By ADAM SHINDER

For the Express

The Broadalbin-Perth Patriots aren’t going to sneak up on anybody anymore.

Fresh off an undefeated regular season and a Foothills Council championship — despite being the only Class B school in a league otherwise filled with bigger Class A programs — the Patriots were rewarded with the top seed in the Section II Class B boys soccer tournament, but head coach Brian Henry knows that the top billing brings with it plenty of added pressure.

“With the No. 1 seed comes a lot of responsibility. We’re no longer the hunters, we’re the hunted,” Henry said. “We’re going to have a bulls-eye on our backs now, and everyone’s going to try to knock us off.”

It’s a target Henry is more than willing to have painted on his team after B-P’s second Foothills title in the past three years. The Patriots (13-0-3, 11-0-3 Foothills) and fellow unbeaten Ichabod Crane were the two top contenders for the No. 1 seed, and Henry said he was happy for his team that the Section II soccer committee opted to give the Patriots the top spot in the 15-team Class B field.

“I think the boys earned it,” said Henry, who also guided B-P to the 2009 Section II Class B title and a berth in the state semifinals. “They played hard all season long, and to have an undefeated record in the Foothills Council says a lot about the group of guys that I have. It was nice that the sectional committee recognized that.”

The top seed also allowed B-P to be the only Class B team to earn a bye into the quarterfinals, meaning the Patriots won’t have to take the pitch until Saturday at 7 p.m. when they welcome the winner of Thursday’s 8/9 game between Schuylerville at Cairo-Durham to Patriot Field.

Given that the team was both mentally and physically exhausted following Friday’s thrilling 1-0 overtime win over South Glens Falls that clinched the Foothills title outright, Henry said the bye and the extra rest couldn’t have come at a better time.

Yet, despite all of the positivity in the Patriots’ camp, the team is also bolstered by the memories of a season ago, when B-P entered the playoffs as a No. 5 seed only to be eliminated on its home turf in the first round by an opportunistic Chatham side. It’s an experience that Henry said has weighed heavily on his squad and his coaching staff as they gear up for the run at a second Class B title in three years.

“We made sure that they did not forget the feeling after walking off that field against Chatham,” Henry said. “It was an awful game for them, and we want to make sure the guys understand the urgency that comes when sectionals start. One bad call can end your season.”

In Class C, Western Athletic Conference North Division champion Galway is the fourth seed and was to open up the playoffs Wednesday with a home game against No. 13 seed Hoosick Falls. Mayfield, the runner-up in the WAC North, is the No. 7 seed and was also scheduled to be in action Wednesday at 3 p.m., hosting No. 10 seed Middleburgh.

Northville is the No. 3 seed in Class D as the Falcons look to reclaim the sectional title that they owned in both 2008 and 2009. The Falcons will open sectionals Saturday at 2 p.m. when they host No. 6 seed Argyle.

The finals for Class A, B, C and D will all be held Nov. 5 during a marathon session at Colonie.