Since 2019, Port Jervis has been the standard in Section IX Class B football.
When the Raiders moved down from Class A in 2019, first-year head coach Damien Striharsky immediately led the program to a Section IX championship, unexpectedly ending Marlboro’s dominance over Class B. That victory marked the beginning of one of the most successful runs in recent Section IX history.
From 2019 through 2024, Port Jervis captured six consecutive Section IX championships before reaching the pinnacle in 2024 by winning the New York State Class B Championship.
The Raiders weren’t simply contenders—they became the benchmark.
Now, for the first time since that championship run began, Port Jervis enters a season facing unfamiliar questions.
After Saugerties ended the Raiders’ six-year sectional championship streak in 2025, Port Jervis begins 2026 with one of the biggest storylines in the section.
The first question is straightforward.
Who will be the next quarterback?
After having a sectional champion in Brett Fuller and a state champion in Dylan Fox, the Raiders now face the challenge of identifying the next quarterback capable of maintaining the standard that has defined Port Jervis football for years.
Fuller helped establish the championship era.
Fox elevated that era to the state championship level.
Now another quarterback must step into one of the most demanding positions in Section IX football.
For the first time in years, Port Jervis enters the preseason with a true quarterback competition.
Whoever earns the job won’t simply be replacing a starter.
He’ll be expected to protect a championship culture, lead one of Section IX’s premier programs and perform under the expectations that come with wearing the Port Jervis jersey.
Every opponent understands what beating Port Jervis represents.
The Raiders have spent years establishing themselves as the program every team measures itself against.
That hasn’t changed.
The second question is just as important.
Can Port Jervis reclaim Class B?
Programs built on sustained success rarely disappear.
Under Damien Striharsky, Port Jervis has developed one of the strongest cultures in New York high school football. While the 2025 season ended without another sectional championship, the expectations inside the program remain exactly the same.
Championship football.
The standard hasn’t changed.
Now it’s up to the next quarterback to protect it.
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