1999

 

Record: 7-5

 

Key Players: Ryan Burns (QB), Jason Pardee (WR/DB), Steve Flanders (G/DT), Jerod Finkle (TB/LB), Matt Nichols (FB/LB)

 

Highlights: Delhi came into 1999 as the young and the old. Jason Pardee and Steve Flanders led a group of just 4 seniors, all of whom were very key to the season’s success. The team also featured a large group of sophomores, who 2 years later would go on to win the state championship. Brian Neale, Brett Sohns, and David Daye led this younger group.

It was a tough start for the ‘Dogs. Delhi went to Bainbridge to play a very talented BGA team. BGA’s big backs ripped Delhi, and Delhi couldn’t get anything going offensively. Delhi was boxed around like a JV team, and ended up down 33-0. It took a while for things to get better. Delhi did manage an OT win in week 2 over Hancock when Burns hit Pardee on a 15 yard strike, but Delhi lost the next 2 to Oxford and Sidney.

Things finally started to turn around for Delhi at this point. Delhi visited Greene and put in a great effort, closing the Trojans out at the end to win 21-9. A narrow win over Seton followed. Unatego then came to town, and Delhi started to look sharp, coming out a 21-7 winner after a great performance. This clinched a playoff spot for Delhi (since Sidney had lost a couple other games), but Delhi still had the season finale with Walton coming to town. Delhi did some decent things against the Warriors, but made some young mistakes, and was just slightly out of position enough times to let Walton score several long TD’s. Delhi nearly scored it’s 4th TD of the game near the end, but Walton instead intercepted a pass and took it the length of the field for a TD. Delhi came up short 52-19 after a very much mixed effort.

Delhi played Waverly in the Section IV Class C semifinals at NYSEG Stadium in Binghamton. After spotting Waverly 3 TD leads twice in the game, Delhi dominated the line of scrimmage in the second half, pushing the ball up and down the field for 4 second half TD’s. After the 3 TD first half deficits (closed to 2 just before the half on a hitch pass-pass by Pardee to Rick Luchetta), Delhi went up by 2 TD’s in the 4th quarter, and was 4 yards from going up by 3 TD’s. A fumble gave Waverly the ball back, however, and then things got interesting. Waverly drove the ball 96 yards for a TD, then later got the ball back on their own 35 with a couple minutes to play. Waverly moved the ball into Delhi territory, but the drive finally stalled on downs. Delhi came out with a 42-35 win, and a berth in the Class C final.

After a 33 point loss to Walton 2 weeks before, Delhi came into the rematch knowing it would take a superb effort. Delhi provided exactly that. Delhi held Walton to a mere 2 first downs in the first half. On offense, Finkle was sprung for a 56 yard TD on Delhi’s first play. Delhi’s offense then sputtered for a while, but began moving the ball very well late in the half. The momentum seemed to shift to begin the second half, as Delhi fumbled the ball deep in their own territory, and Walton’s Chad Conway scored a 13 yard TD to tie the game. Delhi’s offense then took over where it left off at the end of the first half however, and scored 2 TD’s, dominating the line of scrimmage. Walton answered with a long TD pass to Ryan Fletcher, but Delhi answered again with its final TD on a pass to Tom Weber (incidentally giving a TD on the season to all 4 seniors). Two long passes gave Walton another 6, but that was all they could muster, and Delhi came out a 28-18 winner in a game that was more lopsided than the score. Finkle and Matt Nichols combined for 282 yards rushing (nearly 100 more than Delhi had in total against Walton in Delhi’s state championship season’s Class C final).

After the 2 Section IV playoff games highlighted the season, Delhi went on to the Carrier Dome to play at the state level. Delhi first went up against Utica Notre Dame. After sputtering with trying to get the passing game going early on, Delhi turned to the running game, and was able to push UND around. The defense played extremely well, including a goal line stand from the 3 for 4 downs. Delhi came out a 20-9 winner.

Delhi played Salamanca in the state Class C semifinals. Salamanca came into the game ranked 1st in the state. RB Chris Drugg showed why on Salamanca’s 3rd play, taking it 54 yards for a TD. Delhi toughened up considerably, pulling to 8-6 on a Finkle 5 yard run. After giving up a long TD pass to Salamanca near the end of the half, Delhi again answered with a 4th quarter run by Luchetta. That followed a brilliant diving catch by Luchetta to put the ball at the 1. The TD brought the score to 14-12, but Salamanca would soon drop Delhi in the endzone for a safety. Delhi got another shot, but wasn’t able to do anything, and ended up on the short end of a hard fought 16-12 game.

The 1999 season could be described as Delhi’s best ever “feel good” season. After a 1-3 start, the progress made to get to the state semifinals was just phenomenal. It was incredible to see individuals come of age, and to see the team come together to be far greater than the sum of the parts.