We’re just getting over the hump of this year’s football season as tonight’s action commences the fifth weekend of gridiron action.

At this point of the season, some area teams are already fighting for their playoff lives. Bainbridge-Guilford, with two last-minute division losses in the last three weeks, if fighting against mathematical probabilities, and needs to upend Oxford on the road. Oxford, meanwhile, needs to win the rest of its games, and hope that the tiebreakers line up favorably.

In Class B, Norwich can gain a stronghold on repeating as division champions with a home victory over Chenango Valley. The Tornado already beat the only other team in the division with a winning record, but may find the Warriors a much more difficult task.

Unadilla Valley-Edmeston, since joining Section IV division play in Class C, has never talked playoffs at this point of the season. The Storm’s last winning season was six years ago playing an independent schedule, and UV-E has just one Class C, Division V win – and that was last week against Greene. Sidney invades UV-E territory tonight, and brings with it a high-powered offense along with an unbeaten record. “We want to be aggressive, get some defensive stops early, and set the tone,” said Storm head coach Stan Foulds.

Greene stumbled at UV-Edmeston last week, but can get back on track tonight against winless Unatego. Lastly, Sherburne-Earlville has never made the Section III football playoffs, but can make serious inroads toward ending that drought with a win on the road Saturday afternoon in Clinton.

Below are a look at this week’s games:

Sidney (4-0) at Unadilla Valley-Edmeston (3-1), Friday, 7 p.m.

For arounds two-thirds of its existence as a football program, Unadilla Valley-Edmeston has not played games within Section IV conference play, and not once in those other years have the Storm competed on the field in a game with division and playoff implications.

Coming off a 14-7 division win over Greene a week ago, UV-E finds itself in the position of playoff contender, and it entertains offensive powerhouse Sidney tonight. The Warriors and quarterback Dylan Umbra are among the highest scoring teams in Section IV. Umbra has back-to-back 300-yard passing games, and led his team to an impressive 50-26 win over Delhi last year. “Take nothing away from their quarterback and team,” said UV-E coach Stan Foulds. “The quarterback has a heck of an arm and he runs tough. They look pretty good.”

Foulds knows his defense has quite a chore to slow down the Umbra-led Sidney offense, and no team has had much more than limited success in containing the Warriors. “We have to be really aggressive, stay at home, do our jobs, and our guys need to know who they have in coverage,” Foulds said.

Foulds has taken note of the varying amounts of success other teams have had this season against Sidney. Walton played a good defensive first half against Sidney, and Delhi was able to move the ball effectively against the Warriors’ defense. “This is just another huge game,” Foulds said. “They’re getting bigger and bigger every week. They (the team) believe and they’re pumped. They know what winning tastes like, and they’re building on it.”

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Bainbridge-Guilford (2-2) at Oxford (3-1), Friday, 7 p.m.

Bainbridge-Guilford eliminated Oxford from postseason contention last season. In all likelihood, the loser of tonight’s contest at Oxford will be eliminated from Class C postseason play.

“Oxford is very physical and they’re more athletic than they have been in the past,” said B-G coach Tim Mattingly. “They pound the ball right at you. We have to stop their run, but Wonka (John) is a good passer, and it looks like Golden (Andrew) is their number one target.”

The Bobcats counter Oxford with the area’s top rusher, Dakota Vandermark, who has 610 yards and six scores. Billy Holden complements Vandermark as a powerful inside runner.

In a way, the two clubs are mirror images with Oxford’s Paul Wonka cast in the role of Vandermark, and Booker Davis as Holden. Wonka had a career-high 208 yards and three scores last week. “It’s going to be quite a battle and tough,” Mattingly. “They’re a good team – disciplined and athletic.”

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Chenango Valley (1-0, 3-1) at Norwich (1-0, 2-2), Friday, 7 p.m.