SWC75
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This year’s tournament field:
CLASS AA
Section 3 West Genesee 10-0 (460-226) state ranking:6 state titles: 2007 vs.
Section 4 Binghamton 7-2 (297-127) state ranking:29 state titles: 1985
Section 5 Rush Henrietta 9-1 (456-171) state ranking:4 state titles: 1976, 2010 vs.
Section 6 Orchard Park 11-0 (498-131) state ranking:2 state titles: 2008
Section 1 North Rockland 9-1 (249-89) state ranking:5 state titles: 1992, 1993 vs.
Section 2 Shenendehowa 10-0 (422-96) state ranking:3 state titles: 1982, 1983, 1984
Sections 7 and 10 don’t have Class AAA schools so Sections 1 and 2 are matched with the winner playing the section 9 champion.
Section 9 Newburgh Free Academy 9-1 (257-58) state ranking:19 state titles: none
The #1 team in the NYSSWA rankings is St. Anthony’s of the Catholic High School League of Metropolitan new York.
Comment: Every school except Newburgh has won a state title before, (although Binghamton and Schenendehowa have not won the state tournament). We think of West Genesee as having an unstoppable offense at 46ppg but Rush-Henrietta has the same average, Orchard Park is averaging 45 and Schenendehowa is at 42, so they won’t be all that impressed. The Wildcats should beat Binghamton but after that they in the deep end of the pool.
CLASS A
Section 3 East Syracuse-Minoa 10-0 (449-94) state ranking:6 state titles: none vs.
Section 4 Maine-Endwell 9-0 (300-61) state ranking:8 state titles: 2004
Section 5 Rochester Aquinas 9-1 (374-100) state ranking:1 state titles: 1998, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2010 vs.
Section 6 Sweet Home 10-0 (305-115) state ranking:3 state titles: 2008, 2009
Section 1 Poughkeepsie 10-0 (361-95) state ranking:2 state titles: none vs.
Section 9 Cornwall 9-1 (354-97) state ranking:10 state titles: none
Section 2 Burnt Hills Ballston Lake 9-1 (295-104) state ranking:2 state titles: none vs.
Section 10 Malone Franklin Academy 9-1 (377-172) state ranking: unranked but MaxPreps has them #5 state titles: none
Comment: Section 3 has never won the state title in Classes A or B. ESM may be the best team we’ve ever sent to the states, judging my their dismantling of on of Whitesboro’s best teams. The Aquinas-Sweet Home battle pairs teams that have won the last four state championships- two each. If the Spartans get pas Maine-Endwell, (who won it in 2004), they will have a heck of challenge in the semis, where Section 3 is 2-8 all-time vs. Section 5 and 6 teams. Who will be the bug and who will be the windshield this year?
CLASS B
Section 3 Chittenango 9-1 (344-117) state ranking: 7 state titles: none vs.
Section 4 Chenango Valley 6-3 (247-152) state ranking:20 state titles: none
Section 5 Hornell 10-0 (478-36) state ranking: 1 state titles: 2009, 2010 vs.
Section 6 Alden 10-0 (331-90) state ranking:3 state titles: none
Section 1 Croton-Harmon 9-0 (316-61) state ranking: 2 state titles: 1975 vs.
Section 9 Marlboro 9-1 (290-125) state ranking: 8 state titles: none
Section 2 Schalmont 10-0 (352-119) state ranking: 4 state titles: none vs.
Section 7 Peru 10-0 (355-127) state ranking: 6 state titles: 2001
Comment: Hornell has won two straight state titles, 37 games in a row and outscored their opponents 1634-327 over that span, an average of 44-9 per game. They are, to say the least the heavy favorites to win a third title in a row but they only beat Alden 21-14 last year and Max Preps has Alden rated the #1 Class B team in the state, so stay tuned.
CLASS C
Section 3 Herkimer 9-0 (389-124) state ranking: 3 state titles: none vs.
Section 4 Waverly 9-1 (377-48) state ranking: 4 state titles: none
Section 5 Wellsville 8-2 (255-154) state ranking: 8 state titles: none vs.
Section 6 Southwestern 9-1 (239-104) state ranking: 5 state titles: 2008, 2009
Section 1 Dobbs Ferry 8-1 (327-55) state ranking:2 state titles: 1983, 1984, 1985, 2002, 2004, 2006 vs.
Section 9 James O’Neill 8-2 (229-142) state ranking: 9 state titles: none
Section 2 Hoosick Falls 10-0 (482-86) state ranking:1 state titles: none
Section 7 Saranac Lake 8-1 (363-125) state ranking: 6 state titles: none
Comment: Only two of these teams are undefeated and two of them have been beaten twice. But two of them are multiple prior state titlists, Southwestern winning in 2008 and 2009.Waverly and perennial state power Dobbs Ferry have impressive defensive numbers and Hoosick Falls has been really dominant. But section 2 hasn’t won this class in 15 years.
CLASS D
Section 3 Westmoreland 10-0 (370-118) state ranking: 3 state titles: none vs.
Section 4 Tioga 8-0 (328-92) state ranking: 4 state titles: none
Section 5: Letchworth 9-1 (404-80) state ranking: 2 state titles: none vs.
Section 6: Maple Grove 9-0 (306-72) state ranking: 1 state titles: 1998, 2008
Section 1 Haldane 8-1 (318-84) state ranking:8 state titles: none vs.
Section 9 Chester 10-0 (397-167) state ranking: 6 state titles: none
Section 2 Cambridge 10-0 (517-88) state ranking: 7 state titles: 1999 vs.
Section 10 Ticonderoga 6-4 (244-131) state ranking:? none but MaxPreps has them at #31 state titles: none
Comment: The above rankings are the New York State Sportswriter’s Association rankings. MaxPreps has Chautauqua Lake as the New York State’s #1 Class D school. Where are they? I did some research and they are in what Section 6 calls “Class DD”, a sub-class of Class D that is a “non-qualifying division for the state tournament“. So they don’t get to compete. Meanwhile Section 6’s Class D consists of 6 teams, all of whom make the playoffs and then the winner, (Maple Grove) gets to play for a state championship. If that isn’t proof that there are too many divisions in high school football, I don’t know what is.
Regarding the resulting field, six of the eight teams have never won a state title and the two winners have won only three of the 18 titles, so it seems pretty wide open. This has been the level section 3 has been most successful at so there can be high hopes for Westmoreland. On the other hand, there’s been a tendency for certain schools that have run up big scores to continue doing so in the state tournament. In 2007 Walton had legendary year in which they entered the states at 10-0 having outscored their opposition 549-28 and having shut out their last eight opponents. They crushed Onondaga 52-14, (in retrospect a good performance by the Tigers), then Section 5’s Bolivar-Richburg 42-0 and Ticonderoga 64-6. That’s 13-0 (707-48), an average score of 54-4! The next year Maple Grove was 10-0 (500-81), then beat Section 5 Dundee 57-12, Walton, the year after their big year, 49-14 and Moriah of Section 7 in the title game 55-7. That’s 13-0 (661-114), an average of 51-9. The next year Randolph of Section 6 lost to Maple Grove 6-7 in their opener and beat then 21-20 in the sectional finals. They came into the states with a much more modest 9-1, (278-108) but really got rolling in the playoffs, beating Dundee of Section 5, 14-6 but then Groton of Section 4 61-6 and Moriah 41-0. Last year Tuckahoe of Section 1 lost only to Class C state champion Bronxville and wound up 10-0 (406-43) vs. Class D opposition. The team that most seems to resemble those this year is Cambridge, who has scored at least 42 points in every game and won each of it’s games by 29 points. They’ve won it before and will be a very formidable contender this year.
FIRST ROUND
The weekend was a disaster for Section 3, whose championship hopes went down like the Russian battleships at Tsushima. We haven’t won a state title since 2007, when West Genesee won out third Class AAA title in four years and Bishop Ludden won Class C. Only Oneida in 2008 and General Brown last year had managed to make it to the championship game. But this year we had four proud, undefeated teams who had dominated their opposition all year sailing into do battle for their various class titles and the honor of the section. Oh, and there was Chittenango, who had lost to Cazenovia and then won the section Class B championship almost by default when Oneida upset Cazenovia to prevent a rematch. All five Section 3 champions were favored over their Section 4 counterparts, at least according to the NYSSWA rankings.
But all four undefeated teams went down. In three cases it was only a mild upset per the rankings, (two #4 teams beat two #3 teams and a #8 beat a #6) but all those games were by decisive scores. In the other game a #6 team built up a three touchdown lead on a #29 team but still lost. The lone survivor was Chittenango, who now will face the most overwhelming favorite in any classification, a team that’s won two straight state titles, and 38 games in a row by an average of five touchdowns. It’s looking like we not only won get a state title gain this year but we won’t even get a shot at one in a title game. A huge disappointment.
CLASS AA
If you saw the Boise State-TCU game, you saw the West Genesee-Binghamton game. The Wildcats, who looked to have a better team than their 2007 state champs, (who had two losses), scored on their first three possessions to take a 21-0 lead. They were still ahead 21-7 when they eschewed a point-blank field goal on the last play of the half, (they’d missed an extra point and made up for with a try for two), and were stopped short of the goal line. A series of second-half turnovers, including a 90 yard interception return, allowed Binghamton to tie it at 21 but the Wildcats took leads of 28-21 and 35-28. Bad tackling contributed to a final scoring drive for the Patriots. They, like TCU decided to go for two rather than risk overtime. They made it. West Genesee, trying to save their season, like Boise drove downfield and had a couple of passes dropped in the end the end zone, (both receivers were under duress), and then missed a last play field goal largely due to a terrible snap and lost 35-36, just like Boise. “It was a great season anyway.” But, just like that, it’s over. Binghamton, (8-2, 333-162) moves on. Hey, if West Genny could win a state title with two losses, maybe the Patriots can to!
In the other games, Orchard Park, the 2008 state champs, overcame a 21-35 deficit going into the fourth quarter to beat defending state champs Rush-Henrietta on a tipped pass with a minute left, 42-35. The #2 ranked Quakers, (12-0, 540-166) are Binghamton’s next opponent. #3 ranked Schenendehowa (11-0, 435-106) won an incredible defensive duel with #5 North Rockland, 13-10 in two overtimes. They had the ultimate overtime disaster- missing a field goal on their first possession. But North Rockland did the same, then kicked one in the second OT. Running back Tony Fusco leapt over several defenders to score the winner. They now face Section 9’s North Babylon (9-1, 257-58, #19) who had a bye because Sections 7 and 10 have no AA class schools. It will be hard to top the terrific games of this week.
CLASS A
ES-M’s Spartans had dominated their opponents all year and then dominated perennial power Whitesboro in the sectional champion ship game but they couldn’t dominate Maine-Endwell, who had a power running game and a stout defense. Four turnovers and two failed fourth down attempts didn’t help either and the Spartans went down 7-21- to the other Spartans, who were more Spartan on this day.. Maine-Endwell, (10-0 321-68, #8), will play powerful Rochester Aquinas, (10-1, 423-120, #1), five time stat champ, who beat two time state champ Sweet Home 49-20. The Little Irish’s only loss was to a team from Pennsylvania. #2 Poughkeepsie got smashed by #10 Cornwall, 44-19, (10-1 398-116), who will face Burnt Hills, (10-1 358-124, #7), who had an easy time with Malone Franklin, 63-20.
CLASS B
Section 3’s weekend was largely about turnovers and Chittenango (10-1, 386-117, #7), was the only section 3 team that got them going their way, getting 6 “takeaways” from Chenango Valley in a 42-0 win. But now they get #1 ranked and two time defending state champion Hornell, (11-0, 498-50), who beat #3 Alden , 20-14 in overtime. They were down 6-14 when they scored on a 26 yard TD pass with 1:37 left and made the two point conversion. Alden, who had given them their stiffest challenge last year, failed to score on their first possession in overtime. And then Dominic Scavo ran it in form 25 yards out for the win. That makes Hornell seem vulnerable but after last year’s 21-14 win over Alden the Red Raiders won their next two games by a combined 95-32. Their finals opponent last year was Schalmont , (11-0, 377-139, #4) who beat Peru 25-20, almost blowing a 25-0 third quarter lead. They clinched it by forcing a fumble after a completed pass in the final minute. #2 Croton-Harmon, (10-0 362-64), had no such trouble beating Marlboro 46-3 and will be Schalmont‘s next opponent.
CLASS C
Waverly, (10-1, 403-61, #4) had an easy time with Herkimer, rushing for 351 yards and holding the Magicians to under 100 yards rushing while picking off two passes in a 26-13 win. Would Skaneateles have done any better? We’ll never know. (And remember when that was our idea of a scandal?). The Wolverines will face Southwestern, (10-1, 263-110), the 2008-2009 state champions, who handled Wellsville 24-6. Six time state champion, (three in the tournament era), Dobbs Ferry, (9-1, 368-68, #2) easily beat James O’Neill, (he was only one guy), 41-13. They will face #1 Hoosick Falls, (11-0, 529-99), who beat Saranac Lake 47-13.
CLASS D
Broken record: Westmoreland had five turnovers vs. Tioga, (9-0, 383-126, #4), but the Tigers won this one in the trenches, rushing for 555 yards, (on, natch, 55 carries), and never even attempting a pass. The Bulldogs must have plenty of bruises on their bodies and egos. But with those deficits, they should have lost like Texas Tech lost to Okie State. But they didn’t, losing “only” 34-55, (but of course). I guess that’s something to be proud of. Cody Bennett of Tioga has a fairly good day, rushing for 379 yards and 6 touchdowns. Meanwhile Letchworth, (10-1, 434-94, #2) upset #1 ranked Maple Grove 30-14 and will see if they can do something with Mr. Bennett. Haldane could do nothing with Chester, (11-0, 451-175, #6), losing 8-54. Cambridge, (11-0, 561-113 but only ranked #7), conquered Ticonderoga, 44-25 and will play Chester in the semis.
Section 2 thus has all five teams in the state semis, Section 4 four of them, Section 5 three of them, Section 6 two, Section 1 two Section 9 one and Section three just Chittenango. Go Bears!!!
SECOND ROUND
CLASS AA
A week after their dramatic upset of West Genesee, Binghamton was unable to mount a similar comeback against Section 6’s Orchard Park, (13-0, 575-172), going down by a 35-6 score. That’s what West Genny expected when they went up 21-0. Would that have happened to the Wildcats or did they let an inferior team come back against them to prevent a great confrontation between the 2007 and 2008 state titlists? We’ll never know.
In the other semi-final Newburgh Free Academy, (10-1, 273-64) upset third ranked Shenendehowa, 16-6, opening the game with an interception to set up a score and ended it with another to clinch the win. It ended the 44 year career of Shenendehowa’s 76 year old coach, Brent Steuerwald, the only football head coach the school has ever had. Only one section 9 team has ever won the state title in this division: Monroe-Woodbury in 2005. NFA beat Binghamton 21-0 to open the season so it looks like they could compete with Orchard Park. Newburgh has never won the state title.
CLASS A
I don’t know how many times I heard the announcers say that Rochester Aquinas had won two straight state titles. In fact they have won five of them but only one in a row and they won’t get to two because the 2004 state champs, Maine Endwell of Section 4,(11-0, 340-84) beat them in a terrific game 19-16. The Spartans overcame three deficits to hold on to win, surviving a missed 37 yard field goal attempt on Aquinas‘ final play. A 15 yard sack by their superb defense on the previous play made the field goal attempt just a bit too far out.
They will face Section’s 2’s Burnt Hills, (love that name), who downed Cornwall of Section 9, 35-14. I guess it pays to be the Spartans. Burnt Hill’s version is 11-1, (393-138). Burnt Hills is looking for it’s first state title.
CLASS B
The Chittenango Bears, Section 3’s last hope, did themselves proud against mighty Hornell of Section 5 but came up on the short end of a 27-35 score. Hornell, who is a two-time state champion, came into the game with a 38 game winning streak and an average victory margin on 5 touchdowns, jumped out to a 20-0 lead and it appeared the route was on. But Chittenango didn’t give up and outscore the Red Raiders 27-15 the rest of the game. They wouldn’t have been in such a hole except that an early drive ended in a fumble, followed by an 80 yard run by Hornell’s Scott McGibben. The Bears, not noted as an offensive juggernaut, scored 35% of the points Hornell, (12-0, 533-77), has given up all year.
The only obstacle between the Red Raiders and a third straight state title, (they’d be the first school since the Mike Hart Onondaga teams to achieve that), is Croton-Harmon of Section 1, (11-0, 377-76), who nipped Section 2’s Schalmont, 15-12. The Tigers won a small school poll title in 1975 but have never won the state tournament. The Sabres got long touchdown runs of 67 yards by Alex Hildebrand and 46 yards by Devon Willis but couldn’t stop long, sustained drives by Croton-Harmon, who survived an interception in their own territory by holding on downs and marching 70 yard to score the winner on a one yard plunge with 3:34 left.
CLASS C
Section 6’s Southwestern, (11-1, 282-123), the 2008-09 state champs, beat Section 4’s Waverly 19-13 in a tight defensive duel. Waverly struck first with a 48 yard TD pass but Southwestern had two TD passes of their own and two field goals. Most high school games are about the rushing attack and having a game decided with passes and kicks is unusual.
Southwestern will now meet Section 1’s Dobbs Ferry, who have won three state tournaments and had three poll championships before that. The Eagles, (10-1, 381-80), nipped Section 2’s Hoosick Falls 13-12. Hoosick’s Fall’s star, Tanner Williams, scored on a 52 yard run to make it 12-7 in the third quarter but was otherwise contained, gaining 21 yards on his other 7 carries. The Panthers, had averaged 48 points a game, got only 181 yards total offense. Meanwhile, Dobbs Ferry ran for 210 yards, 132 by Tim Sloave, who scored the winner from a yard out.
CLASS D
Tioga, who had run all over Section 3’s Westmoreland, couldn’t make much headway against Section 5’s Letchworth, (11-1, 448-100). Cody Bennett, who had scored 6 touchdowns and rushed for 379 yards against Westmoreland, was held scoreless and gained only 87 yards on 23 carries. Teammate Tyler Spires, who rushed for 123 yards, made the only score with 3:27 left in the game but it was too little, too late. Both were out-gained by Letchworth’s Chris Nevinger, who gained 179 yards and accounted for both of the Indian’s scores.
They will play Section 9’s Chester, (12-0, 484-197) in the title game. They beat high-scoring Cambridge, who had come in averaging 51 points a game, 38-22. Five turnovers by the Indians were the difference. The game was 14-14 at the half but Cambridge broke the tie with a 65 yard punt return early in the third quarter and made a two point conversion for a 22-14 lead. It all came apart when two interceptions produced two touchdowns for Chester in less than a minute later in the quarter and Cambridge never recovered. Neither Chester nor Letchworth has ever won a state title but one of them is about to.
CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES
CLASS AA
Orchard Park, (14-0, 596-185) of Section 6 used a power running game to take a 21-0 lead on Section 9’s Newburgh Free Academy, then held on for dear life as the Goldbacks hit on a couple of long TD passes and got the ball back for a final Hail Mary that was intercepted at the goal line. The final score was 21-13. The Quakers had also won the 2008 state title.
CLASS A
Section 4’s Maine-Endwell, (12-0, 367-104), found themselves down 7-20 at halftime to perennial runner-up Burnt Hills of Section 2, having surrendered 289 yards to the Spartans, (both teams were the Spartans). But the second half was a different story as ME’s tough defense shut out BH and these Spartans rolled to 20 unanswered points and their second state title, (they also won in 2004). Nick Sorrenti clinched with a 29 yard run for his second score with 43 seconds left in the game.
CLASS B
Section 5’s Hornell (13-0, 555-83) won their third straight state title, 22-6 over Croton-Harmon, despite not scoring in the second half. Only Edgemont and Onondaga had previously won three straight titles. The Red Raiders had a three year run of 40-0, (1711-374, an average of 43-9) and on that note, their coach, Gene Maston, retired. (Note: Jason Bennetti kept saying on the broadcast that this was their 39th win in a row but MaxPreps has them going 13-0, 14-0 and 13-0.
CLASS C
Dobbs Ferry (11-1 420-80) of Section 1 totally dominated Southwestern of Section 6, 39-0. It was their 4 state tournament title, tying the record of Caldonia-Mumford of Section 5. CM had 4 poll titles before the state tournament as compared to DF’s three so they are still ahead in total championships. Southwestern, the 2008-09 state champions, offered little resistance in this one, being outgained by over 500 yards to less than 100.
CLASS D
Letchworth of Section 5, (12-1, 475-100) had no problem with Chester of Section 9, winning the state title by 27-0. Clifton Bacon, a 6-0 215 pounder who sprints, long jumps and throws the shot put on the track team, took a screen pass 75 for a score just before the half to break it open. Chris Nevinger added 173 yards rushing and two second half scores. It was the Indian’s first state title.
CLASS AA
Section 3 West Genesee 10-0 (460-226) state ranking:6 state titles: 2007 vs.
Section 4 Binghamton 7-2 (297-127) state ranking:29 state titles: 1985
Section 5 Rush Henrietta 9-1 (456-171) state ranking:4 state titles: 1976, 2010 vs.
Section 6 Orchard Park 11-0 (498-131) state ranking:2 state titles: 2008
Section 1 North Rockland 9-1 (249-89) state ranking:5 state titles: 1992, 1993 vs.
Section 2 Shenendehowa 10-0 (422-96) state ranking:3 state titles: 1982, 1983, 1984
Sections 7 and 10 don’t have Class AAA schools so Sections 1 and 2 are matched with the winner playing the section 9 champion.
Section 9 Newburgh Free Academy 9-1 (257-58) state ranking:19 state titles: none
The #1 team in the NYSSWA rankings is St. Anthony’s of the Catholic High School League of Metropolitan new York.
Comment: Every school except Newburgh has won a state title before, (although Binghamton and Schenendehowa have not won the state tournament). We think of West Genesee as having an unstoppable offense at 46ppg but Rush-Henrietta has the same average, Orchard Park is averaging 45 and Schenendehowa is at 42, so they won’t be all that impressed. The Wildcats should beat Binghamton but after that they in the deep end of the pool.
CLASS A
Section 3 East Syracuse-Minoa 10-0 (449-94) state ranking:6 state titles: none vs.
Section 4 Maine-Endwell 9-0 (300-61) state ranking:8 state titles: 2004
Section 5 Rochester Aquinas 9-1 (374-100) state ranking:1 state titles: 1998, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2010 vs.
Section 6 Sweet Home 10-0 (305-115) state ranking:3 state titles: 2008, 2009
Section 1 Poughkeepsie 10-0 (361-95) state ranking:2 state titles: none vs.
Section 9 Cornwall 9-1 (354-97) state ranking:10 state titles: none
Section 2 Burnt Hills Ballston Lake 9-1 (295-104) state ranking:2 state titles: none vs.
Section 10 Malone Franklin Academy 9-1 (377-172) state ranking: unranked but MaxPreps has them #5 state titles: none
Comment: Section 3 has never won the state title in Classes A or B. ESM may be the best team we’ve ever sent to the states, judging my their dismantling of on of Whitesboro’s best teams. The Aquinas-Sweet Home battle pairs teams that have won the last four state championships- two each. If the Spartans get pas Maine-Endwell, (who won it in 2004), they will have a heck of challenge in the semis, where Section 3 is 2-8 all-time vs. Section 5 and 6 teams. Who will be the bug and who will be the windshield this year?
CLASS B
Section 3 Chittenango 9-1 (344-117) state ranking: 7 state titles: none vs.
Section 4 Chenango Valley 6-3 (247-152) state ranking:20 state titles: none
Section 5 Hornell 10-0 (478-36) state ranking: 1 state titles: 2009, 2010 vs.
Section 6 Alden 10-0 (331-90) state ranking:3 state titles: none
Section 1 Croton-Harmon 9-0 (316-61) state ranking: 2 state titles: 1975 vs.
Section 9 Marlboro 9-1 (290-125) state ranking: 8 state titles: none
Section 2 Schalmont 10-0 (352-119) state ranking: 4 state titles: none vs.
Section 7 Peru 10-0 (355-127) state ranking: 6 state titles: 2001
Comment: Hornell has won two straight state titles, 37 games in a row and outscored their opponents 1634-327 over that span, an average of 44-9 per game. They are, to say the least the heavy favorites to win a third title in a row but they only beat Alden 21-14 last year and Max Preps has Alden rated the #1 Class B team in the state, so stay tuned.
CLASS C
Section 3 Herkimer 9-0 (389-124) state ranking: 3 state titles: none vs.
Section 4 Waverly 9-1 (377-48) state ranking: 4 state titles: none
Section 5 Wellsville 8-2 (255-154) state ranking: 8 state titles: none vs.
Section 6 Southwestern 9-1 (239-104) state ranking: 5 state titles: 2008, 2009
Section 1 Dobbs Ferry 8-1 (327-55) state ranking:2 state titles: 1983, 1984, 1985, 2002, 2004, 2006 vs.
Section 9 James O’Neill 8-2 (229-142) state ranking: 9 state titles: none
Section 2 Hoosick Falls 10-0 (482-86) state ranking:1 state titles: none
Section 7 Saranac Lake 8-1 (363-125) state ranking: 6 state titles: none
Comment: Only two of these teams are undefeated and two of them have been beaten twice. But two of them are multiple prior state titlists, Southwestern winning in 2008 and 2009.Waverly and perennial state power Dobbs Ferry have impressive defensive numbers and Hoosick Falls has been really dominant. But section 2 hasn’t won this class in 15 years.
CLASS D
Section 3 Westmoreland 10-0 (370-118) state ranking: 3 state titles: none vs.
Section 4 Tioga 8-0 (328-92) state ranking: 4 state titles: none
Section 5: Letchworth 9-1 (404-80) state ranking: 2 state titles: none vs.
Section 6: Maple Grove 9-0 (306-72) state ranking: 1 state titles: 1998, 2008
Section 1 Haldane 8-1 (318-84) state ranking:8 state titles: none vs.
Section 9 Chester 10-0 (397-167) state ranking: 6 state titles: none
Section 2 Cambridge 10-0 (517-88) state ranking: 7 state titles: 1999 vs.
Section 10 Ticonderoga 6-4 (244-131) state ranking:? none but MaxPreps has them at #31 state titles: none
Comment: The above rankings are the New York State Sportswriter’s Association rankings. MaxPreps has Chautauqua Lake as the New York State’s #1 Class D school. Where are they? I did some research and they are in what Section 6 calls “Class DD”, a sub-class of Class D that is a “non-qualifying division for the state tournament“. So they don’t get to compete. Meanwhile Section 6’s Class D consists of 6 teams, all of whom make the playoffs and then the winner, (Maple Grove) gets to play for a state championship. If that isn’t proof that there are too many divisions in high school football, I don’t know what is.
Regarding the resulting field, six of the eight teams have never won a state title and the two winners have won only three of the 18 titles, so it seems pretty wide open. This has been the level section 3 has been most successful at so there can be high hopes for Westmoreland. On the other hand, there’s been a tendency for certain schools that have run up big scores to continue doing so in the state tournament. In 2007 Walton had legendary year in which they entered the states at 10-0 having outscored their opposition 549-28 and having shut out their last eight opponents. They crushed Onondaga 52-14, (in retrospect a good performance by the Tigers), then Section 5’s Bolivar-Richburg 42-0 and Ticonderoga 64-6. That’s 13-0 (707-48), an average score of 54-4! The next year Maple Grove was 10-0 (500-81), then beat Section 5 Dundee 57-12, Walton, the year after their big year, 49-14 and Moriah of Section 7 in the title game 55-7. That’s 13-0 (661-114), an average of 51-9. The next year Randolph of Section 6 lost to Maple Grove 6-7 in their opener and beat then 21-20 in the sectional finals. They came into the states with a much more modest 9-1, (278-108) but really got rolling in the playoffs, beating Dundee of Section 5, 14-6 but then Groton of Section 4 61-6 and Moriah 41-0. Last year Tuckahoe of Section 1 lost only to Class C state champion Bronxville and wound up 10-0 (406-43) vs. Class D opposition. The team that most seems to resemble those this year is Cambridge, who has scored at least 42 points in every game and won each of it’s games by 29 points. They’ve won it before and will be a very formidable contender this year.
FIRST ROUND
The weekend was a disaster for Section 3, whose championship hopes went down like the Russian battleships at Tsushima. We haven’t won a state title since 2007, when West Genesee won out third Class AAA title in four years and Bishop Ludden won Class C. Only Oneida in 2008 and General Brown last year had managed to make it to the championship game. But this year we had four proud, undefeated teams who had dominated their opposition all year sailing into do battle for their various class titles and the honor of the section. Oh, and there was Chittenango, who had lost to Cazenovia and then won the section Class B championship almost by default when Oneida upset Cazenovia to prevent a rematch. All five Section 3 champions were favored over their Section 4 counterparts, at least according to the NYSSWA rankings.
But all four undefeated teams went down. In three cases it was only a mild upset per the rankings, (two #4 teams beat two #3 teams and a #8 beat a #6) but all those games were by decisive scores. In the other game a #6 team built up a three touchdown lead on a #29 team but still lost. The lone survivor was Chittenango, who now will face the most overwhelming favorite in any classification, a team that’s won two straight state titles, and 38 games in a row by an average of five touchdowns. It’s looking like we not only won get a state title gain this year but we won’t even get a shot at one in a title game. A huge disappointment.
CLASS AA
If you saw the Boise State-TCU game, you saw the West Genesee-Binghamton game. The Wildcats, who looked to have a better team than their 2007 state champs, (who had two losses), scored on their first three possessions to take a 21-0 lead. They were still ahead 21-7 when they eschewed a point-blank field goal on the last play of the half, (they’d missed an extra point and made up for with a try for two), and were stopped short of the goal line. A series of second-half turnovers, including a 90 yard interception return, allowed Binghamton to tie it at 21 but the Wildcats took leads of 28-21 and 35-28. Bad tackling contributed to a final scoring drive for the Patriots. They, like TCU decided to go for two rather than risk overtime. They made it. West Genesee, trying to save their season, like Boise drove downfield and had a couple of passes dropped in the end the end zone, (both receivers were under duress), and then missed a last play field goal largely due to a terrible snap and lost 35-36, just like Boise. “It was a great season anyway.” But, just like that, it’s over. Binghamton, (8-2, 333-162) moves on. Hey, if West Genny could win a state title with two losses, maybe the Patriots can to!
In the other games, Orchard Park, the 2008 state champs, overcame a 21-35 deficit going into the fourth quarter to beat defending state champs Rush-Henrietta on a tipped pass with a minute left, 42-35. The #2 ranked Quakers, (12-0, 540-166) are Binghamton’s next opponent. #3 ranked Schenendehowa (11-0, 435-106) won an incredible defensive duel with #5 North Rockland, 13-10 in two overtimes. They had the ultimate overtime disaster- missing a field goal on their first possession. But North Rockland did the same, then kicked one in the second OT. Running back Tony Fusco leapt over several defenders to score the winner. They now face Section 9’s North Babylon (9-1, 257-58, #19) who had a bye because Sections 7 and 10 have no AA class schools. It will be hard to top the terrific games of this week.
CLASS A
ES-M’s Spartans had dominated their opponents all year and then dominated perennial power Whitesboro in the sectional champion ship game but they couldn’t dominate Maine-Endwell, who had a power running game and a stout defense. Four turnovers and two failed fourth down attempts didn’t help either and the Spartans went down 7-21- to the other Spartans, who were more Spartan on this day.. Maine-Endwell, (10-0 321-68, #8), will play powerful Rochester Aquinas, (10-1, 423-120, #1), five time stat champ, who beat two time state champ Sweet Home 49-20. The Little Irish’s only loss was to a team from Pennsylvania. #2 Poughkeepsie got smashed by #10 Cornwall, 44-19, (10-1 398-116), who will face Burnt Hills, (10-1 358-124, #7), who had an easy time with Malone Franklin, 63-20.
CLASS B
Section 3’s weekend was largely about turnovers and Chittenango (10-1, 386-117, #7), was the only section 3 team that got them going their way, getting 6 “takeaways” from Chenango Valley in a 42-0 win. But now they get #1 ranked and two time defending state champion Hornell, (11-0, 498-50), who beat #3 Alden , 20-14 in overtime. They were down 6-14 when they scored on a 26 yard TD pass with 1:37 left and made the two point conversion. Alden, who had given them their stiffest challenge last year, failed to score on their first possession in overtime. And then Dominic Scavo ran it in form 25 yards out for the win. That makes Hornell seem vulnerable but after last year’s 21-14 win over Alden the Red Raiders won their next two games by a combined 95-32. Their finals opponent last year was Schalmont , (11-0, 377-139, #4) who beat Peru 25-20, almost blowing a 25-0 third quarter lead. They clinched it by forcing a fumble after a completed pass in the final minute. #2 Croton-Harmon, (10-0 362-64), had no such trouble beating Marlboro 46-3 and will be Schalmont‘s next opponent.
CLASS C
Waverly, (10-1, 403-61, #4) had an easy time with Herkimer, rushing for 351 yards and holding the Magicians to under 100 yards rushing while picking off two passes in a 26-13 win. Would Skaneateles have done any better? We’ll never know. (And remember when that was our idea of a scandal?). The Wolverines will face Southwestern, (10-1, 263-110), the 2008-2009 state champions, who handled Wellsville 24-6. Six time state champion, (three in the tournament era), Dobbs Ferry, (9-1, 368-68, #2) easily beat James O’Neill, (he was only one guy), 41-13. They will face #1 Hoosick Falls, (11-0, 529-99), who beat Saranac Lake 47-13.
CLASS D
Broken record: Westmoreland had five turnovers vs. Tioga, (9-0, 383-126, #4), but the Tigers won this one in the trenches, rushing for 555 yards, (on, natch, 55 carries), and never even attempting a pass. The Bulldogs must have plenty of bruises on their bodies and egos. But with those deficits, they should have lost like Texas Tech lost to Okie State. But they didn’t, losing “only” 34-55, (but of course). I guess that’s something to be proud of. Cody Bennett of Tioga has a fairly good day, rushing for 379 yards and 6 touchdowns. Meanwhile Letchworth, (10-1, 434-94, #2) upset #1 ranked Maple Grove 30-14 and will see if they can do something with Mr. Bennett. Haldane could do nothing with Chester, (11-0, 451-175, #6), losing 8-54. Cambridge, (11-0, 561-113 but only ranked #7), conquered Ticonderoga, 44-25 and will play Chester in the semis.
Section 2 thus has all five teams in the state semis, Section 4 four of them, Section 5 three of them, Section 6 two, Section 1 two Section 9 one and Section three just Chittenango. Go Bears!!!
SECOND ROUND
CLASS AA
A week after their dramatic upset of West Genesee, Binghamton was unable to mount a similar comeback against Section 6’s Orchard Park, (13-0, 575-172), going down by a 35-6 score. That’s what West Genny expected when they went up 21-0. Would that have happened to the Wildcats or did they let an inferior team come back against them to prevent a great confrontation between the 2007 and 2008 state titlists? We’ll never know.
In the other semi-final Newburgh Free Academy, (10-1, 273-64) upset third ranked Shenendehowa, 16-6, opening the game with an interception to set up a score and ended it with another to clinch the win. It ended the 44 year career of Shenendehowa’s 76 year old coach, Brent Steuerwald, the only football head coach the school has ever had. Only one section 9 team has ever won the state title in this division: Monroe-Woodbury in 2005. NFA beat Binghamton 21-0 to open the season so it looks like they could compete with Orchard Park. Newburgh has never won the state title.
CLASS A
I don’t know how many times I heard the announcers say that Rochester Aquinas had won two straight state titles. In fact they have won five of them but only one in a row and they won’t get to two because the 2004 state champs, Maine Endwell of Section 4,(11-0, 340-84) beat them in a terrific game 19-16. The Spartans overcame three deficits to hold on to win, surviving a missed 37 yard field goal attempt on Aquinas‘ final play. A 15 yard sack by their superb defense on the previous play made the field goal attempt just a bit too far out.
They will face Section’s 2’s Burnt Hills, (love that name), who downed Cornwall of Section 9, 35-14. I guess it pays to be the Spartans. Burnt Hill’s version is 11-1, (393-138). Burnt Hills is looking for it’s first state title.
CLASS B
The Chittenango Bears, Section 3’s last hope, did themselves proud against mighty Hornell of Section 5 but came up on the short end of a 27-35 score. Hornell, who is a two-time state champion, came into the game with a 38 game winning streak and an average victory margin on 5 touchdowns, jumped out to a 20-0 lead and it appeared the route was on. But Chittenango didn’t give up and outscore the Red Raiders 27-15 the rest of the game. They wouldn’t have been in such a hole except that an early drive ended in a fumble, followed by an 80 yard run by Hornell’s Scott McGibben. The Bears, not noted as an offensive juggernaut, scored 35% of the points Hornell, (12-0, 533-77), has given up all year.
The only obstacle between the Red Raiders and a third straight state title, (they’d be the first school since the Mike Hart Onondaga teams to achieve that), is Croton-Harmon of Section 1, (11-0, 377-76), who nipped Section 2’s Schalmont, 15-12. The Tigers won a small school poll title in 1975 but have never won the state tournament. The Sabres got long touchdown runs of 67 yards by Alex Hildebrand and 46 yards by Devon Willis but couldn’t stop long, sustained drives by Croton-Harmon, who survived an interception in their own territory by holding on downs and marching 70 yard to score the winner on a one yard plunge with 3:34 left.
CLASS C
Section 6’s Southwestern, (11-1, 282-123), the 2008-09 state champs, beat Section 4’s Waverly 19-13 in a tight defensive duel. Waverly struck first with a 48 yard TD pass but Southwestern had two TD passes of their own and two field goals. Most high school games are about the rushing attack and having a game decided with passes and kicks is unusual.
Southwestern will now meet Section 1’s Dobbs Ferry, who have won three state tournaments and had three poll championships before that. The Eagles, (10-1, 381-80), nipped Section 2’s Hoosick Falls 13-12. Hoosick’s Fall’s star, Tanner Williams, scored on a 52 yard run to make it 12-7 in the third quarter but was otherwise contained, gaining 21 yards on his other 7 carries. The Panthers, had averaged 48 points a game, got only 181 yards total offense. Meanwhile, Dobbs Ferry ran for 210 yards, 132 by Tim Sloave, who scored the winner from a yard out.
CLASS D
Tioga, who had run all over Section 3’s Westmoreland, couldn’t make much headway against Section 5’s Letchworth, (11-1, 448-100). Cody Bennett, who had scored 6 touchdowns and rushed for 379 yards against Westmoreland, was held scoreless and gained only 87 yards on 23 carries. Teammate Tyler Spires, who rushed for 123 yards, made the only score with 3:27 left in the game but it was too little, too late. Both were out-gained by Letchworth’s Chris Nevinger, who gained 179 yards and accounted for both of the Indian’s scores.
They will play Section 9’s Chester, (12-0, 484-197) in the title game. They beat high-scoring Cambridge, who had come in averaging 51 points a game, 38-22. Five turnovers by the Indians were the difference. The game was 14-14 at the half but Cambridge broke the tie with a 65 yard punt return early in the third quarter and made a two point conversion for a 22-14 lead. It all came apart when two interceptions produced two touchdowns for Chester in less than a minute later in the quarter and Cambridge never recovered. Neither Chester nor Letchworth has ever won a state title but one of them is about to.
CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES
CLASS AA
Orchard Park, (14-0, 596-185) of Section 6 used a power running game to take a 21-0 lead on Section 9’s Newburgh Free Academy, then held on for dear life as the Goldbacks hit on a couple of long TD passes and got the ball back for a final Hail Mary that was intercepted at the goal line. The final score was 21-13. The Quakers had also won the 2008 state title.
CLASS A
Section 4’s Maine-Endwell, (12-0, 367-104), found themselves down 7-20 at halftime to perennial runner-up Burnt Hills of Section 2, having surrendered 289 yards to the Spartans, (both teams were the Spartans). But the second half was a different story as ME’s tough defense shut out BH and these Spartans rolled to 20 unanswered points and their second state title, (they also won in 2004). Nick Sorrenti clinched with a 29 yard run for his second score with 43 seconds left in the game.
CLASS B
Section 5’s Hornell (13-0, 555-83) won their third straight state title, 22-6 over Croton-Harmon, despite not scoring in the second half. Only Edgemont and Onondaga had previously won three straight titles. The Red Raiders had a three year run of 40-0, (1711-374, an average of 43-9) and on that note, their coach, Gene Maston, retired. (Note: Jason Bennetti kept saying on the broadcast that this was their 39th win in a row but MaxPreps has them going 13-0, 14-0 and 13-0.
CLASS C
Dobbs Ferry (11-1 420-80) of Section 1 totally dominated Southwestern of Section 6, 39-0. It was their 4 state tournament title, tying the record of Caldonia-Mumford of Section 5. CM had 4 poll titles before the state tournament as compared to DF’s three so they are still ahead in total championships. Southwestern, the 2008-09 state champions, offered little resistance in this one, being outgained by over 500 yards to less than 100.
CLASS D
Letchworth of Section 5, (12-1, 475-100) had no problem with Chester of Section 9, winning the state title by 27-0. Clifton Bacon, a 6-0 215 pounder who sprints, long jumps and throws the shot put on the track team, took a screen pass 75 for a score just before the half to break it open. Chris Nevinger added 173 yards rushing and two second half scores. It was the Indian’s first state title.
