Section Nine Football

SECTION NINE FOOTBALL TOP FIVE RANKINGS AFTER WEEK THREE

CLASS AA/A:
1. NEWBURGH – Clear sailing for the Goldbacks after a big 56-20 defeat of Pine Bush. NFA will play the role of heavy favorites again this Thursday in another Class AA game with Valley Central.

2 (a). MIDDLETOWN – Julani Graham and company sped past division rival Kingston. The Middies will keep gliding down the pike to M-W for a great league matchup on Saturday afternoon.

2 (b). MONROE-WOODBURY – Coach James Sciarra has the Crusaders in a good spot after a dominating victory over Valley Central. With that divisional win in hand, Middletown will visit just to see which team can break this rankings quagmire.

3. CORNWALL – It doesn’t really matter where you place the Dragons in a weekly poll because they’ll always show up at the end in a big spot. Cornwall shut down a very good Wallkill offense while scoring 40 for good measure in a Class A Division Two win. Next up is a trip to Rondout to play Kingston, as the Tigers will do their hosting in Accord amidst the Dietz Stadium renovation.

4. MINISINK – Any doubts about the Warriors after a 40-0 blanking of Port Jervis? This week marks a very big league contest at Warwick. These two teams usually have intense battles, but MV is rolling and the Wildcats haven’t quite found their stride.

5. WASHINGTONVILLE – The Wizards won an exciting overtime non-leaguer at Lourdes to enter these rankings. At 4-0, Washingtonville is going strong and will visit Class B New Paltz this week. Sean Davis and Nick Ascenzo have bolstered the W’Ville charge.

CLASS B/C/D:
1. MARLBORO – The Iron Dukes won a 7-6 nail-biter at Goshen thanks to some strong defense and a blocked field goal attempt late in the game. Red Hook provides a Class B league opponent this week in an early Friday evening start at Marlboro.

2. PORT JERVIS – The Raiders have gotten banged up the last couple of weeks and played without starting quarterback Logan Morris in the Minisink game. They’ll make no excuses, however, as defending state Class C champion O’Neill comes to town for a very intriguing non-league challenge.

3. SAUGERTIES – The weather may have slowed down a very good Sawyers offense, but they still got by Liberty. Now it’s a trip to Beacon for another Class B Division One game in which Saugerties should be the favorite.

4. O’NEILL – The Raiders got back on track with a two touchdown win over Beacon. The battle at slightly depleted Port is hard to predict right now. We’ll see what a week of practice does for both squads.

5 (a). BURKE – The Eagles beat Chester in the Monday makeup game to climb into these rankings. After losing a week zero contest versus juggernaut Tioga, Burke has now taken three straight with an away game at Liberty this Saturday.

5 (b). CHESTER – The Hambletonians couldn’t get into enough of a gallop on a rainy field at Burke. They’ll begin Class C action Friday night hosting Dover on short rest.

8-MAN:
1. PINE PLAINS/RHINEBECK – The Bombers/Hawks had a bye week and return Friday night in a non-league rumble with Rondout.

2. PAWLING – The Tigers handled business by beating league foe Ellenville on the road by five touchdowns. Pawling kicks off against new 8-man hybrid Millbrook/Webutuck at 6:30 this Friday night.

3. SULLIVAN WEST – The Bulldogs got it done, 20-6, over Rondout but now will face the upstart, undefeated Fallsburg bunch in a big, week four divisional game.

4. FALLSBURG – The 3-0 Comets pulled out a 26-20 victory at Eldred and will push the bar even more, visiting tough Sullivan West. Show up at Lake Huntington by 7PM sharp!

5. ELDRED – Despite a close loss to Fallsburg, the Yellowjackets have still played well. The schedule continues with league action in Grahamsville versus defending sectional champion Tri-Valley at 3PM Saturday.