KOT845 Power 40: Middletown Holds No. 1 as Week 3 Reshapes the Board

Presented by Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler

Featured photo: Kingston football. Photo by Simon Circe.

Three weeks into the 2026 Section IX football season, the KOT845 Power 40 is becoming less about preseason expectation and more about what teams have actually proven.

Middletown remains No. 1. Cornwall stays No. 2. Newburgh remains No. 3.

Underneath those three, Week 2 created substantial movement. Our Lady of Lourdes surged into the Top 5. Pine Bush climbed after beating Warwick. Kingston moved to the edge of the Top 10. Monroe-Woodbury continued to fall. Undefeated teams such as Goshen and Beacon are creating increasingly difficult ranking decisions.

The Power 40 is not a standings table. Record matters, but so do strength of schedule, head-to-head results, point differential, offensive and defensive production, recent form, common opponents and the quality of a team’s best performances.

History matters too. It does not decide the ranking by itself, but when two teams are close, recent head-to-head results, playoff meetings and long-running series trends give us context that a record by itself cannot.

1. Middletown

Record: 3-0 | 81 points scored | 21 allowed | +60 differential

Middletown owns the strongest resume in Section IX through three games: a 32-0 shutout of Arlington, a 22-21 road win over Cornwall and a 27-0 shutout of Minisink Valley.

Two shutouts and two wins over current Top 10 teams give the Middies the clearest case for No. 1.

There is also a bigger Section IX story here. Monroe-Woodbury beat Middletown 49-13 in the 2025 regular season and 28-21 in the Class AA championship game. Middletown entered this year still chasing that program. Now the Middies are 3-0 and sitting on top of the board. Joseph Royal has 491 checked passing yards and five passing touchdowns through three games, Ryheem Tinsley Jr. has 203 checked rushing yards, and Alex Llano leads the available defensive totals with 3.5 sacks.

2. Cornwall

Record: 1-2

Cornwall’s record does not tell the full story. The Dragons came within one point of No. 1 Middletown, then responded by dismantling defending Class AA champion Monroe-Woodbury 49-7.

That combination of schedule strength and a dominant high-end win keeps Cornwall at No. 2.

The history matters in the comparison with the teams right behind them. Cornwall has not lost to Newburgh since 2009, and Washingtonville’s most recent win over Cornwall in the series we reviewed came in 2005. That does not mean either streak decides what happens this week. It does explain why Cornwall still gets some benefit of the doubt when the current teams are close.

3. Newburgh

Record: 2-1

Since its opening loss to Curtis, Newburgh has outscored Warwick and Washingtonville 90-18, including a 42-6 win over Warwick and a 48-12 win over Washingtonville.

The Goldbacks have one of the most explosive profiles on the board. Cornwall stays narrowly ahead because of its performance against Middletown, the 49-7 Monroe win and the recent series history between the programs.

Newburgh’s numbers are still hard to ignore. Justin Lassic has 410 checked rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns, Jaiseon Barnwell has 257 checked passing yards with four passing touchdowns in the available reports, and Chris Mack has three sacks in the reviewed defensive totals. Newburgh may be No. 3, but this is not a big gap.

4. Washingtonville

Record: 2-1

Washingtonville owns two meaningful Top 10 wins: 34-16 over Lourdes and 17-14 over Monroe-Woodbury. The 48-12 loss to Newburgh prevents a move higher, but the resume is strong enough to hold No. 4.

Those wins also changed some recent history. Lourdes eliminated Washingtonville 14-13 in the 2025 Class A quarterfinal before the Wizards flipped that matchup this year. Brennan Tesseyman has 385 checked passing yards and four passing touchdowns, Bryce Tesseyman has 219 receiving yards, three receiving touchdowns and two interceptions, and Shane Allums has 35 tackles with two sacks in the current KOT845 totals.

5. Our Lady of Lourdes

Record: 2-1 | 108 points scored | 68 allowed | +40 differential

No Top 10 team has risen faster. After opening with a loss to Washingtonville, Lourdes beat Pine Bush 53-12 and Valley Central 39-22 — 92 points over two games.

Washingtonville remains ahead because of the direct result, but Lourdes has been one of the most impressive teams in the section since opening night.

There is history working against Lourdes in another comparison too: Goshen beat Lourdes 48-36 in 2025. We are not ignoring that. Lourdes is ahead of Goshen now because of what the Warriors have done the last two weeks against Pine Bush and Valley Central, not because the older head-to-head disappeared.

6. Port Jervis

Record: 2-1 | 75 points scored | 45 allowed | +30 differential

Port responded to its opening loss at Waverly with a 31-3 statement win over Minisink Valley and a 21-6 win over Marlboro. Across those two victories, Port allowed only nine total points.

The 28-point win over Minisink is one of the stronger individual results outside the Top 5.

It also broke a recent series trend: that was Port’s first win over Minisink since 2021. Then Port beat Marlboro again, extending what had been a 10-game series winning streak entering that matchup. Amato Natale has three rushing touchdowns in the two reviewed Port game reports currently in KOT845’s stats.

7. Monroe-Woodbury

Record: 0-3

Monroe has lost 36-20 to JFK Campus, 17-14 to Washingtonville and 49-7 to Cornwall. The Crusaders remain inside the Top 10 because of schedule strength and their recent championship level, but last season’s resume cannot permanently outweigh current results.

The recent history is real. Monroe won the last two Class AA titles and beat Middletown twice in 2025, including 28-21 in the championship game. Monroe-Woodbury is now 0-3 for the first time since 1994, a 32-year gap. The September 30, 1994 Gannett Suburban Newspapers football preview, Yorktown prepares for quake (Local Sports, page 7D), listed “Monroe-Woodbury (0-3) at Carmel (1-1-1)” and noted that the Crusaders’ most recent loss was 42-14 to Kingston. No. 7 is not protection forever. It is the last bit of respect for what Monroe has been while we wait to see what this year’s team becomes.

8. Minisink Valley

Record: 1-2

Minisink beat Mahopac 18-15, then scored only three combined points in losses to Port Jervis and Middletown. The Warriors’ defensive ability and championship pedigree keep them in the Top 10, but the offense has to respond.

The championship part is not vague. Minisink went 10-1 in 2025 and beat Cornwall 24-21 in the Class A final. The Warriors also handled Lourdes twice last year, 42-12 in the regular season and 52-15 in the semifinal. That is why a 1-2 start does not erase them immediately, but the current offense is making the gap smaller every week.

9. Goshen

Record: 3-0 | 81 points scored | 34 allowed | +47 differential

Goshen is undefeated with wins over John Jay Cross River, Kingston and Monticello. The 12-7 win over Kingston becomes more important every week because Kingston is now No. 11.

At 3-0, Goshen is putting serious pressure on everyone above them.

Goshen also owns the most recent meeting with Lourdes, 48-36 in 2025, which is another reason this part of the board is close. In the available KOT845 game reports, J.P. Sullivan has two passing touchdowns, Dom Cusomano has two rushing touchdowns and Sean Pugliese has two sacks. Those are partial totals, but they give some player-level context to the 3-0 start.

10. Valley Central

Record: 2-1 | 75 points scored | 78 allowed

Valley Central beat Yorktown 21-14 and Wallkill 32-25 before falling to Lourdes 39-22. The Wallkill win matters because Wallkill has proven much more competitive than its record suggests.

Monroe-Woodbury beat Valley Central 42-13 in last year’s Class AA semifinal, which is part of the reason Monroe still sits above VC despite the 0-3 record. That history is getting less important with every new 2026 result, but it has not disappeared yet.

11. Kingston

Record: 2-1 | 73 points scored | 36 allowed | +37 differential

Kingston moves to No. 11 after beating Mount Vernon 31-10 and FDR 35-14. The Tigers’ only loss came 12-7 against undefeated Goshen.

Allowing only 12 points per game through three weeks gives Kingston one of the stronger defensive profiles just outside the Top 10.

There is an important head-to-head detail here: Pine Bush beat Kingston 36-20 in 2025. So putting Kingston ahead of Pine Bush is not based on recent series history. It is based on this season. Kingston has allowed 36 total points through three games, while Pine Bush has allowed 111. That is the reason for the current order.

12. Pine Bush

Record: 1-2

Pine Bush lost a competitive 41-34 opener to John Jay East Fishkill, was overwhelmed by Lourdes, then responded by beating Warwick 34-17.

That direct result is the separator. Pine Bush sits above Warwick because the teams just played and Pine Bush won by 17.

Pine Bush also beat Kingston 36-20 last season, so No. 12 is not a random jump based on one night. The Bushmen have shown they can beat teams sitting around this range. The question is whether the defense that gave up 53 to Lourdes has actually turned a corner.

13. Beacon

Record: 3-0 | 105 points scored | 43 allowed | +62 differential

Beacon has beaten Ketcham 27-14, O’Neill 29-22 and Red Hook 49-7. The Bulldogs are averaging 35 points per game and winning by more than 20 points per game.

Why only No. 13? Schedule strength. Kingston’s only loss came against undefeated Goshen, while Pine Bush owns the stronger individual win over Warwick. Another strong Beacon performance will force this conversation again.

Beacon has real individual production behind the 3-0 start. Delano Rigby Jr. has 399 checked passing yards and four passing touchdowns, Elijah Epps has 172 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns and 25 tackles, Ramon Soto has 167 receiving yards, and Quincy Owens has two interceptions. This is not just an unbeaten record built on empty numbers.

14-20: The middle remains volatile

14. Warwick — 0-3 after losses to Wagner, Newburgh and Pine Bush. Strength of schedule prevents a larger fall, but results now matter more than reputation. Recent history is part of why Warwick does not completely crash: the Wildcats beat Wallkill 22-21 in 2023 and 34-15 in 2024, then beat FDR 34-21 in 2025. But Pine Bush beat Warwick 34-17 this year, and the newest result has to carry the most weight.

15. Marlboro — owns the 12-7 head-to-head win over Chester. The Dukes then lost 21-6 to Port Jervis, extending Port’s long winning run in that series. Marlboro is not being ranked on record alone; the Chester win is the reason they stay ahead of the next group.

16. Chester — remains directly behind Marlboro because of that loss. Chester also brings real recent playoff history into the discussion: the Hambletonians won the 2025 Class C title and beat Burke Catholic 36-20 in their latest head-to-head after Burke won 12-0 in 2024.

17. Dover — unbeaten with convincing wins over Saugerties and Spackenkill. Dover also beat Highland twice in 2025, 12-6 in the regular season and 18-3 in the Class C semifinal. That recent history is why Dover stays one spot ahead of an unbeaten Highland team.

18. Highland — 3-0 with wins over Wallkill, Poughkeepsie and Rondout Valley. The Huskies have outscored opponents 95-20, but Dover’s better current wins and the 2025 head-to-head keep Highland behind the Dragons for now.

19. Wallkill — 1-2, but the losses were 7-6 to Highland and 32-25 to Valley Central before a 41-0 win over Poughkeepsie. Wallkill has been much better than the record looks. The reason Warwick still stays above them is not just reputation; Warwick owns the recent 2023 and 2024 meetings.

20. FDR — dominated Poughkeepsie and Monticello, then lost when the schedule strengthened against Kingston. The Presidents went 1-9 last year, so starting 2-1 is real progress. Warwick also beat FDR 34-21 in 2025, another piece of recent history that keeps the Wildcats ahead even while FDR has the better current record.

21-30

21. Burke Catholic
22. Saugerties
23. O’Neill
24. Spackenkill
25. Red Hook
26. Rondout Valley
27. New Paltz
28. Liberty
29. Monticello
30. Poughkeepsie

There is history inside this group too. Burke’s 3-0 record includes the O’Neill forfeit, and Chester beat Burke 36-20 in their latest head-to-head in 2025. Saugerties is still the defending Class B champion; Port beat the Sawyers 48-14 in the 2025 regular season, then Saugerties came back and won the championship rematch 22-21. O’Neill and Spackenkill have split their last two meetings, with Spack winning 20-13 in 2024 and O’Neill answering 28-21 in 2025. This year’s direct results also matter: Spack beat Red Hook 27-14, Red Hook beat Rondout 14-12, and Rondout beat New Paltz 30-7.

31-40: Eight-man hierarchy

31. Pawling
32. Millbrook
33. Eldred
34. Sullivan West
35. Tri-Valley
36. Onteora
37. Ellenville
38. Pine Plains/Rhinebeck
39. Rockland Central
40. Fallsburg

Pawling owns the strongest early eight-man resume, and the recent history backs it up. Pawling beat Eldred 38-12 in 2024, 49-36 in 2025 and 30-6 this September. The Tigers also split two very different games with Sullivan West last year: Pawling won the regular-season meeting 61-32, Sullivan West answered 30-6 in the sectional semifinal, and Pawling came back this year with a 46-14 win.

Millbrook has been even more dominant statistically at 80-12 through two games, but Pawling’s opponent quality is stronger. Eldred still carries the defending-champion context after beating Sullivan West 76-60 in last year’s final. Tri-Valley stays over Onteora because it just won the head-to-head 18-16, even though Onteora answered with 60 points the next week.

Pine Plains/Rhinebeck is unbeaten, but its first two wins came against Rockland Central and Fallsburg, the teams currently ranked Nos. 39 and 40. The 82-8 scoring margin is impressive. We just need to see it against somebody higher on the board before moving Pine Plains past teams that already have stronger comparison points.

KOT845 POWER 40 — SEPTEMBER 23, 2026

1. Middletown
2. Cornwall
3. Newburgh
4. Washingtonville
5. Our Lady of Lourdes
6. Port Jervis
7. Monroe-Woodbury
8. Minisink Valley
9. Goshen
10. Valley Central
11. Kingston
12. Pine Bush
13. Beacon
14. Warwick
15. Marlboro
16. Chester
17. Dover
18. Highland
19. Wallkill
20. FDR
21. Burke Catholic
22. Saugerties
23. O’Neill
24. Spackenkill
25. Red Hook
26. Rondout Valley
27. New Paltz
28. Liberty
29. Monticello
30. Poughkeepsie
31. Pawling
32. Millbrook
33. Eldred
34. Sullivan West
35. Tri-Valley
36. Onteora
37. Ellenville
38. Pine Plains/Rhinebeck
39. Rockland Central
40. Fallsburg

What matters next

Monroe-Woodbury is 0-3. Minisink Valley has struggled to score against elite competition. Goshen and Beacon remain undefeated. Kingston is knocking on the Top 10. Pine Bush owns a direct win over Warwick. Dover and Highland continue winning. Wallkill has played much better than its record suggests.

The longer 2026 goes, the less last year’s resume matters. The teams that keep producing will rise. The teams that do not will fall.