Section 4 teams in NYSPHSAA football semifinals: Schedule, divisions for

On December 1, 2024By Littum

State semifinal mainstays Chenango Forks and Maine-Endwell will be joined by newcomer Corning on Saturday as these high school football teams battle for berths in the New York state championship game.

On Section 4 turf, Maine-Endwell and Forks are part of a quadruple header at Vestal High School’s Dick Hoover Stadium beginning at 9, with an eight-man regional semifinal between Trumansburg and Moravia.

Forks’ Class C contest at noon against Salamanca is followed by a Class B game at noon. 3:00 PM between Maine-Endwell and Buffalo Health Sciences/BASC/Global Concepts.

The schedule at Vestal concludes with a 6 p.m. Class AA semifinal between Syracuse Christian Brothers Academy and Rochester Aquinas.

Also in class AA, Corning takes on Albany Christian Brothers Academy at 6 p.m. at Middletown High School.

A look at matchups involving Section 4 teams.

Class AA: Corning (7-3) vs. Albany CBA (11-0)

When & where: 6 p.m., Saturday, Middletown High School.

How they got here: Corning beat Section 9 champion Monroe-Woodbury 26-13. CBA defeated North Rockland, 28-7.

State Rankings: CBA no. 3; Corning no. 25.

Next: The winner will play either Section 3 champion Syracuse CBA (12-0) or Section 5 champion Aquinas (10-2) in the state final at 6:00 pm on December 7th at the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse.

Remarkable: Corning is playing in its first state semifinal after losing in five previous quarterfinals to Section 3 champions. … After falling 35-22 to Elmira in the Section 4 final, the Hawks became the second at-large team to win in the state tournament, joining 2021 winner Rye. Before this year, wild card teams had lost 10 of 11 games. … Corning-Painted Post School District history includes a state title for Corning East in 2006. East also reached the 2003 state finals. Corning East and Corning West were combined into a single program in 2010.

Class B: Maine-Endwell (12-0) vs. Buffalo Health Sciences/BASC/Global Concepts (9-3)

When & where: 15.00 Saturday at Vestal.

How they got here: Maine-Endwell beat Section 3 champion Indian River, 48-22. Health Sciences defeated Section 5’s Eastridge, 30-0.

State rankings: Maine-Endwell no. 1; Health sciences no. 7.

Next: The winner will play either Section 2 champion Glens Falls (12-0) or Section 9 champion Port Jervis (10-1) in the championship game at 15:00 on December 7 in the JMA Wireless Dome.

Remarkable: Maine-Endwell is seeking its ninth appearance in a state final. The Spartans won their first seven state championship games before losing to Rye, 28-7, last year. … ME has won 46 of its past 47 games, a stretch that includes four straight Section 4 titles and state championships in 2021 and 2022.

Class C: Chenango Forks (11-1) vs. Salamanca (12-0)

When & where: Dinner on Saturday at Vestal.

How they got here: Chenango Forks beat Section 3 champion General Brown, 42-7. Salamanca beat Section 5 champion East Rochester 42-20.

State rankings: Salamanca no. 1; Chenango Forks no. 2.

Next: The winner will play either Section 2 champion Schuylerville or Section 1 champion Valhalla in the championship game at noon on Dec. 7 in the JMA Wireless Dome.

Remarkable: Forks has a 13-3 record in the state semifinals, and the program’s seven state championships match Maine-Endwell for the most in Section 4 history. … Forks’ lone loss this season was to Maine-Endwell, 21-14.

Eight-man: Trumansburg (9-1) vs. Moravia (8-2)

When & where: 9.00 Saturday at Vestal.

How they got here: Moravia beat Section 9 champion Sullivan West 50-6. Trumansburg beat Section 10 champ Tupper Lake, 70-18.

State rankings: Trumansburg no. 3; Moravia no. 4.

Next: The winner will play either Section 3 champion Frankfort-Schuyler (11-0) or Section 5 champion Pembroke (10-0) in the regional championship game at 15.00 on December 7 in Moravia. New York does not have enough statewide eight-man participation for the final game to be considered a state championship.

Remarkable: Trumansburg beat Moravia, 34-12, in the Section 4 final after losing the teams’ regular-season meeting, 32-27. … This game was originally scheduled to be played Nov. 29 at Middletown High School, but it was moved to Vestal at the request of the schools.

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