High school season kicks off tonight
Area teams kick off new season with MarlboroNew Paltz rematch among the highlights
The area high school football season begins this weekend and a rematch of last year’s Section 9, Class B title game between New Paltz and Marlboro headlines the local openers.
The Huguenots and Dukes tangle in a Friday 7 p.m. game at Marlboro.
Also on Friday, Wallkill is home to Valley Central, Roosevelt entertains John S. Burke Catholic and Millbrook goes to Highland for 7 p.m. games and Saugerties is at James I. O’Neill for a 6:30 p.m. contest. Ellenville is home to Woodlands in a non-league debut at 7.
Kingston plays in its first Saturday opener in five years, travelling to Goshen for a 1 p.m. kickoff. Also on Saturday, Red Hook debuts with a 1:30 p.m. home game against Monticello and Onteora goes to Rondout Valley for a 2 p.m. contest. FRIDAY New Paltz at Marlboro
This obviously won’t have the same edge as the four previous meetings over the past two years, when the Dukes and Hugies battled for Class B supremacy. New Paltz is back up in Class A and this amounts to a big first-game litmus test for the squads.
New Paltz returns with nine starters on defense and an offense that no longer has two-time
Freeman Player of the Year Jimmy Verney at quarterback.
Brian Beck makes his debut as Marlboro coach after Rich Ward was let go. The defending champion Dukes return plenty of talent (including quarterback Sam Mongelli and middle linebacker Myles Barrington) and is primed for a big season.
“I have nothing but respect for that program,” New Paltz coach Tom Tegeler said. “We’ve had some real death matches the past couple of years. I love playing them and they love playing us. I feel like we thrive off the competition but, yet, this year it’s kind of just a game.
“One of our big things is that we can’t lose focus,” Tegeler added. “It’s a great rah-rah game for the fans. We’ll love playing them, but they’re not even in our league.” Saugerties at O’Neill
Saugerties, 4-5 last year, has size and a strong group
of senior starters (led by quarterback Matt Bucci) returning for new coach Drew Carpino’s debut. The Sawyers’ first test is an O’Neill team that returns an intact offensive and defensive line. The offense features the backfield of halfback James Mata’utia and Hector Borgos. Valley Central at Wallkill
Brian Vegliando, who led Wallkill to a Class A title in 2010, resumes the helm after an eight-year hiatus. A veteran unit is looking to turn around last year’s 0-9 showing. The Panthers open against a solid Class AA Valley Central team that has a big offensive line guarding standout three-year starting quarterback Chandler Toth. Burke at Roosevelt
Roosevelt debuts a new spread offense behind new starting quarterback Ryan Taylor, who gave Presidents fans a hint of his potential last year. Burke, which won the Class C championship last year and has moved up to Class B, hasn’t played Roosevelt in 10 years. Quarterback Heath Hoovler and running back sensation Mark Przybocki are gone,
but the Eagles still have a solid running game and defensive stars. Millbrook at Highland
Senior back Matt Malheiro lead a Highland team bidding for its first winning season in four years. The Huskies meet Class C Millbrook for the first time in seven years. All-purpose back Mike Triglia leads the Blazers. Woodlands at Ellenville
Ellenville looks to maintain its success (5-3, first playoff berth in seven years) from last year as it takes on a tough Section 1 Woodlands team. The Falcons went 4-5 in ‘17, playing four Section 9 squads. They beat Dover and Millbrook, but lost to Chester and Burke. SATURDAY Kingston at Goshen
It’s a first-ever meeting for Kingston and Goshen.
The Tigers look to continue the momentum of two wins to close out the 2017 season. The team has some experience, but is still very young. Goshen, 4-4 last year with a loss in the Class A semifinals, has seniors in key offensive skill positions.
“They’re fast and they’re athletic,” Kingston coach Quintin Johnson noted.
Goshen is led by quarterback Tom Colgan and running back Jared Cassel. Monticello at Red Hook
Another first-ever meeting has an independent Red Hook, a Class B school, taking on Class B Monticello. The teams, though, match up well. Both have some talent, but their rosters are small and filled with a lot of youngsters. Junior quarterback Dylan Bayliss returns to lead the Raider offense. Red Hook’s defensive task is trying to corral the Monties’ 225-pound running back Khaseem Gattling. Onteora at Rondout
New coach Chris Frenza has a senior-laden team that has Rondout looking to bounce back from 2017’s two-win campaign. For the first time in five years, the Ganders play Onteora, which looks to build on last season’s return after a four-year varsity hiatus. The Eagles are eager to show what they have in a meeting of old Mid-Hudson Athletic League football rivals.