knock them out.”

The winner will advance to next Saturday’s EFL title game to play the winner of tonight’s other semifinal matchup between No. 3 Plattsburgh and No. 2 Albany.

A victory would put the Red and Black in the EFL championship game for the third straight season, and the fifth time in the last six years.

“We have as good a chance as anybody, we’re still playing,” Ashcraft said. “These guys believe they can do it too. This ain’t a shot of craps, and hope you come out with the best dice. These guys believe they can win and that’s what’s important. So we’ll have to wait and see now, it’s going to be a great game.”