Section Nine Football

By FEARLESS PHIL Last weekend saw more than its share of come-from-behind wins and exciting finishes. The big AA-1 showdown between Monroe-Woodbury, riding a nine-game win streak, and defending champ Newburgh had both. Joe Williams' TD with 55 seconds left in the fourth quarter and Sean Beregin's subsequent PAT gave Goldback fans a thrilling victory. NFA had trailed with just a little more than seven minutes left, 20-7. The AA title game should again prove to be a classic if these two meet again (which has become a yearly ritual in AA). Down in AA-2 it was Washingtonville coming back from a 12-0 defecit to beat Minisink Valley, 14-12, with 6:31 left. Like NFA the Wizards pulled off their big triumph away from home. The loss left Minisink with two losses in the five-team division, coming to the other top teams in the league, Warwick and Washingtonville. MV's quest for a playoff spot is virtually over, a shame for such a decent team. In a game that had no absolutely no playoff ramifications, AA-2 Warwick came back to beat A Port Jervis on a winning score that came with just 48 seconds left. Chalk this one up for the River Boat Gambler, Warwick Coach Greg Sirico, who has taken some hometown heat for his "full-steam-ahead" play calls in the past. The Wildcats were trailing Port, 18-15, with about 5:30 left in the fourth quarter and facing a fourth and three at their own 37. Everyone was shocked when Sirico had his offense go for the first down instead of punt. Surely, Warwick was just trying to draw Port offside. Nope, the ever-optimistic Sirico was going to lay it all on the line - again. Reserve RB Andi Gjeci made the coach look like a genius when put his fresh legs into gear and swept the right end, got a crushing block from Tim Marion, and headed down the sideline for a 64-yard TD run. Yes, tough Port came right back and scored to take another temporary lead, but the confident Wildcats proceeded to march 70 yards to chalk up the winning TD with but those 48 seconds left. And this was a road win, too. In a Saturday non-league game, Tri-Valley's Dave Viglione followed Sirico's tactics. With about three minutes left in the game at Ellenville (yep, another away game victory), the Bears scored a TD to draw within a point of the Blue Devils, 14-13. Instead of having his team kick for the tie, Viglione went for the win. Big FB Alan Coombe rumbled in for the two-point conversion to give T-V its fourth win. On Saturday afternoon visiting Cornwall ruined Goshen fans' hopes of a playoff spot by overcoming a 20-7 defecit. Built to thrive in the mud, the Freight Train, John Piascik, scored five TD's for the Dragons who are now sitting very securely atop Class A. And back to Friday night where visiting Shaker ruined Kingston's perfect record. Shaker won that one with 7:21 left. Oh, yes, and on Saturday O'Neill did in Spackenkill's Homecoming game and the Spartans' unbeaten status, 24-14. Have you noticed how the theme of this rambling column has changed? Were there any happy home teams last weekend? Sure there were. Friday night Chester picked up the biggest win of its short history when it hammered favored Millbrook, 28-13. The big win by homestanding Chester broke a two-game losing streak and placed the Hambletonians in the middle of the race for a Class D title game bid. Rondout Valley registered a big 13-6 home win over rival New Paltz, our top-rated small school. This has been a rough season for Jim Malak's crew, especially after the heart, soul and major talent of the team, Doug Mackenzie, was lost for the season. But Malak's a very good coach who wouldn't let himself, his staff nor his team write the season off even after the previous week's blowout loss at Monroe-Woodbury. Highland rose to 4-1 at home by besting an improving Red Hook squad ... Homestanding Pine Bush got its first victory of the year albeit against poor Middletown ... Pine Plains squeaked out a one-point win over visiting Sullivan West in a surprisingly defensive game ... Homestanding Saugerties won its second game of the season by topping winless Onteora ... Wallkill crushed Marlboro at its temporary home-away-from-home, Dietz ... And Livingston Manor thrilled the wet home fans as George Thomas carried the Wildcats to victory in the mud. The happiest home field victory, however, went to FDR over in Hyde Park. The Presidents won their first Section Nine game by topping Valley Central, 25-7, in an AA-2 game. This group of Rooseveltans is a bunch which never entertained the thought of giving up, even after an 0-4 opening. They promise to win a few more, too. RED FLAG: This section usually says "yellow flags" but this week we'll run up a big red flag which means B-E-W-A-R-E !! Beware the Curse of the Record. Some of you know about the legendary curse associated with being on the front page of Sports Illustrated. Well, the Record can apparently put the old hoo-doo on you, too. Now I don't have time to do my usual thorough (okay, not always so thorough) investigation of this, but I well remember last year after week five when the Record featured the Port Jervis defense just prior to the Red Raiders' big game with Amsterdam. The vaunted PJ defense did not play up its write-up, and PJ's unbeaten record (5-0 going into the game)went down the tubes with a final minute loss. . . Now let's jump to 2003. Two weeks ago the Record featured the vaunted O'Neill defense which subsequently gave up 20 points to Marlboro in a 20-19 loss, the Raiders' first (and so far only) loss of the season ... Then last week it was Kingston soph QB Coleman Edmond of the then unbeaten Kingston Tigers who was featured on Thursday. Oops, the Record curse? Kingston lost. Then on Friday the sensational Matt Stack, QB of the unbeaten Crusaders, was featured in the Record's sports pages. That night it was "See ya, win streak." Of course over these last three years, the Record has done about 14 articles on Matt and M-W has done pretty well. So maybe my theory is all wet. Still, I can't wait to see whom the Record features this week.

LARGE SCHOOL RANKINGS (CLASSES AA & A) 1. Newburgh Free Academy (4-1) 2. Monroe-Woodbury (4-1) 3. Cornwall (4-1) 4. Wallkill (4-1) 5. Kingston (4-1) 6. Warwick (2-3) 7. Washingtonville (4-1) 8. Port Jervis (3-2) 9. Goshen (3-2) 10. Minisink Valley (2-3) SMALL SCHOOL RANKINGS (CLASSES B,C & D) 1. New Paltz (3-2) 2. O'Neill (4-1) 3. Spackenkill (4-1) 4. Marlboro (3-2) 5. Highland (4-1) 6. Pine Plains (3-2) 7. Tri-Valley (4-1) 8. Livingston Manor (2-2) 9. Chester (3-2) 10. (tie) Millbrook (2-3) Sullivan West (2-3)

O'NEILL HANDS SPACKENKILL ITS FIRST LOSS SPACKENKILL - Led by senior quarterback Kyle Harris, O'Neill pulled Spackenkill from the ranks of the unbeaten, 24-14, in a non-league matchup. The game was played in a steady light rain and on a muddy field which impacted the action almost as much as the 15 penalties that were marched off. O'Neill wisely decided to keep the ball and its fate in the hands of its versatile QB as much as possible. The 6-3, 210-pound Harris threw two TD passes and ran for two more. The Raiders scored on their first drive, covering 70 yards in nine plays. The big play was a 54-yard pass completion to Joe LeFort which put the ball on the Spartan 11. On fourth and four at the five, an illegal block nullified an O'Neill TD. But on the next play Spackenill was flagged for roughing Harris to give O'Neill a first and goal at the one. Harris then chucked a pass to Bobby Minugh for the score. The kick failed. 6-0 at the 5:58 mark. Shortly thereafter O'Neill linebacker Mike Cronin was able to make an easy interception after Spackenkill QB Ryan Willoughby's arm was hit while he was passing. Cronin's eight-yard return gave the Raiders a first down at the Spartan 30. On third down O'Neill HB Matt Zielinski took a pitch from Harris off an option and picked his way through the mud for 20 yards to the five. On a rollout and finding no one open, Harris ran into the end zone for a TD at 2:36 of the first quarter. A run for two failed. 12-0. Spackenkill then went on a long drive that saw six penalties, five against the Spartans. Somehow they managed a first and 10 at the O'Neill 12 before the fifth penalty (for lining up offside - a call that nailed the home team three times during the contest) killed them. The drive died on the 10 as Justin Wolfe was tackled after a five-yard pass from Willoughby. Then the Spartans made something happen. Wolfe intercepted a Harris pass at the 15 and returned it for a Spackenkill TD. Dave Gruberg's kick made it 12-7 with 9:27 left in the half. The boot hit the right upright and was ruled good by the officials who said the ball had caromed through the uprights. O'Neill coach Skip Feinberg argued vehemently and long (too long as the officials had a hard time in the first half controlling the game). The next time the Spartans had the ball, they drove from their 27 all the way to the Raider five. But on second and goal, Willoughby lost the slippery football and O'Neill's Cronin recovered. O'Neill took the second half kickoff and then drove 62 yards in five plays. The key was a deflected pass which ended up being a 43-yard completion to Pat Tuffy who ran down to the Spackenkill 17. Two plays later Harris ran in from the eight. Again the Raiders couldn't make good on the conversion, giving Spackenkill an opening. But the home team soon gave away the ranch. After a seven-yard sack of Willoughby by LB Matt White, Spackenkill lined up to punt. The snapper somehow lost control of the wet ball, and O'Neill was awarded a recovered fumble at the Spartan 14. After losing three yards on another wet ball fumble, Harris rambled 14 yards to the three. He then tossed a TD pass to Zielinski. The kick, of course, failed; but the Raiders had a healthy 24-7 lead with 6:48 left in the third. The ensuing kickoff was returned by Spackenkill's Dan Carille 16 yards to the 31. Willoughby then heaved a long pass into the wind down the left sideline. Dave Corcoran beat the defender and made a nice over the shoulder catch. He continued on to complete a 69-yard scoring play. Gruberg made it 24-14 with 6:26 left in the third. A Corcoran interception and 29-yard return gave Spartan fans a glimmer of hope near the end of the quarter. But on second down at midfield, the Spartans thought they had a free play when they saw an official throw a flag as one of the O'Neill players was racing to get off the field. He never made it as Willoughby quickly called for the snap. The hurry-up mode caused a Spartan fumble, but no one was worried because of the flag. Well, the flag was waved off since the player running off the field was confused and was actually the 11th man! That's the kind of afternoon it was, a tough one for players, coaches, fans and officials alike. Spackenkill did manage a time-consuming (five minute) fourth quarter drive from its 10 to only its 31. A holding penalty aborted those efforts. For O'Neill, Harris completed nine-of-15 passes for 141 yards. After the game he said there was only one thing on his mind: "A Section Nine title - up at Dietz Stadium." For Spackenkill Dave Tedesco rushed 12 times for 70 yards. Willoughby completed four-of-12 passes for 109 yards. B-l O'Neill is now 4-1. Friday night the Raiders play host to Burke Catholic. B-ll Spackenkill is now also 4-1. The Spartans will host Section One power Brewster next Saturday afternoon to replace the originally scheduled Liberty game. Liberty has canceled its season. --- PHIL DUSENBURY WALLKILL CONTINUES TO ROLL Marlboro 0 0 0 6 - 6 Wallkill 7 14 0 14 - 35 For three and a half quarters Marlboro stayed in the ball game with the Wallkill Panthers. With 6 1/2 minutes to go it was 21-6. J.J. Maloney had a big night with two rushing TDs and one more via the pass. SCORING SUMMARY: 1st W 2:18 Jarred Pillitteri to Chris Walton - 20 yd TD pass (Rivera kick) 2nd W 6:51 Tom Young - 6 yd run (PAT NG) W 4:34 Safety on blocked punt W 0:58 J.J.Maloney 3 yd run (kick blocked) 3rd No scoring 4th M 11:56 Michael Giametta 1 yd run (PAT NG) W 6:35 J.J.Maloney 32 yd run (Rivera kik) 19 seconds later Matt Hughes of Wallkill intercepted at the Marlboro 25 W 5:05 Pillitteri to Maloney 30 yd pass as Maloney broke three tackles on the way to the end zone. (Rivera kick) --- RICH MICHAELIS RONDOUT TRIPS NEW PALTZ, 13-6 The Ganders of Rondout are probably sick of seeing the B teams. One because of nail-biter games and two because it means messy conditions. What was a defensive struggle wasn't decided until 1:53 in the fourth. With the score tied at six John Carelli went over from 4 yds out to score the winning TD for the Ganders. Rondout ate up a good portion of the quarter on their drive. In the first period Dan Steers threw a TD pass to Phil Mason but the kick was wide. New Paltz had a nice drive to the 20 which terminated with a fumble. In the third New Paltz finally got on the board with a 51 yd punt return for a TD. After circling back inside his 45 Travis Garcia went to the left and down the sideline. Scoring Summary: 1st 6:08 R Steers to Mason 9 yds - kick wide 3rd 7:35 NP Garcia 51 yd punt return - run failed 4th 1:53 R Carelli 4 yd run - Paul Bogart kick --- RICH MICHAELIS CORNWALL'S PIASCIK RUNS OVER GOSHEN GOSHEN - John Piascik was made for the rain and mud. The big Cornwall fullback scored five touchdowns to lead the Dragons to a 42-27 come-from-behind win over Goshen in a Class A contest. The win gives the Dragons a perfect 3-0 record in league play (4-1 overall) while Goshen dropped to 1-2 in Class A (3-2 overall). The Gladiators will now be hard-pressed to make it to the title game. Goshen had another one of their good first halves. Joe Dembeck’s 72-yard interception return had given Goshen a two-TD lead, 20-7. The Glads held that lead until there were about two minutes left in the first half when their lost fumble at the Goshen 13 turned into a Cornwall TD. 20-14. Once again Goshen pulled its disappearing act in the second half. Turnovers set up two of the four Cornwall second half TDs. B.J. DePasquale scored Cornwall’s other TD. Kicker Rob Kirshner converted all six PATs and did an outstanding job of punting and kicking off in the wet conditions. Next Friday Cornwall hosts Rondout. On Saturday Goshen travels to Saugerties. PIGSKIN FOOTNOTES: Through the first 43 minutes of the game, Piascik carried 27 times for 191 yards... The scoring sequence was: Cornwall 55 yards in 9 plays - Piascik one-yard TD (7-0); Goshen 65 yards in 10 plays (one-yard run for TD) (7-7); Goshen 67 yards in 3 plays (72 yd run for TD) (7-14); Goshen 45-yd interception return. Kick blocked (7-20); Cornwall 14 yds. in 2 plays after fumble rec. Piascik 9 yd. TD. (14-20); Cornwall 28 yds. in 4 plays (following punt from end zone)- Piascik 9 yd. TD (21-20); Cornwall 3 yd TD (Piascik) following fumble recovery (28-20); Cornwall 20 yds. in two plays following kickoff recovery - Piascik 18 yd. TD (35-20); Cornwall 46 yds. in 6 plays - DePasquale 24 yd TD. (42-20); Goshen sored seven against the Cornwall second unit (42-27) ... A word about the kickoff recovery. The ball hit on the 20 and was heading out of bounds. Goshen was letting it go to take over on the 35, but DePasquale dove on the ball and smothered it before it went over the sideline. --- KEN CASHMAN BURKE LOSES TO MAGINN Bishop Maginn 7 7 0 12 - 26 Burke Catholic 0 0 0 8 - 8 Highlights: C.J. Tarver scored on a pair of first-half touchdown runs and teammate Kyle Bowen added two more in the final quarter as the Griffins (1-4) picked up their first win of the season at Dietz Stadium in Kingston. Bowen, who scored on runs of 22 and 17 yards, finished with 156 yards rushing on 15 carries. Tarver, who scored on runs of 19 and 8 yards, ended up with 156 yards on 15 carries. Scoring summary First quarter BM-C.J. Tarver 19 run (Ryan Brooks-Newton kick) Second quarter BM-Tarver 8 run (Brooks-Newton kick) Fourth quarter BM-Kyle Bowen 22 run (kick blocked) BM-Bowen 17 run (kick blocked) BC-Andrew Jackson 2 run (Jackson run) FDR'S FIRST WIN, 25-7, OVER VC (FROM A TACKLE'S PERSPECTIVE) (EDITOR'S NOTE: I had asked an FDR player for info on the FDR-VC game. Big Joe Trociano was eager to please and then I heard from QB Alex Carnes.) I'd be more than glad to help you out, but I dont want to give you incorrect information (I'm the starting offensive tackle, so I only see things from my P.O.V. (in the dirt and mud) until we review the game later on. I can tell you that the game was tied 7 to 7 at half time, but we came back fired up and ready to play some hard-nosed football in the pouring rain and mud. During the half we altered our offensive strategy to run the ball behind myself and fellow lineman Captain Pete Coumbes while we cleared holes big enough to drive buses through, or in our case, Freight Train Keith McCray. Mike Roche(interception returned for TD), Andrew Patterson(fumble returned for TD), Bob Siniscalchi, Sean Mathews and Keith McCray (TD or 2pt conversion) scored ... I think). Alex Carnes (our QB who called the plays), Pete Coumbes and I(Joseph Trocino) all had a great game. I'm sorry I couldn't give you more exact information, hopefully AK can help you with that later. ~Thanks for your support! ~Joseph Trocino #75 P.S. I was able to get some additional information from Mr. Carnes, our stat recorder. I was hoping you could incorporate this information into what I had already written. Defense: Early in the game Valley Central challenged us with some great runs up the middle. However, our D adjusted and stepped up to the task, shutting them down. Our big performers on D were Pete Coumbes with a forced fumble that was returned 60 yards for a TD by Andrew Paterson (please spell it right or else his mom will get very mad), Mike Roche who returned an interception 20 yards for a TD, Sean Matthews who had 2 interceptions and a ton of solo tackles/first hits and Tom Taft who had some key tackles. Offense: All in all, our whole offense, especially the linemen (we’re known as Swamp Dogs within the team) wore VC down. We proved to be more disciplined, changing the cadence up and forcing their D-line offsides more than once. With the help of our offensive weapons, Alex Carnes, Bob Siniscalchi, Sean Matthews and Keith McCray, and the skill and strength of our O-line (Myself, Pete Coumbes, Chris Oliver and Brian Robinson) we were able to accumulate points against the Vikings and “nail the coffin shut”. I’d also like to clear up some confusion. In addition to what I had already said, Keith McCray did indeed have a goal line TD and Alex Carnes (Our QB) had a 1 yard QB sneak TD.~THANKS AGAIN! FDR'S WIN FROM THE QB'S PERSPECTIVE I'd be more than willing to provide you the most accurate details and stats that I can come up with concerning my team's football games. We appreciate your interest. Here's a QB's perspective on the FDR victory over VC Saturday afternoon. The first half showed both teams that this would be a fight. Defensive stands dominated the half on both sides of the ball including some forced turnovers by our hungry defense. However, VC got on the board first and the score was 7-0. VC's offense showed that they weren't looking to stop there until a forced fumble by Pete Coumbes was grabbed out of the air by MLB Andrew Paterson and returned for a long TD. The score remained tied 7-7 going into the half. In the locker room the necessary adjustments were made, coaches reamined positive and calm and my lineman returned to me with a lot of helpful feedback (they're one helluva crew). We came out in the second half fired up, and kicked our offense into gear as we said we would. VC put up quite a fight but with the way we spread the ball among our weapons and picked on the weaknesses of the defense, it looked like we'd grab our much longed-for first Section 9 win. Pounding the defense with Sean Mathews and Bobby Siniscalchi we were able to score from inside the redzone twice, once through a Keith McCray plunge and once after a Bobby Siniscalchi run that set up the go-ahead TD with a QB sneak (all credit to the line). Our defense also played a great game holding the Vikings to 0 points after their early score and giving the offense 6 turnovers. Mike Roche had 2 INT's (one for a TD) and Sean Matthews also had 2 to work with. Tom Taft also had a great game on the defensive side of the ball. We wish luck to VC with the rest of their season and we thank our supporters for believing in us. We won this game through a team effort with the help of our coaches and the hard work of every single member on this squad. I apologize for any statistical mistakes in this report, and I hope we're getting the message accross that this team is a lot better than their record, and we're a force to be reckoned with. We have proven we won't give up. I also add our appreciation for this site. There was not high like this back in Section 1! Thanks for giving me your time Mr. Dusenbury. THE REST OF THE STORY: LIVINGSTON MANOR evened its record at 2-2 (1-0 in Class D) by blanking Roscoe, 32-0. George Thomas rushed for 225 yards and scored on TD runs of five and 11 yards for the Wildcats. Terence McCann added TDs on runs of 50 and 28 yards and Kyle Lackey scored on a two-yard carry. Manor did not attempt a pass all afternoon as it netted some 400 yards on the ground. Roscoe is now 0-5 (0-1)... Allan Coombes' two-point conversion run with about three minutes left on the clock gave TRI-VALLEY a 15-14 win over homestanding Ellenville in a non-league matchup. QB Joe Garigliano had just scored on a 19-yard run before the Bears opted to go for the win rather than the tie. Tri-Valley is now 4-1; Eleenville is 1-4... Homestanding SAUGERTIES (now 2-3) rolled over winless Onteora (0-5), 39-0. Justin Kehoe rushed for two TDs and 132 yards. Steve Hally scored a TD and carried for 152 yards.

NEWBURGH EDGES MONROE-WOODBURY, 21-20, IN AA-l SHOWDOWN HARRIMAN - Sean Bergin's extra point following a one-yard touchdown run by Joe Williams with less than a minute remaining in the game gave the Newburgh Free Academy Goldbacks a 21-20 win over the Monroe-Woodbury Crusaders in a key Section 9 Class AA Division I contest Friday night. Leading 13-7, Monroe-Woodbury's Danny Lexandra broke through the Newburgh defense for a 48-yard touchdown giving the Crusaders a 20-7 lead. Immediately after, Newburgh quarterback Tim Shaw hit Mike Robinson for a 68-yard touchdown pass over the middle to cut the lead to 20-14. After Monroe's Jerry Jones missed a 28-yard field goal, Shaw led the Goldbacks 80 yards in about three minutes to the end zone in a drive that was highlighted by a 33-yard pass to Bergin that brought the Goldbacks to the Crusaders' 11-yardline. Williams set himself up for the winning score with a 10-yard run to the one-yard line. Matt Stack drew first blood when he scored on a four-yard touchdown run in the first quarter to give the Crusaders a 7-0 lead. But the Goldbacks tied the game in the second quarter with 7:29 remaining in the second quarter when Joe Williams dove into the end zone on fourth down to finish off a four-yard scoring run. Early in the third quarter, two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties against the Goldbacks amounted to 30 yards giving the Crusaders a first down on the Goldback 11. Stack scored his second touchdown on an 11-yard run on the next play. But this extra point was the most pivotal play of the game as an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the touchdown pushed the extra point attempt back 15-yards making the extra point a 24-yard attempt, and Jones'kick sailed wide and the Crusaders only led 13-7. The Goldbacks are 4-1 (2-0 Class AA) and will face Washingtonville on Friday night in their homecoming game. The Crusaders are 4-1 (0-1 Class AA) will go to Pine Bush Friday night. --- MIKE ZUMMO SHAKER HANDS KINGSTON ITS FORST LOSS, 26-20 KINGSTON - The Kingston High Tigers ran into a very determined Shaker High School team Friday night at Dietz Stadium. The Tigers, undefeated going into the game, scored first at 6:36 in the first quarter when Willis Freeman scored from four yards out. The extra point was good by Dave Null, Kingston lead 7-0. Shaker came right back and scored before the first quarter ended when Shaker QB Sophomore Vernon Cross hit wide receiver Rex Manchester on a 31 yard TD pass. The extra point was good by Eric Elken. Kingston fumbled to end the first quarter at the Shaker 1 yard line. Shaker with 11:57 to go in the second quarter scored on a 1 yard plunge into line by John Broadus. Extra point was missed. Shaker led 13-7. Kingston came back to take the lead in the second quarter on a 12 yard run by Kingston QB Coleman Edmond. Extra point was good by Dave Null. Kingston lead at half time 14-13 Kingston took the lead in the third quarter on a 1 yard run by fullback Pete Tirc. The extra point was no good, bad snap from center. Kingston lead 20 to 13. Shaker came back in the third quarter when Shaker running back John Broadus scored again on a 1 yard run. Eric Elken's extra point was good. The game was tied at 20 -20. Shaker played great defense against Kingston in the second half and was able to score another TD in the fourth quarter on a 1 yard run by Dan Fruscio. The extra point was no good and Shaker lead 26 to 20. Final score Shaker HS 26.....Kingston HS 20 Kingston is now 4-1; Shaker is 2-3. --- DAN REINHARD, WKNY WARWICK ROARS FROM BEHIND TO BEAT PORT JERVIS, 29-26 PORT JERVIS - Warwick turned the tables on Port Jervis. Last weekend the Raiders pulled out a come-from-behind win in the second half to beat Goshen. Friday night the Wildcats scored three fourth quarter TDs, the game-winner coming with only 48 seconds left, to defeat Port, 29-26, in a non-league matchup of old rivals. The Raiders were able to score the game's first TD with 2:14 left in the opening quarter when QB Matt Semerano sucked in the Wildcat corner on a pump fake and led streaking Steven Stellato with a 56-yard pass and run. Kevin Butler's PAT attempt was blocked by Warwick's 6-5 Shawn Walsh. 6-0. Port made it 12-0 on its next possession. Walsh's 34-yard punt and Chris Smith's 15-yard return gave PJ the ball at the Warwick 29. Six plays later Stellato scored his eighth TD of the season on a 15-yard dash up the middle with 10:04 left in the half. Again, however, Port couldn't convert on the PAT as Semerano's pass for two failed. Warwick then started to get its offense in gear and discovered Port's defensive weakness to the outside. In a 13-play, 80-yard drive, HB Tim Marion carried four times for 66 yards. His long run was for 35 yards to the Raider 45. He scored Warwick's first TD on a four-yard run. On the drive the 'Cats were flagged three times, all procedure penalties. Walsh's boot made it 12-7 at the 3:17 mark. Then Port got a big break that kept its next scoring drive alive. Rushing 10 men, the Wildcats roughed punter Semerano giving PJ a first down at the Warwick 30. Stellato rushed for six and then picked up four more on a pass from Semerano. The PJ QB then finished the drive by firing a bullet to A.J. Smith who caught it at the five and bolted into the end zone. The pass for two failed as Port took an 18-7 lead into the locker room. Somehow the third qurter was scoreless as neither offense could get untracked. Late in the quarter a 16-yard Semerano punt gave the Wildcats the ball at the Warwick 46. Andi Gjeci came off the Warwick bench and swept the tired PJ ends three times with runs of 10, 17 and 14 yards. The last run was stopped at the one, but on the next play Steve Prescod blasted up the middle for a TD. Marion ran in for two points. 18-15 with 10:35 left in the fourth. Stellato's beautiful 48-yard kickoff return put Port at the Warwick 42. John Foley ran 13 yards for a big first down, but an illegal block marched the ball back to the 31. Four plays later the drive died on an incomplete pass. It took Warwick only four plays to go 71 yards. Gjeci raced 64 yards around the right end, escaping a tackle at the line of scrimmage, to put Warwick in the lead with 5:22 left. Walsh's kick made it 22-18. Port Jervis answered immediately. In fact, too immediately. It took the Raiders only two plays to go 68 yards. Semerano passed to Chris Smith for a 36-yard gain. Then Mike Ashcraft made a leaping reception of a Semerano aerial between two defensders to score on a 31-yard play. Semerano found A.J. Smith for two points after. 26-22 Port. But the Raiders left four minutes and 21 seconds on the clock for the Warwick offense. The tired Port defense was not up to the challenge. Starting at their own 30, the 'Cats drove 70 yards in 10 plays. Marion carried four times on the drive, picking up 30 of those yards. He scored on a 13-yard run with 48 seconds left. Walsh added the kick. 29-26. Port managed to squeeze six plays into the last 45 seconds after a squib kickoff by Warwick. The mini-drive died at the Wildcat 36 as time expired. Marion ended up with 139 yards rushing on 18 carries. Prescod was 24-for-97. As a team, Warwick stormed for 326 yards on the ground on 51 carries. Port's Stellato rushed for 82 yards on 16 carries. His total net yardage for the night was 201. Meanwhile Semerano completed 11-of-19 passes for 196 yards. Warwick is now 2-3 while Port is 3-2. Next week Warwick meets Valley Central in a league game while Port goes to Dietz to take on rugged Amsterdam of Section Two in a non-league affair. --- FEARLESS PHIL WASHINGTONVILLE ALSO COMES FROM BEHIND, BEATS MINISINK, 14-12 SLATE HILL - The Washingtonville Wizards went on the road to Slate Hill and came back with a hard-fought win over the Minisink Valley Warriors. Down 12 - 0 at the half, the Wizard defense swung the momentum their way when they went to a 4-4 and junior linebacker Eric Butler picked off a Bryan Freeman pass and ran 60 yards to put the Wizards on the board. On the ensuing kickoff, Washingtonville tried an onsides kick and recovered the ball, drove 55 yards and scored on a 6-yard Rob Lopez pass to TE Billy Foley. Senior Melissa Geyer's leg was the point-difference in the game as she made both kicks for the Wizards (2-0 AA2; 4-1 overall). Once again, the running of Chris Castellano and Eric Rosales was critical to the Wizard victory, and the defense continued their excellent play while adding to their takeaway ratio. Minisink Valley's two touchdowns were scored by Bennet Becker, and the Warriors spent most of the first half in Wizard territory. Minisink was moving the ball late in the 2nd quarter when Joe Zippilli intercepted and ended the threat. Injured Warrior QB Bryan Freeman gamely tried to rally his team, but the fired-up Wizards took control of the game in the second half and didn't give it back. It was an intense, hard-fought football game under the lights at Minisink, with their wonderful marching band and loud fans on both sides completing the scene. Minisink falls to 0-2 in AA2 and 2-3 overall. --- PETE FLANAGAN HIGHLAND BLANKS RED HOOK FOR FOURTH WIN Red Hook 0 0 0 0 - 0 Highland 0 6 8 0 - 14 In a game marred by a lot of procedure calls, the Huskies of Highland shutout the visiting Red hook Raiders 14-0. Highland pretty much dominated the game as senior fullback T.J. Tizzo scored a pair of touchdowns. Red Hook never got far into Highland terrritory until half way through the 4th period. With the score 14-0 Red Hook drove to the three where they where then flagged for procedure and Highland held on downs. As the game ended Highland was on the Red Hook five yard line. This was the first time I have seen Highland's field since the renovation and it looks great. Also one of the best places to watch a game from is up on the hill on the home side. Scoring: 2nd H 9:24 Liam Fay passed to T.J.Rizzo 10 yds - Kick wide. 3rd H 4:03 T.J.Rizzo 1 yd run - Fay run for 2 pts. --- RICK MICHAELIS THE REST OF THE STORY: CHESTER ended its two-game losing streak by stopping Millbrook, 28-13, in a big Class D showdown in Chester. The Hambletonians (now 3-2 and 1-1 in Class D) were led by Ronayne Hamilton's three TDs and 236 rushing yards. Anthony Basile scored the other Chester TD. Eli Rogers scored for Millbrook on a 70-yard interception return. The Blazers fell to 2-3 (1-1 in D).....Ed Casazza's extra point in the second quarter proved to be the difference as homestanding PINE PLAINS edged Sullivan West, 7-6, in a non-league game. Steve Daley's three-yard TD run in the first quarter had given SW a 6-0 lead. Jayson Millius scored from one yard out for the winning Bombers whose record is now 3-2. The Bulldogs fell to 2-3. John Cordella led the Pine Plains defense with 11 tackles.... In Class AA PINE BUSH (now 1-4, 1-2 in division AA-l) beat visiting Middletown, 19-14. Devin Conroy scored two TDs and rushed for 140 yards for the Bushmen. Soph QB Lance Brookins scored the other PB TD on a one yard sneak. Meanwhile Terric Harris (on a pass from Donald Roth) and Sammy Diaz (one yard run) scored TDs for the winless Middies (0-5, 0-1).

SYRACUSE - Monroe-Woodbury, Wallkill and Spackenkill are again state-ranked this week. The AA Crusaders are ranked #18. Wallkill is the #15 A team and Spackenkill the #10 B team. In Class AA Kingston and Newburgh are still honorable mentions. The Goldbacks will play the Crusaders Friday night. The state's top AA team is still defending state champ Webster-Schroeder from Section Five. Section One's ranked AA teams are John Jay, Cross River (#10), North Rockland (#13) and White Plains (#22). Section Two has Shenendehowa ranked #3, Saratoga Springs #2 and Troy #20. In Class A Cornwall's loss to Mohonasen dropped the Dragons to the Honorable Mention list along with Goshen, Port Jervis and newcomer Mohonasen. The state's top-ranked A team is Section One's Nyack. Other Section One ranked teams are #7 Yorktown, #9 Poughkeepsie and #11 Fox Lane. Section Two's top team is Amsterdam (#10) who will play Port Jervis next week at Dietz. Meanwhile Glens Falls is #14 and Queensbury #20. Class B's Honorable Mentions include J.I. O'Neill, Marlboro and New Paltz. The state's top B team is Section One's Harrison. Rye High, also of Section One, is #6. Section Two sports Ravena at #8 and Lansingburgh at #14. The state's top C team is Section Five's Caledonia-Mumford. Watervliet of Section Two is #3 while Section One's Dobbs Ferry is #4. Defending C champ Onondaga (Section Three) is the #1 Class D team. Section Two's Cambridge is #2 and Section One's Tuckahoe is #7. Washingtonville coach Don Clark's former team, Newfield of Section Four, is #6. No Section Nine teams are mentioned in Classes C and D. But next week could see a couple of our teams make the Honorable Mention list.