Dream on?

No post-season play for some teams that hoped to contend while others still look to make their run

By RICHARD A. ROSS

JEFFERSONVILLE, NY — Fall is glorious in its splendor. A palette of colored leaves, a steel blue sky and the half light of a waning day can form the backdrop of photographs that capture that resplendent glory forever.

But fall does not stand still. It quickly fades.

Just one cold night or a strong wind and the leaves are gone, reminding us that nothing is permanent. Fall’s short tenure is a prelude for times to come, the bitter cold days of winter, the warm days of spring and the halcyon days of summer.

We cannot stem the tide of passing time nor can we predict what that passage will bring. Like the changing seasons, though, we can count on contrasts, joy and sorrow, plenitude and deficit, realized dreams and moments of disappointment.

This preamble about seasons and life lessons seeks to put into perspective the lost opportunity to reach the post-season experienced by some county teams that are now eliminated. By the end of this week, the list will expand.

Here are the details.

Exit wounds

Liberty’s girls were eliminated by their 1-1 tie against Sullivan West on October 16. Sullivan West scored on a goal by Kayla Olsen at 8:01 of the first period assisted by Sarah Shirdon. Liberty tied it with an unassisted goal from Rebecca Scherer, her 15th of the season. Read “Dream deferred,” on riverreportersports.com soccer page for the full story. Sullivan West remained in contention pending the outcome of league games against O’Neill and Burke.

Liberty’s boys soccer team failed to return to the sectionals following their 4-1 loss to O’Neill on October 17. That defeat came on the heels of losses to Fallsburg and Burke. The Indians ended up 2-4-2 in their division.

Sullivan West’s boys lost to Burke 4-3 on October 17, bringing their league mark to 2-4-1. Even a win in their final game at O’Neill on October 21 would not give them a .500 league record. In the game against Burke, Eric Minton scored two goals and Logan Grishaber had one.

Liberty’s football team failed to make the playoffs as its third-quarter 20-7 lead over Millbrook melted to a 30-20 loss. Liberty needed to win the game by 10 points and then beat Ellenville next week to qualify.

Dead or alive?

Fallsburg’s boys soccer team suffered a blow in its bid to return to sectionals on October 15 as Sullivan West stormed back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the game in regulation and won it 3-2 in overtime with a goal by Logan Grishaber. Fallsburg got goals from Julio Deras and Chris Elliott. Sullivan West’s goals came from Eric Minton, Alex Lander and Grishaber. Read the story entitled “Afterlife” on riverreportersports.com. Fallsburg needed to beat Burke on October 21 to reach the postseason. Failure to do so would consign them to the list of the fallen.

Eldred or Livingston Manor/Roscoe’s football team will advance to the Class D playoffs to play Chester following a game on October 24. The loser will be eliminated from post-season play. Eldred is the defending Class D champion.

Sullivan West’s girls soccer team needed a win and a tie in its remaining games that included a trip to O’Neill on October 20 and a match against Burke on October 22. A loss in either game would put the Lady Bulldogs below the .500 thresholds in league play. The Lady Bulldogs lost to O’Neill 3-0.

Onward and upward

Tri-Valley’s girls soccer team has already qualified for sectionals and looked for a chance to win its division as it pointed toward an October 21 rematch with Tuxedo. The door opened with Chester’s win over Tuxedo. The winner of the T-V/Tuxedo game in Grahamsville will be the Division V champion.

Sullivan West’s football team remained undefeated at 7-0 (5-0 OCIAA) as they beat Spackenkill 40-7 on October 17 to clinch the division. Sullivan West will host Tri-Valley on October 24 in a bid to complete the regular season with an unblemished record. On October 24, it will play Tri-Valley in the opening round of the Class C playoffs in Middletown.

Tri-Valley’s football team clinched a berth for the playoffs as Liberty lost to Millbrook.

Monticello’s boys soccer team beat Goshen 1-0 on October 17 for its first victory over the Gladiators in 10 years. Goshen is the fifth-ranked Class A team in the state. The win gave the Monties a league record of 3-2 and insured a berth in the upcoming sectionals. Alex Castro scored the goal.

Livingston Manor girls soccer will make it to sectionals, as will Monticello’s volleyball team.