Another Year, Another Division Title and Another IVFINAL Appearance

Delhi’s 2010 version of the Bulldogs celebrated some successes that hadn’t been seen in about a quarter century on their way to an 8-2 record and an appearance in the Section IV Class D final game.

Delhi went undefeated in divisional play and finished first in their division for the 3^rd season in a row. The last time that had been done was 1984-86, when the Bulldogs actually won 3 consecutive sectional titles. The ‘Dogs beat Walton during the regular season for the 2^nd year in a row, and that hadn’t been done since the narrow victories of ’85-86. And, the one that got a fair amount of press, Delhi beat Walton down at Jack-O’-Stadium for the first time since that 1986 season.

In addition, the 17-3 record (0.850) is the best 2 year winning percentage since that ‘85-86 era, when Delhi actually went 36-3 (0.923) from 1984 till 1987, including a 34 game winning streak. Warren Kelly and Rich Mokay led a 9-1 onslaught in ’95 and Zach Berliner and Greg Balcavage’s exploits led the ’96 team to a 7-2 record, coming close to the recent success. Note that Delhi also had a nice run in ’05-06 with a 16-5 (0.762) record and a sectional title (and 2 of the losses came to 2005 Class C state champ Sidney, with another to the sectional champ ’06 maroon Warriors). Since the inception of www.delhifootball.com in 2005, the ‘Dogs have compliled a 41-17 record (0.707).

Back to the season at hand, the Bulldogs enjoyed a fine season resulting from the contributions of some seasoned veterans and some newcomers. Senior Jack Fletcher’s 1034 rushing yards and 10 TD’s led the way, followed by senior Anthony Salerno’s leadership at QB and his 13 TD passes split up mostly between seniors Jake Sackett and Kevin O’Connell. A strong offensive line of seniors Mike Thomas, Will Effner, and Ben Cairns and juniors Micah Scobie and Brandon Snyder made it all possible. Some other juniors made an offensive impact as well, with Tom Telian and Colin Ellis splitting time at RB for another 950 yards and 11 TD’s.

The defense certainly did its part, with seniors John MacNaught, O’Connell, Sackett, Fletcher, and Thomas leading the team in tackling, and coming up with some very key stops along the way.

Delhi began the season with the first game against Unatego since the 2005 season. The struggling Spartans hosted on a beautiful Friday night, and the Bulldog’s were not polite guests, coming crashing out of the gates with a 20-0 first quarter lead. Delhi would run up 352 yards rushing, including nearly 300 (and 5 TD’s) by the trio of Fletcher, Telian, and Ellis, and the Bulldogs blew the class C team out of the water, 42-7.

Next came the home opener against a Harpursville team that had lost in week 1, but had showed some offensive potential. The offense did its work again, with Fletcher, Telian, and Ellis combining for over 300 yards. The defense was very good at times, but at others was a bit permeable to some good things going on in the Hornet offense. Delhi’s offense had an answer every time, though, and Delhi came out with a 46-22 win.

The offensive dominance was seemingly nowhere to be found on the next Friday night, however. The Bulldogs made the trip to Oxford, and it was only with the greatest effort that first downs were to be had. Delhi fought a very competitive game against the Blackhawks, with several momentum swings. After facing a 4^th quarter 14-8 deficit, Delhi managed to put together a beautiful late game drive, with some clutch runs and passes. A Salerno to O’Connell 9 yard TD pass would tie the game and send it to OT. Delhi appeared initially strong in Oxford’s possession, stopping the ‘Hawks on 2 plays for no gain. Then, however, the Oxford passing game, which had hurt Delhi all evening, cut once again with a 20 yard TD pass, and Oxford held a 7 point lead following the PAT. The Delhi offense asserted its strength at just the right time, however. Fletcher made 2 10 yard carries, the latter picking up 6 points, and the whole game came down to a single 2 point try. Delhi showed they could come through in the clutch, as a nice run fake was followed by a quick dump to a wide open Sackett, and the Delhi side went nuts with the 22-21 victory.

Delhi stood at 3-0, with a 2-0 division record, but some concerns about the pass defense came up following the Oxford game. Given Sidney’s wide open passing offense, all figured we’d expose that a bit further and really see where we were. It wasn’t a pretty sight, as the very talented maroon Warrior crew found openings all over the field against Delhi’s defense. Dylan Umbra passed for 319 yards and rushed for another 103 yards and 4 TD’s, as Sidney put 7 TD’s on the board. With Jack Fletcher missing almost the whole game with an injury, the offense never got into a real rhythm, though they were able to score on some big plays. Delhi limped off of DK field with a 50-26 loss to the eventual class C sectional finalist Warriors.

For the 3^rd week in a row, Delhi would face a strong passing team, as Seton came to town following a 233 yard airshow against a tough BG team the previous week. Seton would draw first blood with a TD pass on their 1^st possession, but the Delhi offense was able to keep the game in the ‘Dogs’ paws once again. Anthony Salerno threw 3 TD passes, including 2 to Tyler Hymers. The Saints did not want to go away, turning Delhi back on what started as a beautiful 3^rd quarter drive, and pulling within 5 on a long TD pass. Delhi picked up a big break on a Seton offensive pass interference penalty late in the game, and a few gutsy runs by Fletcher, Salerno, and Telian put the game away with Delhi on top 24-19.

It was once again that time of the fall, with Delhi making the trip down Route 10 to play yet another very tough Walton team. Walton came into the game with only a last minute loss to tough Sidney blemishing their record. Both teams were undefeated in divisional play, and the winner would be the undisputed frontrunner. Delhi made the most of the 1^st 3 quarters of the game, asserting good strength on both sides of the ball. Fletcher scored in the 1^st quarter, O’Connell caught a beauty of a TD pass on the last play of the 1^st half, and Ellis had a nice sprint to the corner to score on Delhi’s 1^st possession of the 2^nd half, and Delhi entered the final frame with a seemingly secure 20-6 lead. While Delhi did not give up, the crew in orange and black definitely got the best of the 4^th quarter, as Christian Howe scored 2 TD’s. While Delhi’s defense missed opportunities for stops on the Walton drives, they did come through at the right time, with both 2-point tries being turned back, preserving a narrow 20-18 margin. Walton would recover an on-sides kick in the final minute, but with no timeouts and little passing expertise, the Delhi defense was able to close the door, and Delhi rose from the pumpkin patch as victors.

The division title was nearly in hand, but Delhi still needed to get by a tough BG team that had very nearly knocked Walton off in week 2. The game played out as so many earlier in the season had, with many moments of Delhi dominance, but just enough inconsistency by the Bulldogs to keep the game in doubt till the end. Delhi started by making it look easy, holding BG to a 3 and out, and then scoring on the first Bulldog possession, looking like it was men against boys. It looked like Delhi would run away with it as BG immediately fumbled their ensuing snap, and Delhi’s 1^st play thereafter featured a very long run by Fletcher. Playing in a steady rain, Delhi would then fumble, however, and Delhi hit a bit of a wall. BG fought back into the game, and following a blocked field goal attempt, would score a TD after picking the ball up and running it in. Delhi scored another dominant-looking TD after the break, but BG once again had an answer to keep the score within 2. Delhi’s offense flattened at that point, while the defense stepped it up. The 2 teams traded some possessions, and BG attempted a long field goal at the end of the game. The kick was long enough, but sailed wide left, and Delhi clinched at least a share of the division title with another nail-biting win, this one 14-12.

The final regular season game was played against a Deposit-Hancock team that had struggled most of the year, but had shown a couple flashes of potential (for example, an 18-12 loss to Bainbridge). Delhi was not going to share the division title, as a dominant effort put the Eagles away very early. 2 Fletcher TD runs and 2 Sackett TD receptions gave the Bulldogs a 32-0 1^st quarter lead. Delhi did pretty much everything right in the game, coming out on top 48-6, and closing out the perfect divisional play.

Entering the sectional playoffs as the top seed from the east, Delhi travelled to Union-Endicott to face Candor’s Indians, who came in as the west’s 2^nd seed. A similar theme was played over yet again, with some strong moments of Delhi dominance, but with all rear ends firmly on the edge of the cool late October bleachers until the very end. Delhi’s 3 scoring drives in the game covered a combined 225 yards, took a combined 39 plays, and ticked off nearly half of the game clock, as the offense more than adequately played out its playoff role. Fletcher was certainly a highlight in the game, rushing for 171 yards and 2 of the TD’s. The defense mostly played well also, but a few tough plays kept the Indians in the game, as once again Delhi just couldn’t put them away. Candor suffered from a penalty flag on an apparent 89 yard punt return for a TD, and Delhi missed the chance to end it when the ‘Dogs failed to convert a 4^th and 1 from Candor’s 5 yard line late in the 4^th quarter. The Delhi defense did have one gritty stop following a Delhi fumble at their 31 yard line, getting the ball back on downs and preserving the 20-13 lead, which would hold up as the final score.

Walton suffocated Tioga in the other semifinal, and it was time for another Delhi/Walton rematch in the sectional final, the 5^th time that had happened since 1999. The unusual part about this game was that, in the previous 4 instances, Walton had won the regular season game. Delhi had won 3 of those 4 sectional finals, with Walton narrowly pulling out a 14-13 victory in 2000. Unfortunately for Bulldog fans, the perfect storm struck on this afternoon, with a spirited and mistake-free Walton squad shutting Delhi down early, and the ‘Dog passing game just not connecting the way that it had on several previous occasions. Walton opened the game with a 3^rd down 61 yard TD pass, and later hit the same play for a 66 yard TD, as Walton jumped to a 20-0 1^st quarter lead. The Delhi offense could not move at all early in the game, though things started to work a bit better in the 2^nd quarter. Telian in particular had some nice runs, as Delhi was able to get down into the red zone, but was not able to finish the job. The Walton offense was slowed a bit in the 2^nd half, but the damage was more than done, and Delhi left the Class D title in the hands of Walton on the wrong end of 42-0.

Despite the rough finish, the accomplishments of an 0.800 record, a 3^rd consecutive division title, and the 7^th appearance in the sectional final in 12 seasons told the real story of the success of the men in maroon.