For many area schools, the preliminaries are over, and it's now time to get down the business of division games.
One school that has yet to play a division game is Norwich. The Tornado (0-2), though, will likely get a sense of where they stand amongst the Class B pool when they host three-time Section IV and three-time defending state champion Maine-Endwell tonight at 7 p.m.
The Spartans (2-0) have played Norwich three times over the past two seasons, and not one of the contests – all M-E wins – was decided by less than five touchdowns.
"From what they've built the last three years, they won't go away soon," said Norwich coach Mike Chrystie of the Spartans. "The kids replacing the kids that graduated, many have gone through the championships, and have bought in to what they are doing. (Maine-Endwell) is the standard for Section IV Class B until someone knocks them off."
Unlike its usual blowout wins, Maine-Endwell has won its first two games by "relatively comfortable" margins. A much-improved Susquehanna Valley team pushed the Spartans deep into the fourth quarter until a fourth-quarter touchdown sealed the Spartans' 27-14 win.
Norwich, meanwhile, has struggled at producing consistent offense. It was good for two quarters in the opening game against Binghamton, and good for two quarters against Owego last week.
"We've struggled with consistency on offense, and Owego was much more physical than we thought they would be," Chrystie said. ""We're trying to get more people involved in the offense so we can take the pressure off of our defense."
When it comes to game planning for Maine-Endwell, Chrystie said he has his team focusing on itself first. "We wanted to improve each week, and we didn't improve last week," Chrystie said. "Win or lose this week, we're looking to become a better football team as we go into division play."
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Oxford (1-1) at Whitney Point (1-1), Friday, 7 p.m.
Whitney Point is hauling in portable lights for a rare Friday night home game. The Golden Eagles evened their record a week ago beating Delhi, 21-8, and feature a straight-ahead power rushing attack.
Unlike Oxford's most recent opponent, Dryden, who also favored a power running attack, head coach Jeff Newton said that Whitney Point does not have the same type of running backs as Dryden. "It's power football (the way Whitney Point plays), but Dryden was a really physical team that dominated us up front," Newton said. "We've shored things up and moved people around. We're putting kids in the positions they need to be."
Newton also shuffled his offense and has some skill position players in different spots this week. About his offense, he feels equally comfortable running or throwing the ball. "We'll take what their defense gives us, and we have to take away their smash-mouth football right from the start," he said.
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Sauquoit Valley (1-1) at Sherburne-Earlville (2-0), Friday, 7 p.m.
The Marauders entered the Class C state rankings at the number 13 spot this week on the strength of their 40-21 win over General Brown a week ago. The Marauders are one of four teams in their division with a state ranking along with Utica Notre Dame, Frankfort-Schuyler, and Herkimer. While that win last week was nice, S-E head coach Mike Jasper knows his team has a tough road ahead.
