Marlboro earns berth in Class B title game

What a difference a rematch made for Marlboro High.

Less than two months after allowing 63 points in a 63-43 regular-season blowout loss to James I. O’Neill, the Dukes defense stifled the Raiders en route to a 17-6 victory in Saturday’s Section 9, Class B football semifinal at Dietz Stadium.

Fourth-seeded Marlboro (7-2) will go for its sixth straight sectional title Friday night at Dietz when it faces No. 2 New Paltz in the final. The Huguenots advanced to the title game with a 3513 semifinal victory over fourthseeded Liberty.

New Paltz defeated the Dukes earlier this month, 34-7.

Marlboro struck quickly against the top-seeded (6-2) Raiders, scoring twice in the first quar-

ter. A 50-yard pass from quarterback Sam Mongelli to John Perugino set up a 2-yard scoring run from Billy Williamson to give

Marlboro a 7-0 lead with 7:55 remaining.

A 33-yard run from Mongelli gave Marlboro a 14-0 lead with 4:59 remaining and the defense took over from there. Ahead 14-6, Mongelli put the game out of reach with 8:10 remaining in the fourth quarter

with a 27-yard field goal to round the scoring.

O’Neill playmaker Tiquan Scott, who came into Saturday’s game with 1,556 yards and 22 touchdowns, was held in check by the Marlboro defense.

His 16-yard touchdown run with 2:25 remaining

in the third quarter accounted for all of O’Neill’s scoring. In the Raiders’ win over Marlboro on Sept. 9, Scott rushed for 380 yards and five scores.

Saturday’s semifinal was also a rematch of last year’s title game in which Marlboro earned a 41-21 victory. Finals Oct. 31 No. 1 Spackenkill vs. No. 3 Rhinebeck, at Middletown, 4 p.m. —— Class C Semifinals Oct. 24 Webutuck 1, Seward 0 Sullivan West 1, Millbrook 0 Finals Oct. 26 No. 1 Millbrook, bye No. 2 Dover, bye No. 3 Rhinebeck, bye No. 5 Fallsburg at No. 4 Pine Plains, 6 p.m. Semifinals Nov. 4 Fallsburg-Pine Plains winner at Millbrook, 6 p.m. Rhinebeck at Dover, 6 p.m. Finals Nov. 6