Week 1: High School football returns to Chenango County
Friday nights lights, or in some cases Saturdays, are back in Chenango County as the 2019 high school football season kicks off with four seems hitting the gridiron – Norwich, Bainbridge-Guilford, Greene and Harpursville/Afton.
Unadilla Valley, Oxford and Sherburne-Earlville are all members of Section III and Section IV’s 8-man leagues and are still in the preseason weeks as started practices a week ago. All three teams will see their first on-field action during scrimmage week September 14 with week one of the season to follow.
Norwich starts the season at the Dome in a Section IV versus Section III matchup, Bainbridge-Guilford and Greene open the year with a Class D division cross-over game and Harpursville/Afton is set for a non-divisional clash with Delhi.
Below are previews for week one action:
Norwich vs Indian River
At The Dome on Saturday, Kickoff at 7 p.m.
Under seventh year head coach Mike Chrystie, Norwich will take on Section III Class A Indian River in an exciting experience at the Dome in Syracuse Saturday night to kickoff the 2019 season for the Purple Tornado squad.
After finishing 6-4 in 2018, Norwich looks to return to the Section IV Class B playoffs but will have a tough test against the New York State Class A semifinalist Warriors of Indian River.
“Indian River has been very successful in the recent past,” said Chrystie. “They are a very physical team who wants to establish the run. They well coached and will play very aggressive.”
The head coach noted his group of guys will have to execute this week’s game plan instilled by the coaching staff, who have spent many days and nights breaking down film, with effort and technique.
“Week one against an opponent we have never seen can be challenging, especially against a program like Indian River,” Chrystie said. “If we can get our athletes in space and make big plays when they present themselves, we should have success Saturday night.”
It has been 20 years since Norwich last played in the Dome. The last team to play there for the Purple Tornado: the 1999 Section IV champions. “Playing in the dome has added a new level of excitement for our kids and I am excited for them to have this amazing experience.”
Bainbridge-Guilford vs Moravia
Home on Friday, Kickoff at 7 p.m.
A rematch from 2018’s week eight contest, the Bobcats will host the Moravia Blue Devils in the Friday night season opener.
“We have a lot of young guys who are getting their first chance to play under the lights Friday night,” said head coach Israel Lorimer. “While many of these kids are nervous, it is a good feeling as our Bobcats are prepared, focused and excited for our season opener.”
The week eight match up last season ended with Moravia walking away with a 26-6 victory, handing B-G their fourth straight loss to the season. Lorimer contributed to 20-point loss to the six turnovers by his team during the game.
“First and foremost, we have to take care of the ball against Moravia,” said the fourth-year head coach
Offensively, B-G could face their 5-2/cover-2 defense that Lorimer and his coaching staff have seen the Blue Devils play on film. “Unless Moravia strays away from this defense, we are expecting to have a big ground game against them,” Lorimer said.
The Bobcats’ coach did say if their opponent does throw a different defense at Bainbridge-Guilford or make an adjustment at some point in the game, his guys are prepared to switch their offensive scheme as well.
Lorimer stated Moravia favors a spread offense and will look to try to get outside and down the field, which is different compared to the power styled offense the Blue Devils ran a season ago. The Bobcats’ will look to control the outside of the field and limit their ground game against the spread.
Greene at Deposit/Hancock
Away on Friday, Kickoff at 7 p.m.
The last time the Greene Trojans and the Deposit/Hancock Eagles met was in 2017 where Greene came away with a seven point win. The two teams have met twice in the past five years in a division crossover game and have split the wins.
The Trojans will look take the upper hand in the series by taking care of the ball on offense while forcing the opponent to turn the ball over with the stingy defensive scheme planned for Friday night, according to Dave Gorton, Greene’s seventh-year head coach.
“We expect to see a ground attack with some play action deep throws mixed in from Deposit/Hancock,” said Gorton “Offensively, taking care of the ball will be key. If we do that, we plan on letting our speed give us some big plays down field and hopefully return home with a win in week one.”
The Trojans head coach said that his players are very excited to finally play a game this week. “The preseason is short for a coach but long for the players,” said Gorton. “They can’t wait for kickoff Friday night.”
Harpursville/Afton vs Delhi
Home on Saturday, Kickoff at 1:30 p.m.
Second-year head coach Brian Minster and his Harpursville/Afton Hornets team open the 2019 season at home with the Delhi Bulldogs in a Class C-Class D matchup Saturday afternoon.
The two teams met on the gridiron in week two last year and the Hornets snuck away with the seven-point victory for one the two wins in 2018.
Looking to start the 2019 campaign off with a win, a season where the Minster and his guys looking to improve their win column, Harpursville/Afton needs to limit the mental errors. The head coach, however, does know that it is week one of the season the mistakes are inevitable.
“It’s week one and every team is going to make some mistakes and not look as crisp as they would like,” said the Hornets’ head coach. “As long as we stay focused and play hard relentless football for four quarters, we will be ok.
Minster noted Delhi started to mix up the offensive scheme towards the end of last season and he expects to see the same this year as the Bulldogs ended up putting more points on the scoreboard each game. “[Delhi] return a lot of starters and their kids play hard,” Minster said. “They are going to come out pumped up to try and get a win on our field. I believe we are very prepared to prevent that from happening.
With week one finally here for the head coach and his squad, Minster commented that the kids, staff and parents put in the hard work that was necessary in the offseason to be competitive in 2019.
“As we approach week one, I can see the excitement,” said Minster. “The players have been cranking it up a notch each practice and the energy from the coaches is just pouring out. The parents are showing up early to catch a glimpse of the 2019 Hornets. The time has finally come to see off-season work pay off.”
Unadilla Valley, Oxford and Sherburne-Earlville are all members of Section III and Section IV’s 8-man leagues and are still in the preseason weeks as started practices a week ago. All three teams will see their first on-field action during scrimmage week September 14 with week one of the season to follow.
Norwich starts the season at the Dome in a Section IV versus Section III matchup, Bainbridge-Guilford and Greene open the year with a Class D division cross-over game and Harpursville/Afton is set for a non-divisional clash with Delhi.
Below are previews for week one action:
Norwich vs Indian River
At The Dome on Saturday, Kickoff at 7 p.m.
Under seventh year head coach Mike Chrystie, Norwich will take on Section III Class A Indian River in an exciting experience at the Dome in Syracuse Saturday night to kickoff the 2019 season for the Purple Tornado squad.
After finishing 6-4 in 2018, Norwich looks to return to the Section IV Class B playoffs but will have a tough test against the New York State Class A semifinalist Warriors of Indian River.
“Indian River has been very successful in the recent past,” said Chrystie. “They are a very physical team who wants to establish the run. They well coached and will play very aggressive.”
The head coach noted his group of guys will have to execute this week’s game plan instilled by the coaching staff, who have spent many days and nights breaking down film, with effort and technique.
“Week one against an opponent we have never seen can be challenging, especially against a program like Indian River,” Chrystie said. “If we can get our athletes in space and make big plays when they present themselves, we should have success Saturday night.”
It has been 20 years since Norwich last played in the Dome. The last team to play there for the Purple Tornado: the 1999 Section IV champions. “Playing in the dome has added a new level of excitement for our kids and I am excited for them to have this amazing experience.”
Bainbridge-Guilford vs Moravia
Home on Friday, Kickoff at 7 p.m.
A rematch from 2018’s week eight contest, the Bobcats will host the Moravia Blue Devils in the Friday night season opener.
“We have a lot of young guys who are getting their first chance to play under the lights Friday night,” said head coach Israel Lorimer. “While many of these kids are nervous, it is a good feeling as our Bobcats are prepared, focused and excited for our season opener.”
The week eight match up last season ended with Moravia walking away with a 26-6 victory, handing B-G their fourth straight loss to the season. Lorimer contributed to 20-point loss to the six turnovers by his team during the game.
“First and foremost, we have to take care of the ball against Moravia,” said the fourth-year head coach
Offensively, B-G could face their 5-2/cover-2 defense that Lorimer and his coaching staff have seen the Blue Devils play on film. “Unless Moravia strays away from this defense, we are expecting to have a big ground game against them,” Lorimer said.
The Bobcats’ coach did say if their opponent does throw a different defense at Bainbridge-Guilford or make an adjustment at some point in the game, his guys are prepared to switch their offensive scheme as well.
Lorimer stated Moravia favors a spread offense and will look to try to get outside and down the field, which is different compared to the power styled offense the Blue Devils ran a season ago. The Bobcats’ will look to control the outside of the field and limit their ground game against the spread.
Greene at Deposit/Hancock
Away on Friday, Kickoff at 7 p.m.
The last time the Greene Trojans and the Deposit/Hancock Eagles met was in 2017 where Greene came away with a seven point win. The two teams have met twice in the past five years in a division crossover game and have split the wins.
The Trojans will look take the upper hand in the series by taking care of the ball on offense while forcing the opponent to turn the ball over with the stingy defensive scheme planned for Friday night, according to Dave Gorton, Greene’s seventh-year head coach.
“We expect to see a ground attack with some play action deep throws mixed in from Deposit/Hancock,” said Gorton “Offensively, taking care of the ball will be key. If we do that, we plan on letting our speed give us some big plays down field and hopefully return home with a win in week one.”
The Trojans head coach said that his players are very excited to finally play a game this week. “The preseason is short for a coach but long for the players,” said Gorton. “They can’t wait for kickoff Friday night.”
Harpursville/Afton vs Delhi
Home on Saturday, Kickoff at 1:30 p.m.
Second-year head coach Brian Minster and his Harpursville/Afton Hornets team open the 2019 season at home with the Delhi Bulldogs in a Class C-Class D matchup Saturday afternoon.
The two teams met on the gridiron in week two last year and the Hornets snuck away with the seven-point victory for one the two wins in 2018.
Looking to start the 2019 campaign off with a win, a season where the Minster and his guys looking to improve their win column, Harpursville/Afton needs to limit the mental errors. The head coach, however, does know that it is week one of the season the mistakes are inevitable.
“It’s week one and every team is going to make some mistakes and not look as crisp as they would like,” said the Hornets’ head coach. “As long as we stay focused and play hard relentless football for four quarters, we will be ok.
Minster noted Delhi started to mix up the offensive scheme towards the end of last season and he expects to see the same this year as the Bulldogs ended up putting more points on the scoreboard each game. “[Delhi] return a lot of starters and their kids play hard,” Minster said. “They are going to come out pumped up to try and get a win on our field. I believe we are very prepared to prevent that from happening.
With week one finally here for the head coach and his squad, Minster commented that the kids, staff and parents put in the hard work that was necessary in the offseason to be competitive in 2019.
“As we approach week one, I can see the excitement,” said Minster. “The players have been cranking it up a notch each practice and the energy from the coaches is just pouring out. The parents are showing up early to catch a glimpse of the 2019 Hornets. The time has finally come to see off-season work pay off.”
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