A mere 18 days ago, young football players stepped on to the football practice field for the first time. Last weekend, teams got a taste of hitting someone other than their own teammate in controlled scrimmages. And tonight, the 2014 high school football season opens across New York State.
The scrimmages were the first indicators for a coach to determine any strengths or weaknesses. On offense, the playbook was limited to the most vanilla of plays, just in case any opponents were scouting the scrimmages. And for the defenses, it was much the same approach with few blitzes, stunts, and confusing pass coverages.
We asked all six of our area coaches what they thought of their respective scrimmages, and all six found positives to build on for the regular season.
"I thought the first team handled itself well, especially on the line," said Sherburne-Earlville coach Mike Jasper, whose club posted the area’s best winning percentage last year with a 7-1 record.
Sherburne-Earlville was at the same scrimmage as Norwich and Walton. Norwich's second-year head coach, Mike Chrystie, liked the early execution of his offense. "Sherburne-Earlville and Walton are physical teams, and I thought we moved it well against both of them," Chrystie said.
Greene and Oxford were also at the same scrimmage, and both clubs are coming off less-than-satisfying seasons in 2013. At least on defense, both head coaches were pleased.
"We were very strong defensively in our scrimmage, and we'll need to be again against Windsor," said Greene coach Dave Gorton.
Jeff Newton, the lone rookie varsity coach among Chenango County mentors, had to do some wholesale juggling of his players due to injuries and player absences. Those changes didn't seem to affect the defense.
"We swarmed to the ball and had a lot of good hitting," Newton said of the defense. "Defense was definitely our highlight of our scrimmage."
Bainbridge-Guilford is usually known for its physical play, but head coach Tim Mattingly said his team wasn't its usual self. Still, he liked what he saw from his sophomore quarterback, Austin Carr. "We were pretty happy with how Austin performed, and we were happy with a couple other guys," Mattingly said.
At Unadilla Valley, head coach Mark Segina used several combinations of players, and believes his team is where it needs to be for the opening game. "The offensive line did very well, and our thought our receivers ran tight routes and performed their role," Segina said. "Seniors Hank deGlee, Alex Avolio, and Richie Conklin performed above my expectations, and I'm proud of how they have stepped up into leadership roles."

Five of the six scheduled games this weekend are slated for Friday, below is a brief look at each matchup:

Binghamton at Norwich, Friday, 7 p.m.
Norwich had non-league games with Class A schools Union-Endicott and Vestal last season, and tonight it matches up with one of the largest schools in Section IV. Chrystie said Binghamton is loaded with athletes in the skill positions, and containing those athletes - as well as limiting the big players - will be a key to victory. "This is the best I've felt about a team opening the season," Chrystie said. "If we take care of the ball, make our offense work, and don't give up the big play, I think we have a good shot."

Oxford at Elmira Notre Dame, Friday, 7 p.m.
The Blackhawks are serious road warriors in week one as they travel over an hour and a half for a meeting with Elmira Notre Dame. In the Crusaders, Oxford will see nearly a mirror image. "They're a good team and young like us," Newton said. "In order to beat them, it will come down to our defense playing assignment football. Pretty much our defense will determine if we win or lose."

Sherburne-Earlville at Tully, Friday, 7 p.m.
A year ago, Tully made the Section III playoffs with a 5-3 record, but one of those defeats was a blowout - and shutout - loss to Sherburne-Earlville.
The Marauders lost their fair share of quality players, but so did Tully. "Tully's coach has turned the program around, and we fully expect them to be prepared for us," Jasper said. "We've stressed to the kids that we have to limit our mistakes, and avoid the silly mistakes that can deflate teams. If we do that, I think we'll be in good shape."

Windsor at Greene, Friday, 7 p.m.
Greene dropped six of its last seven games last season, and one of those defeats was a shutout to Windsor. As always, the Black Knights will be bolstered by tremendous size, and feature a smash-mouth running attack. Gorton says his team needs to be equal to the task with the physical play. "If we take care of the football and finish players, we can compete with them. We are looking forward to the test."

Unadilla Valley at Moravia, Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
Unadilla Valley opened its 2013 season with a home loss to Moravia, one in which it didn't score an offensive touchdown. Moravia set the tone early in last year's contest with a strong running game, and Segina knows Moravia will likely attempt the same tack tomorrow. "I'm sure they will try to test our ability to stop the outside running game," Segina said. "I hate to sound cliche, but we'll need to stop that running game with our front seven, and the defensive backs need to be alert to quick passes that can catch you off guard."