A few of you have joked/complained lately about the short nature of Section 1’s regular season. Obviously, when you’re having fun, six games are over in a blink, but just think about this: There are only five games left that either will, or could, include a pair of undefeated teams.
Five. That’s it.
Among teams eligible for the playoffs, there are 13 unbeatens in Section 1. Throw in Tappan Zee and it makes 14 teams:
Bronxville
Croton-Harmon
Harrison
Horace Greeley
Mahopac
New Rochelle
Nyack
Pelham
Poughkeepsie
Scarsdale
Somers
Tappan Zee
Tuckahoe
Westlake
White Plains
Amazing if you think about it, but very few of the above teams will meet. For example, two you’d expect to play do not. Nyack and Harrison and Greeley and Somers won’t meet during the regular season despite playing in the same leagues, so there go two potential unbeaten vs. unbeaten right there.
Here’s a look at the big five and what it will take for the teams to enter the game undefeated (as well as the chances of it happening):
Oct. 1, 7 p.m., Poughkeepsie (3-0) at Somers (3-0) —
What it will take: Nothing. This is the only guarantee on the list.
Significance: Somers hung nine TDs on the Pioneers two years ago in the Class A quarterfinals. Last year, Poughkeepsie repaid the unbeaten Tuskers, who had allowed just six points all season, by upsetting them in the quarters. So there’s a rivalry there. Plus, it could determine the league title.
Chances: 10 out of 10. If the teams aren’t unbeaten by game time, I owe everyone there Friday night a cheeseburger and hot chocolate (a.k.a. “The Mahopac Combo”).
Oct. 9, 2:30 p.m., White Plains (4-0) at New Rochelle (4-0) —
What it will take: Little out of the ordinary. White Plains (Gorton) and New Ro (Mamaroneck) have very winnable games this weekend.
Significance: Oh, I don’t know. A league title. It’s a generations-old rivalry. And based on the last 11 years of Class AA football, the winner will be the clear favorite to win the section.
Chances: 10 out of 10. If either team loses before next week it would be the upset of the year.
Oct. 9, 3 p.m., Westlake (4-0) at Croton-Harmon (4-0), 3 p.m. —
What it will take: Westlake meets a Pleasantville team that has scored just one offensive touchdown. Croton faces winless Briarcliff.
Significance: The league title should be at stake. Maybe even an unbeaten regular season in Class B for teams with Class C roots.
Chances: 9 out of 10. Either team could get a scare, but they should be fine.
Oct. 9, 4:30 p.m., Poughkeepsie (4-0) at Horace Greeley (4-0) —
What it will take: Poughkeepsie will have to win on the road at Somers this Friday night. Not an easy task. Greeley will have to beat a dangerous but inexperienced Lakeland team on Saturday.
Significance: If Poughkeepsie enters undefeated, the game would definitely be for a league title. Also, the winner would earn the unofficial title of least talked about 6-0 team in Class A. (Thanks to our Harrison and Nyack fans for that. Ha.)
Chances: 7 out of 10. Despite their records, Poughkeepsie seems like the favorite against Somers. It would be a stunner if Greeley didn’t make it to 4-0.
Oct. 23, 1:30 p.m., Bronxville (6-0) at Tuckahoe (6-0) —
What it will take: Bronxville meets arguably the three other best teams in Class C (Rye Neck, Hastings, Dobbs Ferry) but remains unchallenged and unscored upon. The Broncos should be fine. Tuckahoe would still need to beat Dobbs next week. That’s the one program the Tigers have never defeated under John D’Arco.
Significance: A league title, but this is far bigger than that. Bronxville will want to maintain its aura of invincibility around the section by producing a dominant performance against the best team on its schedule. But these schools are rivals. Until the Class D state semifinals (assuming they get there), the Tigers will not face a more meaningful afternoon of football.
Chances: 9 our of 10. Quite simply, both are on an absolute roll.
64 Comments
Josh when do the rankings come out?
3 yards and a cloud of dust….English major…cool…explain what the crazy dragon is saying. sounds like Gibberish to me and most people that read it…lets hear what the English major has to say….Jeff p you can also try to explain what he is trying to say.
Class aa
Lincoln is not good and they are not the worst. But I can see your point about the trap game. The only thing is I believe that new to def is so good and the offense is moving the ball with ease all year it can be 21-0 after 1qtr new ro def speed sick it’s 11 quick guys and about 9 fast guys that can be very hard for a Lincoln team
in the MT v game you couldn’t tell that mt v had speed out there it’s a special group u will see 28+ Lin 7
Class aa who you like in the wp/nr game
crazy dragon is causing a lot of commotion lol why is this???
Hey Josh:
I’m not looking down on small school football when I say Bronxville and Tuckahoe, in my opinion, is not a matchup that should be put together any time soon. Just the opposite. I think Bronxville has become such a good program statewide that this would be a total mismatch. I get that the towns border each other and there would be interest, but I don’t think fans want to see a team step up in class to get slaughtered. I respect both winning programs. I just think Bronville can play with most teams in Section 1 regardless of class. The same can’t be said of Tuckahoe, and I think a matchup between the 2 would get real ugly real fast.
is crazy dragon just an outstanding writer, or is there some substance assistance at times? either way, I have trouble comprehending it lol.
but I think the main point of his posts are actually on topic with the post, just hidden in the words…
Professor, I don’t think anyone tries to “understand” what the Crazy Dragon is trying to say; I think most of us regard it as a type of performance art. Sure, a lot of what he/she says is completely off the wall, but compared to some of the rhetoric people here have been throwing at each other, it’s pretty harmless. And as HSFB Guy pointed out, you can at times pick out moments of clarity…
I’m not saying that Lincoln will beat New Ro, what I’m saying is that if New Ro doesn’t come to play Lincoln COULD beat New Ro. It’s the very definition of a trap game. One team doesn’t come to play because they think no matter what the other team is incapable of beating them, and they are looking forward to the games ahead and looking back at the games before, and the next thing you know they lose. That to me is the Lincoln/New Ro game this year, as opposed to games in the past where no matter what, New Ro was going to win.
I like New Ro this year over White Plains. They did play very good games last year, and I was at the first game. The 28-7 score does not indicate what type of game it was. It was tied 7-7 after 3 (New Ro did score on the first or second play of the 4th quarter), but it was basically a hard fought even 14-7 game (as opposed to the lopsided 14-7 win over North Rockland). That being said, I think this years’ New Rochelle team has not hit it’s stride yet. Look at their schedule. Everyone on here was saying that North Rockland was down this year, and that turned out to be very true. Mt. Vernon, Gorton and Mamaroneck are not very good teams right now. So, if your a New Rochelle player, I can see not being motivated to be the best you can be when you know mediocre will get it done. I see them turning it on when it counts vs. White Plains. They have nothing to prove until they play WP. WP on the other hand has everything to prove, and they have been playing like it. But, they have not played well enough to beat New Ro when New Ro is playing well. So, White Plains has played it’s best, New Ro hasn’t, yet New Ro beat Mt. Vernon 35-8 and scored 21 points in 5 or 6 plays vs. Gorton, and WP beat Mt. Vernon 21-8 was tied with Lincoln 14-14 (who by all accounts is even to slightly better than Gorton). If you go position by position I don’t think WP matches up better than New Ro.
Huskies…Look for the rankings around 8 p.m. tonight.
Class AA… Sorry I didn’t fix the Lincoln/Mamaroneck thing fast enough. That’s my fault. I changed it now.
That said, I don’t think Lincoln is a trap game in any way, shape or form for New Ro. In fact — and this is a serious question — has New Ro been caught in a trap game at any point in the last decade? I don’t know.
ROOSEVELT COULD NOT STOP KNOX, SO HOW DO YOU EXPECT THEM TO STOP DAVIS, HE SHOULD HAVE A FIELD DAY NYACK 24 ROOSEVELT 12
Josh and Class AA,
Those were interesting comments about New Rochelle and a trap game and Lincoln and White Plains.
Anyway, whether it was considered a trap game or not the New Rochelle loss to White Plains on opening day in 03 is still the game that puzzles me the most and can’t understand it – and I’m not putting down White Plains at all – they had a solid team that year.
But gee wiz, New Ro has Courtney Greene, Ray Rice, Andre Douglas, Mike Savage and on and on and on. New Rochelle beats Carmel, a great JJcr team 42-0, North Rockland and then wins it all in the States.
Was that a trap game or simply opening day jitters or what? How does that happen?
class aa
great point about the trap game and like i said that i understand the point that you are making. i also agree that this year team has not hit its stride and that nor has it shown how good it can be on offense and defense. to me this year team defense has dominated the games not giving up a run of more than 14 yds or a pass of 14yds outside the mt vernon game that the c.b. miss judge the ball in the air. i think the wp games will tell if this is one of the best defense new ro had in the 2000’s
i also agree that new ro has the match up edge…...it’s possible that new ro can have 3-5 all section players on defense mann,allen,lucas,evans,cargill,caldararo,
on offense lucas,corn,schwartz,rice,desir
Josh,
Carmel-Mahopac. I messed that one up, good call, Ram.
As for Bronxville-Tuckahoe, you guys are crazy. First of all, it’s always been a good rivalry and they play each other every season, so whoever thinks it’s some fantasy game is wrong. Tuckahoe plays a Class C schedule each and every year.
Bronxville is also not a “statewide” program yet. They won the section title last year and escaped with a 1 point win against Hoosick Falls and they got smoked by Southwestern who they very well should face in the Dome again.
Get to the dome, win at the dome, then win without that powerful offensive line…then they’re a “statewide” program.
John Malone, excellent point. Dobbs won a few states with a third of the talent that Bronxville has now. If Skips still there, theyd be right there w Bronxvillle