FINAL WEEK 3 LEDGER: Coach I finished 17-4, moving the season record to 58-24 (.707). Two correct selections were official forfeit wins; 19 games were played. Read the full Week 3 picks review →
The picks are back on the record.
Coach I enters Week 3 at 41-20 (.672) after going 17-2 in Week 2.
This week’s card is different.
There are rivalry games, undefeated teams, defending champions under pressure, teams trying to stop early-season slides and several matchups where history and current form are pointing in opposite directions.
These are not computer picks.
They are coaching picks.
The numbers matter. The history matters. Film matters. Matchups matter. But at the end of the day, sometimes you have to trust what you see, understand what could make you wrong, and put the pick on the record anyway.
Week 0: 11-11
Week 1: 13-7
Week 2: 17-2
Season: 41-20 (.672)
Thursday, September 24
Spackenkill at Rondout Valley
Coach I Pick: Spackenkill
This one feels like another game that could go right down to the wire.
Spackenkill quarterback Jalon Morgan is one of the more productive dual-threat players in Section IX through Week 2. In KOT845’s checked totals, Morgan has 432 passing yards, 316 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns. He currently sits No. 4 in passing yards and inside the Top 10 in rushing.
That matters in a game where one scramble or one late drive could decide everything.
Rondout Valley won last year’s meeting 36-27, giving the Ganders the most recent head-to-head win entering tonight.
Rondout is home. The teams sit close together in the Power 40. Both are trying to respond after Week 2 losses.
I expect another game that could easily be decided by one touchdown or less.
Pick: Spackenkill.
Onteora at Millbrook
Coach I Pick: Millbrook
I’m rolling with Millbrook because of the start and because of what they’ve actually put on the scoreboard.
They’re 2-0 and have outscored their first two opponents 80-12.
The Tri-Valley comparison also jumps out. Onteora lost to Tri-Valley 18-16. Millbrook beat Tri-Valley 46-12.
But this is not a game where Millbrook can just show up.
Jameer Maize is going to make this matchup difficult, and Dante Guido is another player they have to account for. Onteora has athletes who can turn a normal play into six points, and they just scored 60 against Rockland Central.
If Millbrook can limit the explosive plays, make Onteora sustain drives and avoid giving Maize, Guido and the other playmakers easy opportunities, I think the consistency wins out.
It is also Homecoming at Millbrook.
Pick: Millbrook.
Friday, September 25
Saugerties at New Paltz
Coach I Pick: Saugerties
I want to show some respect to the defending Class B champions here.
Saugerties is 1-1, but I do not think we should overreact to the record.
At the same time, what happened against Dover is a reminder that nothing is going to come easy for Saugerties in 2026.
Dover beat them 31-7.
Then Saugerties responded the way a defending champion should and beat Liberty 35-6.
New Paltz is 0-3, but they have shown stretches where they can compete. They were right there with Spackenkill in the opener before losing 29-20.
Once you get exposed the way Dover exposed Saugerties, everybody else on the schedule watches the film and believes they can do the same thing.
Now the defending champs have to show they corrected it.
Pick: Saugerties.
Cornwall at Newburgh Free Academy
Coach I Pick: Newburgh
I’m going against history here.
And I know exactly what I’m doing.
Cornwall has found a way to beat Newburgh over and over again. In the preserved KOT845 series, Newburgh’s last win came in 2009, and Cornwall has won the five available meetings since.
Last year was close. Cornwall won 17-14.
Normally, this is the kind of game where everybody says, “Until Newburgh proves it, take Cornwall.”
I understand that.
I ranked Cornwall above Newburgh myself.
Part of the reason I did that was because I respect the history. I respect Cornwall as a program. They are well coached. They took Middletown to the edge and then beat defending Class AA champion Monroe-Woodbury 49-7.
This pick might make Cornwall play ten times harder just to make me look stupid.
They absolutely have the ability to do that.
But Newburgh has responded to the Curtis loss by beating Warwick 42-6 and Washingtonville 48-12. They have scored 90 points in two games.
They’re home.
They have momentum.
And sooner or later, one year has to be the year that history breaks.
I’m saying 2026 is that year.
Pick: Newburgh.
FDR at Valley Central
Coach I Pick: Valley Central
This is a real test for FDR.
The Presidents opened 2-0 by beating Poughkeepsie 44-0 and Monticello 42-0. That 86-0 start got everybody’s attention.
Then the schedule stepped up against Kingston, and FDR lost 35-14.
Now they get another step up.
Valley Central is 2-1 with wins over Yorktown and Wallkill before losing to a very hot Lourdes team 39-22.
Andrew Waite has 479 checked passing yards and five passing touchdowns. Jason Montgomery has 295 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Triston Wright has 185 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
But I am cautious here because FDR beat Valley Central 21-9 last season.
The Presidents know they can beat this program.
From a coaching standpoint, I want to see how FDR responds after getting punched for the first time this season.
It is easy to play confident when you are up 40-0.
How do you respond the week after somebody exposes you?
I think FDR makes this competitive, but right now I trust Valley Central’s balance and the level of competition it has already faced a little more.
Pick: Valley Central.
Pine Bush at Washingtonville
Coach I Pick: Washingtonville
Pine Bush is still one of the hardest teams in Section IX to figure out.
They looked one way against Lourdes, then came back and beat Warwick 34-17.
After watching the Warwick film, I absolutely think Pine Bush can make this competitive.
But Washingtonville owns the stronger overall résumé.
The Wizards beat Lourdes 34-16.
That same Lourdes team beat Pine Bush 53-12.
That does not guarantee anything. This is high school football. Every game can become competitive quickly.
But right now I do not have a reason to jump off Washingtonville.
Pick: Washingtonville.
Marlboro at Beacon
Coach I Pick: Beacon
This is another bold one.
Beacon has already shown it can beat quality programs. Last season, the Bulldogs beat Goshen and Valley Central. Now they are 3-0.
But Marlboro might bring the toughest defensive challenge Beacon has seen so far.
They are going to pressure you. They traditionally get good linebacker play. They are not going to let the offense feel comfortable all night.
That is the question for Beacon:
What happens when everything does not look as clean as it has?
Delano Rigby Jr. is currently No. 5 in KOT845 passing yards with 399.
If he handles the pressure and Beacon responds when the game gets ugly, I think the Bulldogs can win it.
Pick: Beacon.
Chester Academy at Dover
Coach I Pick: Dover
Chester has owned Dover recently.
Five straight preserved wins. Two championship wins.
Same type of situation as Cornwall-Newburgh.
Eventually, one year has to be different.
I’m calling 2026.
Conor Drnek is a real problem for Dover. He is one of the most impactful two-way players on this Week 3 slate. He can affect the game as a runner, quarterback and linebacker.
Dover already beat defending Class B champion Saugerties and then beat Spackenkill. Those performances matter.
This team also has an edge about them.
Respectful kids, but when they step between the lines you can tell they are not interested in continuously losing to the same program.
That comes from Coach Jones and it shows up in his players.
Pick: Dover.
Sullivan West at Eldred
Coach I Pick: Eldred
This is a rematch of the 2025 8-Man championship, which Eldred won 76-60.
I’m going to be transparent here:
I’m still learning the complete 8-Man landscape.
So until somebody knocks off the defending champion in a game like this, I’m going to give Eldred the benefit of the doubt.
Until you beat them, I’m staying with Eldred.
Pick: Eldred.
Burke Catholic at Highland
Coach I Pick: Highland
This one is tough.
Both teams are officially 3-0, but Burke has only played two games.
Their two played wins were 55-0 over Monticello and 56-6 over Liberty. Then came the O’Neill forfeit.
Now I finally get to see Burke against a team that is going to offer real resistance.
I have already taken heat for keeping Chester above Burke in Class D, but I am not going to move teams just because somebody wants them moved.
Burke has to prove it.
Highland is 3-0. They have looked good. They are physical.
This is the type of opponent that is finally going to tell us more about Burke than the first two weeks did.
I’m excited to see how Burke responds when the game gets uncomfortable.
Pick: Highland.
Monroe-Woodbury at Minisink Valley
Coach I Pick: Monroe-Woodbury
I know Monroe lost Ethan Maldonado.
I know they just lost 49-7 to Cornwall.
But listen:
You are the defending Class AA champions.
At the AA level, losing one player—even your quarterback—cannot mean the whole operation shuts down.
That is part of what separates the bigger programs.
Somebody has to be developing behind him.
Somebody has to be ready.
The returning guys, including Braylon Shillingford and the other experienced players, have to lead now.
Minisink is still Minisink. They are well coached, and they were Class A champions last season.
But the Warriors have scored only three total points over their last two games.
Monroe has had another week to respond after the Cornwall loss.
No excuses.
Figure it out.
Pick: Monroe-Woodbury.
Kingston at Our Lady of Lourdes
Coach I Pick: Our Lady of Lourdes
I’m sticking by my Top-5 ranking.
Lourdes put 53 on Pine Bush.
Pine Bush beat Kingston 36-20 last season. Last year does not decide Friday, but it gives us another comparison point.
Kingston has played good football this year, especially defensively.
But Lourdes is a different physical challenge.
They have experience up front. They have backs who can wear on you. And now they are mixing in more spread concepts instead of just lining up and telling you exactly what is coming.
Jack Savona. Lucas Pascale. Boden Bickel. Jayden Benjamin.
I have seen several of these kids personally through our combine environment. I know what the size and athletic ability looks like.
Kingston has to prove it can deal with that for four quarters.
Not one quarter.
Not one half.
Four quarters.
Until somebody goes head-to-head with Lourdes and outlasts them, I’m sticking by the ranking.
Pick: Lourdes.
Ellenville at Pine Plains/Rhinebeck
Coach I Pick: Ellenville
This one is not clear-cut.
Pine Plains/Rhinebeck is 2-0 and deserves respect for that.
But I’m taking Ellenville.
James Horvath has been a monster.
He currently leads the Section IX 8-Man scoring table with 46 points and seven touchdowns.
But Ellenville cannot make this the James Horvath Show and expect that to be enough every week.
They need other guys to make plays.
Pine Plains is unbeaten, and after Pawling made me look stupid last week, I am not going to pretend I have 8-Man completely solved.
Pine Plains could absolutely prove me wrong.
But I’ll take the player I trust most in this matchup and roll with Ellenville.
Pick: Ellenville.
Monticello at Wallkill
Coach I Pick: Wallkill
We all know where Monticello is right now.
The Panthers are 0-3 and still searching for their first points of the season.
So the pick is Wallkill.
But from a coaching perspective, the part I am watching with Monticello is much simpler than rankings or margins.
Just get six.
Zero wears on kids.
Football asks a lot of high-school players physically and mentally. At some point they need to feel the reward of putting a drive together, getting into the end zone and celebrating with their teammates.
That does not fix everything.
But six matters.
For Monticello—and honestly Poughkeepsie too—the objective right now has to be incremental.
Put together a better performance than last week. Win a drive. Win a quarter. Get six. Give the kids something tangible that tells them the work is moving somewhere.
Pick: Wallkill.
Saturday, September 26
Port Jervis at Middletown — Erie Bell Game
Coach I Pick: Middletown
I’m rolling with Middletown.
But anybody treating this like Port Jervis is supposed to walk into Faller Field and hand the Bell back has not been paying attention.
Port has won the last two Bell Games, 46-14 in 2024 and 55-21 in 2025.
That is 101 points scored by Port Jervis against Middletown over the last two meetings.
Since Middletown last held the Bell in 2023, a lot has changed.
Port Jervis went on and won the 2024 New York State Class B championship.
Three years is a long time in high school football.
Seventh graders become sophomores. Sophomores become seniors. Rosters change. Bodies change. Programs evolve.
So this is not about what Middletown did in 2023.
It is about 2026.
Port Jervis is a very good football team. They absolutely have enough to come into Middletown and beat the No. 1 team. They have already shown for two straight years that they understand how to attack this matchup.
That is exactly why Middletown probably has more to prove here than anybody.
But I do not think this needs to become some huge statement about revenge.
Keep it simple.
Get the Bell back.
If it is 7-6, get the Bell back.
If it is ugly, get the Bell back.
If it comes down to the final possession, get the Bell back.
Middletown is 3-0 and No. 1 in the Power 40, but none of that puts the Bell in the trophy case.
Port is not coming to hand it over.
Middletown has to take it.
Pick: Middletown.
Corinth Central at Pawling
Coach I Pick: Pawling
Simple philosophy here:
Section IX over everybody.
Pawling is 2-0 and has already beaten Eldred 30-6 and Sullivan West 46-14.
I picked against Pawling last week and they made me pay for it.
I’m not doing it again this week.
They’re playing good football, they’re representing Section IX against an outside opponent, and until somebody gives me a reason to jump off the Tigers, I’m staying with them.
Pick: Pawling.
James I. O’Neill at Poughkeepsie
Coach I Pick: O’Neill
I’m rolling with O’Neill.
The Burke situation was shocking.
Coming into the season, I thought O’Neill had the type of team that could give Burke a real problem. If that game had been played, I was leaning toward picking O’Neill.
The forfeit forces me to reconsider how deep this roster actually is.
But I am also not going to let one week define their entire season.
On the field, O’Neill opened by beating Haldane 40-0, then lost a competitive 29-22 game to unbeaten Beacon.
There are still reasons to believe in this team.
So now the question is simple:
What do you do next?
Forget Burke. You could not play the game. It happened.
Class C is still sitting there in front of you.
Get back to football. Keep developing. Show us exactly who this team is.
For Poughkeepsie, I feel the same way I do about Monticello.
Get six.
Just get into the end zone.
Give the kids that feeling. Put together a better performance than the week before. Win a drive. Win a quarter. Find something positive you can build on.
Pick: O’Neill.
Hoosic Valley at Rockland Central
Coach I Pick: Rockland Central
You already know the philosophy.
Section IX over everybody.
Rockland Central is still searching for its first win, and the first two weeks have been tough.
Does not matter.
Hoosic Valley comes into Section IX, I’m riding with Section IX.
It could be Section IX versus the Kansas City Chiefs and I’m still taking Section IX.
If we ever expand to covering the entire state, then maybe I’ll be a little conflicted when New York City is involved.
But until then?
Section IX. Section IX. Section IX.
Pick: Rockland Central.
Fallsburg at Tri-Valley
Coach I Pick: Tri-Valley
I’m going Tri-Valley here.
But Fallsburg is actually a program we probably need to talk about more.
They have been bouncing between 11-Man and 8-Man, and because they are up in Sullivan County and operating in the 8-Man world right now, they can fly under the radar.
Honestly, when we did the deeper conversation about Monticello and Poughkeepsie, Fallsburg probably deserved to be part of the broader discussion about programs that need rebuilding.
I am also not going to pretend I know the entire 8-Man landscape well enough yet to give you a 20-minute breakdown of every matchup.
What I do know is Tri-Valley already owns an 18-16 win over Onteora, while Fallsburg is still trying to find its footing.
So I’m staying with the more established early result.
Pick: Tri-Valley.
Goshen at Warwick — Spirit Trophy
Coach I Pick: Goshen
It would be disrespectful for me to pick against Goshen here.
They are 3-0.
They won the Spirit Trophy last season.
Warwick is 0-3.
I like Warwick. I respect the program. But I have absolutely no football reason right now to jump off an undefeated Goshen team just because this is a rivalry game.
Warwick’s 0-3 start does need context.
I expected them to beat Wagner in Week 0, but Wagner has only played Warwick so far, so we still do not really know how good or improved that team is.
The Newburgh loss did not shock me.
The Pine Bush game made me more curious.
It was not simply that Warwick lost. It was the manner in which it happened.
That makes me want to watch Warwick much more closely this week and figure out exactly where this team is.
But sometimes a rivalry is exactly what a team needs.
And Warwick has something real to fall back on.
After Goshen beat them 35-26 for the Spirit Trophy last season, Warwick turned around and beat Goshen 29-6 in the Class A playoffs.
If I’m in Warwick’s coaches’ office, that playoff film is being discussed all week.
What worked? Can we recreate it?
And if I’m Goshen, I’m asking the opposite question.
What did they do to us that night, and how do we make sure it does not happen again?
That playoff result matters a lot to me.
But we are picking this week’s game.
And this week Goshen is 3-0, Warwick is 0-3, and Goshen has earned the benefit of the doubt.
Pick: Goshen.
Liberty at Red Hook
Coach I Pick: Red Hook
I’m rolling with Red Hook.
Liberty is another Sullivan County program that belongs in the bigger conversation we have been having about programs trying to rebuild.
There is something positive happening off the field too. Liberty just opened a new athletic field and track, and that matters. Facilities matter. Giving kids something to be proud of matters.
But football-wise, they are still trying to find traction.
Liberty is 0-3 and has scored exactly six points in every game.
Red Hook is only 1-2, so I am not pretending this is some powerhouse matchup.
But the Raiders have shown more.
They beat Rondout Valley 14-12 to start the season. Their two losses came against Spackenkill and unbeaten Beacon.
And Red Hook beat Liberty 54-0 last season.
Liberty did beat Red Hook in 2024, so I am not treating this like a permanently one-sided series.
For Liberty, the message is similar to Monticello and Poughkeepsie.
Keep building.
Use the new facility. Give the kids something to rally around. Put a better performance together than the week before.
But for the pick, I trust the team that has already won a football game this year and has faced the better current competition.
Pick: Red Hook.
Week 3 Coach I Picks
- Spackenkill over Rondout Valley
- Millbrook over Onteora
- Saugerties over New Paltz
- Newburgh over Cornwall
- Valley Central over FDR
- Washingtonville over Pine Bush
- Beacon over Marlboro
- Dover over Chester Academy
- Eldred over Sullivan West
- Highland over Burke Catholic
- Monroe-Woodbury over Minisink Valley
- Our Lady of Lourdes over Kingston
- Ellenville over Pine Plains/Rhinebeck
- Wallkill over Monticello
- Middletown over Port Jervis
- Pawling over Corinth Central
- James I. O’Neill over Poughkeepsie
- Rockland Central over Hoosic Valley
- Tri-Valley over Fallsburg
- Goshen over Warwick
- Red Hook over Liberty
The ledger
Week 0: 11-11
Week 1: 13-7
Week 2: 17-2
Season entering Week 3: 41-20 (.672)
No changing the picks after kickoff.
No deleting the misses.
No pretending the upset never happened.
Week 3 is on the record.
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