As a means to look ahead to the 2011 season, I’ve decided we’ll spend each morning this week ranking the best games of the upcoming Section 1 football season.
Obviously, some spirited banter between a few of our loyal readers prompted the idea, and I thought it would provide an opportunity to preview what lies ahead this fall.
We’ll focus on one week per day, starting now with Week 1. If you need to take a peek at each’s team’s schedule, you can find it here. The first game is Week 1, the second is Week 2 and so on.
My breakdown of the top five games from Week 1 is below. The criteria: 1. Potential quality of teams in matchup. 2. Overall importance. 3. Public interest. And I considered them in that order, with No. 1 and 2 being of utmost importance.
Please feel free to add your own opinion about what I’m right, why I’m wrong or why you would have ranked them differently.
(Apologies in advance to our Catholic and private school readers. Your complete schedules are not listed online.)
The best from Week 1 —
1. Bronxville at Dobbs Ferry: I know our readership tends to favor the Class AA and A teams in its discussion, but I can’t believe no one mentioned this matchup. It’s a likely preview of the Class C championship and will feature the defending state champs against the former undisputed small-school kings as they look to regain control behind new coach Jim Moran. Consider the players who are gone and who are returning, I can’t find a Week 1 game more intriguing than this one. For those who think Bronxville will waltz, remember: Dobbs graduated only TWO seniors from last year’s team. The Eagles return almost all of their talent.
2. Rye at Somers: Two of the best coaches in Section 1 history will reintroduce themselves in this rematch of last year’s Class A quarterfinal. By that point, Rye arrived off an emotional win over Harrison but as a depleted team. Somers, a team that struggled early in the season, had peaked. It was Tony DeMatteo who got the better of Dino Garr that day, but the two 200-game winners will take very different teams into this season opener. Unlike years past, they won’t have a handful of weeks to work on getting better against lesser opponents. There are few warmups under the new scheduling system, and this is a prime example.
3. Clarkstown North at North Rockland: Many will believe last year was a fluke. North grabbed a hold of Rockland dominance and carried the mantle to the Class AA semis. Now, the Rams will earn an early chance to maintain that control against North Rockland, which will enter the season with a fair amount of lingering uncertainty after a sub-.500 2010. North lost a large percentage of its key players but so did the Red Raiders. Despite their struggles, Terrell Smith, Mike Lonergan, Gavin Maher and co. were centerpieces of that team.
4. John Jay-East Fishkill at Carmel: This game has garnered its share of early buzz, but both teams will begin the season as a mystery. Like the Yorktown-Clarkstown North-Scarsdale trio that emerged last season, there will be a few new teams we’ll consider contenders in Class AA before long. Consider John Jay and Carmel as potential candidates, just don’t consider them locks to be there in the end. Not yet at least. That’s why I listed this game fourth behind the top 3.
5. Ossining at John Jay: Another example of teams that are potential playoff contenders. But like John Jay-Carmel, there are no guarantees. Ossining struggled last season but returns highly-touted QB Brian Connolly. John Jay thrived but lost the men that made its offense (Hime Rraci) and defense (Lucas Myer) tick. Will the Indians remain a serious challenger? Can Ossining return to that status? One thing’s certain: We’ll say “yea” for one team after Week 1 and “nay” to the other.
Honorable mention
Mahopac at Ketcham: How will both teams adjust after graduating so many key pieces? Can Mahopac come close to duplicating its 2010, Class AA finalist form? Is Ketcham’s young QB ready to help the Indians compete?
Eastchester at Scarsdale: Fun matchup, but ultimately the game does not count for anything other than bragging rites.
Sleepy Hollow at Pelham: There has already been plenty of chatter from both sides about this one, but in Section 1’s new system the higher power-rated teams carry more intrigue for the time being. Quite simply, they are more likely to end up in the playoffs when all is said and done.
Poughkeepsie at Spring Valley: The Tigers have steadily improved under coach Andrew Delva, but fellow Carmel alum Ken Barger has built his Pioneers into championship contenders year after year. Will this finally be Poughkeepsie’s turn? Who knows? But it will certainly enter Week 1 as the favorite.
Edgemont at Nanuet: Croton-Harmon is the Class B champ. It begins the season as a strong favorite. We know someone will emerge to contend, a la Westlake in 2010. Can these teams be among those emerging?
81 Comments
brohemian, thanks for siding with pelham but your wrong about anthony and stallworth. Stallworth is bigger and 1 year older than anthony so stalloworth is better but if they were the same year it would be very close. I honestly think the 1st 2 games will be competive i just used the word smacked because thats what sleepy said, which i thought was redicous.
Section 1 guy, i dont care if you like me and obviously ossining will be good, they were in AA last year
To say that Pelham had better talent and Westlake made few more big plays is nonsense. Look at the boxscoe, Westlake had close to 400 yeards while Pelham barely had 200 and shut them out in the 2nd half. Pelham has number of very good individual players and wish them well this season but Westlake was the far superior team, they had a pair of big receviers and good tight end, their QB who was a junior although not the running threat of Hoffman and Maniero had the strongest arm in class B, they had the best running back not named Tralli in class B last year and their fullback was good runner/receiver and all their linemen were all good and their top two lineman (Senior and Sophomore) were good as any tandem in class B and after a tight first quarter Westlake took control and dominated the line of scrimmage as the game went on especially in the second half.
I think the pelham/sleepy game is going to come down to who worked harder in the off/pre season. It being the first game, who ever has a better grasp of the off/def schemes will win the game. Best of luck to both team!
lil
Please use spell check and watch the grammer, you should not cut english anymore this year.
Westlake did not have the bestrunning back but whatever. Your right about that game. Completely right..
Hollow Fan all the first ga,es will come down to that. Well put. I think the camps in June will tell us a lot about both eams except Pelham will be thout there senior Linemen but no excuses.
bias, Anthony is better then Stallworth, he is stronger amd faster. You know that come on. Stallworth is the senior and will get the ,ajority of the touches but Anthony will be a key player this year.
husky 2009 playoffs rye 34 nyack 7 ring a bell?
hollow fan, yea the team that improves the most in august and makes the least mistakes in the game should win. Ill be more carefull with my spelling ok.
Brohemian, i agree with the june camps but im not sure what your trying to say in the last part of your last sentence. I have workout with them so i am not wrong. Stallworth is bigger and stronger. Anthony is more explovise but stallworth moves with more control. 40 times would be very close.
hey pelham,
bronxville dobbs is a joke? theyd smack your squad by at least 4 touchdowns
section1, bronxville last year would have beaten harrison, it would have been close. I dont know how good bxville will be this year but dobbs is just like any other C team so thats why i dont think it should be a highlighted game
Class A Observer:
And the ‘09 season opener – Rye 21, Ossining 6
pelham sucks, bronxville would smack them. bronxville is one of the top teams in the section pelham would lose by 4 tds to them
Bronxville has some very good players returning from their championship team. Dobbs will have its hands full.
Bronxville has the Conway brothers returning… Who else? They lose their whole offensive line. Who’s going to play QB?
Anthony could be fastest player in A, if Moski uses him properly, him and stallworth will be tough combo to stop, throw in shaquille and pelham has great speed at skill positions, miller will be ready to lead block, check film from last year, as a sophomore second year on varsity miller was unblockable as NT, wrecked every offense despite being double teamed, so when guy above puts up link for miller, that was as a freshman on varsity, still dominating kids three and 4 years older than him.
LJ Garrant is not better than Stallworth. Stallworth is more explosive and more versatile than LJ Garrant.
Miller as a freshman was 180 lbs 5’10
as a so he was 208 6ft
now he looks about 6’1 and i have bin told that he weighs a 225 lbs
he plays football in a whole different level by the stories i here
1. broke a Qbs leg
2. broke some ones neck
He still today gets up around 4:30 or 5:00 am to go to the gym, still gaining size
he will be 235 lbs or bigger by july.
p.s he doesnt feel pain…. i hear he’s called MANSTER= half man…..HALF MONSTER.
anthony and stallworth are going to have a great advantage if Miller is lead blocking for them
but well see you never know with pelhams coaching stafff
miller was the best fb lead blocker ,last year in section 1 class B
looking foward watching him this year in class A
Any news on the Harrison-somers transfer? I’m curious as to who somers is gaining and Harrison is losing.
Pelham little bias, if this kid is such a beast than why hasn’t anyone heard of him? Cmon brotha pelham is softer than yo mommas buuummmm
Although lil pelham does often overstate his case I have to agree with him on Miller. He is very good, as what usually happens the juniors and seniors rightfully get more attention going into and during the season and Miller was overshadowed by some of his teammates who were better known from previous seasons. Saw Pelham couple of times and he was their best defensive player after Landis. Even in play-off loss he shut down the middle very well as Westlake got most of their rushing yardage off tackle. If Pelham was still in B he would be one of the top 5 or 6 returning linemen and should be up there in Class A as well.
Bronxville does in fact have the returning stars in the Conway brothers. However, they did not graduate ALL their lineman. Remember when Borcich went down for pretty much the whole season. It was the junior Sean Callahan that filled in and completely abused kids. Watching him play with those other lineman, I believe he is the best lineman in all of class c next season.
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