Paint Your (Hay)Wagons

It’s a slightly different flavor, but it is déjà vu all over again, as Delhi and Walton will play for a Section IV football title for the 5^th time since 1999. The 2 teams played twice in each of those seasons (1999, 2000, 2001, 2006, and 2010). 2010 marks the first season, however, where Delhi won the regular season matchup. So far, Delhi is 1-4 in the regular season matchups and 3-1 in the finals.

The winner will face the winner of the Section III Class D Championship game between Onondaga (8-1) and Sandy Creek (7-2), which will be played Friday at the Carrier Dome at 5 pm. The Walton/Delhi vs. Onondaga/Sandy Creek game will be played Friday November 12 at East Syracuse-Minoa High School at 5 pm.

Below is a brief recap of the previous 9 chapters to this Delhi/Walton saga…

1999 Round 1 – Walton came to Delhi at 7-0 and ranked #1 in NYS Class C. Delhi, recovering well from a tough 1-3 start, came in at 4-3, with a playoff spot already secured. Delhi was hit and miss, while Walton was mostly strong. Delhi was able to put 3 scores in against Walton’s great defense, but some turnovers and some other plays where Delhi was just a tad too slow led to a slew of Walton points. Following a Walton 99 yard interception return for a TD on the last play, Delhi came out on the wrong side of 52-19.

1999 Round 2 – 2 weeks after the first meeting, Walton continued to look strong with a solid defeat of Trumansburg in the semi, though they did give up a good number of passing yards. Delhi had come back from 2 different 3 TD deficits to beat Waverly 42-35 in their semi, on the back of a dominating performance by the offensive line and running backs. Played at Mets Stadium in Binghamton, Delhi’s defense was suffocating through most of the Walton game, including holding the Warriors to 2 first downs in the first half. Delhi scored on their first play from scrimmage on a 54 yard Jared Finkle run. After stalling for a little over a quarter and a half, Delhi began moving the ball well late in the 2^nd quarter, and on into the 2^nd half. Delhi would score 3 more TD’s on some great balanced drives, with RB’s Finkle and Matt Nichols getting most of the yards. Walton did stay close by scoring following a Delhi fumble, on a long pass play, and on another 2 long pass plays, but the game was firmly in Delhi’s hands for most of the 4^th quarter. Delhi had slain the giant with a 28-18 win.

2000 Round 1 –Walton once again came into the game undefeated and highly ranked, while Delhi came in at 4-2 following losses to BGA and Greene. The 2 teams played the first of several downright incredible games. After Walton went up 16-0, Delhi came right back with 2 TD passes from Chris Clark to Rick Luchetta and a 52 yard TD run by Brian Neale. Walton responded with a nice drive to retake the lead, but then Clark hit Luchetta with another beauty of a ball to give Delhi the lead late in the 4^th. After Luchetta picked off a Walton pass, it seemed like the game was over. Walton had other ideas, however, and held Delhi to regain possession with 20 seconds left. A long pass gave Walton one shot from the 2 yard line, and FB Mike Grossman got it done for the Warriors on the game’s last play, resulting in a 28-26 Delhi loss.

2000 Round 2 – The Bulldogs looked for redemption following the last second loss. Playing the Section IV Class C final in Walton, the 2 teams would again put on a show like no other. Delhi went up in the 1^st quarter on a 19 yard TD pass from Clark to TE David Daye. Walton took the lead in the 4^th quarter following a Delhi fumble, an 8 yard Ryan Fletcher TD run, and a 2 point pass. Delhi then brought the ball 75 yards down the field, and, on 4^th and goal from the 28, Daye pulled in a tipped ball in the front left corner of the end zone for a 13-8 lead. 3 ½ minutes remained in the game, and Delhi needed a big stop to win another trip to states. Unfortunately, star LB Brian Neale had left with a bad knee in the 3^rd quarter (before Walton’s 1^st TD), and that proved to be the difference. Walton drove the ball 64 yards in those final minutes, scoring on a 1 yard Fletcher run with 11 seconds left for the 2^nd heartbreaking defeat for the Bulldogs.

2001 Round 1 – Delhi came into the game undefeated and looking like the team to beat, ranked 3^rd in the state in class C. Walton had an early season loss to a tough Oneonta team, and was ranked 9^th in class C. The game was the last of the regular season and was for the division title. Played in Delhi in front of a huge crowd, the 2 teams put up round 3 of a heartstopper. Delhi penetrated Walton’s 20 yard line on 4 occasions in the game, but was only able to come up with one TD, a 16 yard pass from Chris Clark to Mike Barnes. Delhi’s defense held Walton in check most of the game, but Walton’s opening drive of the 2^nd half had more success. Kirk Fletcher was used several times on quick hitting dive plays, and the Warriors were able to drive it down for a Jeff Shelton TD run. Delhi’s final penetration came right at the end of the game, when they brought the ball down to a 1^st and goal from the 5. The Warriors held, and Delhi missed their 2^nd field goal of the day to end the game. Despite outgaining Walton 283-160, Delhi came out on the wrong side of 8-6, and hearts were broken once more.

2001 Round 2 – After blasting through the playoffs with great authority, the Warriors and Bulldogs met their destiny, to face each other once again in the Section IV Class C final at UE High School. Following extreme frustration in the 3 previous meetings, the Bulldogs were finally able to put together a solid 4 quarter performance. Delhi held Walton to 71 first half yards, and were able to score another Clark to Barnes TD for a 6-0 halftime lead. Walton went for broke in the 2^nd half, going to a shotgun set rarely seen from the Warriors. RB Chris Conway moved to QB, and hit 8 for 14 passes for 155 yards and a TD. Delhi still managed to get the better of the half, however, as a TD pass to David Daye and a Sohns TD run in the 4^th quarter were still more than Walton could muster, and the ‘Dogs came out on top 20-6. Delhi would of course go on to win the Class C state title that season.

2006 Round 1 – A season after a great 8-2 showing where Delhi’s only losses were to Class C state champ Sidney, hopes were high for the Bulldogs, especially with the move down to Class D and the return of players like Brenton Hood, Nate Rockefeller, and Jeff Daye. Walton looked to be their typical selves, and the 2 teams looked to top the division charts once again. Played in Walton, Delhi shot themselves in the foot with some mistakes, including an interception returned for a Walton TD, a clipping penalty on an apparent 82 yard Chad Rockefeller TD run, and a holding penalty that killed a drive near the end of the game. Delhi again outgained Walton, this time 211-139, but a 4^th quarter Walton TD pass was the difference, and Delhi’s woes in the pumpkin patch were continued, as Delhi went down 14-6.

2006 Round 2 – Delhi began to come together a bit better later in the season, with a strong win over Oxford and a 28-11 authoritative win over previously undefeated Candor in the Class D semifinal. Walton came into the game even a bit hotter, having won their semi against Newfield by a 38-0 margin. Played on a brisk evening at UE High School, the game started out somewhat slow, with the teams trading a couple possessions. Near the end of the 1^st quarter, QB Pat O’Connell was able to find Devon Bedient all alone on a seam pattern for a 38 yard TD which would break the game open. The teams then turned the game into a bit of a turnover-fest, as they combined for 8 losses. Delhi got the better of it, however, as they came up with 5 Walton balls, and scored on 4 1^st half turnovers. James Card and Nate Rockefeller each scored 2 TD’s as Delhi rolled. It was very close to being even worse, as Ryan Weale took off on an apparent long TD run before inexplicably fumbling the ball mid-run with no one touching him, and Walton recovered. Walton was held to 146 total yards, and were shut out for the 1^st time since the 1995 40-0 loss at the hands of the Bulldogs. Delhi was once again the champs with a 34-0 win.

2010 Round 1 – Delhi and Walton came into the game with a combined 3 losses to Class C powers Sidney and Chenango Forks. Both teams had won some very tight division games, while winning a bit bigger in others. The 2 appeared to be slight favorites in the division, and the winner would have a much easier path to the title. Delhi jumped out to an early lead. Delhi scored following an early Walton fumble, and looked somewhat dominant in the early going. Delhi scored on a beauty of a 4^th down pass from Anthony Salerno to Kevin O’Connell to end the 1^st half. Delhi also scored on the 1^st possession of the 3^rd quarter, opening up a 20-6 lead, which would hold into the 4^th quarter. Walton then put 2 good TD drives together in the late 4^th quarter, however, quickly evaporating the Delhi lead. Delhi came through on the 2 point attempts, however, preserving the lead. Walton would recover an onsides kick with under a minute to play, but was not able to advance further, and Delhi came out with a 20-18 victory.

2010 Round 2 – ???