They play great soccer in Central New York - that isn't a secret. And it's clear that the 2009 season has built upon what happened last fall.
Between Hamilton's state Class D title and the trips by Baldwinsville and Fabius-Pompey to the state final four, area teams gained a higher level of respect that reflected in this season's polls. Hamilton (Class D) and Clinton (Class B) took turns in the top spot, with the likes of CNS, F-M, New Hartford, Marcellus, Skaneateles and Bishop Ludden also making appearances.
What does that mean for the Section III playoffs that start this week? Absolutely nothing, for as always in this game, one subpar effort from a favorite, or one transcendent performance by a goalie, and a season could end in an instant.
So as the 2009 playoffs start, we'll get a glance at all five classes - and we'll start in Class D, where the reigning state champs will try to do it again.
Hamilton took a trio of late defeats (to Class B and C foes, mind you), but has to remain the favorite because some key players from 2008, like Drew Thompson and Dan Kraynak, remain on board.
starting as the no. 4 seed in a 14-team bracket, the Emerald Knights draw LaFargeville in the first round, then could get Old Forge or Alexandria Bay. Meanwhile, Copenhagen, at 13-2-1, enjoys the top seed and a crucial bye, hoping, perhaps, to get a shot at avenging last year's semifinal defeat to Hamilton if the seeeds hold.
To win it last year, Hamilton had to unseat its nemesis, Poland, who won three straight crowns from 2005 to '07. And even though the Emerald Knights won both regular-season meetings by 1-0 margins, the Tornadoes still went 13-3 and snagged the no. 2 seed. McGraw, should it get by Madison, could make for an interesting quarterfinal, while Cincinnatus has made noise with its own 13-3 mark and starts as the no. 3 seed against Watertown IHC.
There's a 12-team field in Class C, and again the byes will be important. Frankfort-Schuyler and Bishop Ludden both had 13-2-1 records, but the Maroon Knights earned the top seed over the Gaelic Knights. Whether F-S got the easier title path remains quite debatable.
To start with, F-S will face the Tully-Waterville survivor. Looming, in a big way, is the defending champs from Fabius-Pompey, who will protect a no. 4 seed at home against Bishop Grimes or Utica-Notre Dame without the sentimental pull it had last year, when it won for retiring coach Mike Danaher.
Ludden, it could be argued, has the better draw early on, since its quarterfinal will be against Morrisville-Eaton or Thousand Islands. Yet there's reason to think no. 3 seed Cooperstown is just as good, though a familiar Center State Conference foe, Sauquoit Valley or Little Falls, will be the Redskins' first test.
As Clinton claims the top seed in Class B, it does so with a 15-1 mark, the only blemish coming against New Hartford, who it doesn't have to worry about in the playoffs. However, you'd figure the Warriors would rather face a stranger like MPH in its quarterfinal than the more familiar HOlland Patent.
The entire top half of the Class B bracket is brutal, for despite 12-3-1 and an OHSL Liberty division regular-season title, the reigning champs from Skaneateles only have a no. 5 seed. Get past the formality of Adirondack, and the Lakers would have to go east and play no. 4 seed Mount Markham (who downed Hamliton two weeks ago) in the quarterfinals.
Since the two favorites (Skaneateles and Clinton) are in the top half, it might prove easier for no. 2 seed Marcellus to get its third title in five years. Of course, the Mustangs would first have to get past Lowville or Ilion, while no. 3 seed South Jefferson has a real shot, too, especially since a solid team from Westhill (should it get past Jordan-Elbridge) would have to go to Adams for the quarterfinal round.
There's no clear favorite in Class A. New Hartford has the top seed, but could get a fierce test in the quarterfinals should rival Whitesboro get past Carthage. Not only that, but defending champion Fulton looms as the no. 5 seed, and the Red Raiders played quite well in the second half of the regular season. Only no. 4 seed Watertown offers an impediment to a Fulton semifinal run.
If the seeds hold, both Class A quarterfinals on the other side could prove quite good. No. 2 seed J-D was terrific from mid-September onward, but Fowler (who meets Homer in the first round) can beat anyone. And while Chittenango has the no. 3 seed, remember that no. 6 seed Nottingham played Class AA teams all season and held up quite well (even tying CNS), so look out for the Bulldogs.
For the last two years, Class AA has belonged to Baldwinsville, but a three-peat would require the no. 4 seed Bees to first slip past Sars Bowman, Pat Wiese and CBA in the quarterfinals. The Brothers may have the best offense of any of the AA contenders, but its defense is shaky. B'ville, with lower expectations, might be in just the right spot.
Yet there's a reason why CNS has that top seed. It went 14-0-2 with its best offense in years thanks to the likes of Kenny Cooper and Gino Corasaniti. It was lack of offensive punch that kept the Northstars from dominating in recent years. They just might have fixed that problem as CNS awaits a quarterfinal with Rome Free Academy or Oswego.
The other half of the AA brackets blends old and new money. F-M is the known quantity, with more Section III titles (22) than anyone else, but none since 2005. The hungry no. 3 seed Hornets, with great depth in the attack and midfield, should roll through Corcoran, at least.
Then there's Utica Proctor. Just a .500 team last fall, the Raiders have blossomed this fall, improving to 12-2-1 and beating F-M in mid-October to snag the no. 2 seed. The Raiders first meet Liverpool, and this could be the year the AA title moves from its long-held place in the Syracuse suburbs.
So strap in and get ready for two weeks of the expected and unexpected, where one kick or one save, can end a season - or keep it going....
