Week 5 Class Rankings Explained: Highland Takes Over, Washingtonville Leads and Port Holds Off Beacon

WEEK 5 CLASS RANKINGS • OCTOBER 6, 2026

Highland earned the clearest move on this week’s class board. Washingtonville’s win at Goshen strengthened its place atop Class A. Port Jervis answered with a shutout, while unbeaten Beacon keeps the Class B debate alive.

KOT845’s Week 5 class-by-class rankings are set, with records through Week 4. Middletown, Washingtonville, Port Jervis, Highland, Burke Catholic and Pawling lead their respective classes.

Presented by Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler, KOT845’s Official Community Partner.

These are independent editorial rankings. They evaluate results, opponents and the full body of work; official standings and playoff tiebreakers are handled separately. This release covers the six class boards. The next Power 40 remains under editorial review.

Class AA: Middletown holds the lead

Everything stays the same in Class AA this week. Middletown remains No. 1 at 5–0, followed by Newburgh and Valley Central at 4–1. Kingston, Pine Bush and Monroe-Woodbury round out the board.

Kingston and Pine Bush could reasonably be swapped. There is no clear separator between them right now, and Pine Bush has the edge from their prior head-to-head meeting. Kingston remains fourth and Pine Bush fifth on this week’s board, but that is a close call rather than a clear gap between the programs.

Unless we get a major upset this week, the biggest question is pointing toward next week’s heavyweight matchup between Middletown and Newburgh. That is the game that could change the conversation at the top.

Before then, Newburgh’s performance against Pine Bush will be worth watching closely. Middletown just beat the Bushmen 28–13. How the Goldbacks handle that same opponent gives us another comparison ahead of their meeting with the Middies. It will not tell us everything, but it gives us something concrete to watch this week.

Class A: Washingtonville earns the top spot

Nothing changes in our approved Class A order: Washingtonville first, Lourdes second, Cornwall third. Washingtonville’s 37–7 win at Goshen and Lourdes’ 52–35 win at Warwick leave both programs at 4–1.

This might sound crazy, but the first game of the season between Washingtonville and Lourdes may have been a preview of the Class A championship. There is still plenty of football left, but the way this class is taking shape makes that opening matchup worth revisiting.

Cornwall is in uncharted waters at 2–3, and its matchup with Lourdes is one to mark. The Dragons’ handling of defending champion Minisink Valley was expected and arrived right on time: a 49–20 win after the 31–0 loss to Newburgh. That response keeps Cornwall firmly in the conversation. The Lourdes game will give us another important measure of where the Dragons stand.

Minisink stays fourth, ahead of 4–1 Goshen. Overall record matters, but it does not settle every comparison. Minisink’s 21–6 win over Class AA Monroe-Woodbury remains part of its body of work; Goshen’s 37–7 loss to Washingtonville is now part of its own. Keeping Minisink ahead is KOT845’s editorial judgment on the full comparison.

Wallkill is sixth after its third straight win, a 21–7 result at FDR. Warwick remains seventh and FDR eighth. Keeping an 0–5 team above a 2–3 team is one of the board’s more debatable decisions. That placement is an editorial evaluation, and Warwick still needs a result to support it. FDR’s three consecutive losses also weigh on its position.

Class B: Port leads; Beacon keeps pressing

Port Jervis stays first after shutting out Saugerties 33–0. A week after losing the Erie Bell to Middletown, the Raiders delivered a convincing response against a Class B opponent.

Beacon delivered another big offensive performance in its 63–34 win over New Paltz and has a strong argument at 5–0. But allowing the Huguenots to score 34 points in the first half is worrisome for a team whose goal is to beat Port Jervis for a sectional title. That is the part of the performance the Bulldogs need to address.

The second-half shutout was more like it. Beacon took a 40–34 halftime lead and outscored New Paltz 23–0 after the break. That response matters, but the Bulldogs will need that level of defense from the start against a championship opponent. Port remains first, with Beacon second.

Marlboro moves ahead of Saugerties after beating Red Hook 32–20. The Dukes and Sawyers are both 2–2, but their Week 4 results push this week’s evaluation toward Marlboro. Red Hook is fifth, followed by New Paltz and Liberty.

Class C: Highland gets the head-to-head edge

This week’s clearest change is Highland moving above Dover. The Huskies won their meeting 31–14, improved to 4–1 and handed the Dragons their first loss.

Highland had lost 52–6 to Burke Catholic the previous week. Its response against Dover gives us a direct Class C comparison and earns the Huskies the top spot. Dover remains second at 3–1.

O’Neill stays third after beating Rondout Valley 23–8. Rondout is fourth and Spackenkill fifth following its 31–25 loss to Chester.

Class D: Burke remains the standard

Burke Catholic remains first at 5–0 after beating Poughkeepsie 48–0. Highland’s win over Dover adds another useful piece of context to Burke’s earlier 52–6 win over the Huskies.

Chester remains second, but its 31–25 win over Spackenkill gives the Hambletonians a positive result heading into the next stage of the season. They took the lead with 4:55 remaining and finished the game.

Eight-Man: Pawling stays on top

Pawling stays first at 4–0 following its 62–20 win over Pine Plains/Rhinebeck. Millbrook remains second despite its first loss, 22–8 at Taconic Hills.

Sullivan West is third after a 38–6 result at Cairo-Durham that ended with a halftime forfeit. Tri-Valley is fourth after beating Rockland 22–12. Both are 3–1.

Eldred and Onteora follow at 2–2. Eldred beat Fallsburg 28–12; Onteora edged Ellenville 28–26. Ellenville remains seventh, followed by Pine Plains/Rhinebeck, Rockland and Fallsburg.

The decisions that matter

Highland over Dover and O’Neill over Rondout have fresh head-to-head results behind them. Washingtonville’s win over Goshen and Cornwall’s win over Minisink also provide direct evidence for the Class A discussion.

Port over unbeaten Beacon, Minisink over Goshen, and Warwick over FDR are broader editorial calls. They remain open to challenge as the season produces more evidence. A class ranking describes where KOT845 sees the programs today; it does not award a playoff seed or guarantee the next result.

Visit the class rankings board → · Read the Week 4 results and wrap → · View the current standings →