Summarizing the 2008 gridiron accomplishments begins with the outstanding season turned in by the Greene Trojans.
Greene won its second division title in three years, and set a team record with nine wins in advancing to the Section IV, Class C championship game. Over a three-year period, the Trojans have lost just one home game, and have made the playoffs three straight times – five overall since the onset of sectional playoffs in 1993.
The Trojans head up our 20-person all-star contingent with eight selections. Leading the way is three-time all-star Nate Whittaker, one of the premier athletes in the area.
Elsewhere, Bainbridge-Guilford posted its third straight winning campaign under head coach Tim Mattingly, while qualifying for the Class D playoffs.
We’ve encapsuled each team’s highlights, and on today’s sports pages are photos and summaries of each all-star selection:

Bainbridge-Guilford
The Bobcats had a proven commodity in 1,000-yard rusher Dustin Ross, but had plenty of question marks that could have offset Ross. “Obviously, Justin Pepper came in at quarterback and filled a huge void,” Mattingly said. “He played well for us, and Brad Hurlburt played big and improved. I would have to say the biggest thing was our young line coming along and exceeding expectations. There was a question mark as to how well they would jell, and they improved by leaps and bounds.”

Greene
The Trojans not only established a modern-day record for wins, but the 35.1 points scored per game is also believed a team record – at least in recent history, said head coach Tim Paske. “We had an explosive offense, and defensively this was one of the two or three best teams we’ve had here in several years,” Paske noted. “The biggest thing is we didn’t have one or two top superstars, and the kids bought into that philosophy. They didn’t care who got the credit or who scored the touchdowns as long as the team had success.”

Norwich
Norwich had its second straight six-win season, but again found itself on the outside of the playoffs mix for a third straight season. Of note, the Tornado posted the second-best scoring defense in Chenango County giving up 14.4 points a game, and the most impressive win was easily the 14-9 road victory over Section III champion and state Class B finalist, Oneida. “That was a game we dominated, and I guess it summed up our year,” said Norwich coach John Pluta. “The game was closer than what it should have been due to some uncharacteristic mistakes.” Norwich also defeated Waverly on the road giving it the rare distinction of holding victories over two Class B sectional champions.

Oxford
The Blackhawks fell back to a two-win season, although it did sport the number two rusher in Chenango County, senior Travis Frank. The Blackhawks also had the receiving yards leader among area players in junior Jeremy Nelson. Nelson averaged 30 yards per catch totaling 450 yards.

Sherburne-Earlville
The Marauders’ seasonal performance was a decisive split between the first five games in which it won three games and averaging 19 points a tilt, versus the final four in which it was shutout the final three contests and scored just one touchdown over the last 16 quarters. Despite a nasty ankle injury, one that will likely require surgery, senior Nate Kline posted a 778-yard rushing effort. Too, senior receiver Phil Price was second in the area with 430 yards receiving and 19 catches.

Unadilla Valley-Edmeston
The Storm finished with their second winless campaign in four seasons, and did not place any players on our 2008 all-star team. UV-E finished with 9.2 points scored per game and gave up 29.1 points a contest.