Section Nine Football

Boo Baybay had some teams do some late-game expectorating in a tough week four, but he’s back in the box for another go-round.

NEW PALTZ – The Huguenots search the grounds of Beacon for a B-1 league win. The Bulldogs may not keep up in this one.

NEWBURGH – NFA hosts Middletown in its final home game of the season and both teams are very competitive. The Middies will have to play their cards better to escape with a win, so we’ll go with the ’Backs here.

BURKE – Spackenkill got inside the red-zone but could not convert in a 13-12 loss to Highland. Burke will do them no favors as the 8th-ranked Class D team according to NYSSWA.

WASHINGTONVILLE – The Wizards anticipate a sixth win in a so far perfect season against visiting Monticello. Sean Davis is having a great year along with sidekick Nick Ascenzo.

KINGSTON – The Tigers’ potential playoff hopes ride on picking up a Class AA division victory at Valley Central. We give Kingston the edge in this game on the road.

MONROE-WOODBURY – The #22 ranked Class AA Crusaders zoom into Pine Bush after the resounding late-game win over Middletown. M-W is the solid favorite, although the Bushmen put 36 points on the board in a win over Goshen.

CORNWALL – The 5-0 Dragons host tough Minisink in a dynamic Class A crossover game. MV will not get away with turning the ball over against this team because Cornwall knows the location of both end zones.

OUR LADY OF LOURDES – The Warriors got by Wallkill in week four and try to collect another A-2 win at Goshen. This would all but clinch a playoff spot, although not officially.

MARLBORO – The Black and Blue Bowl contest at Highland places the Dukes clearly in the driver’s seat for a 14th-straight win in this series dating back to circa 1958.

CHESTER – Red Hook rolls into Chester Commons in what promises to be a good football game. This may turn in either direction so we’ll flip a coin and go with the home team.

O’NEILL – The Raiders open Class C play and get the nod over Dover, a team having trouble making the transition back to 11-man football this season. O’Neill WR Marek Arbogast is our SNF all-time statistical leader in TD receptions, receptions, and receiving yards. Check it out in the ‘Record Book’ section.

ELLENVILLE – The Blue Devils visit Millbrook/Webutuck in Division Two 8-man action. We expect an Ellenville win as they try to turn the corner from a slow start.

PAWLING – The Tigers entertain Pine Plains/Rhinebeck in a huge showdown. Pawling may have just a tad more overall strength, and a win would put them in a very comfortable position in terms of league landscape.

RONDOUT – A few weeks ago, we would have picked Fallsburg, but the 30-25 win by the Ganders over PP/RB changes matters. The Comets should still put up a little football fuss.

PORT JERVIS – The Raiders venture up to Liberty in a B-1 encounter, expecting to emerge victorious. A PJ squad in better health will make a world of difference throughout the rest of the campaign.

SAUGERTIES – Could the Sawyers actually win a 5th-straight game?! They host another hot team in Roosevelt of Hyde Park this Saturday afternoon. Get your Goobers and Raisinets ready!

WARWICK – Wallkill needs to tighten up defensively and Warwick needs to borrow one of the Homecoming float GPS devices to find the hidden location of paydirt. Then maybe we can have a good rumble.

TICONDEROGA – Onteora buses to Glen Falls for an out-of-section affair versus Ticonderoga. The Eagles dropped a tough overtime game to Ellenville and this week face an even more difficult task.

SULLIVAN WEST – In what could provide some great entertainment, The Bulldogs growl into Grahamsville in a league hootenanny with Tri-Valley. The Bears have picked up the pace a bit recently but SW gets the slight edge here.

NEW YORK STATE SPORTSWRITERS ASSOCIATION RANKINGS AFTER WEEK FOUR

CLASS AA: Newburgh (#15) … Monroe-Woodbury (#22) … Honorable Mention: Middletown.

CLASS A: Cornwall (#8) … Washingtonville (#22) … HM: Minisink … Our Lady of Lourdes … Warwick.

CLASS B: Marlboro (#21) … HM: Port Jervis … Saugerties.

CLASS C: HM: Chester … O’Neill.

CLASS D: Burke (#8)

8-MAN: Pine Plains/Rhinebeck (#6) … Pawling (#8) … HM: Fallsburg … Sullivan West.

SECTION NINE FOOTBALL TOP FIVE RANKINGS AFTER WEEK FOUR

CLASS AA/A:
1. NEWBURGH – Old-time DUSO rival Middletown pays a visit to Academy Field after the Middies tough loss at M-W. The Goldbacks look unstoppable right now and will undoubtedly amp things up even more with tougher competition.

2. CORNWALL – Tyler Vanderpool has 18 touchdowns and the Dragons use that no-huddle offense expertly to wear down opponent defenses. Minisink presents perhaps the first bit of difficulty this week at Cornwall.

3. MONROE-WOODBURY – The Crusaders worked hard to earn that 24-20 division win over Middletown and want to keep trucking this Friday night at Pine Bush. Newburgh looms in the distance.

4. MIDDLETOWN – The Bears fell just short at M-W but will need to focus 100% at Newburgh. A solid effort could make things interesting.

5 (a). MINISINK – The Warriors got going in the second half to break away from Warwick but now must play a disciplined Cornwall team that won’t beat themselves. Should make for a great watch.

5 (b). WASHINGTONVILLE – The 5-0 Wizards are having quite a season and win #6 is within reach versus Monticello in week five A-1 league business.

CLASS B/C/D:
1. MARLBORO – The Dukes handled Red Hook to pick up a B-2 win. Now we arrive at the BLACK AND BLUE BOWL against Highland, which Marlboro has basically owned since 2010. The Huskies will need to play flawless football here.

2 (a). PORT JERVIS – The Raiders get back into the win column thanks to a 30-14 Saturday morning victory over O’Neill. They will play the favorite at Liberty, as the Red Hawks have had a hard time this season.

2 (b). SAUGERTIES – The Sawyers win again! After collecting only one win in 2022, Saugerties beats Beacon to improve to 3-0 in B-1 and to 4-1 overall. Roosevelt, now playing very good football, will visit in a very appealing non-leaguer this Saturday.

3. O’NEILL – We’ll keep these Raiders in our third slot despite falling short at Port Jervis. This week JIO finally gets a Class C league game in a jaunt over to Dover.

4. BURKE – The Eagles blanked Liberty, 33-0, and travel to Poughkeepsie to take on Spackenkill in a 6PM Friday start. The defense has swarmed since that opening week game with Tioga.

5. CHESTER – The Hambletonians ran away from Dover to gain a league ‘W’ but Class B Red Hook should muster up a good challenge at the Commons.

8-MAN:
1. PAWLING – The Tigers gain the top spot in these SNF rankings going toward a week five regular season showdown with Pine Plains/Rhinebeck. We’ll see if they can stay upon the perch.

2. SULLIVAN WEST – The Bulldogs won a big Division One battle over Fallsburg and earn this runner-up spot. On deck is an away game with Tri-Valley, a team that has gotten a bit better lately.

3. PINE PLAINS/RHINEBECK – The Bombers/Hawks dropped a close 30-25 ballgame at Rondout in the first loss of the season. The game at Pawling this week will tell us a lot about how this division will shake out.

4. FALLSBURG – The Comets lost 32-16 to Sullivan West but we’ll keep them right here for now. Let’s check out how they perform in a week five meeting at Rondout.

5. TRI-VALLEY – The Bears have won two straight after getting off to a slow start. Sully West makes for the perfect test to view T-V progress at this juncture. This could be a good one!

SECTION NINE FOOTBALL WEEK FOUR SCHEDULE/SCOREBOARD FOR 9/28-10/2 (7PM Fri/1PM Sat; *League)

THURSDAY GAME: Newburgh 62, Valley Central 14*

WASHINGTONVILLE STILL UNBEATEN!!/PINE BUSH RUNS THROUGH GOSHEN!!/SULLY WEST WINS BATTLE OVER FALLSBURG!!

FRIDAY GAMES: Washingtonville 22, New Paltz 2 … Pine Bush 36, Goshen 27.

8-MAN: Sullivan West 32, Fallsburg 16*

M-W EDGES MIDDLETOWN!!/CORNWALL AND MARLBORO ROMP!!/CHESTER POSTS 55 POINTS!!

SATURDAY GAMES: Port Jervis 30, O’Neill 14 … Monroe-Woodbury 24, Middletown 20* … Burke 33, Liberty 0 … Chester 55, Dover 6* … Cornwall 49, Kingston 12 … Marlboro 38, Red Hook 6* … Highland 13, Spackenkill 12* … Roosevelt 33, Monticello 7… Our Lady of Lourdes 30, Wallkill 26*

8-MAN: Ellenville 28, Onteora 22 (OT)* … Tri-Valley 35, Eldred 18*.

MINISINK POSTS STRONG 2ND HALF SURGE!!/SAUGERTIES TAKES 4TH STRAIGHT!!/RONDOUT GETS PAST PP/RB!!

MONDAY GAMES: Saugerties 35, Beacon 14* … Minisink 27, Warwick 7*.

8-MAN: Rondout 30, Pine Plains/Rhinebeck 25 … Pawling 58, Millbrook/Webutuck 6*.

Our prognosticator came to within two blocked field goals of a perfect week three, but we’re sure the other shoe will drop to the turf:

NEWBURGH – No surprise here, as NFA looks to further control Class AA league play in a Thursday night get-together with Valley Central at Academy Field. The Vikings have had a tough time in the large-school section.

SAUGERTIES – The Sawyers visit Class B-1 opponent Beacon, trying to keep the groove going since a tough week zero loss to Marlboro. Since then, Saugerties has won three straight, including divisional wins over New Paltz and Liberty.

MARLBORO – The Iron Dukes host Red Hook in a B-2 showdown. The Raiders are usually a scrappy bunch, but Marlboro rides high after the 7-6 win at Goshen.

WASHINGTONVILLE – The Wizards have been the talk of Section Nine after the upset of Lourdes in overtime. The 4-0 W’Ville is expected to make it five in a row at New Paltz, although the Huguenots did pick up a win over Dover last week.

GOSHEN – The Gladiators had a late field goal attempt blocked in the loss to Marlboro, but they’re still home on the Coliseum grounds with Pine Bush. This is a very close pick, as the Bushmen can score points, so Goshen will have to get the offense going.

MINISINK – QB Rob LaBarbera has stepped in nicely, as evidenced by the big 40-0 win over Port Jervis. Warwick is 3-1, but the offense may not keep up with the Warriors in this game. The weather may also play a factor.

OUR LADY OF LOURDES – After two close losses, the Warriors begin Class A-2 league action at Wallkill. The Panthers have already lost to Cornwall, so a defeat here cuts down on their playoff chances.

PORT JERVIS – The Glennette Raiders will want to halt a two-game slide and will have to knock off defending state champ O’Neill to do so. Meanwhile, the visiting Raiders haven’t hit full throttle, entering with a 2-2 record.

CHESTER – We finally reach league play in Class C with the Hambletonians getting the edge over Dover. Chester lost to Class D Burke, 6-0, in a Monday afternoon game. The Dragons of Dover, thus far, have found little traction since returning to 11-man football.

SPACKENKILL – The Spartans host Highland in a big B-2 divisional game. Spack can score points and the Huskies will have to stay with them offensively to stay close here.

PAWLING – The Tigers come in ranked #8 in the state by the NYSSWA, and so will play the favorite against Millbrook/Webutuck. The Blazers/Wildcats lost big at Onteora in a week three game.

PINE PLAINS/RHINEBECK – The Bombers/Hawks had a bye week and still play out-of-league at Rondout. The PP/RB merge holds the #6 slot according to NYSSWA, and a larger Class B opponent like the Ganders provides a good test.

SULLIVAN WEST – The Bulldogs clash with fellow unbeaten Fallsburg in a game that will decide who takes early control over Division One. The Comets have done a great job bot the B’Dogs may have slightly more strength.

MIDDLETOWN – In what could mark the SNF game of the week, the Middies travel to Monroe-Woodbury in a huge Class AA marquee event. Both squads show up after posting league wins but the competition is now magnified. Get your popcorn ready!

BURKE – The Eagles ride a three-game winning streak and could turn it to four with struggling Liberty. The Red Hawks, however, did give Saugerties a good game on the road last week.

CORNWALL – The 4-0 Dragons keep promoting wonderful athletes like Tyler Vanderpool, year after year. They rush over to Rondout on Saturday to take on underdog Kingston.

ROOSEVELT – The Presidents have played good football the past few weeks and could add another one for the win column as they host Monticello. The Panthers have played better of late.

ONTEORA – Onteora and Ellenville have both lost to common opponent Pawling, but the Eagles did slightly better in their contest than did the Blue Devils. Moreover, Onteora had a big week three win over Mill/Web, not to mention owning home field advantage in this upcoming contest.

TRI-VALLEY – The Bears picked up a league win at LM/R and try for another against visiting Eldred. The Yellowjackets lost a close 26-20 ballgame to Fallsburg in week three.