Announcement
SECTION NINE FOOTBALL WEEK ZERO COMMENTARY
We’ll start with our usual SNF team rankings after the ‘Week One’ games have concluded next weekend, since some of our teams opted to scrimmage rather than play a non-league game.
Section Nine played 19 total games, with 13 of those coming against opponents from out of the section. Overall, SNF went 5-8 versus the various squads from Section One, Section Two, and Section Four. Rondout Valley had a very tough introduction to 8-man football, losing to a very strong Moravia group. The Ganders will play no league games this season, since they are a Class B school and may not join an 8-man division.
John S. Burke represents our lone Class D school, thereby gaining an automatic berth to the state tournament as 2023 Section Nine Class D champions. The Eagles took on a powerful Tioga team in a game played up at Waverly, which Tioga won, 42-6.
As for our Class C division, all three teams took defeats in week zero. Defending NYSPHSAA champion James I. O’Neill fell short to Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk, a team that the Raiders knocked off last season. However, there’s still plenty of time to get back on track for O’Neill. Meanwhile, Chester couldn’t find the end zone in a game with Section One Bronxville. The Hambletonians will try again, hosting Liberty in a week one affair. Also, Class C Dover returned to 11-man football, dropping a game to Section One Haldane on Friday night.
Class B has two divisions this year, as Beacon enters after having played in Class A in 2022. The Bulldogs struggled last season but made a reasonably good showing before losing to another B foe, Red Hook. As for defending champ Port Jervis, Kevin Halpenny and the gang from WDLC radio say the roster may be slightly thinner than in years past, but this did not stop the Raiders from trouncing Class A Monticello on opening night at Glennette Field. Other Class B week zero winners were Marlboro and Highland.
2022 Section Nine Class A kings, Our Lady of Lourdes, gave Class B Spackenkill a rude awakeing to 11-man football once again, wending the way to a 30-point victory in front of the home fans. Long-time juggernaut Cornwall posted 49 on the scoreboard in a big win over Section Two Colonie up at RPI. In additon to those division two successes, Wallkill looks to challenge after taking Class B New Paltz, 44-6. Senior QB Chris Bartolone has already made our ‘Section Nine Record Book’, throwing for six touchdown passes against the Huguenots. In division one of Class A, Warwick and Washingtonville earned victories over Binghamton and Poughkeepsie, respectively.
The Class AA big boys saw Newburgh handle long-time Section One powerhouse New Rochelle, 28-6, for a great start to the 2023 campaign. The Goldbacks have a goal to return to states this season, after having made it to the Class AA NYSPHSAA championship game in Syracuse last fall. NFA has made three trips to the final, but taking home the gold has proven elusive. Monroe-Woodbury just fell short in a game with Section One North Rockland. However, the Crusaders are most likely to be a stong obstacle versus all other AA divisional rivals in 2023. Meanwhie, Kingston got off to a great start, clawing Cardinal Spellman by 25 points in a great road effort. The Tigers will look for a second straight win to start the season, in a scratch-and-claw session at the Warwick Wildcats this Friday night.
A special thanks goes out to my good friend, Jack George, who has taken over my duties as long-time Warwick Wildcats football announcer for the games on WTBQ radio. I have to stay off my feet for a while, so as a veteran radio and television voice in the local area, Jack is the ‘Go-To’ guy! He’ll have lots of fun with Ryan ‘Goose’ Gossiker doing the broadcasts. May they find plenty of good food after signing off. :D
As for our resident prognosticator, Boo Na-Na (cousin of Gib Tespu), we have gotten permission from the asylum to allow him to send us his predictions beginning with the week one games. As a sort of ‘pundit scrimmage,’ he picked the Friday night week zero games – and went 7-for-7!!. Now let’s see him come through when it counts for real in week one. :D Rich A.
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