Greene head football coach Tim Paske is always looking for ways to find inspiration. Not just for himself, but for his players. He has created numerous team-bonding activities over the years, among those being movie night. Paske went a step further Wednesday night when he traveled to Cortland for a speech by Herman Boone. Boone was the central character in the 2000 movie “Remember the Titans,” starring Denzel Washington. Boone headed up a football team that brought together white and black players at recently-integrated T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Va. The central theme of the movie revolved around the area’s still-pervasive racism, and the bonding of players – black and white – through football.
“It was great. Two of my coaches and two of my players, Dan Treadwell and Garrett Huttleston, went with me to hear (Boone) speak,” Paske said. “Coach Boone had some great stories to share and did a tremendous job of relating the movie to today, and how it still impacts people. I enjoyed his presentation and wished that more players would have gone, but I didn't hear about it until Tuesday night and let the players know on Wednesday. It made me want to watch the movie again because now I have a different perspective on what truly happened. Coach Boone is a very inspirational man.”
---
Six games are on tap this weekend, and all but one have playoff implications for our area teams. Please read on for a look at each matchup:
Norwich (4-1) at Johnson City (5-0), Saturday, 1:30 p.m. (at Binghamton)
Norwich will likely take the field Saturday at Johnson City as an underdog, that despite back-to-back wins in which it ran for nearly 300 yards in each game. In JC, Norwich faces a defense that has allowed just over eight points per game. It’s also a club that beat Sidney 73-14 the first week of the season. Yes, that same Sidney team that defeated Norwich, 12-6. “They have a lot of speed, they’re big and physical, and they definitely come after you,” said Norwich coach John Martinson.
In his third season with Norwich, Martinson is 0-3 against the Wildcats. Two of those losses came in 2009, the latter a 20-6 playoff loss. Last year, Norwich rallied in the second half only to lose 24-21. “I think this will definitely be our strongest test,” Martinson said “You’re looking at the two first-place teams in Class B, and we’re preparing as if this is a playoff game. We hope to play Johnson City in the playoffs, and we’re going down there with the confidence and attitude to beat them. If we go in just thinking we might win, we won’t.”
Canastota (3-3 at S-E (5-1). Friday, 7 p.m.
The stakes are as high as they have ever been for Sherburne-Earlville since rejoining Section III nine years ago. The Marauders play for their first division championship, and with a win, would host a Class C playoff game next week. With a loss, the potential of a three-way first-place tie looms. “The tie-breaking system gets really complicated, but we are the only team that controls our destiny,” said S-E coach Mike Jasper. “We just need to go out and win the game.” Since Jasper arrived at S-E six seasons ago (the last three as head coach), his Marauders have not beaten Canastota. Last year, S-E was routed by the Raiders in week one, but went on to win six of the next eight games. The Marauders have adopted the downhill running approach on offense that ended with five straight victories. If not for a second-half collaspe in a loss to Frankfort-Schuyler in week one, the Marauders could be in the midst of an 11-game winning streak. “We’re certainly playing well, and we’ve really emphasized the team approach,” Jasper said. “We just ask that guys play their position, and not try to do too much. We expect (tonight) to be a pretty good challenge. Canastota doesn’t run as much spread stuff as the other teams we play. They want to pound it at you and run some play-action. They’re also very good defensively – very similar to us.”[
Defensively, S-E is giving up just 10 points a game, second in the area, and it is allowing an area-low 89 yards rushing per game. On the flip side, the Marauders are averaging 257 yards rushing per game. All three of its starting running backs – Cory Musician, Devven Ferris, and Austin Jasper – have over 400 yards rushing. Musician leads the way with 558 yards.
