October 22–24, 2026: The original 21-game slate now includes one forfeit: Poughkeepsie at Beacon will not be played. Twelve games remain on Friday’s schedule and six on Saturday’s. Two regular-season weekends remain on the current football slate. Overall records below reflect posted results through October 17.
Coach I’s picks are in: All 21 selections and the reasoning, including VC and Saugerties in games that could flip, Highland over O’Neill and Lourdes at Goshen.
The races that matter this weekend
Class AA: Middletown (7–0) has clinched a playoff place, but its seed is still in play. Monroe-Woodbury (1–6) visits Friday; Newburgh (5–2) hosts Kingston (2–5). Saturday brings Valley Central (5–2) at Pine Bush (2–5). The qualifying race uses AA results, so the overall records alone do not tell you who is in.
Class A: Each division sends two teams. Washingtonville (6–1) visits Warwick (1–6), FDR (2–5) visits Minisink Valley (2–5), Cornwall (4–3) visits Wallkill (3–4), and Lourdes (5–2) visits Goshen (6–1). All eight remain in contention under the current model. With only three qualifying division games per team, these are direct tests of playoff position.
Class B: Port Jervis (5–2) and Beacon (7–1, including the Week 7 forfeit) have secured places. The remaining two spots are still being contested. New Paltz (1–6) visits Marlboro (4–2), while Red Hook (3–4) visits Saugerties (3–3). Follow the qualifying table for the tiebreak order.
Class C: Highland (5–2), O’Neill (5–2) and Dover (4–2) have clinched. Saturday’s O’Neill–Highland meeting has positioning stakes. Dover’s qualifying schedule is complete with third place secured in the current race calculation.
Class D: Burke Catholic (7–0) and Chester (2–5) occupy the two-team championship field. This week’s cross-class games are part of their overall season, not additional Class D qualifying games.
Eight-man: Sullivan West (5–1), Tri-Valley (4–2) and Eldred (4–2) have clinched Division 1 places; Sullivan West has secured first in that division. Pawling (6–0) has clinched in Division 2. Millbrook (4–2) visits Pawling Saturday, while Onteora (3–3) visits Pine Plains/Rhinebeck (2–4) Friday. Ellenville (3–4) remains part of the Division 2 race even while playing outside the division this week.
These are KOT845 calculations from the stored schedule and handbook rules, not an official bracket announcement. See race records, points and tiebreaks · Open the Playoff Lab · Read the qualifying rules.
Update, October 23: Poughkeepsie has forfeited its Week 7 game against Beacon, as reported to KOT845. Beacon receives the win; the game will not be played Saturday. No on-field score is recorded. Beacon is now 7–1; Poughkeepsie is 0–8.
Two matchups worth a closer look
O’Neill at Highland: two different responses
O’Neill (5–2) shut out Dover 20–0. Highland (5–2) bounced back from its Marlboro loss with a 38–14 win over Chester. Those results set up a more useful comparison than identical overall records: the Raiders just kept a Class C opponent off the board, while the Huskies restored their scoring against a Class D opponent.
The question Saturday is whether Highland can sustain drives against the defense that stopped Dover. For O’Neill, it is whether last week’s control travels. Follow how often either offense needs to recover from a negative play; a short field or a stalled possession could matter in a game between teams entering with the same record. O’Neill–Highland Game Center.
Red Hook at Saugerties: winning last week raises this week’s stakes
Red Hook (3–4) beat New Paltz 36–12; Saugerties (3–3) shut out Monticello 35–0. Neither result settles how these teams compare with each other. Red Hook’s next challenge is keeping that scoring going on the road. Saugerties must carry its defensive performance into a meeting with a different offense.
This is also a reason to keep the Class B qualifying table open alongside the score. Overall records describe the season, while qualifying results and tiebreaks determine playoff position. A win belongs in both conversations, but they answer different questions. Red Hook–Saugerties Game Center · Class B standings.
Beacon receives a forfeit win
Poughkeepsie has forfeited. Beacon is 7–1 and Poughkeepsie is 0–8. The game will not be played, and no on-field score is assigned. View the game status.
Correction, October 22, 2026: Fallsburg hosts Catskill/Cairo-Durham on Thursday, October 22 at 6 p.m., not Corinth Central. The Beacon–Poughkeepsie game was subsequently forfeited on October 23 and will not be played.
October 22–24 schedule
Kickoffs below are the current KOT845 listings as of October 19. Check the Game Center and school for changes. Outside-area records are omitted when unavailable.
Thursday, October 22
- Catskill/Cairo-Durham at Fallsburg (1–6) — 6 p.m.
- Monticello (2–5) at Dover (4–2) — 7 p.m.
Friday, October 23
- Kingston (2–5) at Newburgh Free Academy (5–2) — 6 p.m.
- Monroe-Woodbury (1–6) at Middletown (7–0) — 6 p.m.
- Liberty (0–7) at Port Jervis (5–2) — 6 p.m.
- John S. Burke Catholic (7–0) at Spackenkill (3–4) — 6 p.m.
- Cornwall (4–3) at Wallkill (3–4) — 7 p.m.
- FDR (2–5) at Minisink Valley (2–5) — 7 p.m.
- Washingtonville (6–1) at Warwick (1–6) — 7 p.m.
- New Paltz (1–6) at Marlboro (4–2) — 7 p.m.
- Chester Academy (2–5) at Rondout Valley (2–5) — 7 p.m.
- Ellenville (3–4) at Hoosic Valley Central — 7 p.m.
- Onteora (3–3) at Pine Plains/Rhinebeck (2–4) — 7 p.m.
- Rockland Central (1–5) at Sullivan West (5–1) — 7 p.m.
Saturday, October 24
- Beacon wins by forfeit over Poughkeepsie — not played; no score assigned.
- Valley Central (5–2) at Pine Bush (2–5) — 1 p.m.
- Red Hook (3–4) at Saugerties (3–3) — 1 p.m.
- James I. O’Neill (5–2) at Highland (5–2) — 1 p.m.
- Eldred (4–2) at Tri-Valley (4–2) — 1 p.m.
- Millbrook (4–2) at Pawling (6–0) — 1 p.m.
- Our Lady of Lourdes (5–2) at Goshen (6–1) — 7 p.m.
Read the October 15–17 wrap · Game Night · Send a score · Other fall postseason dates
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