Oneida takes on New Hartford this Friday

Oneida, New Hartford put unbeaten streaks on the line Friday

After six weeks of hard-fought football, the fate of the Class B East will be decided in NewHartford on Friday.

Unbeaten Oneida, recently ranked the No. 15 Class B team in the state according to the New York State Sportswriters Association, will put its perfect record on the line against No. 14 NewHartford at 6 p.m.

Thewinnerwill claimthe Class B East crown and ride a perfect regular season record into the Section III playoffs.

Heading into kickoff, Oneida and New Hartford boast the top two defenses in Class B play. Through six contests, Oneida allowed a league-low 46 points, or 7.6 points per game. Head coach Jason Fuller’s defense yielded a touchdown or less in four of its six wins this season. The Orange defense yielded a season-high 13 points in a win over Vernon-Verona-Sherrill.

Comparatively, New Hartford, helmed by Oneida alum Rob Kramer, yielded 52 points across its first six contests, good for 8.6 points per game. The Spartans held opponents to a touchdown or less in three of their six wins. The highest total allowed by the Spartan defense is 14 points in a win over Cazenovia.

NewHartford has a slight edge on offense, putting up 31 points a game to lead the Class B East in scoring. NewHartford’s highest output of the season came in a 42-7 victory over winless Mexico.

Oneida’s offense does not trail far behind, averaging 27.3 points per game. Oneida’s highest point total also came against Mexico in a 41-7 decision.

The two Class B East foes will kick off the battle of unbeatens at 6:00 p.m. in New Hartford.

Oneida

How they got here: Week 1. Oneida 19, CVA 7; Week 2. Oneida 6, Cazenovia 0; Week 3. Oneida 20, VVS 13; Week 4. Oneida 40, Chittenango 7; Week 5. Oneida 41, Mexico 7; Week 6. Oneida 38, Camden 12.

Avg. margin of victory: 19.0 points

Offense: 27.3 points per game

Defense: 7.6 points allowed per game

Closest call: Trailing rival VVS 13-0 just before the half of a Week 3 tilt, Oneida rallied to score 20 unanswered points, capped by a Will Merrell pick-6 to hang on for the victory against their arch rivals.

New Hartford

How they got here: Week 1. New Har t ford 33, Cazenovia 14; Week 2. New Hartford 13, CVA 7; Week 3. New Hartford 42, Mexico 7; Week 4. New Hartford 34, Camden 12; Week 5. New Hartford 35, VVS 12; Week 6. New Hartford 29, Chittenango 0.

Avg. margin of victory: 22.3 points per game

Offense: 31 points per game

Defense: 8.6 points allowed per game

Closest call: New Hartford needed a Vinny Fanelli overtime touchdown to take down the Central Valley Academy Thunder in Week 2.

BY JOHN BREWER JBREWER@ONEIDADISPATCH.COM @DISPATCHBREWER ON TWITTER In this file photo, the 2019Oneida football team breaks down a team huddle during the first week of preseason camp.

In this file photo, Oneida senior running back Stephen Cafalone breaks a tackle on his way to a second-quarter touchdown in a win over VVS on Friday, Sept. 21.

In this file photo, Oneida senior Will Merrell intercepts a pass before returning it for a touchdown in a 20-13victory over rival Vernon-Verona-Sherrill on Friday, Sept. 20.