Week 4 is complete: all seven Saturday games are final. Read the Sunday wrap, all 21 results and the Week 5 outlook →
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3 — ORIGINAL PREGAME GUIDE
Friday changed the conversation. Washingtonville ended Goshen’s unbeaten start. Highland handed Dover its first loss. Cornwall answered at Minisink, while Middletown, Beacon and Pawling stayed perfect.
Now seven Saturday games finish Week 4, starting at 1 PM and running through Spackenkill–Chester at 7 PM.
Open Saturday’s scoreboard and Game Centers → · Find a game to watch →
Saturday’s seven games
All times are Eastern. Marlboro–Red Hook is at 5 PM at Dietz, and Rockland–Tri-Valley is at 3 PM, reflecting the latest Section Nine Football schedule.
| Time | Away | Home | Venue / Game Center |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 PM | Poughkeepsie (0-4) | Burke Catholic (4-0) | John S. Burke Catholic High School → |
| 2 PM | Port Jervis (2-2) | Saugerties (2-1) | Saugerties High School → |
| 2 PM | Ellenville (2-2) | Onteora (1-2) | Onteora High School → |
| 2 PM | Sullivan West (2-1) | Cairo-Durham | Cairo-Durham High School → |
| 3 PM | Rockland (1-2) | Tri-Valley (2-1) | Tri-Valley Secondary School → |
| 5 PM | Marlboro (1-2) | Red Hook (2-2) | Dietz Stadium → |
| 7 PM | Spackenkill (2-2) | Chester (1-3) | Chester Commons Park → |
1 PM: Burke looks to reach 5-0
Burke Catholic opens the day against Poughkeepsie at 1 PM. The Eagles enter 4-0 after beating Highland 52-6 last week.
Coach I’s view: Watching Highland beat Dover 31-14 Friday night brings me back to one question: how good is this Burke team, really? Highland just handed Dover its first loss and improved to 4-1. Burke put 52 on that same Highland team and held it to six.
That makes Burke’s performance look even stronger. The Eagles may be very good—good enough to create real separation and potentially run away with Class D. Chester still has its say, but Burke has given us a reason to take that possibility seriously.
Poughkeepsie is 0-4. I’m picking Burke, but I want the Pioneers to do what Monticello did Thursday: get better, find their first touchdown of the year and give themselves something to believe in.
Monticello found its breakthrough in a 24-22 win over Liberty. Poughkeepsie is scheduled to host the Panthers next Friday, October 9, at 6 PM. That is an opportunity the Pioneers have to pour everything into as a potential chance to earn their first win.
A sustained drive, cleaner execution and a touchdown today would give Poughkeepsie something to carry into that game. Monticello will arrive with its own confidence, so the Pioneers have to use this week to become better prepared.
Get to next week healthy. Compete and improve, while making player health a priority. If today’s game gets out of reach, rotate players, use the bench and let more of the roster contribute. Give those players experience while managing the workload on the guys you will need next Friday.
Get better today. Give everybody a chance to help. Reach the Monticello game healthy and ready.
2 PM: Port and Saugerties meet again
Port Jervis visits Saugerties at 2 PM. Port enters 2-2 after losing the Erie Bell to Middletown; Saugerties is 2-1 after wins over Liberty and New Paltz.
Coach I’s view: Last year, Port was on one of the best runs I have ever seen. The Raiders were the defending New York State Class B champions, and they had beaten Saugerties 48-14 during the regular season.
Then Saugerties shocked them, winning the Section IX Class B final 22-21. To me, that belongs in the conversation for the greatest upset in sectional history. A defending state champion’s season ended against a team it had beaten by 34 points less than a month earlier.
The scale of that reversal reached beyond Section IX. Port’s 2024 season had ended with a 33-26 state-title win over Maine-Endwell. In 2025, the Raiders beat Middletown 55-21, shut out Marlboro 28-0 and handled Saugerties 48-14 before scoring 77 against Red Hook and winning the semifinal rematch 55-0.
Saugerties changed the ending. The Sawyers earned the championship and stopped Port’s state-title defense in the sectional final. That is the weight behind today’s rematch.
I’m picking Port, and I expect the Raiders to want a response. Saugerties comes into this game knowing it has already beaten them with a title on the line.
Beacon has already moved to 5-0 with a 63-34 win Friday. Saturday gives Port and Saugerties a chance to make their own case in the Class B race.
Historical results: Port Jervis’s 2025 schedule; Port’s 2024 state championship.
The 8-Man afternoon
Ellenville at Onteora, 2 PM: Ellenville is 2-2. Onteora is 1-2 after losing a 52-46 shootout to Millbrook. The Eagles produced enough offense to make that game dangerous; Saturday asks whether they can turn that production into a win.
Sullivan West at Cairo-Durham, 2 PM: The Bulldogs bring a 2-1 record and last week’s 34-6 win over Eldred into a trip outside Section IX. Eldred responded Friday by beating Fallsburg 28-12.
Rockland at Tri-Valley, 3 PM: Tri-Valley is 2-1 after beating Fallsburg 26-8. Rockland is 1-2, with last week’s victory awarded by forfeit. The Bears are looking to build on an on-field win.
Pawling’s 62-20 victory Friday moved the Tigers to 4-0. Millbrook’s 22-8 loss at Taconic Hills ended the Blazers’ unbeaten start. The remaining 8-Man teams now play with those results already posted.
5 PM at Dietz: Marlboro needs a response
Marlboro is 1-2 after losses to Port Jervis and Beacon. The Dukes face a 2-2 Red Hook team in a game moved to Dietz Stadium.
Marlboro held Beacon to 12 points last week but scored only six. Saturday’s question is whether the Dukes can find more offense while maintaining the defensive effort that kept that game close.
7 PM: Spackenkill and Chester close the day
Spackenkill is 2-2 after a 21-20 loss to Rondout Valley and an earlier loss to Dover. Chester is 1-3 after falling 18-13 to Dover on a late touchdown.
Both teams have recent losses that came down to a small margin. One gets a chance to leave Week 4 with a response.
Coach I’s Saturday picks
The seven selections were published before the week: Burke, Port Jervis, Onteora, Sullivan West, Tri-Valley, Marlboro and Chester.
Coach I enters Saturday 12-2 for Week 4 and 70-26 overall. In games between two Section IX teams, the season ledger is 61-17 (.782), including one picked forfeit win; the record in games played is 60-17.
Saturday’s seven selections all won. Coach I finished Week 4 19–2, moving to 77–26 overall and 67–17 in Section IX matchups. Read the final picks results → Read every original pick and its reasoning →
Catch up on Friday
All 13 Friday games are final. Warwick and Monroe-Woodbury are both 0-5; Washingtonville and Highland handed Goshen and Dover their first losses.
Read every Friday final and the full recap → · Week 4 results → · Current standings →
Kickoff changes checked against Section Nine Football’s Week 4 schedule Saturday morning. Provider schedules and streams may change.
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