SWC75
Bored Historian
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Every year at this time in football there is a crescendo of on the field drama that lasts now more than three months, (with one missing link). It starts with the high school playoffs, (first Section III, then the state championships). Then comes the small college playoffs- the NAIA, NCAA Division III, Division II and Division 1AA, (FCS). Then comes the NFL playoffs, leading to the Super Bowl. The one missing link is the NCAA Division I, (FBS), which now has a four team playoff for a division with 130 schools in it, with some obvious contenders still left out. It’s a step forward but an 8 team playoff would be better. In the meantime we have seven other comprehensive championship tournaments to look forward to.
I’ve always liked tournaments. Two teams meet then two other teams meet and then the winners pair off, each subsequent game a battle of winners. The eventual winner isn’t always the best team, (see the NCAA basketball tournament), but they are the champions and have proven it on the field. You either are the best team or you won the tournament that included all the best teams. There’s never any controversy- unless, as in FBS, the tournament is too small.
SECTION III
Section III of New York State basically covers Central New York. There are five classifications based on enrollment: AA for the largest schools, then A, B, C and D. (They also a class below that of schools who didn’t feel they can compete, sponsored by the National Football Foundation. They compete for their own sectional championship but do not advance to the state playoffs. They are now playing 8 man football.) Some schools are “borderline schools” that switch classifications in some years as their enrollment or the statistical standard changes. In rare cases, schools are promoted beyond their enrollment, usually because they are private schools with no boundaries such as a public school system would have, and can draw students, (and elite players) from all over. The local example of that is Christian Brothers Academy, (CBA), which, by enrollment would be in Class C and was there at one time but so dominated that class, then Class B, then Class A that they now play in Class AA and have won the state championship at that level.
This is a pet peeve of mine. The strength of high school programs is largely based on having youth programs that feed into the varsity, good facilities and the quality of coaching. It may be an advantage to have a greater enrollment to draw players from but if the extra students aren’t good football players, what good does it do you? High school ball used to be organized in geographical conferences with natural rivalries. Schools who fell behind their rivals would either build up the youth programs, facilities and coaching or they would seek another conference with lesser rivals. Presently they are thrown in together with similarly sized schools that may be some distance away and could be much stronger- or weaker programs and yet they are expected to compete with each other just because they have a similar number of students.
There is also the problem that schools that have hopes of making the playoffs and maybe going onto the states can get their players to commit to preparing for the football season during the summer while those that don’t see their kids take summer jobs to make some spending money instead. Then those schools hastily organize teams as the season is about to begin, with predictably dire results when they play the schools with good teams. High school games used to have 28-14 type scores. If a team won a game by 30 or 40 points, it was big news, an awesome display. Now, as you look at the box scores each week you can see multiple games with 40-0 or 50-0 type halftime scores. Some of these teams could score 100 points if they wanted to. What kind of educational experience is that- for the players on either team? Some schools simply give up on the season before it’s done because their players are tired of the physical and emotional beatings they keep taking.
Finally, with five divisions, we have the same problem boxing has with its split divisions and multiple sanctioning organizations- fiefdoms. Boxers with the WBO super-middleweight title have no motivation for fighting the WBA super-middleweight champion because they are already a “champion” and can retain it just by fighting the tomato cans the WBO fills their “top ten” with rather than risking their title against somebody who might actually beat them. There’s nothing so greedy involved with high school ball but the fact is, there aren’t really five levels of football quality in high school football.
Before the current classification system, there used to be a concept of simply “Big Schools”, (basically the Onondaga County League North- where most of the population is, the CNY Cities League and the Central Oneida League for the Utica area schools), and the “Small Schools” (Mostly the Onondaga County League South, at least in the Syracuse area). I always thought that worked pretty well. In fact, the Post Standard still ranked local high school teams on that basis – until this year. They now ranked the teams by the state’s divisions.
The small schools basically equated to classes B, C and D. The big schools were classes A and AA. Looking at the sectional results over the years, I see that Onondaga in the Mike Hart years won state titles in Class D, then Class C, then Class D again. They won by bigger margins in Class C than they did in Class D. Dolgeville has won 17 Class D Sectional titles and three in Class C. They even beat CBA for the Class C title in 1995. Cazenovia, a perennial Class B power, won titles there in 2006 and 2007, then moved down to Class C in 2008 and 2009 and couldn’t win titles there.
There was no Class AA until 1983. Cortland and East Syracuse-Minoa, former CNY Cities League and Onondaga County league North teams now in Class A, both made the original Class A playoffs. When the state playoffs began in 1993 with no Class AA, the section had to choose a team and sent the Class AA champs to the states. The next year they abandoned Class AA for two years until the State created the class so the Class A schools would have a chance to make the states. They didn’t but the playoff scores were close. Liverpool beat Whitesboro 21-14. Henninger beat Fulton 20-12. Whitesboro used to be Class AA Rome Free Academy’s biggest rival. I just don’t see a lot of difference between the level of completion in Classes AA and A or in B, C and D. Dolgeville, Onondaga and General Brown should be competing with class B powers like Cazenovia, Homer and Oneida. ESM, J-D and Whitesboro should be taking on teams like Baldwinsville, West Genesee and RFA as they always used to. By separating them, you break off rivalries and have them playing too many inferior opponents.
What I’d like to see is a return to the “big school-small school” concept and have two classifications with two divisions in each. Class A would be a combination of the current Classes AA and A. Class B would be a combination of Classes B, C and D. Then I’d have a Class C consisting of teams that were having trouble competing in Class B. Each year classifications would be re-assessed based on one-the field performance. A committee would look at the previous five years. A mathematical formula based on winning percentage and possibly point differential could be devised. Teams that had trouble competing in Class A would be dropped to Class B. Teams that were dominant in Class B would move up to Class A. Teams that had been moved to Class C could regain Class B membership if they dominated there. The state would have Large-School playoffs consisting on the Class A champions and small school playoffs consisting of the Class B champions. The best teams in Class C would simply be trying to get into Class B so they could have a shot at the state playoffs. I think it would create more balance and get rid of the 50-0 at halftime games. At the same time, schools would not be pressured to upgrade their programs if they lacked the resources or the desire to do so. They’d be competing with schools in the same boat.
One more gripe: “Combined teams”? Really? If you are going to put together teams representing more than one school, we could combine Liverpool, Baldwinsville and Solvay into a “Lake Onondaga” team that wouldn’t stink. Got to 8 man football if you have to so individual schools can have their own team to root for.
Anyway, we have what we have. One virtue of having too many divisions, (but not, I feel, an adequate reason for it), is that lots of schools have won sectional championships - 50 out of 78 current Section III football schools. Here is a list. Please note that there was no Class AA in 1979-82 and 1994-95. Also, before the state playoffs, ties were allowed and the teams that tied were considered co-champions. That happened three times: Bishop Grimes and Clinton in Class B in 1984, Dolgeville and Beaver River in Class D in 1987 and Skaneateles and Mount Markham in Class C in 1992. I’ve listed both participants as champions below. I’ve also added in the highest rated Section III teams in the state polls from 1969, (when they began) through 1978. The state poll was for all teams in 1969 and divided into large schools and small schools from 1970-78. Smart…
Adirondack C- 1989, 1991 (2)
Auburn Poll- 1970, 1972, 1974, 1975 (large) AA- 2006 (5)
Baldwinsville AA- 1986, 1989, 2009, 2010 (4)
Beaver River D- 1986, 1987 (2)
Bishop Grimes- B- 1984 (1)
Bishop Ludden C- 2000, 2007 (2)
Camden A- 2003 (1)
Carthage A- 1997, 2007, 2013 (3)
Cato-Meridian D-1993 (1)
Cazenovia Poll- 1971, 1976 (small) C- 1996, B- 2001, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016 (11)
Central Square A- 1985 (1)
Chittenango B- 1993 A- 1999, B-2011 (3)
Christian Brothers Academy C- 1997 B- 1998, 1999, 2000, A- 2001, 2002, AA- 2004, 2005, 2012, 2013, 2016 (11)
Cicero-North Syracuse AA- 2017, 2018 (2)
Clinton B- 1984 (1
Corcoran Poll- 1971 (large) A- 1991 B- 1994, 1995, AA- 2002, 2003 (6)
Dolgeville D-1982, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, C- 1993, 1994, 1995, D- 1998, 2000, 2002, 2008, 2014, 2017 (16)
East Syracuse-Minoa A- 2006, 2011 (2)
Fayetteville-Manlius A- 1998, AA- 2001 (2)
Fowler B- 1991 (1)
Frankfort Schuyler C- 1982 (1)
Fulton A- 2000 (1)
General Brown- C - 2003, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2013 (6)
Hamilton D-1996, 1999 (2)
Henninger A- 1990, AA 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2008, 2013, 2014 (8)
Herkimer C- 1980, 1981, 1984, 2011 (4)
Holland Patent B- 1983, 1987, 1988, 1989, 2018 (5)
Homer B- 1985, 1986, 2000, 2014, 2017 (5)
Jamesville-Dewitt Poll- 1976 (large) B- 1981, A- 1984, B- 1997 (4)
Ilion Poll- 1975 (small) C- 1985, 1990, B- 1996 (3)
Indian River C-1987, A- 2014, 2018 (3)
Lafayette Poll- 1970 (small) (1)
Liverpool A- 1979, 1982, AA- 1983, 1987 A-1994, AA- 1998, 2015 (7)
Lowville C- 1986, 1988, 1998, 2016 (4)
Mount Markham Poll- 1977 (small) C- 1983, 1992 (3)
New Hartford A - 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 2008 (6)
Nottingham Poll- 1977 (large) B- 1980, A- 2012 (3)
Oneida Poll- 1974, 1978 (small) B- 2008 (3)
Onondaga D- 2001, C- 2002, D-2003, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2016, 2018 (87)
Rome Catholic D-1979, 1980 (2)
Rome Free Academy Poll- 1978 (large) A- 1980, 1981, AA- 1984, 1985, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996 (9)
Sandy Creek- D- 2012, 2015 (2)
Sauquiot Valley D-1984 (1)
Skaneateles C- 1992, 2012, 2017, 2018 (4)
Solvay Poll- 1972 (small) B- 1979, 2002 (3)
Utica Notre Dame Poll- 1969, 1973 (large) B- 1982, A-1983, C- 1999, 2014, 2015 (7)
Vernon-Verona-Sherrill B- 1990, 1992 (2)
Watertown Immaculate Heart D- 2005 (1)
Weedsport D-1981, 1994, 1995, C-2001, D- 2004 (5)
West Canada D-1997 (1)
West Genesee AA- 1988, 2007, 2011 (3)
Westhill Poll- 1973, (small) B-2003, 2004, 2009 (4)
Westmoreland C- 1979, D-1988, C- 2006, 2008, D- 2009, 2011 (6)
Whitesboro A- 1986, 1992, 1996, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2016, 2017 (10)
The number of titles won:
17- Dolgeville
11- Cazenovia, Christian Brothers Academy
10- Whitesboro
9- Rome Free Academy
8- Henninger Onondaga
7- Liverpool, Utica Notre Dame
6- Corcoran, General Brown, New Hartford, Westmoreland
5- Auburn, Herkimer, Holland Patent, Homer, Weedsport
4- Baldwinsville, Ilion, Jamesville-Dewitt, Lowville, Nottingham, Skaneateles, Westhill
3- Carthage, Chittenango, Indian River, Mount Markham, Oneida, Solvay, West Genesee
2- Adirondack, Beaver River, Bishop Ludden, Cicero-North Syracuse, East Syracuse-Minoa, Fayetteville-Manlius, Hamilton, Rome Catholic Sandy Creek, Vernon-Verona-Sherrill
1- Bishop Grimes, Camden, Cato-Meridian, Central Square, Clinton, Fowler, Frankfurt-Schuyler, Fulton, Lafayette, Sauquiot Valley, Watertown Immaculate Heart, West Canada
State (playoff) Champions from Section III (12):
1997- West Canada (Class D)
2000- Dolgeville (Class D)
2001- Onondaga (Class D)
2002- Onondaga (Class C)
2003- Onondaga (Class D)
2004- Christian Brothers Academy (Class AA), Weedsport (Class D)
2006- Auburn (Class AA)
2007- West Genesee Class AA), Bishop Ludden (Class C)
2014- Indian River (Class A)
2015- Cazenovia (Class B)
2017- Skaneateles (Class C)
(We have now won a state title in every classification.)
The 2019 sectional match-ups:
First Round
CLASS AA
Quarter-Finals results:
Utica Proctor beat CBA 39-12. Tasean Cooper ran for 117 yards and ran 80 yards for a score with a screen pass.
Proctor football rolls past CBA into Class AA semis
Baldwinsville beat Corcoran 28-3. Willie Strong ran for three touchdowns.
Baldwinsville stings Corcoran in Class AA quarterfinal
CNS beat Henninger 28-6. I could find no article on this game.
https://highschoolsports.syracuse.com/game/3659
Liverpool beat West Genesee 21-6. Liverpool ran for 371 yards on a rain-soaked field. West Genny’s only score was on an interception of a pass off a faked field goal.
Friday Night Matchup: 'Pool Runs Through Rain Drops and The Wildcats
Semi-Final match-ups:
Utica Proctor 8-0 (291-110) NYSSWA #13 MaxPreps 10/1629 PS- #1 Titles: 0
Vs.
Baldwinsville 3-5 (197-198) NYSSWA NR MaxPreps 133/6166 PS- #4 Titles: 4
Lost to: Jamestown 21-28, Horseheads 14-44, Utica Proctor 17-34, CNS 28-35, F-M 24-35
Liverpool 7-1 (195-103) NYSSWA #19 MaxPreps 92/4688 PS- #2 Titles: 7
Lost to: Corning/Painted Post 0-28
Vs.
Cicero-North Syracuse 5-3 (162-128) NYSSWA HM MaxPreps 122/5744 PS- #34 Titles: 2
Lost to: Liverpool 0-10, RFA 27-34, Utica Proctor 0-32
Comments: Proctor seems easily to be the best AA team in the section. You’d think they’d be higher than #13 in the state. The fact that they’ve never been this good probably causes some people to doubt them. Liverpool kept pace with them until they got flattened by Corning-Painted Post, the highest-ranked Section 4 team, who may be awaiting the winner of this tournament in the states. I’m wondering if my alma Mater, CNS, will return to the dominant level they were at the previous two years of if that era is over.
(HM = “Honorable Mention” NR = “Not Ranked)
CLASS A
Class A in this section doesn’t have enough players for an 8 team tournament so they only have a 4 team playoff.
Semi-Final match-ups:
Carthage 7-1 (356-114) NYSSWA #4 MaxPreps 13/1654 PS- #1 Titles: 3
Lost to: Utica Proctor 7-12
Vs.
Whitesboro 4-4 (193-234) NYSSWA NR MaxPreps 131/6141 PS- #4 Titles: 10
Lost to: Utica Proctor 25-36, Auburn 35-53, Indian River 21-35, Carthage 7-42
Indian River 7-1 (372-198) NYSSWA #13 MaxPreps 32/2744 PS- #2 Titles: 3
Lost to: Carthage 8-51
Vs.
Auburn 6-2 (286-213) NYSSWA HM MaxPreps 89/4661 PS- #3 Titles: 5
Lost to: Indian River 20-53, Carthage 17-49
Comments: Carthage is actually 7-0 on this level, having barely lost to Proctor, the best AA team. They would, in fact, be favored over the other AA tournament teams. The fact that there’s only a four team playoff here supports my feeling that A and AA should be combined. It should have been Utica Proctor, Liverpool, Carthage and Indian River. Indian River was the windshield (4-0, 228-87: 57-22) until they met up with Carthage. Then they became the bug.
CLASS B
Quarter-Final results:
Oneida beat Homer 49-14. Oneida ran for 340 yards in the rain and shut down the Homer offense.
Oneida’s postseason run begins with football blowout of Homer
Marcellus beat Central Valley Academy 17-14. Nick Kermes ran for a couple of scores.
OCT. 25 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Marcellus edges Central Valley Academy
New Hartford beat South Jefferson 35-12. Vinnie Fanelli carried 30 times for 143 yards and three touchdowns.
Fanelli powers New Hartford football to Section III semis
Solvay beat Cazenovia 42-28. Six-foot-two, 275-pound lineman Brad Lando had an interception to set up what would be the game-winning touchdown and his fumble recovery extended a late drive that ended with another touchdown.
Football: Solvay escapes Cazenovia upset bid
Semi-Final match-ups:
Solvay 8-0 (377-167) NYSSWA #3 MaxPreps 84/4448 PS- #1 Titles: 3
Vs.
New Hartford 7-1 (227-77) NYSSWA #12 MaxPreps 90/4670 PS- #3 Titles: 6
Lost to: Oneida 6-13
Oneida 8-0 (266-66) NYSSWA #10 MaxPreps 77/4166 PS- #2 Titles: 3
Vs.
Marcellus 7-1 (268-166) NYSSWA #13 MaxPreps 128/5938 PS- #4 Titles: 0
Lost to: Solvay 35-42
Comments: here is the perfect four team tournament: Two 8-0 teams and two 7-1 teams that lost to the 8-0 teams. If the 8-0 teams become 9-0 teams it will come down to Oneida’s defense vs. Solvay’s offense. Once upon a time I would have favored the better defensive team but modern football seem to be all about the offense.
CLASS C
Quarter-Final results:
Cato-Meridian beat Mt. Markham 14-7. Cato-Meridian quarterback Konar Witkowski and Ethan Divelbliss each rushed for one touchdown, but it was the Blue Devils’ defense that was the star of the show.
Cato-Meridian football edges Mount Markham in defensive battle to advance to section semifinals
Herkimer upset Clinton 28-21. Herkimer senior running back Adam Green had 19 carries for 193 yards and three touchdowns.
HS football: Green lifts Herkimer over Clinton
Canastota crushed General Brown 42-6. Canastota senior Andrew Marshall rushed for 202 yards and three touchdowns.
Football: Marshall leads Canastota past General Brown
Lowville beat Little Falls 58-26. I was unable to find an article on this game.
https://highschoolsports.syracuse.com/game/3674
Semi-Final match-ups:
Lowville 8-0 (421-117) NYSSWA #4 MaxPreps 43/3150 PS- #1 Titles: 4
Vs.
Canastota 7-1 (406-119) NYSSWA #9 MaxPreps 69/4028 PS- #3 Titles: 0
Lost to: Skaneateles 34-40
Cato-Meridian 8-0 (321-54) NYSSWA #5 MaxPreps 100/5012 PS- #2 Titles: 1
Vs.
Herkimer 5-3 (241-181) NYSSWA HM MaxPreps 231/8488 PS- #4 Titles: 4
Lost to: Cato-Meridian 14-31, Holland Patent 20-27, Lowville 24-56
Comments: Two more 8-0 teams and a third that might have been 8-0 but they lost a shoot-out to Skaneateles, last year’s Class B champions. Again, if the 8-0s become 9-0’s, it will be Cato’s defense vs. Lowville’s offense. Take your pick.
CLASS D
Quarter-Final results:
Dolgeville beat Sandy Creek 30-0. Powered by Kyle Getman’s three touchdown, 103 yards rushing game and a staunch defense, top-seeded Dolgeville dominated.
Dolgeville advances to Class D semifinals | News, Sports, Jobs - Leader Herald
Frankfort- Schuyler beat Onondaga 28-6. Tyler Rosati ran for 173 yards on 28 carries and scored on short runs in the first, third and fourth quarters.
Waterville beat Sauquoit Valley 23-6. Connor Marriott scored twice for the winners.
www.uticaod.com
Beaver River beat Thousand Islands 14-6. Sophomore Jonah Mullin took Sam Bush’s place and was responsible for both of the Beavers’ touchdowns: an 88-yard touchdown pass to Dalton Finster, then a two-yard pass to Cameron Murphy,
Defense helps Beaver River takes additional step toward Carrier Dome goal
Semi-Final match-ups:
Dolgeville 6-2 (168-116) NYSSWA HM MaxPreps 288/9584 PS- #1 Titles: 16
Lost to: Frankfort-Schuyler22-34, Thousand Islands 20-28
Vs.
Frankfort-Schuyler 6-2 (244-141) NYSSWA #15 MaxPreps 275/9368 PS- #4 Titles: 1
Lost to: Beaver River 38-43, Waterville 0-20
Beaver River 6-2 (201-145) NYSSWA #14 MaxPreps 325/10,144 PS- #3 Titles: 2
Lost to: Onondaga 23-24, Dolgeville 20-24
Vs.
Waterville 6-2 (138-79) NYSSWA HM MaxPreps 328/10,194 PS- #2 Titles: 0
Lost to Beaver River 6-13, Dolgeville 0-28
Comments: This an extremely well-balanced division that should feature some great games between some not great teams that will go nowhere in the states because they will likely meet #1 state ranked Tioga in the first round. Tioga has been the class D equivalent of the plant in “The Little Shop of Horrors”, shouting “Feed Me! Feed me those Section II teams!”. Since 2011 they’ve beaten Section III teams 55-34, 54-13, 43-13, 46-22, 50-14, 46-16 and 56-6, (they didn’t win the section in 2016). Expect more of the same this year.
I’ve always liked tournaments. Two teams meet then two other teams meet and then the winners pair off, each subsequent game a battle of winners. The eventual winner isn’t always the best team, (see the NCAA basketball tournament), but they are the champions and have proven it on the field. You either are the best team or you won the tournament that included all the best teams. There’s never any controversy- unless, as in FBS, the tournament is too small.
SECTION III
Section III of New York State basically covers Central New York. There are five classifications based on enrollment: AA for the largest schools, then A, B, C and D. (They also a class below that of schools who didn’t feel they can compete, sponsored by the National Football Foundation. They compete for their own sectional championship but do not advance to the state playoffs. They are now playing 8 man football.) Some schools are “borderline schools” that switch classifications in some years as their enrollment or the statistical standard changes. In rare cases, schools are promoted beyond their enrollment, usually because they are private schools with no boundaries such as a public school system would have, and can draw students, (and elite players) from all over. The local example of that is Christian Brothers Academy, (CBA), which, by enrollment would be in Class C and was there at one time but so dominated that class, then Class B, then Class A that they now play in Class AA and have won the state championship at that level.
This is a pet peeve of mine. The strength of high school programs is largely based on having youth programs that feed into the varsity, good facilities and the quality of coaching. It may be an advantage to have a greater enrollment to draw players from but if the extra students aren’t good football players, what good does it do you? High school ball used to be organized in geographical conferences with natural rivalries. Schools who fell behind their rivals would either build up the youth programs, facilities and coaching or they would seek another conference with lesser rivals. Presently they are thrown in together with similarly sized schools that may be some distance away and could be much stronger- or weaker programs and yet they are expected to compete with each other just because they have a similar number of students.
There is also the problem that schools that have hopes of making the playoffs and maybe going onto the states can get their players to commit to preparing for the football season during the summer while those that don’t see their kids take summer jobs to make some spending money instead. Then those schools hastily organize teams as the season is about to begin, with predictably dire results when they play the schools with good teams. High school games used to have 28-14 type scores. If a team won a game by 30 or 40 points, it was big news, an awesome display. Now, as you look at the box scores each week you can see multiple games with 40-0 or 50-0 type halftime scores. Some of these teams could score 100 points if they wanted to. What kind of educational experience is that- for the players on either team? Some schools simply give up on the season before it’s done because their players are tired of the physical and emotional beatings they keep taking.
Finally, with five divisions, we have the same problem boxing has with its split divisions and multiple sanctioning organizations- fiefdoms. Boxers with the WBO super-middleweight title have no motivation for fighting the WBA super-middleweight champion because they are already a “champion” and can retain it just by fighting the tomato cans the WBO fills their “top ten” with rather than risking their title against somebody who might actually beat them. There’s nothing so greedy involved with high school ball but the fact is, there aren’t really five levels of football quality in high school football.
Before the current classification system, there used to be a concept of simply “Big Schools”, (basically the Onondaga County League North- where most of the population is, the CNY Cities League and the Central Oneida League for the Utica area schools), and the “Small Schools” (Mostly the Onondaga County League South, at least in the Syracuse area). I always thought that worked pretty well. In fact, the Post Standard still ranked local high school teams on that basis – until this year. They now ranked the teams by the state’s divisions.
The small schools basically equated to classes B, C and D. The big schools were classes A and AA. Looking at the sectional results over the years, I see that Onondaga in the Mike Hart years won state titles in Class D, then Class C, then Class D again. They won by bigger margins in Class C than they did in Class D. Dolgeville has won 17 Class D Sectional titles and three in Class C. They even beat CBA for the Class C title in 1995. Cazenovia, a perennial Class B power, won titles there in 2006 and 2007, then moved down to Class C in 2008 and 2009 and couldn’t win titles there.
There was no Class AA until 1983. Cortland and East Syracuse-Minoa, former CNY Cities League and Onondaga County league North teams now in Class A, both made the original Class A playoffs. When the state playoffs began in 1993 with no Class AA, the section had to choose a team and sent the Class AA champs to the states. The next year they abandoned Class AA for two years until the State created the class so the Class A schools would have a chance to make the states. They didn’t but the playoff scores were close. Liverpool beat Whitesboro 21-14. Henninger beat Fulton 20-12. Whitesboro used to be Class AA Rome Free Academy’s biggest rival. I just don’t see a lot of difference between the level of completion in Classes AA and A or in B, C and D. Dolgeville, Onondaga and General Brown should be competing with class B powers like Cazenovia, Homer and Oneida. ESM, J-D and Whitesboro should be taking on teams like Baldwinsville, West Genesee and RFA as they always used to. By separating them, you break off rivalries and have them playing too many inferior opponents.
What I’d like to see is a return to the “big school-small school” concept and have two classifications with two divisions in each. Class A would be a combination of the current Classes AA and A. Class B would be a combination of Classes B, C and D. Then I’d have a Class C consisting of teams that were having trouble competing in Class B. Each year classifications would be re-assessed based on one-the field performance. A committee would look at the previous five years. A mathematical formula based on winning percentage and possibly point differential could be devised. Teams that had trouble competing in Class A would be dropped to Class B. Teams that were dominant in Class B would move up to Class A. Teams that had been moved to Class C could regain Class B membership if they dominated there. The state would have Large-School playoffs consisting on the Class A champions and small school playoffs consisting of the Class B champions. The best teams in Class C would simply be trying to get into Class B so they could have a shot at the state playoffs. I think it would create more balance and get rid of the 50-0 at halftime games. At the same time, schools would not be pressured to upgrade their programs if they lacked the resources or the desire to do so. They’d be competing with schools in the same boat.
One more gripe: “Combined teams”? Really? If you are going to put together teams representing more than one school, we could combine Liverpool, Baldwinsville and Solvay into a “Lake Onondaga” team that wouldn’t stink. Got to 8 man football if you have to so individual schools can have their own team to root for.
Anyway, we have what we have. One virtue of having too many divisions, (but not, I feel, an adequate reason for it), is that lots of schools have won sectional championships - 50 out of 78 current Section III football schools. Here is a list. Please note that there was no Class AA in 1979-82 and 1994-95. Also, before the state playoffs, ties were allowed and the teams that tied were considered co-champions. That happened three times: Bishop Grimes and Clinton in Class B in 1984, Dolgeville and Beaver River in Class D in 1987 and Skaneateles and Mount Markham in Class C in 1992. I’ve listed both participants as champions below. I’ve also added in the highest rated Section III teams in the state polls from 1969, (when they began) through 1978. The state poll was for all teams in 1969 and divided into large schools and small schools from 1970-78. Smart…
Adirondack C- 1989, 1991 (2)
Auburn Poll- 1970, 1972, 1974, 1975 (large) AA- 2006 (5)
Baldwinsville AA- 1986, 1989, 2009, 2010 (4)
Beaver River D- 1986, 1987 (2)
Bishop Grimes- B- 1984 (1)
Bishop Ludden C- 2000, 2007 (2)
Camden A- 2003 (1)
Carthage A- 1997, 2007, 2013 (3)
Cato-Meridian D-1993 (1)
Cazenovia Poll- 1971, 1976 (small) C- 1996, B- 2001, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016 (11)
Central Square A- 1985 (1)
Chittenango B- 1993 A- 1999, B-2011 (3)
Christian Brothers Academy C- 1997 B- 1998, 1999, 2000, A- 2001, 2002, AA- 2004, 2005, 2012, 2013, 2016 (11)
Cicero-North Syracuse AA- 2017, 2018 (2)
Clinton B- 1984 (1
Corcoran Poll- 1971 (large) A- 1991 B- 1994, 1995, AA- 2002, 2003 (6)
Dolgeville D-1982, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, C- 1993, 1994, 1995, D- 1998, 2000, 2002, 2008, 2014, 2017 (16)
East Syracuse-Minoa A- 2006, 2011 (2)
Fayetteville-Manlius A- 1998, AA- 2001 (2)
Fowler B- 1991 (1)
Frankfort Schuyler C- 1982 (1)
Fulton A- 2000 (1)
General Brown- C - 2003, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2013 (6)
Hamilton D-1996, 1999 (2)
Henninger A- 1990, AA 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2008, 2013, 2014 (8)
Herkimer C- 1980, 1981, 1984, 2011 (4)
Holland Patent B- 1983, 1987, 1988, 1989, 2018 (5)
Homer B- 1985, 1986, 2000, 2014, 2017 (5)
Jamesville-Dewitt Poll- 1976 (large) B- 1981, A- 1984, B- 1997 (4)
Ilion Poll- 1975 (small) C- 1985, 1990, B- 1996 (3)
Indian River C-1987, A- 2014, 2018 (3)
Lafayette Poll- 1970 (small) (1)
Liverpool A- 1979, 1982, AA- 1983, 1987 A-1994, AA- 1998, 2015 (7)
Lowville C- 1986, 1988, 1998, 2016 (4)
Mount Markham Poll- 1977 (small) C- 1983, 1992 (3)
New Hartford A - 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 2008 (6)
Nottingham Poll- 1977 (large) B- 1980, A- 2012 (3)
Oneida Poll- 1974, 1978 (small) B- 2008 (3)
Onondaga D- 2001, C- 2002, D-2003, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2016, 2018 (87)
Rome Catholic D-1979, 1980 (2)
Rome Free Academy Poll- 1978 (large) A- 1980, 1981, AA- 1984, 1985, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996 (9)
Sandy Creek- D- 2012, 2015 (2)
Sauquiot Valley D-1984 (1)
Skaneateles C- 1992, 2012, 2017, 2018 (4)
Solvay Poll- 1972 (small) B- 1979, 2002 (3)
Utica Notre Dame Poll- 1969, 1973 (large) B- 1982, A-1983, C- 1999, 2014, 2015 (7)
Vernon-Verona-Sherrill B- 1990, 1992 (2)
Watertown Immaculate Heart D- 2005 (1)
Weedsport D-1981, 1994, 1995, C-2001, D- 2004 (5)
West Canada D-1997 (1)
West Genesee AA- 1988, 2007, 2011 (3)
Westhill Poll- 1973, (small) B-2003, 2004, 2009 (4)
Westmoreland C- 1979, D-1988, C- 2006, 2008, D- 2009, 2011 (6)
Whitesboro A- 1986, 1992, 1996, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2016, 2017 (10)
The number of titles won:
17- Dolgeville
11- Cazenovia, Christian Brothers Academy
10- Whitesboro
9- Rome Free Academy
8- Henninger Onondaga
7- Liverpool, Utica Notre Dame
6- Corcoran, General Brown, New Hartford, Westmoreland
5- Auburn, Herkimer, Holland Patent, Homer, Weedsport
4- Baldwinsville, Ilion, Jamesville-Dewitt, Lowville, Nottingham, Skaneateles, Westhill
3- Carthage, Chittenango, Indian River, Mount Markham, Oneida, Solvay, West Genesee
2- Adirondack, Beaver River, Bishop Ludden, Cicero-North Syracuse, East Syracuse-Minoa, Fayetteville-Manlius, Hamilton, Rome Catholic Sandy Creek, Vernon-Verona-Sherrill
1- Bishop Grimes, Camden, Cato-Meridian, Central Square, Clinton, Fowler, Frankfurt-Schuyler, Fulton, Lafayette, Sauquiot Valley, Watertown Immaculate Heart, West Canada
State (playoff) Champions from Section III (12):
1997- West Canada (Class D)
2000- Dolgeville (Class D)
2001- Onondaga (Class D)
2002- Onondaga (Class C)
2003- Onondaga (Class D)
2004- Christian Brothers Academy (Class AA), Weedsport (Class D)
2006- Auburn (Class AA)
2007- West Genesee Class AA), Bishop Ludden (Class C)
2014- Indian River (Class A)
2015- Cazenovia (Class B)
2017- Skaneateles (Class C)
(We have now won a state title in every classification.)
The 2019 sectional match-ups:
First Round
CLASS AA
Quarter-Finals results:
Utica Proctor beat CBA 39-12. Tasean Cooper ran for 117 yards and ran 80 yards for a score with a screen pass.
Proctor football rolls past CBA into Class AA semis
Baldwinsville beat Corcoran 28-3. Willie Strong ran for three touchdowns.
Baldwinsville stings Corcoran in Class AA quarterfinal
CNS beat Henninger 28-6. I could find no article on this game.
https://highschoolsports.syracuse.com/game/3659
Liverpool beat West Genesee 21-6. Liverpool ran for 371 yards on a rain-soaked field. West Genny’s only score was on an interception of a pass off a faked field goal.
Friday Night Matchup: 'Pool Runs Through Rain Drops and The Wildcats
Semi-Final match-ups:
Utica Proctor 8-0 (291-110) NYSSWA #13 MaxPreps 10/1629 PS- #1 Titles: 0
Vs.
Baldwinsville 3-5 (197-198) NYSSWA NR MaxPreps 133/6166 PS- #4 Titles: 4
Lost to: Jamestown 21-28, Horseheads 14-44, Utica Proctor 17-34, CNS 28-35, F-M 24-35
Liverpool 7-1 (195-103) NYSSWA #19 MaxPreps 92/4688 PS- #2 Titles: 7
Lost to: Corning/Painted Post 0-28
Vs.
Cicero-North Syracuse 5-3 (162-128) NYSSWA HM MaxPreps 122/5744 PS- #34 Titles: 2
Lost to: Liverpool 0-10, RFA 27-34, Utica Proctor 0-32
Comments: Proctor seems easily to be the best AA team in the section. You’d think they’d be higher than #13 in the state. The fact that they’ve never been this good probably causes some people to doubt them. Liverpool kept pace with them until they got flattened by Corning-Painted Post, the highest-ranked Section 4 team, who may be awaiting the winner of this tournament in the states. I’m wondering if my alma Mater, CNS, will return to the dominant level they were at the previous two years of if that era is over.
(HM = “Honorable Mention” NR = “Not Ranked)
CLASS A
Class A in this section doesn’t have enough players for an 8 team tournament so they only have a 4 team playoff.
Semi-Final match-ups:
Carthage 7-1 (356-114) NYSSWA #4 MaxPreps 13/1654 PS- #1 Titles: 3
Lost to: Utica Proctor 7-12
Vs.
Whitesboro 4-4 (193-234) NYSSWA NR MaxPreps 131/6141 PS- #4 Titles: 10
Lost to: Utica Proctor 25-36, Auburn 35-53, Indian River 21-35, Carthage 7-42
Indian River 7-1 (372-198) NYSSWA #13 MaxPreps 32/2744 PS- #2 Titles: 3
Lost to: Carthage 8-51
Vs.
Auburn 6-2 (286-213) NYSSWA HM MaxPreps 89/4661 PS- #3 Titles: 5
Lost to: Indian River 20-53, Carthage 17-49
Comments: Carthage is actually 7-0 on this level, having barely lost to Proctor, the best AA team. They would, in fact, be favored over the other AA tournament teams. The fact that there’s only a four team playoff here supports my feeling that A and AA should be combined. It should have been Utica Proctor, Liverpool, Carthage and Indian River. Indian River was the windshield (4-0, 228-87: 57-22) until they met up with Carthage. Then they became the bug.
CLASS B
Quarter-Final results:
Oneida beat Homer 49-14. Oneida ran for 340 yards in the rain and shut down the Homer offense.
Oneida’s postseason run begins with football blowout of Homer
Marcellus beat Central Valley Academy 17-14. Nick Kermes ran for a couple of scores.
OCT. 25 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Marcellus edges Central Valley Academy
New Hartford beat South Jefferson 35-12. Vinnie Fanelli carried 30 times for 143 yards and three touchdowns.
Fanelli powers New Hartford football to Section III semis
Solvay beat Cazenovia 42-28. Six-foot-two, 275-pound lineman Brad Lando had an interception to set up what would be the game-winning touchdown and his fumble recovery extended a late drive that ended with another touchdown.
Football: Solvay escapes Cazenovia upset bid
Semi-Final match-ups:
Solvay 8-0 (377-167) NYSSWA #3 MaxPreps 84/4448 PS- #1 Titles: 3
Vs.
New Hartford 7-1 (227-77) NYSSWA #12 MaxPreps 90/4670 PS- #3 Titles: 6
Lost to: Oneida 6-13
Oneida 8-0 (266-66) NYSSWA #10 MaxPreps 77/4166 PS- #2 Titles: 3
Vs.
Marcellus 7-1 (268-166) NYSSWA #13 MaxPreps 128/5938 PS- #4 Titles: 0
Lost to: Solvay 35-42
Comments: here is the perfect four team tournament: Two 8-0 teams and two 7-1 teams that lost to the 8-0 teams. If the 8-0 teams become 9-0 teams it will come down to Oneida’s defense vs. Solvay’s offense. Once upon a time I would have favored the better defensive team but modern football seem to be all about the offense.
CLASS C
Quarter-Final results:
Cato-Meridian beat Mt. Markham 14-7. Cato-Meridian quarterback Konar Witkowski and Ethan Divelbliss each rushed for one touchdown, but it was the Blue Devils’ defense that was the star of the show.
Cato-Meridian football edges Mount Markham in defensive battle to advance to section semifinals
Herkimer upset Clinton 28-21. Herkimer senior running back Adam Green had 19 carries for 193 yards and three touchdowns.
HS football: Green lifts Herkimer over Clinton
Canastota crushed General Brown 42-6. Canastota senior Andrew Marshall rushed for 202 yards and three touchdowns.
Football: Marshall leads Canastota past General Brown
Lowville beat Little Falls 58-26. I was unable to find an article on this game.
https://highschoolsports.syracuse.com/game/3674
Semi-Final match-ups:
Lowville 8-0 (421-117) NYSSWA #4 MaxPreps 43/3150 PS- #1 Titles: 4
Vs.
Canastota 7-1 (406-119) NYSSWA #9 MaxPreps 69/4028 PS- #3 Titles: 0
Lost to: Skaneateles 34-40
Cato-Meridian 8-0 (321-54) NYSSWA #5 MaxPreps 100/5012 PS- #2 Titles: 1
Vs.
Herkimer 5-3 (241-181) NYSSWA HM MaxPreps 231/8488 PS- #4 Titles: 4
Lost to: Cato-Meridian 14-31, Holland Patent 20-27, Lowville 24-56
Comments: Two more 8-0 teams and a third that might have been 8-0 but they lost a shoot-out to Skaneateles, last year’s Class B champions. Again, if the 8-0s become 9-0’s, it will be Cato’s defense vs. Lowville’s offense. Take your pick.
CLASS D
Quarter-Final results:
Dolgeville beat Sandy Creek 30-0. Powered by Kyle Getman’s three touchdown, 103 yards rushing game and a staunch defense, top-seeded Dolgeville dominated.
Dolgeville advances to Class D semifinals | News, Sports, Jobs - Leader Herald
Frankfort- Schuyler beat Onondaga 28-6. Tyler Rosati ran for 173 yards on 28 carries and scored on short runs in the first, third and fourth quarters.
OCT. 25 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Rosati, Maroon Knights run past Onondaga
FRANKFORT, N.Y. – Tyler Rosati ran for three touchdowns Friday night and helped the Frankfort-Schuyler Maroon Knights defeat Onondaga’s
www.timestelegram.com
Waterville beat Sauquoit Valley 23-6. Connor Marriott scored twice for the winners.
Defense lifts Waterville into Class D semifinals
WATERVILLE – After a huge playoff victory, fans of the Waterville football team waited outside the locker room with pastries.One set of treats had
www.uticaod.com
Beaver River beat Thousand Islands 14-6. Sophomore Jonah Mullin took Sam Bush’s place and was responsible for both of the Beavers’ touchdowns: an 88-yard touchdown pass to Dalton Finster, then a two-yard pass to Cameron Murphy,
Defense helps Beaver River takes additional step toward Carrier Dome goal
Semi-Final match-ups:
Dolgeville 6-2 (168-116) NYSSWA HM MaxPreps 288/9584 PS- #1 Titles: 16
Lost to: Frankfort-Schuyler22-34, Thousand Islands 20-28
Vs.
Frankfort-Schuyler 6-2 (244-141) NYSSWA #15 MaxPreps 275/9368 PS- #4 Titles: 1
Lost to: Beaver River 38-43, Waterville 0-20
Beaver River 6-2 (201-145) NYSSWA #14 MaxPreps 325/10,144 PS- #3 Titles: 2
Lost to: Onondaga 23-24, Dolgeville 20-24
Vs.
Waterville 6-2 (138-79) NYSSWA HM MaxPreps 328/10,194 PS- #2 Titles: 0
Lost to Beaver River 6-13, Dolgeville 0-28
Comments: This an extremely well-balanced division that should feature some great games between some not great teams that will go nowhere in the states because they will likely meet #1 state ranked Tioga in the first round. Tioga has been the class D equivalent of the plant in “The Little Shop of Horrors”, shouting “Feed Me! Feed me those Section II teams!”. Since 2011 they’ve beaten Section III teams 55-34, 54-13, 43-13, 46-22, 50-14, 46-16 and 56-6, (they didn’t win the section in 2016). Expect more of the same this year.
