Eldred had been cruising the first five weeks of the season, outscoring opponents by an average of 37 points in going 5-0. Their victims included Class C Tri-Valley (whom they outscored, 56-3), Class C finalist Liberty (39-8) and Class C Spackenkill (40-21). Next came a forfeit which gave the Yellow Jackets an unwanted week off before the Chester game. That game quickly turned into a 13-12 war in which players were ejected. Eldred won. Then after a 48-0 blowout victory over LMR, coach Frank Kean’s squad was stung in the next game’s final minute by Burke Catholic, 7-6.

Burke is a Class B team, but it came into last weekend’s game with a 1-7 record. Adding insult to injury, arch-rival Chester had spanked the Eagles, 29-8, just the week before. Ouch! There goes the lofty state ranking.

After the game coach Kean stated, “It could be a wakeup call for us going into the sectional finals versus Chester. Sometimes you win every game and you get too cocky for the following week. We will have to see if this helps.”

This Friday’s Class D title game at Dietz will give us the answer. Kean says he’s retiring after this season, but can he pack it in with the final taste in his mouth being a loss to Chester?

As brief as Chester’s football history has been, this series has nonetheless become quite an intense rivalry. After many decades, Chester restarted its varsity football program in 2003. Coach Ron Stover came in as a veteran varsity coach with Section One experience on his resume. A long-term plan wasn’t what he had in mind. Stover chose the fast track. He expected his team to win right away - and it did. Chester has been in the title game every year since 2003.

In the first two seasons the Hambletonians defeated Millbrook in the Class D championship games. Then the game became the sole property of Chester and Eldred. In their post-season battles, the teams have alternated taking the titles. Eldred won in 2005 (27-14) and 2007 (20-16) while Chester took the games in 2006 (20-14) and 2008 (24-14). In the four meetings, Eldred has outscored Chester by one point. These games have been close and intense. We should expect the same this year; and if the pattern holds, it’s Eldred’s turn to win.

“Our games are close because we’re big rivals,” said Chester coach Ron Stover. “Both teams have the attitude that the title belongs to them, so our games always go right down to the bitter end.”

Stover got involved with the Chester program in 1999, two years after the village’s youth program was inaugurated and a year after he finished a seven-year stint as the head coach at Sleepy Hollow in Westchester County.

“Back in 1994 people in the community started talking about how the school had no football program while a bunch of our kids were playing ball for Goshen. They wanted a team in Chester, so they started the youth program,” he explained.

“I got involved when my son was old enough to join. That 1999 group was the one that went on to win the 2003 and 2004 (Class D) titles.”

Chester is now seven-for-seven at making the championship game.

A natural consequence of the Chester-Eldred annual battles is that the two teams display a lot of emotion toward each other.

“Animosity is too strong of a word to describe our rivalry,” Stover said. “We respect each other too much for that. But on the field we don’t really like each other too much.”

The Hambletonians will be playing without two key starters in RB-LB Sean Benison and two-way lineman John Wilson, both juniors, who are out for the season. RB-LB James Ognibene is back on the gridiron, however.

Stover’s team is led by junior RB Travis Mann, the section’s #2 rusher with 1,211 yards and 10 TD. Senior quarterback Matt Balzano has completed 52-of-101 passes for 854 yards and 15 TD. His favorite target is junior Victor Cruz whose caught 21 aerials for 326 yards and five TD along with Joey Gleeson. Up front are the lines are led by Niko Wong and Luis Quiles.

For Eldred QB Bryan Henry, the five blowout wins have made it a relatively quiet season for passing (he’s 21-for-33-for 417 yards and five TD). But the senior has been busy running the ball (69 carries for 506 yards and 12 TD) as has senior RB Ian Halloran (918 yards on 99 carries with 16 TD). There are several talented seniors on this team that seemed destined to keep the odd-year championship streak alive. They include veteran linemen like Scott Hallock, Zak Tyler and Travis Hay plus RB-K Bobby Worden.

Then came the hairy 13-12 win over Chester which was minus Balzano for most of the game - and two weeks later the loss to Burke.

“Kids are kids,” Stover said. “I’m sure that Frank told them all week, ‘Guys! Guys! Don’t take this (Burke) game for granted!’ But as I said, they’re kids. I’m sure they learned their lesson and will be ready for us.”

Neither Eldred nor Chester will be taking this annual showdown for granted.  They never do.

--- PHIL DUSENBURY