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2014 Chenango Forks Varsity Football

Game 6 vs Maine-Endwell

M-E's Spartans Prevail in the Game Of The Year 20-7
Ends CF's 47 game win streak vs Broome County Teams.
The last BC team to do it was Maine-Endwell in the 1998 Section 4 Class B Championship game.


Articles courtesy of the
Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin

to Game 5 - Newark Valley

to the 2014 team page

to Game 7 - Whitney Point



Maine-Endwell 20 Forks 7: Spartans win Game of the Year

Mike Mangan, mmangan@pressconnects.com
Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin

Spartans' Section 4 record winning streak continues in front of packed house

ENDWELL – In a showdown of Section 4 football heavyweights, it was the Kyle Balmer-to-Michael Palmer connection for Maine-Endwell that administered the knockout blow.

The pair hooked up for three touchdowns, and the Spartans' defense was its usual stout self in a 20-7 victory over Chenango Forks on Friday night in a matchup of reigning state champions.

In front of a crowd of up to 9,000 by M-E athletic director Dave Cook's estimate, M-E (6-0) extended its Section 4 record winning streak to 44 games while putting a halt to Forks' 16-game winning streak.

Balmer tossed touchdown passes of 5, 28, and 12 yards to Palmer, the last of those coming with a dose of luck and in the process effectively closed the door on the Blue Devils.

M-E led 14-7 when it took over at the Forks' 32-yard line following an Adam Gallagher interception of a pass by Forks quarterback Jack Sherwood with just over nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

An illegal procedure penalty and a sack of Balmer put M-E in an unenviable third-and-22 situation at the Forks' 44. However, on third down, Balmer rolled left and lofted a deep pass that Palmer made a leaping grab of at the 5 to give M-E a first-and-goal.

After Gallagher was stuffed for a 7-yard loss on first down, Balmer's second-down pass was tipped by Gallagher near the 5 before Balmer managed to come down with the pass in the end zone for a touchdown that put M-E ahead 20-7 with 7:04 remaining.

Forks' two subsequent drives ended on downs at its 43 and with an interception of a last-gasp Sherwood pass by M-E's Andrew Grassi in the waning seconds.

"Sometimes you have to have luck. We had some today," M-E coach Matt Gallagher, referring to the tipped touchdown pass. "But I also think that we were able to do some of the things we always do.

 

"(Forks) is tough, they're going to go a long way. It was good for both of us to have a game like this, it makes me happy and the rest of the team happy that we won a big game like this. Under all that pressure they did a great job."

It was a well-played contest between the top-ranked teams in the state in their respective classifications, M-E in Class B and Forks in Class C.

And it was M-E that started off impressively, thanks first to the legs of Balmer and then some great awareness in the end zone by Palmer.

Balmer ripped off runs of 17, 8, and 10 yards to help move M-E to the Forks' 10. Then, following two plays that went for no gain and a 5-yard run by Gallagher, Balmer rolled right on fourth down and fired a pass to the right side of the end zone, Palmer hauling in the pass while stopping long enough to get his feet in bounds as M-E grabbed a 6-0 lead with 7:32 to go in the first quarter.

Forks (5-1) answered with a strong drive of its own, moving from its 35 to the M-E 15. That drive was squelched, though, when Sherwood was sacked by Cordell Woolfolk for a 12-yard loss on fourth-and-7.

The score remained 6-0 until late in the second quarter, when both teams struck for big scoring plays, the first of those coming again via the Balmer-to-Palmer combo.

On third-and-10, Balmer — given plenty of time on the play by his offensive line to survey the field — let fly a gorgeous deep ball that Palmer caught in the back right side of the end zone past a falling Forks defender for a 28-yard strike that increased M-E's lead to 14-0 with 2:55 to go.

"There was no excuse for it not to be a perfect ball," Balmer said of the ball to Palmer. "I had a lot of time all night, the line did a great job. Receivers did a good job of getting open, and with my receivers I trust them enough to throw it up one-on-one."

Forks answered quickly, however, when Sherwood found L.J. Watson in stride with a pass between two M-E defenders at the Spartans' 15, Watson breaking a tackle afterwards to reach the end zone for a 43-yard touchdown reception that cut M-E's lead to 14-7 with 2:02 left in the second quarter.

 

It had the potential to be a momentum shifter, with Forks getting the ball to start the second half. The Blue Devils reached midfield on that opening drive of the third quarter, but Sherwood threw incomplete on third down under heavy pressure from Hunter Hazen and Forks had to punt.

"We talked about that at halftime, if we could drive it down (to start the second half) we had a ballgame," Forks coach Dave Hogan said. "But we struggled moving the ball consistently, and you have to do that against (M-E), we weren't able to do that."

Forks did catch a break when it recovered a fumble at its 42 following a botched pitch by Balmer on M-E's opening drive of the second half, but that drive stalled at the M-E 42 when Hazen broke up a pass on fourth-and-5.

Forks managed six first downs on its five second-half possessions.

"We were a little upset with ourselves (after their touchdown)" said Palmer, who was as impressive defensively in the secondary as he was catching the ball. "But we had to remember that we were still up in the game and to win the second half.

"We stepped it up when we needed to step it up."
 


M-E, Forks delivered on the promise

Kevin Stevens, kstevens@pressconnects.com

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
 ~ Maine-Endwell junior Michael Palmer was best in show, contributing big-time on both sides
 ~ Chenango Forks gave the Spartans all they could handle, and are deserving of remaining No. 1
 ~ Broome County spectators and Section 4 football the better for this exceptional matchup


ENDWELL – No complaints here.

And the guess is, that'll be an opinion shared by the vast majority of the 8,000 or 9,000 spectators on hand for an interscholastic athletic contest which drew — and deserved — what may have been unprecedented advance billing.

Maine-Endwell 20, Chenango Forks 7 was what the scoreboard displayed upon conclusion of a crisp, clean, vigorously contested and mightily intense football game pitting one top-ranked reigning state champion against another.

Seating was spoken for an hour before kickoff on a near-ideal night for football.

The grassy hills on either side of the home bleachers made for a vantage point for hundreds.

Spectators occupied space outside the fence, all the way around the running oval, side-by-side and in spots a few-deep.

Clearly this one mattered to a great deal of people, many of whom had no stake in the outcome but who came out to have a look at what was presumed in advance to be high-quality football.

And both sides delivered.

"It was so much fun. A dream come true," said Hunter Hazen, 214 pounds worth of Spartans defensive stalwart.

"The atmosphere was unreal. It was so much fun — nothing like it," said Spartans quarterback Kyle Balmer, another of the teenagers granted such a tremendous opportunity to experience such a happening.

These guys will bounce grandchildren on their knee one day and share their take on the second Friday in October, 2014, and all that led to it. And hopefully, once the initial disappointment wears off, Forks' personnel will relish their part in it all.

That the better team won should not be disputed. The Spartans had a few more answers — and on this night they had the biggest-impact player in uniform.

Michael Palmer, junior split end/safety, was simply a cut above, and not merely because he was the scorer of all three M-E touchdowns — but let's start with those.

The first came on fourth-and-goal from the 5-yard line with 4:28 elapsed, a toe-the-boundary-and-lean delight of a reception of a Balmer pass just across the goal line. It required awareness, concentration and a willingness to absorb a whack that he and the world knew would be coming while he was virtually defenseless. Exquisite, is what it was, and put the home team on top for keeps.

His second TD came via a 28-yard reception 2:55 before halftime, the catch made over a fallen defender in the end zone.

The third? Well, from Balmer's vantage point, it went as follows.

"I saw a big guy in my face and I saw a lot of luck on that play," the quarterback said with a hearty laugh.

Balmer passed under duress, the football deflected off the hands of M-E's Adam Gallagher and into those of Palmer for a 13-yard scoring play to make it 20-7 with 7:04 remaining. The rub o' the green most certainly favored M-E on that one — but was made possible by another superb Balmer-to-Palmer creation.

Two plays prior, on third-and-22, Balmer accepted the snap from center and dashed left, squared his shoulders in the nick of time he had left, and delivered a football that Palmer went airborne to secure despite sound resistance applied by No. 16 in the white jersey, Jack Sherwood.

"He's a pretty special player," was how Forks coach David Hogan summed up the Michael Palmer he watched Friday night.

On the other side, Sherwood-to-L.J. Watson was a connection established, or solidified, that will pay dividends down the pike for Forks.

Forks' offense, for decades one heaviest on the run game and which will remain just that, was forced into an uncharacteristic number of forward passes by Maine-Endwell defenders. Sherwood demonstrated a good bit of poise, and Watson a knack getting it done on the other end.

Biggest of the bunch was a 43-yarder on third-and-10 that brought points 2:02 before halftime — necessary points at that for the Blue Devils. Watson, streaking down the visitors' sideline, snatched the ball out of the air before a defender could do same and proceeded across the goal line.

In fact, Sherwood-to-Watson pass plays netted 77 yards in that second quarter, which ended 51 minutes after opening kickoff.

Yes, 51 minutes, as in businesslike, no-frills football.

And then came a scoreless third quarter in which each side possessed the football twice. That required all of 17 minutes.

"I looked at the clock and thought, 'It's over already?' I was happy, though," said Spartans coach Matt Gallagher.

Mutual respect was the order of the night, as well.

Each had the other's utmost attention. Each knew the other was capable of producing on both sides. These eyes detected no shenanigans, none of the unnecessary after-the-whistle baloney that can bring down a game.

"I saw two very good ball teams go at it," Hogan said. "We told our kids we're very happy with their effort, they never quit, they played hard. This is how you get better, playing teams of that caliber."

Indeed, and those who tend to ranking New York's football teams should make the prudent play and leave the Blue Devils up top of the Class C pile, even after a two-TD setback.

Maine-Endwell, also, will be the better for it.

And given what was on display Friday night, not only those 8,000 or 9,000 in attendance are the better for it, but so, too, is Section 4 football. Because let's face it, one or both of these teams is likely to represent Broome County in state playoffs next month, and will be that much better prepared because of Week 6.

Maine-Endwell's win streak is 44 games. Forks' 16-gamer, co-third among active one in New York, is over.

And now for both, with Game of the Year and all its trappings behind, they can return to normalcy.
 


Not surprising points hard to come by for Forks, M-E

Kevin Stevens, kstevens@pressconnects.com

Story Highlights

 ~ Individual defensive playmakers were spread about the teams
 ~ Tough road ahead for Spartans: At Johnson City and then at Elmira


Most in the know agreed that points would be at a premium in Friday's contest pitting Chenango Forks against Maine-Endwell, one bringing together two of the finest football defenses in Section 4.

Indeed, the outcome — M-E 20, Forks 7 — brought uncommonly low point totals for each top-ranked, defending state champion.

Maine-Endwell, winner of 44 games in succession, had not been limited to that few points since pulling out a 19-16 win over Rochester Aquinas in the semifinal round of 2011 state playoffs.

The first five games of this season brought M-E a 35.8-per-game average. A season ago, the Spartans' low came in a 22-21 win over Schalmont for the Class B state title, completing a season in which they scored at a 44.7 clip. As for 2012? Eight times M-E put up 50 or more, and the low came in a 28-7 win over Union-Endicott.

Chenango Forks brought a 2014 per-game average of 40.8 into Friday night, and over its final 11 games of last season the norm was 41.7. Week 2 of 2013 brought a 7-0 loss at Tioga, and thereafter began a 16-game win streak.

Any surprises from M-E, coach David Hogan of Forks was asked? "No, I don't think so. They're every bit as quick as we thought they were, they're tough up front. Nope, I don't think so. That's about what we thought we were going to get."

And M-E coach Matt Gallagher's take on the Blue Devils? "Typical Forks, hard-nosed, well-coached, disciplined and just a great bunch of kids who came over here to play. They're going to go a long way, for sure."

Defensive standouts were numerous on both sides.

Ryan Bronson, Cody Lamond and Allan-Michael Rios come to mind for Forks, and on the other side Adam Gallagher, Hunter Hazen and Jake Felice contributed their share.

As for some key defensive plays:

M-E sophomore Cordell Woolfolk sacked quarterback Jack Sherwood for a 12-yard loss on a fourth-and-7 play at the 15 to end the visitors' opening 15-play drive.

Rios popped running back Adam Gallagher on a stop for zero gain on third-and-3 to prompt a punt late in the first half.

Drew Gallagher tackled Forks' Lamond at the line of scrimmage, the Spartans' 42-yard line, and a play later that Forks possession ended on a fourth-and-5 incompletion.

Adam Gallagher jumped the route of intended receiver Tony Silvanic to intercept a pass and give M-E possession at Forks' 32-yard line, setting up the final touchdown.

Felice shot through a gap for a solo sack and 8-yard Blue Devils loss, and two incomplete passes later — one nearly intercepted by a leaping Michael Palmer — the Devils' second-to-last possession was over.

Clearly, Maine-Endwell's defensive effectiveness impacted Forks' play-calling, as the Blue Devils' pass count was considerably above the norm.

"When your base plays aren't working and you have to do some other things that you're not used to doing, it's uncomfortable and not as sound as you'd like it to be," Hogan said.

As for the greatest difference in the game, Hazen said: "I always have to give it to our offensive line. Hard work all week, and I know they worked hard, too but, we won for a reason."

Maine-Endwell wraps up the regular season with back-to-back road games, against Johnson City and then Elmira— the latter a squad that has averaged 43.7 points per game thus far. Forks is home against Whitney Point next weekend, then visits Chenango Valley for the regular-season finale.
 



01 02 03 04   Tot
Chenango Forks 0 7 0 0 - 7
Maine-Endwell 6 8 0 6 - 20
  • ME - Michael Palmer 5y pass from Kyle Balmer (kick failed)
  • ME - Palmer 28y pass from Balmer (Adam Gallagher run)
  • CF - LJ Watson 43y pass from Jack Sherwood (Tony Silvanic kick)
  • ME - Palmer 12y pass from Balmer (kick failed)

TEAM STATISTICS 

  M-E CF
First Downs 12 13
Rushes-Yards 39-171 37-90
Passing Yards 84 150
Comp-Att-Int 4-7-0 9-19-2
Total Offense 46-255 46-240
Punts-Ave yards 3-30.3 1-38
Fumbles-Lost 2-1 1-0
Penalties-Yards 3-25 3-20
.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Maine-Endwell rushing

  • Kyle Balmer      15-82
  • Cordell Woolfolk  7-40  
  • Adam Gallagher   13-38
  • John Cerra        3-8
  • Michael Palmer    1-3

Chenango Forks rushing

  • Cody Lamond       7-44
  • LJ Watson         8-38
  • Ryan Bronson     12-31
  • Jack Sherwood    10-(-23)

Maine-Endwell passing

  • Kyle Balmer 4-for-7, 84y, 3 TDs, 0 int.

Chenango Forks passing

  • Jack Sherwood 9-for-19, 150y, 1 TD, 2 int.

Maine-Endwell receiving

  • Michael Palmer    4-84, 3 TDs

Chenango Forks receiving:  

  • LJ Watson         7-127, 1 TD
  • Cody Lamond       2-23

JV Score:  Maine-Endwell 40, Chenango Forks 23 (CF now 4-2)


Preview Article(s) 

At last, just about Go Time: Blue Devils vs. Spartans

By Kevin Stevens
kstevens@pressconnects.com 

Similarities at nearly every turn as the kings of Section 4's football hill come together
 
One or the other will absorb its first loss of 2014, which means either the longest active win streak in New York state football or the co-third-best will get the snip.
 
In the big picture, it means little, as state title defense will go on undeterred for both.
 
Nevertheless, there is no disputing: Chenango Forks versus Maine-Endwell — 7 p.m. Friday at Spartan Stadium — has grabbed the attention of the Broome County sports community as have few events in recent memory.
 
The Spartans last tasted defeat 47 months ago — and let that sink in for a moment. Forty-three consecutive victories have featured nine straight in state playoffs, making for three successive state championships.
 
The Blue Devils' 16 wins strung beginning with Week 3 of last season share the No. 3 rung with Carey High (Nassau County) among New York's active streaks. Forks hasn't been bested by a Broome County opponent since 1998. Yep, 47 in a row.
 
And so, how's it going to play out?
 
"At least the veterans, they're used to the playoff atmosphere and that's kind of what it's going to be like," Forks coach David Hogan said. "It's going to be like a playoff game in the middle of the season but really it's not because we're different classifications. I guess it's really for bragging rights more than anything else."
 
Said M-E coach Matt Gallagher: "One big thing with this game is, it's not going to be too big for either team. It might affect another team or another program. I'm hoping that's not the case with either one of us. I think both teams are going to bring their best."
 
Neither side is at full strength.
 
The Blue Devils are likely to be missing starting center Ryan Ehrets for a second consecutive weekend because of a knee ailment. M-E lost fullback/linebacker Trent Story for the season to an ankle injury a couple weeks back. RB/CB Drew Gallagher will be back, if not at 100-percent effectiveness, after a week away with a shoulder ailment.
 
Nevertheless, there will be talent aplenty on each side.
 
Each has any number of offensive backfield options. Forks' cast is headed by Ryan Bronson, L.J. Watson and Cody Lamond, but that trio is more than adequately backed. The brothers Gallagher, Adam and Drew, along with John Cerra and a fullback platoon provide M-E's primary running threats.
 
Quarterbacks Jack Sherwood of Forks and Kyle Balmer of M-E each provide a cool hand at the controls. Balmer eased back into the mix last week after missing three games with an injury.
 
Defensive playmakers abound as well. For Forks, linebackers Bronson and Hunter Luybli are primary beneficiaries of work done by John Hardy, David Chochishvili and the rest of the boys up front. M-E's stout cast includes Jake Felice and Hunter Hazen on the line, Cordell Woolfolk at linebacker, and Michael Palmer and Kevin Barrett in the back.
 
"I think it'll be whoever executes better," Adam Gallagher said. "We're similar teams, we both can run the ball up the middle and on the outside. I think that, whoever sticks to their game plan is going to come out on top."
 
Said Bronson: "Containing the big play. Have to stop the big play from happening on defense and on special teams — special teams, definitely. Have to win the special-teams battle.
 
"Have to shut down the run up front and have to try and make them make the big play down field — and gotta stop that."
 
Oh, and should it come down to a kick of the football, each side has that covered. Forks' Tony Silvanic and M-E's Stephen Pham are proven commodities unlikely to be rattled by the scope of this one.
 

Stevens: Forks vs. M-E will be a special event

By Kevin Stevens
kstevens@pressconnects.com

This one’s not merely a football game. This is a happening.

Months of incremental build-up and speculation, anticipation, fervor, and, yes, hyperbole, have made for an event that has captured the consciousness of a sports community.

Chenango Forks versus Maine-Endwell.

Top-ranked defending state champion versus top-ranked defending state champion.

The gold standards of Section 4 football barrel head-on into one another.

Models of sustained excellence meet between the boundaries.

This is not wishful thinking, not some hypothetical matchup to be played out in coffee shops and pizza parlors and taverns throughout Broome County, one side’s backers as damned certain as the other’s that their boys would prevail.

This, courtesy of the schedule-maker, is the real thing.

There’ve been any number of “What If?” matchups that, for obvious reasons, never exited the realm of conjecture.

One that comes to mind, and which was debated vociferously among high school football enthusiasts at the time, was Forks vs. Vestal in 2002. Both advanced to the semifinal round of state playoffs that year, and entered that weekend a combined 43-for-46 over a two-season stretch.

Alas, that was one for the imagination.

Ditto for ’79 U-E vs. ’85 Binghamton, the make-believe matchup to beat them all, pitting Broome County’s all-time 1a and 1b — in no particular order.

Two years back, Maine-Endwell’s 13-0 juggernaut entered the “All-Time” discussion, its supporters suggesting that squad to be on equal footing with the best of the Tigers and Patriots.

A case could be made for inclusion of Forks’ 2004 team somewhere in the discussion. After all, an outfit that punctuates a 13-0 season with 48-0 supremacy in the state title game is worthy of mention.

Another of those intriguing “What If?” scenarios focused on Walton’s 2007 machine of a football team. While some bent on an alphabet-soup mind set with regard to superiority scoffed at the notion, it says here that the ’07 Warriors were not only best in Section 4 that year, but would have fared well in state-playoff competition against higher enrollment classifications.

That autumn concluded with Walton having outscored its opposition by an aggregate 707-48, and its three Class D state playoff opponents were dispatched by a frightening 158-20.

Anyway …

That is the beauty of Forks versus Maine-Endwell on Friday night. It’s for real.

On the first day of December 2013, they co-starred in a matinee double-feature under the roof in Syracuse — a relative Dome away from Home for each program. On “Super Sunday,” as it was to be headlined in the aftermath, Forks and M-E pulled out matching one-point victories, for the Blue Devils a third state title and for the Spartans an astounding third in succession.

Come 7 p.m. Friday at Spartan Stadium, they’ll collide in the most bandied-about matchup of Broome County football teams since .. .. Who knows?

Maine-Endwell vs. Union-Endicott circa 2012 was big, but the ballgame fell considerably short of the hype.

Chenango Forks vs. Chenango Valley circa 2007 was bigger than that — as was Forks vs. CV II come playoff time that year. And that regular-season encounter indeed matched the build-up.

Union-Endicott vs. Vestal had the turnstiles spinning at a rapid rate back in the day, same for Binghamton vs. U-E on any number of occasions.

But we haven’t seen or felt the likes of the anticipation for Friday night’s contest in some time.

Advance ticket sales and parking concerns, sales of rally towels and T-shirts. Those are, at best, once-every-few-seasons twists with regard to football hereabouts.

Asked to compare the feel of Week 6, 2014, with Week 13, 2013, M-E’s Adam Gallagher said: “In school, the atmosphere is much the same, there’s a lot of excitement. We know that the atmosphere on Friday is going to be as close to that as a regular-season game can be.”

And from the Blue Devils’ Ryan Bronson: “I think around town, it’s a lot bigger. There’s a lot more camaraderie in the community and more neutral fans are into it. But I think last year, Week 13, as a team we knew we were one step away from our ultimate goal. This is a big goal for us, but Week 13 last year was the ultimate goal.”

Advantage come Friday night?

It’s to those of us who appreciate high school football played at the highest level, who enjoy a vigorous wallop applied followed by an extended hand to the fallen player, who relish organization and sportsmanship, attention to the most minute detail and respect for the game of football.

Sit back and enjoy, because a repeat of this ain’t coming ’round the bend any time soon.


Ex-Forks players can relate to M-E's run

Mike Mangan, mmangan@pressconnects.com

Blue Devils' 38-game winning streak from 2003-05 bettered only by Spartans' 43-game streak.

 ~ Chenango Forks/Maine-Endwell game features top-notch Section 4 programs.
 ~ Like M-E now, Forks players worked to remain focused during their winning streak.
 ~ Teams have combined to win seven state titles.

Matt Faughnan can certainly appreciate the run that the Maine-Endwell football team is on.

Affectionately known as "Fuzzy" during his scholastic days at Chenango Forks — but who nowadays simply goes by "Fuzz" — Faughnan was a significant member of the Blue Devils' varsity football squad that from 2003-05 had won a Section 4-record 38 straight games ... a record that was broken this season by the Spartans.

"I would have liked to have kept the record in-house," said Faughnan, a two-way lineman on those Forks teams. "But at the same time, having a Section 4 team as successful as M-E, it raises the level of play for the teams in the area, it brings a lot of recognition and allows kids the chance to move on to the next level.

"I'm happy for them, but it's too bad it's going to end on Friday."

Faughnan chuckled a bit as he spoke, knowing full well that opposing M-E on Friday in the Spartans' quest for victory No. 44 in a row will be his beloved Blue Devils.

It's as highly-anticipated a regular-season football game as there's been in recent memory in Section 4, with both teams reigning state champions — M-E in Class B, Forks in Class C — as well as the top-ranked teams in their respective classes by the New York State Sports Writers Association.

Adding further juice to the matchup is that the two programs have been the standard-bearers for Section 4 football for the better part of the past 15 years, combining for seven state titles and 17 Section 4 titles during that span.

M-E has reigned as Section 4's top dog of late. Since a state Class A quarterfinal loss to Whitesboro in 2010, M-E has not tasted defeat, winning the state Class A title in 2011 before capturing Class B titles in 2012-13. This year, the Spartans garnered sole possession of the Section 4 record for consecutive wins when it tallied No. 39 with a season-opening 34-8 victory over Union-Endicott.

"I thought it'd get broken at some point, though it went by kind of fast," said Zach Vredenburgh, a two-way starter at split end and defensive end on the 2003-04 Forks teams, of the old record. "It was a little disappointing, because it was unique for us for that time period to be a part of the success that we had.

"At the same time, it's awesome what M-E has accomplished, because we knew it was hard to win that many games in a row."

True. Before M-E, it was Forks that carried the mantle of being the team that everyone in Section 4 wanted to beat, but couldn't.

First there were the back-to-back 12-1 seasons in 2001-02, both seasons ending with losses in the state Class B title game. Back-to-back 13-0 seasons followed in 2003 and 2004, culminating with Class B titles, and the Blue Devils were unbeaten in 2005 before its quest for a third straight state title was halted by Rye, 28-7, in the Class B final.

"Early on, it was a week-to-week thing, we didn't take anything for granted," said Vredenburgh, currently an orthopedic resident at Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, N.J. "As we won more, we worked harder to stay more focused. We had a great group of guys that could play off each other to keep the intensity going week in and week out."

Tim Batty, starting quarterback for Forks' 2003-04 state-title teams, agreed. He pointed in particular to the 2004 squad, which outscored opponents by a cumulative 563-63 total and must be included on the short list of top Section 4 teams since the state playoffs began in 1993.

"We had won (some close games) in 2003, but when we got to 2004, we returned almost everybody and we knew we'd be strong," said Batty, currently enrolled in the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University. "Everything clicked together that year, we stayed healthy, and though I wouldn't say we felt unbeatable, we knew if we played our game that nobody could beat us."

"It was a challenge, though, a lot of work. You're getting the other team's best shot every week."

Faughnan said the streak itself was not on the players' minds when they were in school. Instead, it was about doing what was needed to be done to maximize the team's chances of winning a state title.

"With the success we had, there was always a little bit of a buzz walking in the hallways of school," said Faughnan, who now is a branch manager at Enterprise Rent-A-Car in Saratoga. "The coaching staff, their goal was to keep us consistent and even-keeled. (Then-head coach Kelsey) Green always said 'If you're not getting better, you're getting worse.' So we just kept trying to get a little bit better."

Not surprisingly, the Forks varsity coaching staff of Green, Dave Chickanosky, Dave Hogan and John Petley from that time remains intact to this day, with Hogan now the head coach.

Green, when comparing those Forks teams to the recent M-E teams, said there are similarities between the two.

"I think you have kids like M-E does and and we do right now, they come to practice and look forward to what you're doing," Green said. "Nothing gets old, even if the routine is the same it feels like a brand new day. You have a bunch of kids that love to play football, that more than anything else.

"Obviously, we had days that weren't the best, but when it came time to play the game, they were excited and ready to play, no matter who the opponent was because they love to play football."

Faughnan said he's been engaging in some friendly trash-talking with friend and former University of Albany football teammate Ben Amorese — an ex-M-E player and current member of the Spartans coaching staff — leading to Friday's game. He plans on attending the contest, hoping for the same outcome between the two teams that occurred during his senior year, a 21-7 Forks home victory in Week 2 of the 2005 season.

Vredenburgh will not be able to make it, but will be paying attention from a distance.

"I think it'd be another huge milestone for the (Forks) program," Vredenburgh said of a Forks victory. "It's been such an amazing winning streak for M-E, it's be something to hang their hat on this year, even though I know they have bigger goals.

"It'd be something to build on as they go on the rest of the season."


Buildup begins for M-E/Forks football showdown

Mike Mangan, mmangan@pressconnects.com
 
Maine-Endwell athletic director Dave Cook has a message for those planning to attend the Spartans' home football contest against Chenango Forks set for a 7 p.m. kickoff Friday night: Get there early.
 
The highly-anticipated showdown between reigning state champions and current top-ranked teams - M-E in Class B and Forks in Class C - figures to draw as large a crowd as there's been for a Section 4 regular-season contest in some time.
 
Consider two years ago, when rivals M-E and Union-Endicott - both 7-0 at the time - met at the same field in a game that according to Cook drew approximately 7,000 fans, and you get an idea of what might be in store for Friday's meeting between the top two Section 4 football programs of the past 15 years.
 
"Move it to the Carrier Dome," Cook said jokingly about preparations for dealing with a crowd that could reach five-digits. "But it's going to be a great atmosphere. You have two great football teams going at it."
 
Cook had not yet determined when gates would open, though on Monday he figured it'd probably be in the 4:30-5 p.m. range. As for parking, spaces have been made available at Highland Park, Struble Road and at the M-E Middle School, and Cook said there would be handicapped parking spots reserved at the high school. There will not be a shuttle bus to transport fans from the Highland Park, Struble Road and M-E Middle School sites to the high school.
 
Tickets are currently being sold at both schools through their respective athletic departments. Tickets are $3 for adults, $2 students with those ages 65-and-older admitted for free.
 
Cook said bleacher capacity at M-E's stadium is 3,200. He would have liked to have added bleachers in the back of each end zone but could not do so because of potential damage to the track at the multi-purpose facility.
 
He said that he didn't expect a cap on how many tickets could be sold.
 
"I met with the Broome County Sheriff's Office, they said there was no reason to stop ticket sales," Cook said.
 
Cook said he spent part of the past week quelling rumors of the game being moved to Vestal or U-E to make it more accessible to fans.
 
"I talked to M-E coach (Matt) Gallagher; why would we give up the home-field advantage for a game like this?" Cook said. "I'm not going to U-E."
 
At Forks, athletic director and head football coach Dave Hogan said his school had already sold 500 tickets for Friday's game.
 
He said the school's Booster Club has been selling white Forks Nation rally towels, the cheerleaders have sold white T-shirts, and one of the player's mother is donating some removable Forks tattoos for team backers to put on their face.
 
"There's definitely a lot of interest," Hogan said. "The talk here is that everybody plans to get there early."


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