We’ve Got Your Back

Tomorrow we enter our 9^th season of playoffs in the last 11 years. I might write some more on this with some related stats in the coming weeks if we continue to win, we’ll see. It really is impressive the level of success we’ve had at the sectional level, especially considering how few divisional titles we’ve had during that time.

It’s the playoffs, and the game is now different. We had some close calls over the last few weeks, and, while we did pass those tests, we also were not faced with the pressure that we face at this time – the pressure that if we lose, we are done for the year, and the seniors will have played their last game. But that is the way it should be. Being the playoffs, it’s time to separate the wheat from the chaff. It’s time to find out who can get it done when it is time to get it done. Let’s hope that we can pass that test. Everything is more difficult now, which is as it should be.

Things get more difficult in other ways as well. The small schools in the western half of Section IV have been greatly blessed with a crop of super running backs this year. In class C, there is Gorman from Waverly and French from Newark Valley. In class D, there is Reed from Groton, and of course the young man we’ll be facing this weekend, Josh Manuel from Tioga. All 4 of these guys have been having a super season, and all 4 have propelled their teams to the playoffs.

While we of course have the concern of finding ways to come up with more first downs, more clutch first downs, and more points, I also think we are going to be really challenged now with needing to step up to stop these backs. Obviously we’ve done a great job against the run so far….we’ve been very tough to block, and we are good at getting into position and making the play. It is amazing though how silly a good back can make you look. Two cases come to mind here…..one was last year against Groton. We had tackled well most of the year, but Groton’s Reed and Randall were so hard for us to bring down. When we could get a couple guys there we were ok, but when it was one on one, it was much tougher. Groton was able to get a significant number of first downs, and of course Reed broke a big one near the end that busted the game open. The other case was in the state championship season in 2001. In the state semi we played Salamanca, and they had a back named Dustin Ross (not to be confused with BG’s speedster from a year ago). He was probably around 200 lbs, and he was literally bouncing off of our defenders, even our most studly ones. We were able to keep him in check and win by 3 TD’s, but still, his effort by himself was enough to give us worries.

This is my concern for this week and if we are fortunate enough to make the final. We’ve done so well defensively so far, but we just have not come up against backs of this caliber. Hanley from Walton is probably the best we’ve faced, and he is pretty good, but Manuel was the 2^nd leading rusher in Section IV last season. You know he can do he can do some special things.

So, here we are in the playoffs with 2 big things to think about as a team. Winners find ways to succeed in these things. Let’s hope we can.

Home, not so sweet home – it might be tempting complain that we don’t have a home game for the playoffs. For classes C and D, Section IV officials made the decision to have both rounds of the playoffs in the Binghamton area, given the long distances between the eastern and western schools. This might not be the year to complain, however. In 4 home games this year, Delhi has scored a measly 44 points, or only 6 TD’s! By contrast, we’ve scored 128 in 4 away games this year. Last season, we scored 44 or more in 2 individual home games, with a total of 135 DK Field points. I don’t know if it’s more who we played, or if it is anything about the comforts of our home field, but I for one hope our offense has more the kind of success that we’ve had at other fields.

The dream picking season continues, with a strong 18-4 (0.818) performance last week. 2009 total is 153-33 (0.823). With just this week and then IVFINALS to pick, I will need to screw up REALLY badly to lose my elite 0.800 status. But let’s just say it’s not beyond my reach. I’m actually at a loss picking some of this week’s games…..I feel pretty good about the playoffs actually, it’s the others that have me scratching my head for some reason. But, no time to be a coward, I boldly pick…..Unatego over Hancock, Oxford over Moravia, Vestal over Owego, Trumansburg over Odessa-Montour, Sus Valley over Dryden, Greene over Chenango Valley, Seton over Lansing, Southern Springs over Candor, Harpursville over SVE, Whitney Point over Deposit, Edison over Watkins Glen, Windsor over Sidney, (now the playoffs) Binghamton over Horseheads, Corning West over Southside, Johnson City over Norwich, Maine Endwell over Oneonta (could be closer than expected though, Oneonta is looking tougher), Walton over Newark Valley, Forks over Waverly (bit of revenge after last year), Groton over BG, UE over Ithaca, and Corning East over EFA.

Let the dance begin!