Downsville still top dog in Class D

The 2005 Class D state champions open defense of their sectional title at 3:30 p.m. today, when the Eagles host Morris in one of 10 first-round games involving area teams from classes B, C and D.

"I think you’ve got to be worried about everybody (in Class D)," said Downsville’s Burt Reed, the 2005 Daily Star Coach of the Year who led the Eagles to a 24-0 record and the school’s first state title last fall.

"I think it’s wide open," he continued. "There’s like eight teams that have a legitimate shot of any day going out there and beating somebody up. That’s going to make it fun."

The fun begins for second-seeded Downsville (15-1-2) against Morris, the final seed in the 15-team Class D sectional tournament. The Mustangs (8-7-1) closed the regular season with victories over Tri-Valley League rival Cherry Valley-Springfield (9-6-1) and non-tournament entrant Stamford of the Delaware League.

"Right off the bat, I would have thought CV-S would have been a team to watch, but then Morris beat them the other day," Reed said. "Schenevus has beaten Davenport, and then Milford (lost, 1-0, to CV-S). I think there’s a lot of parity and a lot of good teams. If you don’t come and play every

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day, something bad’s going to happen to you."

Downsville proved it belonged among the section’s elite for another season, tying top-seed Davenport, 2-2, in the Delaware League championship Saturday at the Wright National Soccer Campus.

Davenport (15-1-2), which went 9-0-1 in the DL this season, is the only team in the Class D sectionals with a first-round bye. The Wildcats likely will use the extra time off to lick their wounds as they could be without starting senior goalie Brittany Westcott and junior midfielder Kelly Hotaling on Saturday. Both are recovering from injuries and might not be back for Davenport’s home quarterfinal against the winner of today’s opener between No. 9 Hunter-Tannersville (8-6) and No. 8 CV-S (9-6-1).

"Nobody’s going to have an easy game," Davenport coach Ray Preston said. "We drew the winner of Hunter-Cherry Valley. That’s not an easy draw. ... There’s nothing easy. Milford’s got to play Worcester. That’s not a guarantee. Worcester’s played them tough. Yeah, Milford’s beaten them each time, but Worcester’s tough."

Freshman Samantha Meyerhoff took over for Westcott three games ago, when the starter suffered a neck injury in a 3-1 win over visiting Jefferson. Although Meyerhoff, who said she learned how to dive for balls last week, is undefeated since being thrust into goal, Preston said she will slide back into the midfield if Westcott returns for sectional play.

Hotaling, who had an assist Saturday, went down with a knee injury toward the end of the DL crossover and did not return to the field. Preston said Saturday the extent of her injury is unknown.

While Davenport, Downsville and Tri-Valley League champion Milford (15-1-2) are the top three seeds, respectively, No. 6 South Kortright may be carrying the largest target into the tournament.

"Oh, it’s in our heads," standout Milford junior Brenna Campbell said of last season’s 1-0 sectional semifinal loss in quadruple-overtime to the Rams. "We were at a soccer camp this summer and every time we were doing something, we were like, South Kortright, South Kortright, South Kortright.’ It definitely stuck in our heads."

SK also accounted for Davenport’s only non-victory in the DL this season, earning a 1-1 tie with the Upper Division winner on Sept. 18.

"I’d like to go against South Kortright again," Meyerhoff said Saturday. "We tied them the first time, and the second time (in the Chic Walshe championship) we just barely won _ by one goal in overtime. We definitely want to see them again."

Milford won its third straight T-V title Saturday with a 2-0 defeat of Edmeston (12-4-1). The Wildcats have defeated Edmeston six straight times, including victories in the last three crossover championships. The two are on opposite sides of the bracket, meaning they can only meet again this season if they both advance to the final.

But first things first for Milford, which opens with No. 14 Worcester (7-7-3) at 3:30 p.m. today. The Wolverines and SK were the only teams to beat Milford during the 2005 season.

"We drew a real tough draw," said Milford coach Lorin Campbell, Brenna’s father. "I think of all the teams in sectionals, we probably drew the toughest draw, just because of our history with Worcester.

"To me, everything is playing out the way it should," he continued. "Yeah, you want a tough first-round game, you just need to get by it. You get by it, now you have a revenge match with South Kortright. You get by that _ that’s if South Kortright beats Margaretville, you don’t ever know, right? We wanted to play Downsville last year. So, it may play out, it may not. Lady luck has to be on your side. With any good team, you need a little bit of luck."

The other first-round games in Class D pit No. 12 Laurens (7-6-3) against No. 5 Odessa-Montour (7-8-1) of the Interscholastic Athletic Conference at Union-Endicott; No. 13 Gilboa (9-8) at Edmeston; No. 11 Margaretville (9-7-1) at SK (11-4-1); and No. 10 Schenevus (8-5-3) at seventh-seeded Jefferson (10-4-1). All Class D openers are scheduled for 3:30 p.m. today.

"We go one game at a time," Edmeston coach Melanie Mumbulo said. "That’s all you can do in the postseason. If you don’t, you’re looking way too far ahead because anybody can beat you."

Lorin Campbell stressed the added importance of peak performances during sectional play, saying "The Tri-Valley League championship, you don’t come with your A’ game, you don’t come away with the banner. In sectionals, you don’t come with your A’ game, you go play basketball."

Class B

Fifth-seeded Oneonta (9-7) and No. 9 Unatego (10-4-1) open Class B sectional play at 3:30 p.m. today on neutral soil.

The Yellowjackets assured themselves another winning season with a 3-1 win at Southern Tier Athletic Conference rival Owego on Oct. 13. They have one more win than last fall, when the team finished 8-9-1 for the first losing season in the 30-year history of the program.

OHS, which ended its 2005 season with a 2-0 Class A semifinal loss to Maine-Endwell, opens with No. 12 Watkins Glen (4-12) of the IAC at Chenango Forks. A victory will lead Oneonta to another match against an IAC opponent as No. 4 Dryden is one of four squads in the 12-team tournament to receive a bye. STAC affiliates Seton Catholic Central (10-2-2), Chenango Forks (11-2-1) and Chenango Valley (10-4-1) are the top three seeds, respectively, and will host quarterfinals on Saturday.

Unatego may have the toughest road ahead in the Class B tournament. The Spartans open against No. 8 Elmira Notre Dame (12-4), a rematch of a 2005 sectional opener won by Unatego, 1-0.

The Spartans, beaten, 2-0, by END in a 2003 sectional final, are accustomed to tight games but have been in a recent funk.

"The games we’ve lost this year, one of them was legitimate, where we were beaten," Unatego coach Sue Herodes said after beating Bainbridge-Guilford, 2-1, on Oct. 17. "We have just not put the ball in the net. We’re a nice team. We move the ball well and we hustle and the girls bust their butts, but we just have a really hard time finding the net."

Should Unatego beat the Crusaders, it will play at No. 1 Seton in the quarterfinals. The Spartans could meet Oneonta in the semifinals if both teams advance.

Class C

Delhi and Unadilla Valley will meet in one of two first-round games at 3:30 p.m. today in the 10-team Class C sectional tournament. The other pits No. 10 Oxford (4-10) against seventh-seeded Spencer-Van Etten (5-9).

No. 9 Delhi (5-10) visits No. 8 UV (5-9-3), with the winner’s prize a quarterfinal against top-seeded Candor (15-1) of the IAC on Saturday.

"The class of the section is Candor," B-G coach George Williams said after his team was denied the Midstate Athletic Conference championship when it fell to Unatego last Oct. 17.

The third-seeded Bobcats (11-3-2) and No. 2 Sidney (13-4) are among six teams with byes for today’s opening round. B-G hosts No. 6 Southern Cayuga (3-8-4) in a quarterfinal at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, when MAC champion Sidney hosts the Oxford/SV-E winner.

"We have to get past Southern Cayuga first," Williams said, "and then we might get Sidney again."

The Bobcats are 2-1 this season against Sidney, which clinched its second straight MAC title with a 4-1 win over UV on Oct. 17.

_ Sportswriter Rob Centorani contributed to this report.

Dean Russin covers high school girls soccer for The Daily Star. E-mail him at drussin@thedailystar.com or call him at 607-432-1000, ext. 215.