11 Week 3 Games That Can Shake Up the KOT845 Power 40

The KOT845 Power 40 was published Wednesday. By Saturday night, parts of it could already look completely different.

Week 3 is loaded with the kind of games that make rankings uncomfortable. No. 2 plays No. 3. Two struggling Top 10 teams meet with almost no margin left. An unbeaten Beacon team gets another chance to prove its Class B case. Kingston gets a direct shot at a Top 5 team. FDR finally gets the type of opponent that can tell us whether its 2-1 start is real. Goshen takes a 3-0 record into one of Section IX football’s oldest rivalries. And then Saturday afternoon brings the Bell Game with No. 1 Middletown staring directly at No. 6 Port Jervis.

These are power rankings, not standings. No team is guaranteed to move a certain number of spots because of one result. Margin, opponent quality, head-to-head evidence, common opponents and what happens elsewhere all matter.

But some games carry more ranking pressure than others.

These are the Week 3 matchups with the clearest ability to shake up the board.

1. No. 2 Cornwall at No. 3 Newburgh

Friday, 6:00 PM · Newburgh Free Academy
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This is the cleanest ranking game on the entire Friday slate because the teams are already sitting next to each other.

Cornwall is only 1-2, but the record hides the résumé. The Dragons lost 39-21 to Rye, came within one point of No. 1 Middletown in a 22-21 loss, then demolished defending Class AA champion Monroe-Woodbury 49-7. That combination of schedule strength and high-end performance is why Cornwall stayed No. 2.

Newburgh is 2-1 and has been explosive since its opening loss to Curtis. The Goldbacks followed that defeat by beating Warwick 42-6 and Washingtonville 48-12 — a 90-18 scoring advantage over two games. Justin Lassic has 410 checked rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns in KOT845’s current totals, while Jaiseon Barnwell has 257 checked passing yards and four passing touchdowns.

Then there is the history.

Newburgh’s last win over Cornwall in the available KOT845 archive came on September 25, 2009 — exactly 17 years before Friday’s meeting — when the Goldbacks won 46-34. Cornwall has won the five preserved meetings since then: 2010, 2017, Fall 2021, 2024 and 2025.

Ranking pressure: No other game gives Newburgh a more direct path to claiming the No. 2 argument. A Cornwall win would strengthen the exact reason the Dragons remain above Newburgh right now: high-end wins and head-to-head history.

2. No. 7 Monroe-Woodbury at No. 8 Minisink Valley

Friday, 7:00 PM · Minisink Valley
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This may be the most desperate Top 10 game of Week 3.

Monroe-Woodbury is 0-3 for the first documented time since 1994. The defending Class AA champions have lost 36-20 to JFK Campus, 17-14 to Washingtonville and 49-7 to Cornwall.

The bigger problem now is at quarterback. Monroe played without senior Ethan Maldonado against Cornwall, and he is expected to miss the rest of the season with an arm injury. Before the injury, Maldonado had 191 checked passing yards and 203 checked rushing yards through two games in the current KOT845 database. Braylon Shillingford took quarterback snaps against Cornwall and accounted for Monroe’s only touchdown.

Minisink has a different problem. The Warriors are 1-2, but after beating Mahopac 18-15 they have scored only three total points in losses to Port Jervis and Middletown. Port beat Minisink 31-3. Middletown shut the Warriors out 27-0.

The series history makes this even more interesting. Monroe-Woodbury leads the available series 19-5, but Minisink has won the last two meetings — 22-14 in 2022 and 21-7 in 2023.

Ranking pressure: Somebody gets oxygen. Somebody leaves Friday with another result that becomes very difficult to defend. A fourth straight Monroe loss or a third straight poor offensive performance from Minisink could force a major Top 10 reevaluation.

3. No. 11 Kingston at No. 5 Our Lady of Lourdes

Friday, 7:00 PM · Our Lady of Lourdes
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This is offense versus defense.

Lourdes has scored 108 points through three games. After losing 34-16 to Washingtonville, the Warriors exploded for a 53-12 win over Pine Bush and a 39-22 win over Valley Central. That is 92 points in two games, and it is why Lourdes climbed all the way to No. 5.

Kingston has built its case on the other side of the ball. The Tigers have allowed only 36 points through three games. Their only loss was 12-7 against unbeaten Goshen, followed by wins over Mount Vernon and FDR.

Kingston is sitting directly outside the Top 10. Lourdes is sitting inside the Top 5.

Ranking pressure: A Kingston road win would be the type of result that can erase the debate about whether the Tigers belong in the Top 10. A Lourdes win would give the Warriors a third straight strong performance and another AA opponent on the résumé.

4. No. 12 Pine Bush at No. 4 Washingtonville

Friday, 6:00 PM · Washingtonville
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Pine Bush may be one of the hardest teams on the board to evaluate right now.

The Bushmen lost a competitive 41-34 opener to John Jay East Fishkill, got overwhelmed 53-12 by Lourdes, then turned around and beat Warwick 34-17.

Was the Warwick win the beginning of a real turn, or one good night?

Washingtonville is the perfect test. The Wizards are 2-1 with wins over Lourdes and Monroe-Woodbury, but Newburgh exposed them 48-12. Washingtonville remains No. 4 because two quality wins still outweigh one ugly loss.

Ranking pressure: Pine Bush can jump from being a team with one intriguing win to a team with a serious Top 10 argument. Washingtonville can stabilize No. 4 by beating a team coming off its best performance of the season.

5. No. 13 Beacon vs. No. 15 Marlboro

Friday, 6:00 PM · Beacon
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Beacon keeps answering every question.

The Bulldogs are 3-0 with wins over Ketcham, O’Neill and Red Hook. They have scored 105 points and allowed 43, and the 49-7 win over Red Hook was their biggest statement yet.

The question has been schedule strength.

Marlboro gives Beacon another chance to answer it. The Dukes beat Chester 12-7 before losing 21-6 to Port Jervis. Marlboro is only 1-1, but the Chester win carries weight and Port is currently No. 6 overall and No. 1 in Class B.

Marlboro also owns the most recent meeting with Beacon, 21-14 in 2024, and leads the limited preserved series 2-0.

Ranking pressure: Beacon is not far from the Top 10, and another quality Class B win would make it increasingly difficult to keep the Bulldogs outside. Marlboro can jump back into the middle of the Power 40 conversation by ending Beacon’s unbeaten start.

6. No. 20 FDR at No. 10 Valley Central

Friday, 6:00 PM · Valley Central
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This is the game KOT845 has been waiting for from FDR.

The Presidents opened the year 2-0 by beating Poughkeepsie 44-0 and Monticello 42-0. That 86-0 start got attention, but both opponents remain at the bottom of the board. When FDR stepped up in competition against Kingston, the Presidents lost 35-14.

Now comes Valley Central.

The Vikings are 2-1 with wins over Yorktown and Wallkill before a 39-22 loss to Lourdes. Valley Central remains No. 10 because the first two wins were meaningful and the Lourdes loss came against one of the hottest teams in the section.

Ranking pressure: If FDR beats a Top 10 team on the road, the strength-of-schedule argument against the Presidents changes immediately. If Valley Central wins, the Vikings strengthen their Top 10 position and FDR’s first two wins remain much harder to evaluate.

7. No. 16 Chester Academy at No. 17 Dover

Friday, 7:00 PM · Dover
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Sometimes the easiest ranking question is created by two teams sitting directly next to each other.

Chester is 1-2 but has played a demanding schedule. The Hambletonians lost to Tuckahoe and Marlboro before beating New Paltz 35-13. They also enter 2026 with championship context after winning the 2025 Class C title before moving into the Class D picture.

Dover is 2-0 and has been more convincing in the current season. The Dragons beat defending Class B champion Saugerties 31-7, then beat previously unbeaten Spackenkill 29-9. Dover has outscored opponents 60-16.

Ranking pressure: No. 16 versus No. 17 gives us almost a direct sorting mechanism. Dover can add another quality win to an already impressive résumé. Chester can prove that its record is more about opponent strength than team quality.

8. No. 24 Spackenkill at No. 26 Rondout Valley

Thursday, 6:30 PM · Rondout Valley
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The first ranking movement of Week 3 could happen before Friday even arrives.

Spackenkill is 2-1 with wins over New Paltz and Red Hook before a 29-9 loss to Dover. Rondout Valley is 1-2 after a two-point loss to Red Hook, a 30-7 win over New Paltz and a 48-14 loss to Highland.

The teams are separated by only two spots in the Power 40 and both live in the middle of the Class C argument.

Ranking pressure: A Rondout win almost certainly strengthens the case to jump Spackenkill head-to-head. A Spackenkill road win creates more separation and gives the Spartans another direct comparison point within the class.

9. No. 36 Onteora at No. 32 Millbrook

Thursday, 7:00 PM · Millbrook
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The 8-Man board is more volatile than the numbers suggest.

Millbrook is 2-0 and has dominated, beating Fallsburg 34-0 and Tri-Valley 46-12 for an 80-12 scoring margin.

Onteora lost 18-16 to Tri-Valley, then responded by scoring 60 points in a 60-18 win over Rockland Central.

Ranking pressure: Millbrook can strengthen its position directly behind Pawling. Onteora can erase much of the damage from its opening loss by beating one of the most statistically dominant teams in the format.

10. No. 9 Goshen at No. 14 Warwick

Saturday, 10:00 AM · Warwick
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This is one of the most interesting ranking philosophy games of the weekend.

Goshen is 3-0. Warwick is 0-3.

Goshen has beaten John Jay Cross River, Kingston and Monticello. The 12-7 Kingston win is aging well, and the Gladiators have allowed only 34 points all season.

Warwick has lost to Wagner, Newburgh and Pine Bush. The record is ugly, but the Wildcats have faced a much more difficult schedule than many teams around them.

Then add the Spirit Trophy rivalry. Goshen won the 2025 regular-season meeting 35-26. Warwick answered in the Class A quarterfinal, beating Goshen 29-6. The available KOT845 series has Warwick ahead 32-20-2.

Ranking pressure: A fourth Goshen win — especially in this rivalry — would strengthen the argument that the Gladiators should move higher than teams being protected by schedule and past résumé. A Warwick win would be one of the strongest examples all season of why schedule strength matters when judging a winless team.

11. No. 6 Port Jervis at No. 1 Middletown — The Bell Game

Saturday, 1:00 PM · Faller Field
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The biggest rivalry game of the weekend is also the game that can create the biggest ranking shock.

Middletown is 3-0 and owns the strongest résumé in Section IX: a 32-0 shutout of Arlington, a 22-21 road win over Cornwall and a 27-0 shutout of Minisink Valley. The Middies have scored 81 points and allowed only 21.

Port Jervis is 2-1 and has responded to its opening loss at Waverly by beating Minisink 31-3 and Marlboro 21-6. The Raiders have allowed only nine points over their last two games.

And Port has won the last two Bell meetings.

Ranking pressure: A Middletown win strengthens the No. 1 position against another Top 10 opponent. A Port Jervis win blows the top of the board open at the exact same time Cornwall and Newburgh are deciding their own No. 2 versus No. 3 argument.

The teams with the most to gain

Newburgh: The Goldbacks can beat the team directly ahead of them and end a Cornwall series drought dating to 2009 in the preserved archive.

Kingston: A road win over No. 5 Lourdes would give the Tigers the high-end win their résumé is currently missing.

FDR: No team can change the way its first three games are interpreted more than the Presidents can by beating Valley Central.

Beacon: The Bulldogs can reach 4-0 with a win over a Marlboro team that already owns a quality win over Chester.

Goshen: A 4-0 start with wins over Kingston and Warwick would make the Top 10 placement increasingly conservative.

The teams under the most pressure

Monroe-Woodbury: The Crusaders are already 0-3, have lost their starting quarterback, and are surviving in the Top 10 because of schedule strength and recent championship history. The rankings cannot protect that résumé forever.

Minisink Valley: The Warriors have scored only three points in their last two games. The defense and 2025 Class A championship still matter, but the offense has to give the ranking something new to work with.

Washingtonville: The Wizards own two quality wins, but another loss would make the 48-12 Newburgh defeat feel much less isolated.

Warwick: At some point, strength of schedule has to become wins. The Spirit Trophy game gives the Wildcats the perfect chance.

And this is why we play the games

Wednesday’s Power 40 was a snapshot.

It reflected what teams had earned through Week 2. Week 3 now gets to attack every assumption behind it.

By Saturday night, we may know whether Newburgh has finally solved Cornwall. Whether Monroe can survive without Ethan Maldonado. Whether Minisink can find offense. Whether Kingston belongs in the Top 10. Whether Beacon belongs even higher. Whether FDR can beat a quality opponent. Whether Goshen’s 3-0 start travels into rivalry pressure. And whether Middletown still owns the strongest résumé in Section IX after the Bell is decided.

The rankings are posted. Now the teams get to argue with them.

Follow every matchup through the KOT845 Week 3 schedule and Game Centers, and revisit the September 23 Power 40 and Week 3 class-by-class rankings before kickoff.