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The Class D championship game between Tuckahoe and Haldane is set to kick off today at 2 p.m. Follow the action live on my Twitter feed below:

This is the final breakdown of the Section 1 Championships this wekend at Mahopac High School.

Class C Championship
Croton-Harmon (7-1) vs. Bronxville (8-0)
When: Sunday, 5 p.m.
Previous meeting: Bronxville defeated Croton-Harmon 30-14 in Week 4.
Common opponents: Bronxville handled Hastings last week, and beat Rye Neck, Lincoln Hall and Dobbs Ferry with relative ease. Croton beat Hastings 26-20 in the opener, beat Rye Neck and Lincoln Hall handily but needed a late touchdown to get past Dobbs Ferry.
How’d they get here: Croton-Harmon beat Rye Neck 34-0 in the quarters and beat Dobbs Ferry 25-20 last week. Bronxville pounded Lincoln Hall 41-12 and Hastings 38-7.

Position-by-position breakdown
Quarterback: Jack Near went down with an injury but is back to added a passing dimension for the Broncos. Dillon Mitchell is arguably the team’s MVP for the way he filled in at quarterback and will still see snaps there this weekend. Tyler Dorien has been incredible in the last four weeks and has proven to be one of the area’s best passing/running threats. Edge: Croton-Harmon.
Running backs: Brian Murray has put together another 1,000-yard season for the Broncos, and Liam Berney’s speed and Mitchell’s toughness are tough to match. Kevin Soares is back healthy for Croton, and Tyler Keppler and Matt Tralli are solid backs with plenty of big-game experience. Edge: Bronxville.
Receivers: Will Karol and James Karol are a couple of big targets at 6-foot-6. But there might not be a better set of hands in Section 1 than Joe Tralli, and his brother Matt Tralli isn’t far behind. Edge: Croton-Harmon.
Offensive line: Despite three starting sophomores, Croton’s group is solid and the return of Bobby Dusconi will definitely help. But Bronxville has the biggest, most complete, line in Section 1 with Steve Shoemaker, Kieran Borcich, Elliot Bartsch, Henry Palermo and center Blair Law. Edge: Bronxville

Defensive line: The trio of John Brennan, Ryan Logiudici and Dennis O’Connell has performed beyond anyone’s expectations. But Borcich, Bartsch, Paxton Cane and Palermo are relentless up front with their physical play. Edge: Bronxville.
Linebackers: Dusconi has been unstoppable since he returned from a shoulder injury two weeks ago, and Kyle Ricciardi is a special talent. The Broncos have the best and most feared duo in the conference with John Shkreli and Hart Mechlin. Edge: Bronxville.
Secondary: Both teams are blessed with talent in the defensive backfield. Joe Tralli and Matt Tralli are good covermen, and Dorien and Keppler are such smart players with so much experience. Murray is an elite player for Bronxville, and Jesse Delarama, Ryan Hackett and Artie Westerfeld are great underestimated for the Broncos. Edge: Croton-Harmon.
Special teams: Very evenly matched here in every facet. Joe Tralli and Matt Tralli can each break big runs for Croton, and Dorien is a dependable kicker. The Broncos don’t have a true game-breaker, although Mitchell is definitely capable of picking up chunks of yards. Ryan Grunseich also has a strong leg for Bronxville. Edge: Push.

Bottom line: Even though both teams have changed so much since they met five weeks ago, I wouldn’t be the least bit shocked if this game unfolded exactly the same way that one did. Croton got ahead early in that game, twice leading by a touchdown in the first half, before Bronxville established control at the line of scrimmage and simply pushed the Tigers off the ball. Bronxville is still big, still physical and even more confident than ever.

PREDICTION: Bronxville 28, Croton-Harmon 17

This is the fourth of five breakdowns for the Section 1 Championships this weekend at Mahopac High School.

Class AA Championship
New Rochelle (8-0) vs. North Rockland (8-0)
When: Sunday, 1 p.m.
Previous meeting: They didn’t play in the regular season.
Common opponents: North Rockland defeated White Plains, 10-7, and John Jay-EF 14-7. New Rochelle beat White Plains twice (28-7 and 24-7), and defeated John Jay-EF 21-14.
How’d they get here: North Rockland beat John Jay-EF in the first round and defeated Arlington 20-14 in the semifinals. New Rochelle beat Mount Vernon 38-0 and knocked off White Plains 24-7.

Position-by-position breakdowns
Quarterback: Neither team is going to throw the ball more than 5-6 times unless something strange happens. North Rockland has a steady arm in Matt Lonergan, who can make a big throw when needed. New Rochelle has a quality passer but an electric runner in Lewis Edney. Edge: New Rochelle.
Running back: Sal Sulla and Angelo Williams will take the bulk of the carries for the Red Raiders. Sulla is a gifted runner who glides through the defense and is a threat to break a big play. Williams is a more durable back who can deliver a poudning. New Rochelle has a deep group of backs with Xavier Walker, Jordan Lucas, Julian Griffin and SirTay Jackson, although none is a featured back. Edge: North Rockland.
Receivers: The Red Raiders have a few players who can catch the ball, led by Shaarad Senat. Jonny McGhee leads New Rochelle’s group. Edge: New Rochelle.
Offensive line: Both teams have huge and athletic up front. Shane Roff is an excellent center for North Rockland and there aren’t many better at tackle than Jonathan Mateo. Veterans Michael Miceli and Quinton Witherspoon anchor New Rochelle’s unit, which has performed when tested all season. Edge: Push.

Defensive line: If you intend to stop Witherspoon, you better put two bodies on him on every play. There aren’t many better tackles around. Charles Larrier, Joe Lopoppolo and Stanley Desir are a solid group of ends. North Rockland has a talented nose guard in Darius Favors, and a very good pair of ends in Williams and Pete Lodini. Kevin Walden and Terrell Smith consistently find their way into the backfield. Edge: Push.
Linebackers: Two of the best at the position go head-to-head in New Rochelle’s Lou DiRienzo and North Rockland’s Sulla. Both were Super 11. Dan Burgaleta and John Sullivan are solid for the Red Raiders. Montel Parris is a devastating hitter for New Rochelle. Edge: Push.
Secondary: North Rockland’s quartet of Senat, John McCoy, Lenny Brown and Derek McCauly has only allowed one passing touchdown all season. New Rochelle’s group, though, not only prevents touchdowns, it creates them. Edney, McGhee, Walker and Lucas are all play-makers and comprise Section 1’s best unit. Edge: New Rochelle.
Special teams: Griffin is a major threat in the return game for New Rochelle. Few kickers have improved over the season as much as Eric Reid has for New Rochelle. But there isn’t a better kicker or punter around than North Rockland’s Tom O’Riordan.

Bottom line: These teams are so evenly matched, especially from a defensive standpoint. It’s going to be a matter of whichever one wilts first. Based on what I’ve seen, I don’t think North Rockland is going to be able to sustain drives very long and will either have to score on a big play or let its defense win a field-position battle. New Rochelle should dominate time of possession and chip away at the Red Raiders for their fourth Section 1 championship in a row.

PREDICTION: New Rochelle 21, North Rockland 10

In today’s paper, I took a close look at each of the five Section 1 championship games this weekend at Mahopac.

As many have discussed, Haldane is playing in the Class D championship despite an 0-7 record. The Blue Devils, who take on Tuckahoe today at 2, don’t care what you think about their record. They feel they could legitimately make victory No. 1 happen today.

When I look at the Class A championship game, I can’t help but marvel at what Roosevelt has accomplished. We knew they had talent. But I never believed they’d be able to survive the schedule or make a postseason run with a roster so thin. But despite so many two-way starters, the Indians just might be able to pull this off and my article explains why.

Tonight’s Class B championship game is technically a rematch from Week 3 with Nanuet taking on Sleepy Hollow. But this is hardly the same Sleepy Hollow team from late September. The Horsemen feel they’ve finally put everything together and is poised to pull off the upset (The link for this story isn’t working, but trust me it’s on lohud.com).

Tomorrow’s Class AA championship features the two best defenses in Section 1 in New Rochelle and North Rockland going head to head.

And in the Class C final, Croton-Harmon will attempt to write another chapter to its magical two-year run. The script in 2009 has followed a similar path of last year, as you can read in my article.

Back later today and tonight with a ton more.

So I got a new BlackBerry this week, dowloaded UberTwitter and felt the world was at my fingertips. Apparently, the thing doesn’t work. Not only could I not post on the blog, the updates were showing up on this page at all. Stupid BlackBerry.

(Another problem is that it’s incredibly hard to text while driving on it, which I guess isn’t really a problem)

Anyway, here are the updates from tonight:

Section 1 Athletics has denied requests by The Journal News to broadcast this weekend’s football championships live on LoHud.com.

Our managing editors spent all week trying to negotiate an agreement with Section 1. In the past, The Journal News paid a fee to broadcast state playoff games.

I spoke this afternoon with Section 1 Executive Director Jennifer Simmons, who said the section had a reluctance to put a live event on air.

“Media is growing leaps and bounds and we need to make sure we’re protected as far as live event goes,” Simmons said. “We’re having ongoing conversations at the board level and we’ve decided to put a halt on everything until we’ve looked at it and decided what we’re going to do.”

“We have lawyers going back and forth and each school has a different interpretation. What waivers need to be signed? Do we need one signed by the parents of every player because it’s live? That’s become a big issue.”

Basically, the concern with a live event is over what could happen that Section 1 wouldn’t be able to control (i.e. a brawl, serious injury, etc.). Simmons also said there’s concern over what a broadcast could do to the attendance, and revenue, although she said that “was part of it but not a huge part of it.”

Simmons said that the section became more aware of live broadcasting through ongoing negotiations with MSG Varsity. Several Section 1 schools have been apprehensive to signing contracts and having cameras at games, even though MSG is all taped.

MSG has purchased the rights (not exclusive ones) to tape two games this week to be re-aired this week on Cablevision Ch. 14.

So, unfortunately, we will not be showing the games on lohud.com. I’ll still be blogging live and providing Twitter updates.

This is the third of five breakdowns of Section 1 Championship games this weekend at Mahopac High School.

Class B championship
Sleepy Hollow (5-3) vs. Nanuet (8-0)
When: Saturday, 8 p.m.
Preview meeting: Nanuet defeated Sleepy Hollow 28-14 on Sept. 26
Common opponents: They played in the same league and both beat Pelham and Ardsley, and Pleasantville and Kennedy in cross-overs/playoff games. Sleepy Hollow lost to Lourdes, which Nanuet beat.
How’d they get here: Nanuet beat Briarcliff 41-7 and then defeated Kennedy 21-7 in the semifinals. Sleepy knocked off Irvington 13-12 and then powered past Pleasantville, 28-19.

Position-by-position breakdowns
Quarterback: John Bucci is a talented thrower for Sleepy Hollow but hasn’t really been called on to carry the offense at any point this season. Tom Hanney is one of the best at the position in Section 1 with his power-running ability and efficient passing (35 for 49). Edge: Nanuet.
Running backs: This matchup will come down to the two best backfield in Class B. Gabe Ostrow (845 yards and 16 touchdowns) and Bret Bonomolo have been a steady, consistent combo all season for the Golden Knights. Nobody has been better of late than Bobby Small, who has 755 yards and seven scores in the last four games. The emergence of L.J. Garrant evens this matchup. Edge: Push.
Receivers: Neither team throws the ball all that much. But Nanuet has a pair of talented receivers in Greg Mooney and John Brezovsky, who each could be called on to make a big play in this game. Edge: Nanuet.
Offensive line: The Golden Knights have as solid a unit as there is outside of Class AA. Lyle Birrittella, Kevin Willison, Brendan Siegrist, Ryan Maroney and Tyler Esposito are a stellar quintet. Sleepy has rock-solid core with A.J. Sims, Pete Del Monico, Steve Hart, Jarae Williams, and Nick Fanelli. Although good, Nanuet is slightly better. Edge: Nanuet.

Defensive line: With 10 players starting on both sides of the ball, many of Nanuet’s guys flip to the other side of the ball. Willison and Maroney stuff the middle of the field. Mike Segarra, Sims and Williams are extremely versatile and get after the quarterback. They’re part of a group where 5-6 players rotate in. Edge: Nanuet.
Linebackers: Nanuet has a stellar group in the middle. Ostrow and Birrittella are punishing hitters and Bonomolo does a tremendous job covering both sidelines. Del Monico and Jonathan Martin are linebackers who makes so many plays creeping up to the line. Kayzon Stovall is quick to the edges and John Randazzo controls the middle. Edge: Nanuet.
Secondary: The speed in Sleepy Hollow’s secondary is incredible. Small finds his way in on so many tackles and L.J. Garrant is an excellent coverman. Nanuet’s Rob Leonard has locked up every receiver he’s gone against, and Hanney is a field general at safety. Edge: Push.
Special teams: Sleepy Hollow has a decent kicking game while Nanuet has one of the area’s most consistent legs in Brian Purvis. But where the Horsemen have a huge advantage in this is in the return game with Garrant and Small, who have been awesome all season. Edge: Sleepy Hollow.

Bottom line: Forget what happened in Week 3. Sleepy Hollow isn’t that overconfident, disorganzied team anymore. Nanuet has improved, too, of course, but not nearly at the rate of Sleepy Hollow. The longer this game stays close, the better Sleepy Hollow’s chances. But I think Nanuet’s ball-contol, power-running game will allow it to survive this one.

PREDICTION: Nanuet 24, Sleepy Hollow 14

Kickoff for today’s John Jay-EF at Rye game has been pushed back an hour to 5:30 p.m.

I’ll be there. If you’d like me to post updates, please let me know.

This is the second of five breakdowns for the Section 1 championship games this weekend at Mahopac High School.

Class A championship
Poughkeepsie (6-2) vs. Roosevelt (7-1)
When: Saturday, 5 p.m.
Previous meeting: They didn’t play in the regular season.
Common opponents: Poughkeepsie lost to Eastchester, 13-12, and beat Rye 25-20. Roosevelt beat Eastchester, 22-12 and lost to Rye, 49-26.
How’d they get here: Just a few upsets, that’s all. Poughkeepsie handed Somers its first loss, 14-10, in the quarterfinals before stunning Rye in the semifinals with three touchdowns in the final 3:30. Roosevelt knocked off Ossining 41-20 in the quarters and stormed past Lakeland, 32-7, in the semis.

Position-by-position breakdown
Quarterback: Roosevelt has perhaps Section 1’s best player in Donovan Walker, who has thrown for 895 yards and 11 touchdowns and rushed for 549 yards and eight score. Poughkeepsie’s Jarrid Williams has gotten the job done of late. Although he isn’t quite the passer Walker is despite throwing for 918 yards. Edge: Roosevelt
Running backs: The Indians have one of, if not, the most productive runner in Dave Thomas, who’s rushed for 1,123 yards and is averaging 7.4 yards per carry. Thomas Boddie is a very capable backup. The Pioneers, though, have far more depth with hulking fullback Troy Wright and halfback Josh Graham, who’s the fastest high school football player I’ve ever seen. Edge: Poughkeepsie.
Receivers: This is a tough one. Roosevelt has a pure wideout in A.J. Pritchett (24 rec., 5 TDs) and two good possession receivers in Klaudio Selimaj and Alton Ritter. The Pioneers, meanwhile, have the most explosive player in the section in Graham, who torched Rye as a receiver. Malcolm Daniels and Jovan Wilkens are also great targets. Reuben Frank lines up at wideout but doesn’t get thrown to that much. Edge: Push.
Offensive line: What Roosevelt lacks in depth it makes up for in sheer determination. This is one of the hardest working groups I’ve seen all year. Tyrone Jones, Korab Muriqi and Gorge Tigre lead the unit. Poughkeepsie has some serious beef up front and is a tough, physical group. Edge: Poughkeepsie.

Defensive line: The Pioneers have the area’s top defensive end in Frank, who’s headed to UConn, and an underrated star in Tyree Coleman. Musa Nesheiwat, at 318 pounds, takes up some serious space in the middle. Roosevelt has Jones in the middle and a couple of nice ends in Kevin Outlaw and Ritter. But Poughkeepsie is just deeper and more physical. Edge: Poughkeepsie.
Linebackers: Poughkeepsie middle linebacker Jaquawne Simpkins (127 tackles) is a special talent. Few hit as hard as Wright and Dorian Cummings covers the field so well. Thomas is terrific at linebacker for Roosevelt, and Boddie and Ritter are good complements. Edge: Poughkeepsie.
Secondary: There isn’t a better defensive back around than Walker, who could legitimately play safety at the Division I-A level. He’s that good. Ronald Vereen won’t play this week after being ejected against Lakeland but the unit is solid as long as Pritchett comes back healthy. Poughkeepsie has some of the hardest-hitting defensive backs with Graham, Wilkens, Dijon Davidson and Dane Myers. Edge: Roosevelt.

Special teams: Both teams have several threats to return a kick to the end zone. The Indians have a slight advantage in the kicking game with Selimaj, who’s one of the most consistent around. Edge: Roosevelt

Bottom line: Hopefully they have fire extinguishers up at Mahopac, because these teams are going to burn holes in the turf. More than anything, though, I think the physical beating these teams are going to unleash on eachother will be jarring. That’s why Poughkeepsie beat Rye; it physically wore them down and then ran past them. They won’t have the speed advantage on Roosevelt. But the Pioneers are slightly bigger, stronger and deeper. Expect a thriller.

PREDICTION: Pougkeepsie 27, Roosevelt 22

This if the first of five breakdowns of the Section 1 championships this weekend at Mahopac.

Class D championship
Tuckahoe (4-3) vs. Haldane (0-7)
When: Saturday, 2 p.m.
Previous meeting: Tuckahoe defeated Haldane 18-0 on Oct. 3
How’d they get here: Well, they’re the only two teams in the conference, that’s how. It’s been that way for the past four years with Tuckahoe winning three times. The Tigers have captured five of the last six Section 1 titles.

Position-by-position analysis:
Quarterbacks: Tuckahoe has a first-year player in Kevin Garabitos, who has had some good moment passing and running this season. Haldane has a gifted athlete in Rafael Famighetti, who’s a first-year starter. Edge: Haldane
Running back: Both teams possess a durable, talented runner — Tuckahoe with junior Jarett Sommer and Haldane with senior star Derek O’Dell. The Tigers, though, have a playmaker in Gary Jennings, who has improved every week. Edge: Tuckahoe.
Receivers: Neither team throws the ball more than 5-6 times per game, so it’s hard to really get a read. Edge: Push.
Offensive line: The Tigers have a very talented front five, led by James Jubilee, P.J. Castracucco and Kevin Chen. Ryan Snavely is a force as a blocking tight end. Haldane will have perhaps the best lineman on the field in Cameron Zampino and John McGuire has come on strong this season. But the Blue Devils don’t have Tuckahoe’s depth. Edge: Tuckahoe.

Defensive line: Flip those guys to the other side of the ball and it’s not much different. Snavely is very good up front. Tuckahoe had the size and the depth. McGuire is probably a better defensive player and will give the Tigers problems between the tackles. Edge: Tuckahoe.
Linebackers: When healthy, O’Dell could probably step in and play the position on just about any team in Section 1. He’s still recorded 57 tackles in limited action and a bum ankle. Sommer is a quality run-stopper in the middle. But, with O’Dell and Famighetti, the Blue Devils have a slight advantage. Edge: Haldane.
Secondary: Jennings and Jamie Maldonado lead a deep, athletic core of Tuckahoe defensive backs. Haldane has a young but talented group with Frank Fusco and Ryder Hine. Tuckahoe’s speed will be too much.
Special teams: Neither team has found much consistency in the kicking game, but the Tigers get the advantage here because they have Jennings in the return game. Don’t be shocked if he brings one back to the house on Saturday.

Bottom line: Both teams have thin rosters that have been depleted by injuries against a grueling Class C schedule. Haldane is finally healthy and enters the game confident despite a winless record. It played Tuckahoe tough in the first meeting, allowing a kickoff return for a touchdown and an interception that set up another score. These games are always close. But I think Tuckahoe’s speed and depth wear down Haldane and lead it back into the state tournament.

Prediction: Tuckahoe 28, Haldane 13

I’ll be breaking down the Section 1 finals over the course of the next two days. First, here are my picks for this weekend’s bowl, CHSFL playoff and other assorted games:

Thursday
Arlington 20, Mount Vernon 12
Scarsdale 28, Clarkstown South 20
John Jay 38, Ketcham 32, OT
Mahopac 35, Lincoln 7

Friday
Mamaroneck 14, Port Chester 6
John Jay-EF 21, Rye 17
Ossining 20, Somers 14
Carmel 28, Suffern 13
Pleasantville 35, Albertus Magnus 21
Valhalla 14, Blind Brook 8
Clarkstown North 34, Gorton 13

Saturday
Harrison 20, Eastchester 7
Sacred Heart 28, Harvey 14
CHSFL playoffs
Holy Cross 27, Fordham Prep 17: The Rams lost already to Holy Cross, which is poised to make a run at the final.

Sunday
CHSFL playoffs
St. Joseph’s by the Sea 35, Iona Prep 31: Although healthy on offense, Iona’s defense hasn’t proven it can line up and stop one of the league’s top offenses. St. Joe’s is extremely talented.
Stepinac 28, St. Francis Prep 20: St. Francis is only 1-7 and that victory came last week. But don’t be fooled by the record of the AAA team. Stepinac could have its hands full.
Mount St. Michael 14, Xavier 0: Xavier is a quality program but not one at the level of Mount. The Mounties should advance.

My game-by-game breakdowns for the Section 1 finals will be posted beginning tonight.

You know the drill. Tonight at 7 p.m. we’ll be airing live from our studios for our weekly high school football discussion, Varsity Central Chat. You can tune in by clicking here or going to lohud.com/vclive.

Joe Tralli and Bobby Dusconi of Croton-Harmon will be our special guests. Croton is taking on Bronxville for the Section 1 Class C title this weekend.

Those guys will be answering your questions. I’ll also be taking questions on every game this weekend, as well as announcing the Player and Coach of the Week. Be sure to tune in.

The next three Game Balls are here. The Player and Coach of the Week will be announced on tonight’s edition of Varsity Central Chat, which you can watch here at 7 p.m. Croton-Harmon seniors Joe Tralli and Bobby Dusconi will be our special guests.

6. Mike Tomasula, Blind Brook: Statistically, this is as impressive a game any running back/receiver/kick returner has had all season. Tomasula did a little bit of everything in Saturday’s wild 40-36 win over Pawling. He started teh day by catching touchdown passes in the first and second quarters as Blind Brook went into the half tied 14-14. In the third, Tomasula opened up the lead with a 7-yard touchdown run followed by a 65-yard punt return for a score. Then in the fourth, he played a key role in Blind Brook rallying in the final minute for the win. Tomasulo rushed for 265 yards as Blind Brook earned a spot in the developmental league final with Valhalla.
5. Tyrae Woodson-Samuels and Jeff Mack, Iona Prep: See what happens when these guys are on the field together? Finally healthy for the first time since Week 2, the dynamic combo carried the Gaels past Farrell, 35-0. Woodson-Samuels was 20 of 27 passing for 301 yards, and Mack carried the ball 18 times for 140 yards and four touchdowns. Iona doesn’t go into the CHSFL as the favorite this season. But it does go in as a team nobody wants to face.
4. Roosevelt’s offensive line: All year I’d heard about how terrific Roosevelt quarterback Donovan Walker and running back Dave Thomas were. And they are. But I was stunned by how well the Indians offensive line played in Saturday’s 32-7 win over Lakeland in the Class A semifinals. The group — Tyrone Jones, Korab Muriqi, Gorge Tigre, Raheem Uguhart and Kyle Williams — were solid throughout as Roosevelt ran for 172 yards and threw for 100 to earn a spot in the Class A championship game.

We know who Nos. 3-2-1 will be. But in what order? That’s up to you. I’ll have the results on tonight’s show.