Week three brings local grid fans into heated division battles, and a potential game of the week is Sidney’s home matchup against Chenango County’s 12th-ranked Greene Trojans.
Greene’s current ranking, although completely subjective, may be the program’s highest in statewide Class C in school history.
Week one’s 37-0 shellacking of Oxford set the early tone, and last week’s 36-22 win over Tioga is a wee bit deceiving. The Trojans led 36-6 early in the third quarter before head coach Tim Paske flooded the field with reserves.
Sidney counters with two equally impressive wins routing Section III’s Mount Markham, a playoff team a year ago, and Delhi. “They have a good group returning up front (on the offensive line), and that’s a key to any team’s success,” said Greene’s Paske.
The Trojans handled Sidney a season ago with relative ease, but that was before the Warriors began to jell. Sidney finished with three wins over the final four games, and is off to a hot start this season.
Perhaps the biggest addition to Sidney’s roster is senior Mike Guerriere, who transferred from the soccer program. Already the leading soccer scorer in school history, he has made a name for himself on the football field with breakaway running speed and a booming leg on kickoffs. He also has a 47-yard field goal to his credit. “Guerriere’s probably one of the fastest kids we’ll see this year, and he’s a weapon on special teams,” Paske said. “We hope he only gets to kick off just once.”
The Trojans’ precision passing game crossed up Tioga last week, and combined with a sturdy offensive line opening big holes to move the ball at will. Over a period of four quarters – the last two of the Oxford game and first two of Tioga – Greene scored touchdowns on eight of nine possessions.
“I think everything starts up front, and I like group we have,” Paske said. “The offensive line is doing a great job executing on game day, and we have good leaders there. We want to compete for a division title, and this is our first stepping stone.”
Elsewhere this week, Norwich hosts Chenango Valley in a Class B division matchup; UV-Edmeston entertains Harpursville this evening, Oxford invites Lansing to town; and Sherburne-Earlville hosts a Section III division game against Mount Markham. Saturday, Bainbridge-Guilford travels to Deposit.

Chenango Valley (0-0, 1-1) at Norwich (0-0, 2-0), Friday, 7 p.m.
After years of dominating the rivalry, Norwich has dropped the last two meetings to the Warriors, who went on to earn a wild-card bid in the Section IV, Class B playoffs. The Tornado should have no difficulty getting up for the Warriors in their first division game of the season, and will attempt to get off to a better start. Over the first two games, Norwich has scored 26 of its 38 points in the fourth quarter, none in the third quarter, and one touchdown apiece in the first and second quarters.
Brian Stinson is the Warriors’ top returning rusher, although he doesn’t lead the team in that category. That distinction belongs to Devin Carroll, who is averaging a modest 56 yards rushing per game. CV picked up its first win a week ago against Sus Valley (17-10), and has a defeat to Corning West (21-18) in week one.
Norwich is led by junior running back Paddy Law, who has 141 yards rushing. Quarterback Tim Clark is completing 60 percent of his passes for 175 yards and three TDs.

Mount Markham (0-2) at Sherburne-Earlville (1-1), Friday, 7 p.m.
As recently as last November, Mount Markham was among the best Class C teams in the state. The Mustangs led eventual state champion Bishop Ludden by 20 points before dropping a Section III final. “They have kids that are used to winning,” said S-E coach Mickey James. “They lost most of their good kids, but they have a real good running back. They play hard and I expect they will come right at us.”
Mount Markham’s two losses were to Clinton (10-0) and Sidney (37-6) in week one.
The Marauders, meanwhile, evened their record with a two-touchdown win over UV-Edmeston in the slop and rain last Friday. Logan Klockowski’s two TD passes to Phil Price highlighted the win. “We’re playing a lot harder as a team, and we have to execute on both sides of the ball,” James said. “Last year when we won, it was like a surprise. This year, we walked off the field without the same emotion. We expected to win.”
Senior Nate Kline has 214 yards rushing through two games, second in Chenango County.

Lansing (1-1) at Oxford (0-2), Friday, 7 p.m.
Both of Lansing’s games this season were decided by three points. Last week’s 15-12 non-league win over Odessa-Montour preceded a 23-20 defeat to local rival Dryden. “Lansing has had athletes as far back as I can remember, and this year is no different,” said Oxford coach Mike Chrystie.
Lansing is another difficult non-league game for the Blackhawks, who were outscored by a combined 73-15 in two defeats. “We’re hoping these tough non-division games will make us better once we get into division play,” Chrystie said. “We don’t need to be undefeated going into division play, but we need to continue improving.”
Travis Frank leads the Oxford rushing attack with 90 yards and two TDS, while Jeremy Nelson has a team-high five catches for 82 yards from starting quarterback John Wonka.

Harpursville (1-1) at UV-Edmeston (0-2), Friday, 7 p.m.
Harpursville returns some key components in the backfield from last year’s team that defeated the Storm, 20-14, in triple overtime. UV-E head coach Jack Loeffler recalled last year’s game, and felt his club controlled most of the contest and held a wide margin in total yardage. “They were just able to capitalize more on the short field (in overtime),” Loeffler said.
UV-E has played nearly straight-up in the total yardage battle over two weeks, and has clearly led in time of possession. Those yards and hoarding of clock time, however, have yielded just two touchdowns against a less-than-gaudy eight turnovers and 15 penalties. “Physically we’re just fine, but I think (mistakes) are becoming a mental thing,” Loeffler said of the miscues. “I think we’ve been as tough as anyone we’ve played, and we just need to forget what has happened, go to the line of scrimmage, and do our jobs.”
The Storm’s backfield of quarterback Jordan Williams, and running backs Eric Bennett and Jay Lloyd have all performed to expectations, and junior fullback Tyler Foulds, injured last week, is expected to return with a soft cast on his wrist. “We hoped to start 3-0, but the best we can do now is 1-2. This (game) could be a big confidence builder,” Loeffler said.

Bainbridge-Guilford (2-0) at Deposit (0-2), Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
B-G head coach Tim Mattingly is not deceived by Deposit’s inauspicious start. The numbers back Mattingly up: Both of the Lumberjacks’ losses were by a touchdown or less, and last week’s two-point defeat came in overtime by virtue of a missed two-point conversion. “They graduated some key playes, but they are still big and physical,” Mattingly said. “Both of their games could have gone either way.”
Although buoyed by two non-division wins, the Bobcats are facing their first division test. “It’s a whole new ballgame now, and our goal is make the playoffs,” Mattingly said. “We expect a tough game.”
B-G senior running back Dustin Ross has 370 rushing yards to lead all Section IV rushers. Quarterback Justin Pepper has done a bang-up job as a first-year starter. He has a TD pass and a TD rush in each game. J.J. Banta also has a pair of TD catches spelling injured starting receiver Dustin Rutz.