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The Delhi Bulldogs -
2001 New York State Class C Football Champions Coming
soon (hopefully), season statistics
Links to the 2001 season articles from the Oneonta Daily Star are at the bottom of this page.
BY MIKE MANGAN The Bulldogs scored touchdowns on their first
four possessions, then withstood several rally attempts by Section 2's
Cambridge to sew up a 39-21 victory and their
Brian Neale ran for three touchdowns and 185 yards -- part of a 302-yard rushing effort by Delhi (12-1) at the Carrier Dome. "It's something you never dare think about," Delhi coach Dave Kelly said of winning a state title. "A lot of times we know we're going to have a tough time just getting out of Section 4. So for us to reach this point, it's just a great situation." It appeared Delhi was in control after Neale's 3-yard touchdown run with 1:18 left in the first half helped provide a 25-7 cushion. But Cambridge twice cut the lead to 11 in the second half -- the second time on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Zack Luke to Justin Alexander with 11:25 left in the fourth quarter -- and the Indians had a chance to move even closer. But on a fourth-and-9 play from Delhi's 11-yard line with about six minutes left, Tom Tuthill picked off a Luke pass in the left corner of the end zone, preserving the Bulldogs' 32-21 lead. The interception was Tuthill's second of the game and 10th of the season, setting a school record. "I thought I would either knock it down or try to catch it," Tuthill said. "I figured, 'Why not catch it?' " Neale then put the game out of reach, capping an 80-yard drive with a 24-yard TD run with 1:55 remaining. Neale was selected as the game's Most Valuable Player by the NYSPHSAA. It was a fitting ending for Neale, a senior fullback whose hard-nosed style is symbolic of Delhi's brand of football. "This was definitely the best game I've ever played," Neale said. "Our coaches did a great job scouting their defense, finding where the holes might be, and my line was able to get their blocks." Cambridge (12-1) had no answer for the Delhi offense, which piled up 409 yards. A good chunk of those yards came during a first half in which Delhi played nearly flawless football. After the Indians went three-and-out on their first possession, Delhi went 64 yards on 11 plays -- including a pair of fourth-down conversions. Chris Barnes scored on a 5-yard run to put the Bulldogs ahead 6-0 with 4:32 left in the first quarter. Cambridge turned the ball over on its next possession, as a Luke pass was picked off by Barnes near midfield. Delhi then drove 52 yards in 11 plays, capped by a 3-yard touchdown run from Neale, for a 12-0 advantage with 10:55 remaining before halftime. Another interception, this one by Tuthill, set up Delhi at its 38. After a 1-yard gain by Neale, quarterback Chris Clark found Matt Outsen open near the Cambridge 35, and Outsen ran untouched into the end zone for a 61-yard scoring play that put Delhi up 19-0 with 3:24 left in the half. "It was suppose to be a flood play to [Brett] Sohns, but I saw that [Outsen] was wide open," Clark said. "I underthrew him by a lot, but I had to try to get it to him." After running just nine plays on its first three possessions, Cambridge finally put a drive together, going 72 yards on 13 plays. Included was a 21-yard completion to the Delhi 18 by Luke to Brian Harrington on fourth-and-16. Brandon Seeley scored on a 2-yard run as the Indians trimmed their deficit to 19-7 with 3:24 remaining in the half. But Delhi answered with a 66-yard drive, highlighted by a pair of Clark completions -- among them a perfectly placed, 33-yard pass to Barnes near the right sideline that put the Bulldogs on Cambridge's 7. Neale went in from 3 yards to close the drive. "You always hope you can move the ball as well as we did in the first half," Kelly said. "We shocked Salamanca [28-8 in the semifinals] doing the same thing. "The thing is, we've blocked people pretty well the whole year, and though these two teams are good, you think, 'We've got a chance to block these guys.' " Cambridge coach Doug Luke knew his team would have trouble stopping Delhi, but he felt the Indians' biggest problem was their multitude of mistakes. "I don't care if kids throw interceptions or if kids fumble, that happens," Luke said. "We had too many mental breakdowns today, and against a team like this, you're in trouble." The championship is especially rewarding for Kelly, who has won over 200 games in a high school coaching career spanning more than three decades. But he's not about to look at his legacy any differently. "I coach because it's the only thing left I can do in athletics, going out on Saturdays and seeing if what I've taught the kids works," Kelly said, then added with a chuckle, "I pretty much leave all that other stuff to other people."
POST-GAME AWARDSMost Valuable Player, Brian Neale (Delhi) Most Valuable Offensive Lineman, Bill Shaw (Delhi) Most Valuable Offensive Back, Chris Clark (Delhi) Most Valuable Defensive Lineman, Adam Burr (Cambridge) Most Valuable Defensive Back, Tom Tuthill (Delhi) Run down, run over Cambridge falls in state title game before Delhi's big line, churning backs By BILL ARSENAULT, Staff writer - Albany Times-Union Delhi 39, Cambridge 21 SYRACUSE -- The Cambridge High football team ran into a buzz saw in the state Class C state championships and had its bid for glory fall short. Delhi High of Section IV (Binghamton area) showed plenty of poise on offense and plenty of big plays on defense to stuff the Indians 39-21 before a crowd of better than 6,000 Saturday at the Carrier Dome. Cambridge, which finished at 12-1, fell behind
25-7 at the half. But the Indians scored a touchdown in the third
quarter and another in the fourth to get back in the game.
Delhi, which also finished at 12-1, was making its first-ever start in the state finals. Cambridge had captured a state Class D title in 1999. "Delhi came out strong and you could tell they wanted it,'' Cambridge senior Aaron Burton said. "We never quit and there was no doubt in my mind that we could come back. But that was a good team we faced today.'' Delhi didn't feel comfortable until senior running back Brian Neale scored his third touchdown of the game with 1:55 remaining. "We knew Cambridge wasn't going to quit,'' Delhi senior quarterback Chris Clark said. "We knew we had to keep on scoring.'' The victory is easily the biggest in the 36-year career of head coach Dave Kelly. Kelly has no thoughts of going out on top. "I think that teaching and working with the kids is the most important thing,'' he said. "I don't believe in going out a winner. I still love what I'm doing.'' Delhi has 17 seniors on its squad and quarterback Clark and running backs Neale and Brett Sohns are outstanding. Clark hit 3 of 5 passes for 107 yards and a 61-yard touchdown pass to Matt Outsen, who was 20 yards past any Cambridge defender. "The main thing is that I didn't want to overthrow him,'' Clark said. Delhi has a big offensive line and Neale (179 yards on 30 carries) and Sohns (75 on 13) took advantage of that. "Delhi just overpowered us,'' Cambridge coach Doug Luke said. "Their line was not only big, but it was quick, too.'' The Bulldogs took the opening kickoff and went 64 yards in 11 plays. Mike Barnes scored from the 5. The extra point kick was wide left. "Them missing the extra point was the only good thing about that drive,'' Luke said. Cambridge's freshman quarterback Zack Luke got a bad break on the next series. His second down pass bounced off a receiver and Barnes came up with the interception. Twelve plays later, early in the second quarter, Neale scored on a 3-yard run. Clark's 61-yarder to Outsen and Keith Dolezel's extra point made it 19-0. Cambridge settled down on its next series and got on the board when Brandon Seeley's 2-yard run ended a 13-play, 78-yard drive. Seeley had runs of 12 and 26 yards during the drive and Luke hit Brian Harrington with a pair of key passes. But Delhi came right back with a scoring drive of its own, the Bulldogs getting on the board on Neale's 3-yard run with 1:18 left in the half. Chad Clark scored from 4 yards out early in the third quarter and Cambridge cut the lead to 25-14. But once again, the Bulldogs cut Cambridge's momentum. They drove 63 yards, mainly on the running of Sohns, and scored on Clark's 2-yard run on a keeper play when the Cambridge defense stormed in to stop Neale inside. Luke hit Justin Alexander for a 31-yard score early in the fourth quarter. But the next drive fell short and Delhi put the game away. "We made lots of mistakes today,'' coach Luke said. "We didn't get a lot of breaks, but good teams make their own breaks. And Delhi definitely is a good football team.'' The game was the final one for 11 Cambridge seniors. "We worked our hearts out all season long,'' said senior Adam Burr, named the top defensive player in the game. "We stuck together all season long. We never gave up. It's just unfortunate we couldn't win this one.''
Oneonta Daily Star articles from the 2001 season:
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last update on August 08, 2006 |
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first
New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class C
championship.
Then, with
the score 32-21, Cambridge moved toward the Delhi goal only to have a
fourth
down pass intercepted in the end zone to end the threat.
