Some notes on the Schenectady-LaSalle football game that takes place Friday night at Larry Mulvaney Field.

Records: Schenectady 3-0 Liberty Division, 5-0 overall, ranked No. 11 in the state Class AA poll. LaSalle 3-0 Liberty Division, 4-1 overall, unranked in state poll; defending Section II Class AA champion; only loss to 2007 state Class AA runner-up Monroe-Woodbury.

What's at stake: Liberty Division's top seed for the upcoming playoffs.

Record hunt: Schenectady can surpass its all-time high of five wins with a victory. The Pats won five games last season, their first under head coach Carm DePoalo. Schenectady has won six games in all, including a 2007 crossover win against Mohonasen.

LaSalle streaks: The Cadets have beaten the Patriots five years in a row, including 61-37 in 2007, 41-8 in 2006 and 40-15 in 2005. Schenectady last beat LaSalle in 2002, 14-10. LaSalle has a 16-game winning streak against Section II opponents.

Last week: Schenectady rallied from deficits of 14-0 and 22-19 to beat Columbia at Mulvavey Field on homecoming, 26-22. Second time in three weeks the Pats had to come from behind to win. LaSalle roughed up Shaker, 40-7, after building a 26-0 halftime advantage.

Skill players to watch: LaSalle running back Marquis Terrell. As a junior, he set school records with 365 yards and seven touchdowns against Schenectady. Also, end Lou DiNovo and quarterback Mike Murray, a first-year starter.

Schenectady's big four of quarterback Nick Ottati (13 TD passes), running back Marc Thompson, tight end Marcus Brandon and wide receiver Anthony Cooper. Terrell and Thompson were both selected to the Daily Gazette's All-Area first team offensive unit in 2007. DePoalo called them two of the best RBs in the state.

Random thoughts: LaSalle coach Al Rapp has a thick playbook, and he hasn't shown everything over the first five games, so Schenectady's defense must be on its toes ... A great one-on-one matchup will take place between Schenectady center Billy Rios (6-2, 290) and LaSalle nose guard Jeff Milos (6-4, 310) ... LaSalle is in great physical condition, meaning they'll go hard for four quarters (remember the Super Bowl comeback against Guilderland last November) ... LaSalle's offensive line features tackle
Ken Altarac, a national wrestling champion ... Thompson scored two touchdowns last week and rushed for 165 yards, his fourth straight game with over 100 ... Terrell bolted for 236 yards and scored three TDs last week ... LaSalle has the advantage in big game experience; Schenectady is the more athletic team ... No prediction here.

A quick note on the Columbia game: After Schenectady took a 19-14 lead late in the second quarter, Columbia's Alex Tesoriero returned the kickoff to the Pats 10 before being stripped by Steve Kent, who also recovered the ball.

The play took place on the Schenectady side of the field. There was a big pileup and some shoving between players who were in on the play, but nothing that appeared too serious, and the groups were separated.

A handful of Columbia players ran onto the field during the shoving, though, while none from Schenectady did so. Just what does that say about this group of Patriots? To me, a whole lot.