Let's get right to it.
Class AA
(9) Henninger @ (8) Central Square - Henninger's traded wins & losses over the last 6 games, which is an improvement from the beginning of the season. Central Square is at home, coming off a win that broke a 4 game losing streak. They've played each other once - Henninger won 3-0 over a month ago. Although one of Central Square's losses was a promising 1-0 tilt to 12-2-2 C-NS, I think a 3 goal difference in a head-to-head matchup speaks. Closer, but I'll give an edge to the road team.
(10) RFA @ (7) West Genesee - After a 4-1-2 start, West Genny has fallen and fallen quickly, losing 7 of their last 9, including 5 of the last 6. Watched RFA once - wasn't impressed, although it was the opener, a 2-0 L to Class B Cazenovia. They share a common opponent: West Genny tied Clinton 1-1, and RFA lost to Clinton 2-1. No big difference. I think home field will make a difference in this one; giving the Wildcats a slight edge.
Class A
(10) Whitesboro @ (7) Fulton - The Warriors are coming in losers of 3 straight, including a 3-0 L to this same Fulton squad. This time, they get to travel out there on a cold day where the wind will be whipping right off the lake. Trust me, I've covered games there. Trust me, it matters. Fulton's coming in hot, winners of 5 of their last 6, with their 1 loss being a 1-0 game against Fowler. Everyone should be very wary of this Fulton group. They take this one.
(9) Oneida @ (8) Indian River - Saw Oneida once. It was against Camden though, so it didn't count. They have a couple kids who are tough players, but it appears that they haven't been able to string runs of good play together as the season has went on. Indian River drew the #8, but they're 12-3-1 and can put the ball in the back of the net. Their schedule wasn't exactly the most challenging, but my money's on them.
(11) CVA @ (6) Cortland - CVA was below .500 with a schedule that featured Camden as the only Class A competition - and Camden got one of its 3 wins against CVA. They got better as the season went on, showcased by a 1-0 L to Clinton over the last couple weeks. Cortland cooled off after a 5-1 start to the season, but look for them to take this one pretty easily.
Class B
(9) General Brown @ (8) Sherburne-Earlville - Hell of a drive for General Brown. 120 miles, 2+ hours. Neither team has an impressive W to speak of, but both are coming in with recent success. General Brown has won its last 4 and hasn't lost since October 2. Sherburne was 6-2 in the 2nd half of this regular season, with a 2 goal loss to Clinton and a 1 goal loss to Holland Patent. Tough to figure out games like this because you never really know what the Frontier League has to offer against Utica/Syracuse league squads. This guess is nothing more than that - a guess. I think the long trip will be an early factor, and S-E will hold on.
(12) South Jefferson @ (5) Holland Patent - South Jeff only won 3 games. Holland Patent only lost 3. This one shouldn't be close. There's an outside chance I'll swing by for a part of this one.
(11) Adirondack @ (6) Marcellus - Watched Adirondack play a hapless Canastota squad early. Unless they get into Marcellus players' heads with their brash style of play, I don't see this one being close. Marcellus is sitting at 11-5, with a recent loss being a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Fulton, an aforementioned dangerous A. They've beat a AA school (Auburn) and handed Class C #1 seed Fabius-Pompey its only defeat. Marcellus big.
(10) Lowville @ (7) Skaneateles - Again, gotta give the edge to the home team. Skaneateles is coming in losers of 2 straight, but the 2-1 losses to Marcellus & Cazenovia should add fuel to the fire. Challenged themselves early by playing CBA and RFA, and they handed Clinton something they're not used to: a loss. Fun stat of the day: if it's a 2-1 game, vote Lowville. Skaneateles is 0-6 in 2-1 games. However, they put the ball in the back of the net often in the other games, scoring 5+ goals 6 times.
Class C
(9) Thousand Islands @ (8) Herkimer - Herkimer really turned their season around in the 2nd half. I did predict 2 wins for them, and no more. They're at 6-9-1, a relative success. This is a rematch of a sectional matchup last season, where TI beat Herk up north 4-0. Thinking that the Vikings will continue their win streak over the Magicians.
(11) Mt. Markham @ (6) Bishop Ludden - Charlie Engle isn't used to just limping into sectionals - but not having Tyler Plows around anymore doesn't help. They've shown flashes of toughness at times, and they've sort of turned it around after going through a 4 game losing streak 2-3 weeks back. Ludden has also been up and down, but their ups have been much higher, including playing Fabius-Pompey to a 1-1 draw 3 weeks ago. It's tough to beat the Gaelic Knights on their home field. This shouldn't be much different.
(10) Waterville @ (7) Cooperstown - The aforementioned Mt. Markham's last 2 games have been against these teams. They played Cooperstown to a scoreless draw, then beat Waterville 3-0. They've played twice already, Coop has won 3-0 and 1-0. Advantage, Redskins turned Hawkeyes.
Class D
(9) Old Forge @ (8) Lyme - Tossup here. The CSC is a very tough league for Ds, so Old Forge is battle-tested, playing Poland & WCV twice. However, Lyme is coming in at 12-4, losing just 2-1 to undefeated Copenhagen in its last decision. Plus it's at Lyme. You could make good cases either way, but my brain leans toward Lyme.
(12) Otselic Valley @ (5) Cincinnatus - They've played twice, and Cincy hasn't had much trouble. It's "tough" to beat a team 3 times, but not when you're considerably better. Look for Cincy to take the next step.
(13) Tyburn Academy @ (4) Owen D. Young - The most athletic group of ODY kids seen in a very long time, and they're leading boys sports to a place they haven't seen in just as long. 2 losses, 1 to tough Sect 4 Cherry Valley. The Van Hornesville boys shouldn't have trouble.
(14) Madison @ (3) Copenhagen - Not going to say much about this besides Madison is a 14 and Copenhagen is undefeated. Shave my head if Madison wins.
(11) Alexandria Bay @ (6) Blessed Virgin Mary - I know they're the 6 seed, but BVM just beat Proctor this year. That's all I need to know. The Purple Ghosts won't whisk their way through. Vote 1 for the boarding school.
(10) Sackets Harbor @ (7) Brookfield - Sackets & Brookfield tend to meet a lot. A 2 loss Brookfield has been a big surprise, and they've demolished some teams. Their last couple of weeks haven't been as impressive, though, including a disappointing 3-3 draw with McGraw, who's way down at the 15 seed this year. I did see Sackets once, a disappointing 1-0 W over a Belleville-Henderson team that was winless at the time. They dropped to #10 because they haven't won since that game, nearly 3 weeks ago. Losers of 3 straight, they're desperately looking to get back on the right track. In the battle of 2 teams looking for that spark, I'll give the slightest edge to the Beavers of Brookfield.
(15) McGraw @ (2) Watertown IHC - IHC is sitting at 11-3-1, while playing undoubtedly the most challenging of D schedules, matched up with As and Bs throughout. They've had 8 shutouts, including not allowing a single goal for 3 weeks. Cavaliers roll.
Score Predictions
Henninger 4, Central Square 2
West Genesee 3, RFA 1
Fulton 4, Whitesboro 1
Indian River 5, Oneida 2
Cortland 6, CVA 1
Sherburne-Earlville 1, General Brown 0
Holland Patent 4, South Jefferson 0
Marcellus 7, Adirondack 1
Skaneateles 4, Lowville 2
Thousand Islands 3, Herkimer 1
Bishop Ludden 3, Mt. Markham 2
Cooperstown 2, Waterville 0
Lyme 3, Old Forge 2
Cincinnatus 5, Otselic Valley 1
Owen D. Young 6, Tyburn 1
Copenhagen 4, Madison 0
Blessed Virgin Mary 5, Alexandria Bay 0
Brookfield 2, Sackets Harbor 1
Watertown IHC 7, McGraw 0
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