Grid Forecast: Norwich looks to build on strong defensive showing
By Patrick Newell
Sun Sports Editor
For five years running, Chenango Forks has ruled Section IV’s Class B ranks, and in each season, a contender emerges to that dominance. Through three games this, Windsor looks as prominent and stout a challenger as any. “It’s a typical Windsor team,” said Norwich coach John Pluta, whose club won its division opener last week against Susquehanna Valley.
Norwich has ruled the rivalry in recent years winning every matchup since a 19-0 loss five years ago to the Black Knights when the Tornado finished winless. “We know all about Windsor and they know all about us,” Pluta said, noting the two clubs’ familiarity with each other. “All of our league games are tough, and we need to improve and play better than we did last week.”
Improvement over last week’s 21-0 shutout might seem like a stretch; however, it would put Norwich on the fast track to a fifth straight postseason appearance. Through three games, the defense has improved significantly in the second half of games giving up just 13 of the 48 points. As for the opponent, Windsor leads Section IV in scoring defense allowing just six points with two shutouts already in the hopper. “We have made some real strides defensively, and I think they have more confidence in themselves,” Pluta said. “Windsor is more of a read and react type defense rather than an attack defense. They are basic, but they do it very well.”
On the offensive side of the ball, quarterback Adam Good is a strong-armed, third-year starter, Cody Whitman is also a third-year starter at running back, and fullback Bryant Parker is a bruising force on the interior, and perhaps the biggest running back Norwich has faced this season. “They have become more balanced on offense, and they like to pound the ball,” Pluta summed up.
The Tornado (2-1) play at Windsor (3-0) Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
Below are capsules of this week’s local football games:
Unatego (2-1) at Greene (3-0), Friday, 7 p.m.
Unatego served notice to the rest of Class C when it won its non-league opener. It was just any ho-hum victory, but a 30-8 thrashing of Walton. Running back Alex Hendrickson scored on several long runs, and has seven TDs this season on just 20 offensive touches. He is joined by explosive backs Austin Henchey and Allen Knowlton, both returning players, receivers Joe Innes and Owen Moss – also veterans – and first-year starting quarterback Kyle Campbell. “They have five or six guys who can score from anywhere on the field,” said Greene coach Tim Paske, who knows full well his defense will receive its biggest test to date. “We need to get 11 guys to the ball, and we need to make sure everyone reads their keys. We’d rather not get into a scoring battle, and just grind it out.” Among last year’s six victories for Greene, five came by shutout, and the other was a thrilling overtime triumph in the rain at Unatego. “They are an explosive team, and we’re thinking our best defense may be our offense,” Paske said.
Senior fullback Keith Savory leads the Trojans’ offense with 340 yards rushing. Quarterback Corey Breck has at least one TD pass in each game this season, and the Trojans have tossed at least one scoring pass in nine straight games going back to a loss against Oxford last season.
Delhi (2-1) at Bainbridge-Guilford (3-0), Friday, 7 p.m.
Delhi boasts the second highest scoring offense in Section IV at 38 points a game, while B-G is the second-rated scoring defense in the section giving up just eight points through three games. Something will have to give Friday night. “Will we be able to stop everything they do?” asked B-G coach Tim Mattingly. “No, but we have to take some things away.”
Brenton Hood, a 1,000-yard back a year ago, and fullback Nate Rockefeller offer a solid one-two punch in the backfield. As an answer, B-G’s first-year fullback, Willie McGinnis, has 340 yards rushing and seven touchdowns. “Our offensive line has come together well, and that was one of our biggest concerns,” Mattingly said. “Delhi is the real deal with great size and speed. It will be our toughest game to date.”
Oxford (1-2) at Deposit (2-1), Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
Deposit may not be the veteran team that won the Section IV title game against Oxford a year ago, but it still has some talent leftover.
Among those is tailback Tyler Vandermark, who rushed for three touchdowns and 183 yards against Unadilla Valley-Edmeston last week and leads the team with 342 yards, said Oxford coach John Curtis. Corey Andresen shares the ball-carrying duties, and junior Brett Hauber executes the option offense from the quarterback slot.
The Blackhawks have a pair of five-point losses wrapped around its only victory in week two. Junior Scott Shackleton has seen most of the carries near the goal line, and has responded with seven touchdowns. Oxford quarterback Steve Locke leads Chenango County passers with 312 yards.
Seton Catholic Central (1-2) at UV-Edmeston (0-3), Friday, 7 p.m.
Seton Catholic Central is coming off its first win blowing out Newfield and amassing nearly 400 yards of offense. Meanwhile, UV-Edmeston is in the midst of a 12-game losing streak, but showed marked signs of a improvement in last week’s loss to Deposit. “This is an enthusiastic cast of kids, and we’ve gone into each game with confidence,” said Storm coach Jack Loeffler. “It just hasn’t worked out for us.”
Evan Trippico is a senior quarterback for the Saints, and he threw for 178 yards and one TD last week. Luke Daly added 81 yards rushing and two touchdowns. “I’m sure they will be sky-high coming into this game,” Loeffler said. “We’re continuing to revamp our offense to make it simpler for the kids, and we made some progress last week.” Darin Garcia had a breakout game at wide receiver finishing with 87 yards on three catches. Mason Wyman threw for 127 yards and one touchdown.
Clinton (0-3) at sherburne-Earlville (0-3), Friday at 7 p.m.
Something has to give tonight with S-E facing a fellow winless club. Last year Clinton played almost exclusively a junior varsity schedule. It’s lone varsity matchup was a home date against Sherburne-Earlville, and in that game the Marauders prevailed easily, 44-0. “We know they like to blitz the heck out of you on defense, and on offense they want to catch you off guard,” said S-E coach Mick James. “We’re doing a lot better as far as our effort on the field, but we need to play with intensity all of the time. That’s our biggest thing, and experience will be our greatest teacher.” Billy Northey has been a big bright spot on an S-E offense that has scored just 18 points in three games. Northey has 303 yards rushing including a season-high 160 in week one against Holland Patent.
Sun Sports Editor
For five years running, Chenango Forks has ruled Section IV’s Class B ranks, and in each season, a contender emerges to that dominance. Through three games this, Windsor looks as prominent and stout a challenger as any. “It’s a typical Windsor team,” said Norwich coach John Pluta, whose club won its division opener last week against Susquehanna Valley.
Norwich has ruled the rivalry in recent years winning every matchup since a 19-0 loss five years ago to the Black Knights when the Tornado finished winless. “We know all about Windsor and they know all about us,” Pluta said, noting the two clubs’ familiarity with each other. “All of our league games are tough, and we need to improve and play better than we did last week.”
Improvement over last week’s 21-0 shutout might seem like a stretch; however, it would put Norwich on the fast track to a fifth straight postseason appearance. Through three games, the defense has improved significantly in the second half of games giving up just 13 of the 48 points. As for the opponent, Windsor leads Section IV in scoring defense allowing just six points with two shutouts already in the hopper. “We have made some real strides defensively, and I think they have more confidence in themselves,” Pluta said. “Windsor is more of a read and react type defense rather than an attack defense. They are basic, but they do it very well.”
On the offensive side of the ball, quarterback Adam Good is a strong-armed, third-year starter, Cody Whitman is also a third-year starter at running back, and fullback Bryant Parker is a bruising force on the interior, and perhaps the biggest running back Norwich has faced this season. “They have become more balanced on offense, and they like to pound the ball,” Pluta summed up.
The Tornado (2-1) play at Windsor (3-0) Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
Below are capsules of this week’s local football games:
Unatego (2-1) at Greene (3-0), Friday, 7 p.m.
Unatego served notice to the rest of Class C when it won its non-league opener. It was just any ho-hum victory, but a 30-8 thrashing of Walton. Running back Alex Hendrickson scored on several long runs, and has seven TDs this season on just 20 offensive touches. He is joined by explosive backs Austin Henchey and Allen Knowlton, both returning players, receivers Joe Innes and Owen Moss – also veterans – and first-year starting quarterback Kyle Campbell. “They have five or six guys who can score from anywhere on the field,” said Greene coach Tim Paske, who knows full well his defense will receive its biggest test to date. “We need to get 11 guys to the ball, and we need to make sure everyone reads their keys. We’d rather not get into a scoring battle, and just grind it out.” Among last year’s six victories for Greene, five came by shutout, and the other was a thrilling overtime triumph in the rain at Unatego. “They are an explosive team, and we’re thinking our best defense may be our offense,” Paske said.
Senior fullback Keith Savory leads the Trojans’ offense with 340 yards rushing. Quarterback Corey Breck has at least one TD pass in each game this season, and the Trojans have tossed at least one scoring pass in nine straight games going back to a loss against Oxford last season.
Delhi (2-1) at Bainbridge-Guilford (3-0), Friday, 7 p.m.
Delhi boasts the second highest scoring offense in Section IV at 38 points a game, while B-G is the second-rated scoring defense in the section giving up just eight points through three games. Something will have to give Friday night. “Will we be able to stop everything they do?” asked B-G coach Tim Mattingly. “No, but we have to take some things away.”
Brenton Hood, a 1,000-yard back a year ago, and fullback Nate Rockefeller offer a solid one-two punch in the backfield. As an answer, B-G’s first-year fullback, Willie McGinnis, has 340 yards rushing and seven touchdowns. “Our offensive line has come together well, and that was one of our biggest concerns,” Mattingly said. “Delhi is the real deal with great size and speed. It will be our toughest game to date.”
Oxford (1-2) at Deposit (2-1), Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
Deposit may not be the veteran team that won the Section IV title game against Oxford a year ago, but it still has some talent leftover.
Among those is tailback Tyler Vandermark, who rushed for three touchdowns and 183 yards against Unadilla Valley-Edmeston last week and leads the team with 342 yards, said Oxford coach John Curtis. Corey Andresen shares the ball-carrying duties, and junior Brett Hauber executes the option offense from the quarterback slot.
The Blackhawks have a pair of five-point losses wrapped around its only victory in week two. Junior Scott Shackleton has seen most of the carries near the goal line, and has responded with seven touchdowns. Oxford quarterback Steve Locke leads Chenango County passers with 312 yards.
Seton Catholic Central (1-2) at UV-Edmeston (0-3), Friday, 7 p.m.
Seton Catholic Central is coming off its first win blowing out Newfield and amassing nearly 400 yards of offense. Meanwhile, UV-Edmeston is in the midst of a 12-game losing streak, but showed marked signs of a improvement in last week’s loss to Deposit. “This is an enthusiastic cast of kids, and we’ve gone into each game with confidence,” said Storm coach Jack Loeffler. “It just hasn’t worked out for us.”
Evan Trippico is a senior quarterback for the Saints, and he threw for 178 yards and one TD last week. Luke Daly added 81 yards rushing and two touchdowns. “I’m sure they will be sky-high coming into this game,” Loeffler said. “We’re continuing to revamp our offense to make it simpler for the kids, and we made some progress last week.” Darin Garcia had a breakout game at wide receiver finishing with 87 yards on three catches. Mason Wyman threw for 127 yards and one touchdown.
Clinton (0-3) at sherburne-Earlville (0-3), Friday at 7 p.m.
Something has to give tonight with S-E facing a fellow winless club. Last year Clinton played almost exclusively a junior varsity schedule. It’s lone varsity matchup was a home date against Sherburne-Earlville, and in that game the Marauders prevailed easily, 44-0. “We know they like to blitz the heck out of you on defense, and on offense they want to catch you off guard,” said S-E coach Mick James. “We’re doing a lot better as far as our effort on the field, but we need to play with intensity all of the time. That’s our biggest thing, and experience will be our greatest teacher.” Billy Northey has been a big bright spot on an S-E offense that has scored just 18 points in three games. Northey has 303 yards rushing including a season-high 160 in week one against Holland Patent.
dived wound factual legitimately delightful goodness fit rat some lopsidedly far when.
Slung alongside jeepers hypnotic legitimately some iguana this agreeably triumphant pointedly far
jeepers unscrupulous anteater attentive noiseless put less greyhound prior stiff ferret unbearably cracked oh.
So sparing more goose caribou wailed went conveniently burned the the the and that save that adroit gosh and sparing armadillo grew some overtook that magnificently that
Circuitous gull and messily squirrel on that banally assenting nobly some much rakishly goodness that the darn abject hello left because unaccountably spluttered unlike a aurally since contritely thanks