Playoffs! 2016 The States - Quarterfinals

[SWC75]

The state playoffs began in 1993. The Classes were A, B, C and D. Class AA was created in 1996. There are 11 sections in New York State and their general areas:

Section 1: Hudson River has 19 AA teams, 25 A teams, 12 B teams, 9 C teams and 2 D teams.
Section 2: Capital District has: AA: 13 A: 12 B: 12 C:18 D: 6
Section 3: Central New York has: AA: 14 A: 10 B: 15 C: 23 D:15
Section 4: Southern Tier has: AA: 5 A: 2 B: 8 C: 11 D: 17
Section 5: Genesee Valley has: AA: 15 A: 11 B: 11 C: 12 D: 20
Section 6: Western NY has: AA: 11 A: 16 D: 21 C: 12 D: 9
Section 7: Champlain Area has: AA: 0 A: 0 B: 3 C: 3 D: 2
Section 8: Nassau (They don't participate in the state playoffs)
Section 9: Catskills has: AA: 10 A: 8 B: 9 C: 4 D: 5
Section 10: St. Lawrence Area has AA: 0 A: 1 B: 1 C: 5 D: 1
Section 11: Suffolk (They don't participate in the state playoffs)

(If they returned to the old Large School(AA+A)/Small School(B,C,D) designations, as I think they should, the breakdown would look like this: 1: Large: 44 Small: 23; 2: Large: 25 Small: 36; 3: Large: 24 Small: 53; 4: Large: 7 Small: 36; 5: Large: 26, Small: 43; 6: Large: 27 Small: 42; 7: Large: none, Small: 8; 10: Large: 1 Small: 6. The larger groupings could have more teams in their playoff at the sectional level.)

Sections 8 & 11 do not participate in the NYS playoffs. Sections 7 and 10 have so few schools that they have no schools in certain categories and have preliminary elimination games to get their schools into the playoffs. In some years in some categories, the entry is just listed as “7-10”, implying that the sections were considered together and the best school from either was issued an invitation. Here are the won-loss records of each section in each classification in state playoff games, with the number of titles in parenthesis.

SECTION 1 Total: 154-87(25) Class D: 29-19(4) Class C: 40-15(8) Class B: 39-16(7) Class A: 27-20(4) Class AA: 19-17(3)
SECTION 2 Total: 128-103(9) D: 23-22(1) C:27-21(2) B: 27-22(1) A: 35-19(4) AA: 16-19(1)
SECTION 3 Total: 85-98(12) D: 20-17(5) C: 13-20(2) B:14-22(1) A: 15-22(1) AA: 23-17(3)
SECTION 4 Total: 103-95(17) D: 16-21(2) C: 28-17(6) B:34-18(5) A: 21-19(4) AA: 4-20(0)
SECTION 5: Total: 120-88(24) D: 23-19(4) C: 22-20(3) B: 19-19(4) A: 26-17(6) AA: 30-13(7)
SECTION 6: Total: 106-89(21) D: 26-16(6) C: 16-21(2) B: 23-19(3) A: 23-18(5) AA: 18-15(5)
SECTION 7: Total: 32-61(1) D: 12-21(0) C: 6-19(0) B: 14-21(1) A: 0-0(0) AA: 0-0(0)
SECTION 9: Total: 40-105(2) D: 9-23(0) C: 5-21(0) B: 6-21(1) A: 9-22(0) AA: 11-18(1)
SECTION 10: Total: 9-44(0) D: 0-2(0) C: 2-6(0) B: 5-14(0) A: 1-20(0) AA: 1-2 (0)

Comments: The best high school football in New York State, (north of New York City), has historically been played in Sections 1 ,2 and 5, (the Hudson River area and the Rochester Area) but Section 6 has been coming on strong in recent years. Amazingly, in 2014, the most historically successful section, Section 1, went 0-5. Central New York has been slipping badly in recent years but managed to its first state title since 2007 last season. The North Country just doesn’t have enough population to compete with the other sections and neither does Section 9, (basically the Adirondacks and the Catskills). The State Playoffs are set up on an East-West basis so Section 3 teams play Section 4 teams, against who they historically have been fairly well-matched, (but not recently: we are 4-16 in the last four years), and then play the winner of Section 5 vs. Section 6, which is tougher. Sections 1 & 2 get Section 7, 9 or 10 in the first round which is kind of a walk-over. Then they typically face each other in the semis. The teams in the “West” would seem to have a harder road than the teams in the “East”. They’ve won 70 state titles at all levels vs. 37 for the eastern sections. One wonders if, should sections 8&11 and New York City stop “playing with themselves”, there might be a “North-South” look to the playoffs and Section 3 might do better.

It’s interesting to see how some sections do in each class. Assuming that success rate is directly related to the number of schools in each class, Section 4, (the Southern Tier) has little to offer at the level of the smallest and the biggest schools but is pretty strong in between. Section 3 for some reason, is the opposite, the second best in the state in Class D and better than you’d think in AA but mediocre in C and less than that in A, where they won for the first time last year and B, where we’ve never won. Section 7, (Lake Champlain) is pretty good in Class B but lousy elsewhere, indicating that most of their schools are at that level. Sections 5 and 6, (basically Western New York), are pretty good down the line, as are Sections 1 &2, from the capital district down the Hudson.

Here is a list of the most successful teams in the state, ranked by victories in the state tournament, regardless of class, (many of them have played in more than one class). They are listed in order of victories. If that’s a tie, the first tie-breaker is state titles, (including large or small school poll championships from 1969-92) and the second the number of losses. I’m listing all the teams with 10 or more state tournament victories.

1) Chenango Forks (4) 26-9 (5 state titles)
2) Rochester Aquinas (5) 23-5 (7)
3) Dobbs Ferry (1) 19-5 (7)
4) Caldonia-Mumford (Section 5) 18-4 (9)
5) Maine-Endwell (4) 17-3 (5)
6) Tuckahoe (1) 17-11 (2)
7) Rye (1) 16-5 (3) (Rye and Rye Neck are two different schools)
8) Randolph (6) 15-2 (5)
9) New Rochelle (1) 16-8 (4)
10) Cambridge (2) 15-12 (1)
11) Jamestown (6) 14-2 (4)
12) Troy (2) 14-5 (2)
13) Hornell (5) 13-7 (3)
14) Harrison (1) 12-5 (2)
15) Webster Schroeder (5) 11-3 (3)
(Webster High School split into Webster Schroeder and Webster Thomas in 2002. “Webster” had won the 2001 AA title and when Webster Schroeder win the 2002 AA title all references I could find were to their winning their “second straight state title”, so I added Webster Schroeder’s record to that of “Webster” and gave Webster Thomas their own record. Webster Thomas is 3-2 with no title so the overall “Webster” record would be 14-5 (3) if you added them all together.)
16) Lackawanna (6) 11-6 (3)
17) Walton (4) 11-5 (2)
18) Amsterdam (2) 11-6(2)
19) Edgemont (1) 10-2 (3)
20) Onondaga (3) 10-3 (3)
21) Nyack (1) 10-4 (2)
22) Monroe-Woodbury (9) and Syracuse CBA (3) 10-9 (1)
24) Leroy (5) 10-11 (1)

The New York State Sportswriter’s Association has had rankings since 1969. They include sections * and 110. Originally they ranked all schools together. In 1970 they were divided, (as they should be) between “large” schools and “small” schools. In 1988 they went to Class A, B and “C-D”. Here are the teams, (with section numbers) that won in the polls for the years prior to the start of the state tournament in 1993, along with the highest ranked team in the sections that now play in the state tournament if the top team was from sections 8 or 11 and the top-rated Section III team when not #1:
1969 Kenmore West-6 (Utica Notre Dame was #3)
1970 Large: Ithaca-4 (Auburn was #3) Small: Albany Academy-2 (Lafayette was #7)
1971 Large: Farmingdale-8 (White Plains-1 was #2, Corcoran was #11) Small: Pleasantville-1 (Cazenovia was #4)
1972 Large: Farmingdale-8 (Kenmore West- 6 was #2, Auburn was #6) Small: Pleasantville-1 (Solvay was #13)
1973 Large: Vestal-4 (Utica Notre Dame was #7) Small: Pleasantville-1 (Westhill was #12)
1974 Large: Syosset-8 (Buffalo-Canisius-6 was #2 Auburn was #5) Small: Monroe-Woodbury-9 (Oneida was #7)
1975 Large: Vestal-4 (Auburn was #3) Small: Croton-Harmon-1 (Ilion was #14)
1976 Large: Rush-Henrietta- 5 (Jamesville-Dewitt was #12) Small: Penn Yan-5 (Cazenovia was #9)
1977: Large: New Rochelle-1 (Nottingham was #9) Small: Caledonia-Mumford- 5 (Mt. Markham was #12)
1978: Large: East Rochester-5 (Rome Free Academy was #6) Small: Caledonia-Mumford-5 (Oneida was #5)
1979: Large: Union-Endicott-4 (Liverpool was #2) Small: Caledonia-Mumford-5 (Solvay was #3)
1980: Large: New Rochelle-1 (Rome Free Academy was #5) Small: Caledonia-Mumford-5 (Ilion was #7)
1981: Large: Tie between Rome Free Academy-3 and West Islip St. John the Baptist-11 Small: Olean-6 (Solvay was #9)
1982: Large: A four-way tie between Shenendehowa-2, Liverpool-3, Bellport-11 and East Islip-11 Small: Penn Yan-5 (Herkimer was #10)
1983: Large: Tie between St. Francis Prep-NYC and Shenedehowa-2 Small- Tie between Dobbs Ferry-1, Albion-6 and Riverdale-NYC (Holland Patent was #12)
1984: Large: Tie between Shenendehowa-2, Williamsville South-6 and Bronx JFK-NYC (Rome Free Academy was #4) Small: Dobbs Ferrry-1 (Bishop Grimes was #17)
1985: Large: Binghamton-4 (Rome Free Academy was #8) Small: Tie between Dobbs Ferry-1 and Canandaigua-5 (Homer was #3)
1986: Large: Hempstead-8 (Jamestown-6 was #2, Baldwinsville was #13) Small: Homer-3
1987: Large: Liverpool-3 Small: Albion-6 (Indian River was #10)
1988: Class A: Hempstead-8 (New Hartford was #2) Class B: Plainedge-8 (Binghampton-Seton-4 was #2, Nottingham was #8) Class C-D: Taconic Hills-2 (Westmoreland was #5)
1989: Class A: Union-Endicott-4 (Henninger was #22) Class B: Johnstown-2 (New Hartford was #3) Class C-D: Nanuet-1 (Dolgeville was #8)
1990: Class A: Henninger-3 Class B: Garden City-8 (Canadaigua-5 was #2, New Hartford was #4) Class C-D: Watervliet-2 (Ilion was #3)
1991: Class A: Fairport-5 (Rome Free Academy was #2) Class B: Tie between Ossining-1, Batavia-5 and Garden City-8 (Fowler was #10) Class C-D: Watervliet-2 (Dolgeville was #3)
1992: Class A: Susan Wagner-NYC (North Rockland-5 was #2, Rome Free Academy was #5) Class B: Lynbrook-8 (Garden City-8 was #2, VVS was #3) Class C-D: Caledonia-Mumford-5 (Dolgeville was #4)

The following teams have won state titles, (I am including poll champions from 1969-92- if a poll champion was from section 8 or 11, I treated the highest rated team from sections 1-7 and 9-10 as the “poll champion“- if there had been a tournament in those years, they‘d have been in it and winning the poll was the equivalent of winning the tournament in those days):

Section 1 (Hudson River):
Bronxville C-2010 (1)
Croton-Harmon Poll-1975 (small) (1)
Dobbs Ferry Poll- 1983, 1984, 1985 (small) D-2002 C-2004, 2006, 2011 (7)
Dover C-1997 (1)
Edgemont C-1998, 1999, 2000 (3)
Harrison B-1999, 2002 (2)
Nanuet Poll- 1989 (C-D) (1)
New Rochelle Poll- 1977, 1980 (large) AA-2003, 2012 (4)
North Rockland Poll- 1992 (A), A-1993 (2)
Nyack A-2000, 2003 (2)
Ossining Poll- 1991(B) (1)
Pleasantville Poll-1971, 1972, 1973 (small) (3)
Rye B-2005, 2006, 2008 (3)
Tuckahoe D-2006, 2010 (2)
Valhalla D-1996 (1)
White Plains Poll-1971 (large) (1)
Yonkers-Roosevelt AA-1996 (1)
Yorktown B-1993, 1994 (2)
(That’s 18 schools that have won 38 state titles)

Section 2 (Capital District):
Albany Academy Poll- 1970 (small) (1)
Amsterdam B-1995 A-2005 (2)
Burnt Hills-Balston Lake- A-2012 (1)
Cambridge D-1999 (1)
Hoosick Falls C- 2012 (1)
Johnstown Poll-1989 (B) (1)
Queensbury A-2013 (1)
Shenendehowa Poll- 1982, 1983, 1984 (large) (3)
Taconic Hills Poll- 1988 (C-D) (1)
Troy A-1996 AA- 1998 (2)
Watervliet Poll- 1990, 1991 (C-D), C- 1996 (3)
(That’s 11 schools that have won 17 state titles)

Section 3 (Central New York):
Auburn AA-2006 (1)
Bishop Ludden C-2007 (1)
Cazenovia B- 2015 (1)
CBA AA-2004 (1)
Dolgeville D-2000 (1)
Henninger- Poll- 1990 (large) (1)
Homer- Poll- 1986 (small) (1)
Indian River- 2014 (B) (1)
Liverpool Poll- 1982, 1987 (large) (2)
New Hartford Poll- 1988 (large) (1)
Onondaga D-2001 C-2002 D-2003 (3)
Rome Free Academy Poll- 1981 (large) (1)
VVS- Poll- 1992 (B) (1)
Weedsport D-2004 (1)
West Canada D-1997 (1)
West Genesee AA-2007 (1)
(That’s 16 schools that have won 19 state titles)

Section 4 (Southern Tier):
Binghamton Poll- 1985 (large) (1)
Binghamton Seton Poll- 1988 (B) (1)
Chenango Forks B-2003, 2004, C-2013, 2014, 2015 (5)
Corning East A-2006 (1)
Delhi C-2001 (1)
Ithaca Poll- 1970 (large) (1)
Maine-Endwell A-2004, 2011, B- 2012, 2013, 2014 (5)
Sidney C-2005 (1)
Tioga D- 2015 (1)
Union-Endicott Poll- 1979 (large) 1989 (A) (2)
Vestal Poll- 1973, 1975 (large) A- 1997 (3)
Walton C-1994 D-2007 (2)
(That’s 12 schools that have won 24 state titles)

Section 5 (Rochester area):
Aquinas A-1998, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2010, AA-2013, 2015 (7)
Batavia Poll- 1991 B (1)
Caledonia-Mumford Poll- 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980 (small) 1992 (C-D), C-1993 D-1994, 1995 C-2003 (9)
Canandaigua Poll- 1985 (small) 1990 (B), A-1999 (3)
Clyde-Savannah D-1993 (1)
East Rochester Poll- 1978 (large) (1)
Fairport Poll- 1991 (A) AA-1997 (2)
Geneva B-2006 (1)
Hornell B-2009, 2010, 2011 (3)
Letchworth D-2011 (1)
Leroy C-1995 (1)
Penn Yan Poll- 1976, 1982 (small) (2)
Rush-Henrietta Poll- 1976 (large) AA-2010 (2)
Webster (Schroeder) AA-1999, 2001, 2002 (3)
(That’s 14 schools that have won 37 state titles)

Section 6 (Buffalo area):
Albion Poll- 1983, 1987 (small) (2)
Buffalo Canisius Poll- 1974 (large) (1)
Jamestown A-1994, 1995 AA-2000, 2014 (4)
Lackawanna B-1997, 1998 (2)
Maple Grove D-1998, 2008 (2)
North Tonawanada AA-2009 (1)
Olean Poll- 1981 (large) (1)
Orchard Park AA-2008, 2011 (2)
Randolph D-2005, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014 (5)
South Park A- 2015 (1)
Southwestern C-2008, 2009 (2)
Springville B- 1996 (1)
Sweet Home A-2008, 2009 (2)
Williamsville South - 1984 (large) (1)
(That’s 14 schools that have won 27 state titles)

Section 7 (Champlain area):
Peru B-2001 (1)
(That’s one school that’s won 1 state title)

Section 9 (Catskills):
Monroe-Woodbury Poll- 1974 (small) AA-2005 (2)
Roundout Valley B-2000 (1)
(That’s 2 schools that have won 3 state titles)

Section 10 (St. Lawrence area):
None

Section Three always starts out by playing Section 4 in the first round We are 15-4 against them in Class AA, 11-10 in Class A, 9-13 in Class B, (thank you, Chenango Forks, who beat our teams seven times in a row), 8-13 in Class C and 10-12 in Class D, (Section coaches in Classes C and D voted not to send a team to the state playoffs in the first year, 1993). Over all Section 3 is 53-52 vs. Section 4. But we are only 11-24 since 2007 and have lost 16 of 20 in the last four years.

If they survive Section 4, the Section 3 champs play the winner of the Section 5 and 6, (basically the Rochester and Buffalo areas) first round game. We’ve done well in Class D, 6-4 (3-2 vs. each), and held our own, 4-4, (3-3 vs. Section 5, 1-1 vs. Section 6), in Class C but been dominated in Class B, 2-7, (1-5 vs. Section 6, 1-2 vs. Section 5), Class A, 3-8, (3-5 vs. Section 5, 0-3 vs. Section 6) and Class AA, 4-11, (3-7 vs. Section 5, 1-4 vs. Section 6). Overall vs. Section 5 they are 13-18 vs. Section 5 and 6-15 vs. Section 6.

The following Section III teams have cleared the quarterfinal hurdle vs. Section 4 and survived the semifinal carnage vs. Sections 5 and 6 to play for the state championship:

1993 Class B Chittenango lost to Section 1 Yorktown 13-23
1996 Class A Whitesboro lost to Section 2 Troy 13-27
1996 Class AA Rome Free Academy lost to 1 Yonkers Roosevelt 14-27
1997 Class C CBA lost to Section1 Dover 26-32 (2OT)
1997 Class D West Canada beat Section 1 Bronxville 22-14
2000 Class A Fulton lost to Section 1 Nyack 20-34
2000 Class D Dolgeville beat Section 2 Fort Edward 55-3
2001 Class D Onondaga beat Section 1 Dobbs Ferry 35-7
2002 Class C Onondaga beat Section 1 Briarcliffe 35-6
2002 Class D Dolgeville lost to Section 1 Dobbs Ferry 35-38
2003 Class D Onondaga beat Section 2 Cambridge 41-21
2004 Class AA CBA beat Section 1 New Rochelle 41-35
2004 Class D Weedsport beat Section 1 Tuckahoe 22-11
2006 Class AA Auburn beat Section 9 Monroe-Woodbury 27-26 (1OT)
2007 Class AA West Genesee beat Section 9 Monroe-Woodbury 42-21
2007 Class C Bishop Ludden beat Section 1 Dobbs Ferry 21-16
2008 Class B Oneida lost to Section 1 Rye 12-16
2010 Class C General Brown lost to Section 1 Bronxville 14-34
2014 Class A Indian River beat Section 2 Queensberry 63-38
2015 Class B Cazenovia beat 2 Schuylerville 22-19

Section 3 is 12-8 in state championship games. They lost their first four, then had an incredible 10-2 streak before splitting half of the last four. They are 6-7 vs. Section 1, 4-1 vs. Section 2 and 2-0 vs. Section 9. So if we can survive the semi-finals our chances of winning a state title are pretty good.

 

[SWC75]

This year’s field:

CLASS AA

Section1 - New Rochelle 10-0 (340-62) NYSSWA #2 MaxPreps 4/566 States: 16-8 with 4titles
Gets a bye since Sections 7-10 have no schools in this classification.

Section 2- Troy 10-0 (368-92) NYSSWA #7 MaxPreps 6/788 States: 14-5 with 2 titles
Section 9- Newburgh Free Academy 7-2 (245-150) NYSSWA #13 MaxPreps 9/972 States: 2-8 with 0 titles

Section 4- Binghamton 6-4 (288-196) NYSSWA HM MaxPreps 22/1473 States: 2-5 with 1 title
Section 3- Christian Brothers Academy 9-0 (343-75) NYSSWA #5 MaxPreps 2/449 States: 10-9 with 1 title

Section 5- Victor 10-0 (304-73) NYSSWA #1 MaxPreps 3/535 States: 2-3 with 0 titles
Section 6- Lancaster 10-0 (418-158) NYSSWA #6 MaxPreps 11/1082 States: 0-1 with 0 titles

Comments: CBA should be able to get by Binghamton, but I remember when an undefeated West Genesee team I though was better than their 2007 state champs played a Binghamton team they were supposed to beat, got off to a 21-0 lead but lost 35-36. You see “Binghamton” and remember things like that. CBA has often proven to be quicker than teams they play in the states but not as big and strong and that has hurt them, (if Ray Rice hadn’t gotten hurt in 2004, they wouldn’t have won that one, either). Neither Victor or Lancaster has won a state title but they come from strong sections and will be formidable. The other semi should be between New Rochelle and Troy, who have 6 state titles between them.

CLASS A

Section1 – Somers 9-1 (374-150) NYSSWA #6 MaxPreps 10/1023 States: 0-3 with 0 titles
Section 9- Cornwall 8-2 (391-107) NYSSWA #7 MaxPreps 74/3805 States: 7-11 with 0 titles

Section 2- Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake 9-1 (405-167) NYSSWA #8 MaxPreps 63/3414 States: 10-5 with 1 title
Section 10 – Massena 6-2 (269-206) NYSSWA HM MaxPreps 255/8228 States: 1-6 with 0 titles

Section 4- Union-Endicott 5-4 (219-198) NYSSWA HM MaxPreps 25/1703 States: 3-11 with 2 titles
Section 3- Whitesboro 10-0 (328-90) NYSSWA #3 MaxPreps 28/1943 States: 4-6 with 0 titles

Section 5- Greece Athena 10-0 (355-128) NYSSWA #4 MaxPreps20/1413 States: 0-0 with 0 titles
Section 6- Bennett/Olmsted 8-2 (440-117) NYSSWA #9 MaxPreps 75/3509 States: 0-0 with 0 titles

Comments: Why MaxPreps rates U-E so high is a mystery. It may have to do with the fact that there are only two Class A schools in that section so U-E has to play teams outside of their classification. They lost to Chenango Forks, a class B team that MaxPreps still ranks as the best team in the state by 7-21. Windsor, another Class B team 20-2, Vestal the other Class A team 34-35 and Horseheads a Class AA team 7-34 before beating Vestal, (naturally) 16-12 for the Class A title in section 4. They also beat Binghamton, the section’s Class champion 20-12. Whitesboro is actually the highest rnaked tyeam in the field by the NYS sportwriters: the two teams ranked ahead of the are from sections 11 and 8, (Long Island), which don’t participate in these playoffs.

CLASS B

Section 1- Pleasantville 10-0 (269-69) NYSSWA #6 MaxPreps 40/2607 States: 0-1 with 3 titles
Section 9- New Paltz 8-1 (336-107) NYSSWA #12 MaxPreps 36/2501 States: 0-3 with 0 titles

Section 2- Glens Falls 10-0 (449-114) NYSSWA #4 MaxPreps 5/786 States: 3-2 with 0 titles
Section 7- Peru 7-3 (260-140) NYSSWA HM MaxPreps 156/5553 States: 6-14 with 1 title
(They’ve already beaten Section 10’s Potsdam 38-12)

Section 4- Chenango Forks 10-0 (388-78) NYSSWA #1 MaxPreps 1/236 States: 26-9 with 5 titles
Section 3- Cazenovia 9-1 (401-110) NYSSWA #9 MaxPreps 24/1561 States: 4-7 with 1 title

Section 5- Batavia 10-0 (341-136) NYSSWA #5 MaxPreps 35/2487 States: 0-2 with 1 title
Section 6- Dunkirk 8-2 (368-108) NYSSWA #7 MaxPreps 26/1757 States : 0-0 with 0 titles

Comments: Caz is the defending champs. They lost one early game by a single point and have bene playing like champions since then. But the state sportswriters rank them only #9 and they are underdogs to perennial state powerhouse Chenango Forks who has won three straight Class C state titles and now moved back into class B. The Blue Devils are the best team in the state, per Max Preps and are looking for their 21st consecutive victory. A decade ago them beat the Lakers in the Class B quarters twice in a row but by a total of only 7-15. This game should be a titanic struggle and certainly the most interesting of all the quarterfinal games. If the Lakers can get by Forks, nobody else is going to scare them.

CLASS C

Section 1- Dobbs Ferry 7-2 (240-136) NYSSWA #9 MaxPreps 253/8177 States: 19-5 with 7 titles
Section 9- Burke Catholic 7-3 (290-166) NYSSWA #10 MaxPreps 259/8267 States: 0-2 with 0 titles

Section 2- Greenwich 8-2 (317-116) NYSSWA #4 MaxPreps 71/3764 States: 3-2 with 0 titles
Section 10-Ogdensburg Free Academy 8-2 (439-149) NYSSWA #8 MaxPreps 144/5339 States: 0-4 with 0 titles
(They beat Section 7’s Saranac Lake 41-28)

Section 4- Newark Valley 10-0 (450-83) NYSSWA #1 MaxPreps 34/2446 States: 0-0 with 0 title
Section 3- Lowville 9-1 (330-122) NYSSWA #5 MaxPreps 48/2919 States: 0-1 with 0 titles

Section 5- Bishop Kearney 10-0 (369-190) NYSSWA #3 MaxPreps 87/3981 States: 1-1 with 0 titles
Section 6- Cleveland Hill 9-1 (392-75) NYSSWA #2 MaxPreps 115/4659 States: 1-4 with 0 titles

Comments: Lowville face another challenge after their defense dominated two unbeaten and higher ranked opponents, Canastota and General Brown. Can they do it again against Newark Valley, who inherits GB’s state #1 ranking. If they can then beat the 5-6 winner, I think they’d finally be favored vs. anyone on the other side of the bracket. Since the end of the regular season, MaxPreps has moved the Red Raiders from 131/5130 to 48/2919, meaning they’ve passed 83 teams in the state and 2,211 teams nationally with their post season performance.

CLASS D

Section 1- Haldane 2-6 (119-220) NYSSWA NR MaxPreps 579/13716 States: 2-3 with 0 titles
Section 9- Downsville/Roscoe 3-7 (165-203) NYSSWA NR MaxPreps 575/13694 States: 0-1 with 0 titles

Section 2- Cambridge 10-0 (546-53) NYSSWA #2 MaxPreps 80/3880 States: 15-12 with 1 title
Section 7- Ticonderoga 9-1 (249-105) NYSSWA #3 MaxPreps171 5987/ States: 6-6 with 0 titles
(They beat Section 10’s Tupper Lake 43-0)

Section 4- Sydney 7-3 (387-255) NYSSWA #7 MaxPreps 58/3348 States: 3-1 with 1 title
Section 3- Onondaga 10-0 (365-128) NYSSWA #4 MaxPreps 113/4623 States: 10-3 with 3 titles

Section 5- Alexander 10-0 (395-61) NYSSWA #5 MaxPreps 81/3883 States: 0-0 with 0 titles
Section 6- Maple Grove 10-0 (425-66) NYSSWA #1 MaxPreps 59/3370 States: 7-5 with 2 titles

Comments: Section 1 has 2 Class D teams and Section has 5. They have to play teams in higher classifications to fill out their schedules. Thus two teams with losing records are in the state quarterfinals. Cambridge has been in the state playoffs with amazing point differentials in the past: there are only 6 Class C teams in their section. But they have gone all the way before, too. Against max preps rates a Section 4team with an inferior record and ranking by the state sportswriters ahead of an undefeated Section titlist. Sounds like bulletin board material for Onondaga. The Alexander-Maple Grove winner should be a formidable team.