PLATTSBURGH — The Monroe County Sting didn’t enjoy their trip up north last Saturday in a 29-8 loss to the Vermont Ice Storm.
The Plattsburgh North Stars are hoping the Sting’s return trip to the North Country this weekend doesn’t get any better.
The North Stars (3-1, 2-1) host the Sting (1-2), who are from the Rochester area, tonight at 7:30 p.m. in Empire Football League play at the Plattsburgh Athletic Complex.
North Stars coach Scott Aguglia, however, is expecting a different Monroe County team to show up.
“They, for whatever reason, brought only 25 or 30 players with them last week to Vermont,” said Aguglia. “I expect them to bring more players this week.
“They’ve played some pretty good teams so far and they need a win. So, I expect we’ll see a much different team.”
The North Stars survived their first real road game of the season last Saturday in a 34-22 victory at the Glens Falls Greenjackets.
Plattsburgh took an early 13-0 lead, lost it and then outscored Glens Falls, 14-0, in the second half. In fact, the North Stars scored the game’s final 21 points after falling behind, 22-13.
Aguglia said there was a lot of good that came out of the game, but also some areas that need to be improved on.
“I’ve said all along that if we can stay away from allowing big plays and committing turnovers, we can play with anyone,” he said. “We allowed two big plays last week and made a turn over that led directly to a touchdown.
“But, I was very pleased with the way the players reacted after Glens Falls took the lead. It was our first real road game of the season and the most important thing is that we won the game.”
Aguglia would like to keep the North Stars’ offensive prowess a secret around the league. But that’s going to be difficult to do after the number of points Plattsburgh has rolled up the past two weeks.
Quarterback Harry Rascoe, despite throwing two interceptions (one of which was returned for a score), tossed three more touchdown passes, with Andrew Price and Jordon Keleher combining for 160 yards and three touchdowns in receptions.
“That’s just the way it worked out last weekend,” said Aguglia. “Price and Keleher had big games and when our receivers get open, Harry will find them. He doesn’t discriminate. Harry likes to spread the ball around, but Price and Keleher had good match-ups and were getting open.”
And give the North Stars’ defense their credit for pitching a shutout over the final two quarters.
Albany is currently at the top of the EFL standings with a 2-0 record. The North Stars and three other teams — Syracuse, Watertown and Vermont — are tied for second at 2-1.
“We’re approaching it as a very big game for us,” said Aguglia. “It’s a chance to play a good team from a big market. This game will show if we’re for real.
“It would be a real good win for us as far as the standings go. The league is so competitive — as competitive as I’ve ever seen it. I’d like to have our opening league game against Vermont back. But that’s in the past now and the league is there for everyone’s taking.”
