Unlike the girls side, where they all trek to SUNY-Cortland, the Section III boys soccer championship games spread out to different locales, depending on the participating team's geographic proximity to the turf fields that are used.
They also get spread out on the calendar. From the time Hamilton and Poland kick off tonight for the Class D title to the time F-M and Baldwnisville settle the Class AA title on Tuesday, that's five days of seeing how it all ends, banner-wise.
And Hamilton-Poland is a good place to start. This has been the focal point of Class D power in recent years, and it's the fourth straight season that one side will knock out the other, three of them in finals.
In those 11 previous games, it's split down the middle, 5-5-1...

CATEGORY: Soccer (Football)

TAGS: Section III, boys soccer, semifinals, recap

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And so 10 Section III girls soccer teams will be making the journey down I-81 to SUNY-Cortland, all of them in hot pursuit of Section III titles.
Ideally, this is just the first visit to the Cortland area for all these contenders. They want to be back Nov. 20-21 for the state final four. First, though, we have this quintet of title games.
The first act at 3 p.m. features C-1 champ Sauquoit Valley against C-2 champ Bishop Ludden. Their respective banners were gained Wednesday at Chittenango in different ways - Ludden hanging on against Utica-Notre Dame 2-1 (a late Juggler shot went off the post), Sauquoit staying unbeaten by crushing Tully 8-0...

CATEGORY: Soccer (Football)

TAGS: Section III, girls soccer, recap, finals preview

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This Election Day passed like so many others in my life – an early-morning visit to the polls, a lot of work to do in the morning, afternoon and night, and maybe a perfunctory glance at the results of all the important races before heading off to sleep.
There was plenty to care about, from the Syracuse mayoral contest to the battle royal in the 23rd Congressional District. The latter had become downright grotesque, thanks to the ad blitz from the national parties – same old attacks, same old accusations, same old scare tactics –as if they wanted to make voting seem repugnant.
What a difference from what it felt like 364 days earlier.
The emotions, nervousness, tension, energy, excitement and, ultimately, fulfillment of Nov. 4, 2008 was unlike anything in my entire life...

CATEGORY: Government

TAGS: 2008 election, Barack Obama, one year later

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So it all comes down, in Section III football, to five championship games at the Carrier Dome, each of them rich with character and contrast, with plots and subplots tasty enough to feast on in the time leading up to Friday night.
And it kicks off with Class D, the smallest in terms of enrollment - but if past history is any indicator, the largest in terms of having a shot at state championships. West Canada Valley, Dolgeville, Onondaga and Weedsport have all gone to the late-November summit.
Weedsport is back in '09 for another try, but must get past an Everest-sized challenge in state no. 1-ranked Westmoreland.
Simple as it may sound, this duel of 9-0 opponents may hinge on which side imposes its physical will...

CATEGORY: Football (American)

TAGS: Section III, football, championship games, preview

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Yesterday, I wrote about how orderly the Section III boys soccer playoffs had been in comparison to the who's-going-to-get-surprised-next girls soccer tournament.
Here's how orderly: the lowest remaining seed is Westhill, a no. 6 in Class B. Given the Warriors' track record, that's hardly a shock, either. More on them in a minute.
As the semifinals get waged Tuesday through Thursday, we have the potential for some real classics, with each of the 20 survivors capable of capturing a banner.
The Class AA games are Wednesday at West Genesee, exactly one year to the day after Baldwinsville's overtime goal upended CNS for a second consecutive sectional title...

CATEGORY: Soccer (Football)

TAGS: Section III, boys soccer, playoffs, recap

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The first week of the Section III boys soccer playoffs featured a lot of suspense, a lot of overtime and a few delays, but in the end most of the top seeds lived to see the semifinals. A few games remain outstanding, so we'll hold talk on all the semifinals until that point.
As for the girls - well, in all the time I've been doing this, I have never seen such a laundry list of shocks and surprises so early in the tournament. Consider...
- Baldwinsville, defending champs, top seed, heavy favorites to repeat in Class AA, but upended by Auburn 1-0 on Laura Taylor's overtime goal...

CATEGORY: Soccer (Football)

TAGS: Section III, girls soccer, first week, recap

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Sure, it was the eve of Halloween, but there was nothing shocking about what took place in any of the 10 Section III football semifinals.
Oh, some favorites got really pushed in a way they hadn't been all season, but that still didn't change the results - and of the 10 teams that earned tickets to the Carrier Dome next weekend, seven are unbeaten, which is a rarity.
Of the five classes, AA provided the closest pair of contests, as the fans at Bragman Stadium had to stick around to the very end to be sure of the outcome.
Henninger's reign ended at CBA's expense in a 21-20 battle. The Brothers won because its offense was a more difficult puzzle to solve...

CATEGORY: Football (American)

TAGS: Section III, football, semifinals, recap

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