As we head into the playoffs, Rich Arnott checks in with his latest Section 9 football rankings.
CLASS AA/A
1. CORNWALL: Shutting out a very strong Wallkill offense while spotting 49 points on the board themselves provides enough evidence that the Class A Division Two champions have entered playoff mode. In two weeks, Cornwall will host the loser of Warwick @ Minisink in the semifinals.
- MINISINK: The Warriors controlled the Port Jervis rushing game which went a long way toward the 28-14 win in a big matchup to break the bottle of champagne on the new Glennette Field turf. Back to Class A business, MV certainly wants to clinch the A-1 division over Warwick to set up a grudge match with Our Lady of Lourdes in the semifinals.
- NEWBURGH: The Goldbacks continued their mastery over archrival Kingston to take a 62-52-5 all-time lead in a series that dates back to the inauguration of Kingston High School in 1915. NFA holds a 4-1 league record and the winner of Monroe-Woodbury @ Middletown will tie them with that same mark. Newburgh will get the top seed heading toward the Class AA playoffs if Middletown wins that game. Otherwise, M-W gets #1 and the Goldbacks would still host a semifinal as second seed.
- WARWICK: The Wildcats usually keep comfortable because the high-powered offense provides enough of a cushion when the defense stumbles. While remaining the only unbeaten team in Section Nine at 8-0, Warwick will enter the A-1 championship game as an underdog to Minisink. We’ll see if the Wildcat defense makes the stops.
- MONROE-WOODBURY: Nate Coulanges and his teammates brought M-W back to the win column at Valley Central. To further convince the local worrywarts about their recovery, they’ll have to deal with a surging Middletown team at Faller. A win means the division crown in AA along with the top postseason seed. The #1 will host a semifinal against the winner of Pine Bush @ Kingston, which earns that winner the fourth…
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