HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
Southern Tier goes for two
Finalists have plenty in common
Southwestern and Maple Grove will by vying for state football championships Saturday afternoon at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse. But don’t be surprised if there are a few hockey jerseys being worn in the crowd.
That’s because there is a club hockey team which combines two schools into one squad: Southwestern/Maple Grove.
The districts, which are separated by Chautauqua Lake, are hoping that a football championship will be the latest connection between the two schools.
Southwestern coach Jay Sirianni was an assistant to Maple Grove coach Curt Fischer when the Red Dragons won the 1998 Class D title, and both remain friends. During the postseason, Southwestern has invited Maple Grove to practice on its new artificial turf field.
“Our booster clubs have been in close contact — their spectator buses are showing up for our game, and everyone in our stands wants to stay for their game,” Fischer said. “It might cost us more, but we’re going to be willing to defray that cost. We want to watch Southwestern win as bad as we want to win, and we’ve got total confidence that they’re going to win. Jay is so well prepared.”
Maple Grove (12-0) starts Saturday’s tripleheader at the Dome — which includes a Section VI team in each game — when it takes on Section VII (Northern New York) champion Moriah at 11 a. m. in the Class D championship. The Class C final follows at 2 p. m. as Southwestern (12-0) meets Section I (Westchester County) champion Croton-Harmon.
“Driving on the road, our two schools are separated by 12 miles, and it’s something like a straight 5 miles across the lake — we’re that close,” said Sirianni. “With us going and Maple Grove going back, we’ve both got a chance. With Curt and I having coached together, and [him] giving me my first job, it is special.”
Croton-Harmon, located in Croton-on-Hudson which lies on the East bank of the Hudson River about 40 miles north of New York City, is led by quarterback Nick Mainiero. Mainiero has run for more than 1,000 yards for the Tigers (11-1) but also has thrown 12 touchdowns, nine to Joe Trailli.
“They’ve got a very good quarterback who can throw very well and is their leading rusher,” said Sirianni, who said that Trojans junior quarterback Zack Sopak’s injured thumb is healing well. “They have two running backs that have done some damage, especially in the playoffs. They can throw the ball deep, which has been kind of our Achilles’ heel.”
Moriah (12-0), located in the Adirondacks about midway between Glens Falls and Plattsburgh, has a team that will be handing off to Jim Carlson quite a bit. Carlson has rushed for 24 touchdowns and more than 1,600 yards, including a 27-carry, 152-yard, two-touchdown performance as the Vikings beat Tuckahoe, 21-6, in last week’s semifinal.
“They’re a power team — they want to grind out 4, 5 yards at a time and they want to keep your offense off the field,” said Fischer. “They have a great quarterback that can move and throw, so they’re versatile.”
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