Of all the teams to face with a playoff berth on the line, who better for Norwich to face than a team it has faced over 80 times since the 1920s?
The Tornado invade Oneonta tonight needing a win to return to the Section IV, Class B playoffs. Norwich kept its playoff hopes alive a week ago when it traveled to Windsor, and came away with a 19-8 win. A sputtering Norwich offense that is averaging less than 14 points a game, has put 40 points on the board over the last six quarters, and seems to be finding the right mix of running plays, while sprinkling in timely passes. “I told the kids this week that this is the defining moment of our season...besides being a rivalry game,” said Norwich second-year head coach John Martinson.
Norwich, after an opening-game victory against Whitney Point, lost four of five games at one point. The defense hung fairly tough, but the offense – except for the lone win over Sus Valley – put up around 10 points a game. The Tornado found something against Johnson City in the second half, and maintained that success against Windsor. “The offensive line is really starting to jell,” Martinson said. “As a coaching staff, we understand the mentality of this team and what we do well. Defensively, I can’t ask for more out of that side of the ball. We’re playing with great discipline, and the defense had kept us in a lot of games.”
In Oneonta, Norwich faces a club that has had more ups and downs that your typical rollercoaster ride. The ‘Jackets started the season with an impressive 40-27 win over highly regarded Greene. Book-ending that game was a lopsided 40-8 road loss to Susquehanna Valley a week ago – a team Norwich handled, 33-6. “It’s hard to tell what you’ll see (from Oneonta),” Martinson said. “We’re preparing for them to play their best game.”
The Yellowjackets are led by running back Bryce Wooden, who returns from last year. The ‘Jackets are also comfortable within their home confines with two of their three wins on Lloyd Baker Field, and the lone loss was a competitive 34-24 defeat to Johnson City.
“For us, the playoff season started last week, and making the playoffs was an expectation for these guys,” Martinson said. “The four teams we lost too are all quality programs, and we want a second chance at teams like Johnson City and Chenango Valley. The second season really starts Friday at Oneonta, and our goal is to be Section IV champions.”
UV-Edmeston (4-3) at Chenango Forks (7-0), Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
It’s no secret that Chenango Forks will try to impose its will on UV-Edmeston Saturday by establishing the running game and winning the line of scrimmage. “I’ve told my kids that they are a very well coached team and a well-run organization,” said UV-E coach Stan Foulds. “They run the ball as well as anybody, and they can throw it too. We are preparing our kids to stop the run, and teaching them how to defend the option.”
Despite losing two of the last three games, the Storm have had their three best games running the ball averaging 255 yards per game on the ground. Brett Gage had three straight 100-yard games, and fullback Will Westbrook has averaged over 60 yards rushing per game during that stint.
“I’ve said that we would love to be the spoiler, and this team has the ability and talent to do it,” Foulds said. “We need to have the same intensity that we played with against Greene.”
Unatego (0-7) at Bainbridge-Guilford (4-3), Friday, 7 p.m
Bainbridge-Guilford has checked into Heartbreak Hotel three times this season losing three games that came down to the final seconds, and are playing the final two games without the possibility of making the playoffs. On the line, though, is clinching a fifth straight winning season under head coach Tim Mattingly.
Facing a winless Unatego team tonight that is giving up nearly 40 points a game, the odds seem to be in the Bobcats’ favor. “They’re an 0-7 team coming to our place with nothing to lose,” Mattingly said. “We expect them to play good football. We need to make sure we’re ready and rise to the occasion. We can’t get caught up in their record, and we won’t take them lightly.”
After ripping through defenses gaining over 1,000 yards in his first six games, senior Dakota Vandermark was held to 29 yards by Delhi. Vandermark is just shy of 1,100 yards, and needs to average around 120 yards a game rushing the next two games to eclipse the school record of 1,332 yards set by John Stevens in 2000.
Oxford (3-4) at Harpursville, (3-4), Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
These are two teams headed in opposite directions. They’re also two clubs who have gone about winning – and losing – in totally different ways.
