Section 9 Class C Championship

‘Dawgs’ inhabit cloud nine one more time

Sullivan West rules Section 9 Class C with a convincing win over Tri-Valley

By RICHARD A. ROSS

KINGSTON, NY — When it mattered the most, Sullivan West proved it was the best of the Class C lot. After starting its season with an ignominious 62-6 loss to Delhi, it capped off its Section 9 run on November 6 with a resounding 34-7 defeat of Tri-Valley, a team that recently dashed its hopes for a league title. After that loss bruised their pride, the Bulldogs got the payback they worked for and the Class C Section 9 title they sought from day one.

It was the third Section 9 title won by the Bulldogs in their nascent five-year history, including a Class C title in 2000 and last year’s Class B crown.

Putting the recent 20-17 overtime league loss in the rearview mirror, the Bulldogs went to school on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball during rigorous practice sessions.

The results were immediately evident. After Tri-Valley won the toss and elected to defer, Sullivan West marched 70 yards in nine plays for their first score. Along the way, quarterback Jim Moloney hit wideout Paul Pitz in the flat for a big gain. And while the Bears expected to see a heavy dose of Steve Daley and Jim Erlwein, the Bulldogs unleashed their first new wrinkle, the Leewe factor.

Using tremendous blocking up front by their interior lineman, the Bulldogs sprung Leewe twice in the series. The first carry was for 14 yards and the second for a six-yard touchdown. In just over three minutes, the Bulldogs led 7-0, after Brett Youmans’ point after touchdown (PAT).

Tri-Valley, which is a talented and resilient team, figured to get even on their first series.

What they encountered instead was a rabid Dawgs’ defense that hit like there was no tomorrow.

Standout running back Danny Knox was the first recipient of the Dawg demolition derby. He was hurt on the kickoff return and banged around on subsequent carries. After the Bears had some success running Ryan Van Lieu, Pitz came up big by knocking down a pass by Joe Garigliano to end the series.

Yeomans’ kickoff return brought it out to the 45-yard line, and it took only three plays for the Dawgs to bite again. On a third-and-15 play, Moloney hit Yeomans on a short pass to the outside. As Garigliano and Danny Walter went to corner him, Yeomans juked to the inside and headed outside instead. Up the sideline, he ran 65 yards for the score at 5:27 of the first quarter. He punctuated it with a PAT and the Dawgs led 14-0.

Back on defense, the Bulldogs were relentless. Controlling the line of scrimmage with their size and intensity, they met ball carriers with furious licks and harried Garigliano while the defensive backs did a good job of knocking down his passes.

During the course of the afternoon, they sacked him seven times, including five in the first half alone. Alan Ackermann decked him in the Bears’ next series after Daley broke up a pass play.

The Bulldogs drove it down to the six with savvy runs by Daley and Moloney, but a fourth-down pass to Daley went low, and the Bears got it back on downs.

The defense proved ironclad and Garigliano punted from the end zone. The Dawgs got the ball at the 26. Leewe got seven yards to start the short drive and Daley capped it with a 19-yard touchdown, leaping over Walter and eluding Garigliano. The Dawgs led 20-0 as a bad snap ruined the PAT.

Though Knox was hurt, he proved he could still be a factor. Catching a pass at the 35, he galloped 85 yards for the longest touchdown run in Class C history. James Connolly’s PAT made it 20-7 and the Bears were threatening.

After a fired up Brian Hubbert returned the kickoff to the Bears’ 35, the drive stalled when Walter intercepted a Moloney pass in the end zone. A late hit added 15 yards with the Bears back at work at the 35. A run by Van Lieu got a first down, but Hubbert’s alert tackle on a screen pass stopped a potential big play. A sack of Garigliano doused the drive, and the Dawgs got it back on downs.

The Bears’ last gasp of the half ended with an interception by Pitz. The Bulldogs led 20-7 but Tri-Valley would receive the ball, and there was a lot of game left.

A flubbed kick gave the Bears the ball at their own 45 to start the second half, and a pass to Walter in the flat kept the drive moving. Knox carried the ball for nine yards, and Garigliano got them a first down at the 26. Knox was forced to leave the game with a knee injury.

Coach Dave Viglione said after the game that he would never risk the future health of a player by keeping him in after a serious injury. Van Lieu took it to the 19, and the Bulldog fans started to sweat. Another sack of Garigliano and a subsequent pass batted down by Hubbert ended the threat.

Leewe drove the ball to the Bears’ 35 behind a stellar block from Moloney. Daley got another 25, and Erlwein rumbled 12 yards for the touchdown at 7:57 of the third quarter. The Dawgs led 27-7 after the Yeomans’ conversion.

Without Knox, the Bears were hampered even more. Their series were short, and Sullivan West took to a pounding running game led by Daley and Erlwein. In a drive that bridged the third and fourth quarters, the Dawgs went 90 yards in 14 plays as Moloney scored on a one-yard keeper to end the scoring at 34-7. Yeomans split the uprights again.

Garigliano got a late pass deep to Connolly and it looked like the Bears would score in the waning seconds, but the Bulldogs resolved to deny that possibility. The clock expired with Tri-Valley on the doorstep.

At the post-game awards ceremony, Moloney was cited as the game’s offensive Most Valuable Player. He completed four of eight passes for 125 yards. He passed for one touchdown and ran for another. Nick Cassidy of Tri-Valley received the award for the best defensive player. The Bulldogs got to take home another trophy as Section 9 champs.

Sullivan West seniors put the win in perspective. Erlwein noted that this game had great significance because, “we knew if we won we could go further. Besides, we were here last year to play in the regionals and we wanted to get back.”

Youmans pointed to the team’s defensive intensity. “Hubbert was in there firing up the line. We had a lot of hard practices and it paid off,” he said. Daley gave credit to the line. “They did a great job of blocking. We were really fired up today and came out ready to play.”

Head coach Ron Bauer echoed those thoughts. “We played a great game today, and we changed up some of our offense as well as our defensive coverage. I would say we were more determined than we were two weeks ago when we lost to Tri-Valley.”

Tri-Valley coach Dave Viglione expressed his pride in his team’s accomplishments. “We were smaller than eight of the ten teams we played this year, but these kids won six games and never quit. Give Sullivan West credit. They got on us early and used their size and strength advantage. They constructed a great game plan, lined up and pounded on us. It was their day.”

Asked about Knox, Viglione noted that though Danny would probably hate him for weeks, he wasn’t about to risk the star athlete’s promising future in a high school football game. As to the team’s future, Viglione noted, “You can’t replace a Danny Knox or a Joe Garigliano, but we’ve got some good young kids coming up. We’ve just got to get stronger; you could see that tonight.” Tri-Valley, the defending Class C champion ended its season at 6-4. Sullivan West will play Section One’s Dobbs Ferry on Friday November 11 at 3:00 p.m. at Dietz Stadium. Undefeated, Dobbs Ferry is the number-one ranked Class C team in the state.

Bulldog stat line: Erlwein had 13 carries for 128 yards and a TD; Daley had 18 carries for 92 yards and a TD; Leewe had eight carries for 76 yards and a TD. The team totaled 304 yards on 57 carries. Will Schlott and Hubbert each recorded two sacks and Ackermann had another.