Since New York State unveiled its full-scale football tournament in 1993, Norwich has made itself a regular visitor to the postseason.
Along the way, the Tornado won two section titles, and have made the playoffs at least half of those 21 years. This year marks the sixth straight year the Tornado advanced to the postseason, a reward for capturing the Section IV Division III title.
Yet in the previous five years, the purple and white-clad gridders have won just one playoff game.
"We've talked this week about not being satisfied by just making the playoffs," said Norwich second-year coach Mike Chrystie.
Chrystie's club has won five straight games after an 0-3 start, and hosts Johnson City (5-3) tonight at 7 p.m. It's the second straight season these two clubs will square off in the first round of the Class B playoffs, and last year JC eliminated Norwich, 35-14. In fact, NHS’s last two losses of the 2013 season were to the Wildcats.
"You look for every piece of motivation that you can each week, but this game is separate from last year," Chrystie said. "There are kids back from last year, but we have new guys, and they have new guys."
The Wildcats have had an up-and-down season in winning five of eight games. JC was routed by Chenango Forks and Maine-Endwell, and was blanked by Susquehanna Valley. On the flip side, it has victories over Binghamton and Owego, two clubs that beat Norwich early in the season.
Last week, Johnson City racked up nearly 500 yards of total offense in a win over Owego that clinched a playoff berth. Dominick Nadz, a 200-pound junior running back, leads the offensive attack, but Chrystie said Nadz is just one of many weapons the Wildcats possess.
"We'll have to stop Nadz running between the tackles, but if we do that, it seems like Johnson City has someone else they can plug in who is just as athletic," the NHS coach said. "We need to get 11 people to the ball, dominate the line of scrimmage, and tackle well. Tackling has been a point of emphasis this week."
Norwich was more opportunistic than dominant in last week's 38-12 victory over Oneonta. It was perhaps the lone time in the five-game winning streak where Norwich reverted to its early-season inconsistency on offense.
Chrystie said his club cannot repeat its performance from the previous week if it hopes to advance.
"We know from here on out, every team we play will be a good opponent," he said. "We'll have to play well if we want to win."
Both clubs have shown flashes of brilliance this season mixed with some head-scratching moments. Norwich may be a slight underdog here, but we'll side with the club playing at home.
Prediction: Norwich
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The final regular season game pits Greene at Harpursville/Afton on Saturday. Below is a look at that game:

Greene (3-5) at Harpursville/Afton (4-4), Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
Harpursville/Afton suffered a lopsided setback last week in the first round of the playoffs to Unatego/Franklin giving up a whopping 60 points. But the Hornets still remain dangerous behind do-everything quarterback Devon Dean. "Dean is definitely the key to their offense, so we need to contain him," said Greene coach Dave Gorton. "We've been playing great defense for a few weeks, so I'm optimistic that we can."
Greene has won three of four including a victory over Class C division champion Lansing. In those three victories, it has one shutout, and has allowed a single touchdown in the other two contests.
What the Trojans have done better in the second half of the season is finish drives, and they scored 34 points last week against Whiney Point, the team's highest point total since a 2013 week one victory over Bainbridge-Guilford. "It's very important for us to finish the season with a win and send our seniors out on a high note," Gorton said. "Our team is very confident now, and is excited to play another playoff opponent."
Greene is playing the best football in Class C or D outside of perhaps Chenango Forks and Tioga, so we like the Trojans to continue that hot play tomorrow.
Prediction: Greene