GRAHAMSVILLE –– Beware! Hibernation is over and the prowling T-V Bears are menacingly hungry. Following an intense summer of conditioning and team building, T-V came out in its season opener against the Dover Dragons and immediately put out the visitors’ fire with staunch defense. With the impressive, powerful kicking of senior Zach Kitaychik, the Bears pinned Dover on their own ten to start the game. A pair of Dover penalties further hampered the drive which ended with an Austin Hartman interception as the relentless senior reminded all onlookers what an asset he is after his season-ending broken collarbone nixed his junior campaign courtesy of SW’s Chris Campanelli. Hartman and his running cohort Dylan Poley and ascending Ian Mullen are back with a cadre of experienced players and some enthusiastic newbies. 

Poley got the ball halfway to the end zone and Hartman carried it from the 11 with only three minutes gone by to give the Bears an early 6-0 lead. Dover failed to keep their drive alive and the Bears unveiled the powerful running of senior Ian Mullen. He and Poley, along with Hartman’s mobility, represent a great Bears’ ground threat. The 6-0 score stood up at the end of the first quarter. Hartman and Mullen fueled the second scoring drive with Hartman galloping in from the 15 and then scoring on the conversion to make it 14-0 with 8:03 remaining in the half. Dover’s penalty woes continued though T-V committed their share as well. Those miscues of holding and jumping offsides are part and parcel of first game jitters and over-enthusiasm. Tri-Valley capitalized on a Dover fumble recovered by Danny Winters. The Dragons helped T-V with an encroachment penalty, but it was Hartman’s 60-yard TD run and Kitaychik’s PAT that stretched the lead to 21-0 with 2:05 left in the first half. The unusually hot weather had its impact as fatigue clearly set in the second half despite the Bears’ revamped conditioning push this summer. It clearly had its effect on Dover as well who were also slowed by the eighty-plus windless day. As a result of that, and both teams showing effective defense, the second half registered no additional scoring as T-V garnered a rare season-opening win. 

Head coach Kevin Crudele, now in his fourth year at the helm summed things up this way: “I was very happy the way we came out in the first half. I thought we were as aggressive as we were in the scrimmage. We really worked on our offense very hard this week, and I think they came out and did well. The second half was sloppy but it’s a hot day. The defense played great. This was our first shut out in a while,” he added. 

T-V will travel to take on the Section Nine Eight Man defending Champion Spackenkill Spartans under the lights on September 16. “We’ll get back to the drawing board and return to our zero-zero mentality this week. That’s how we roll,” averred Crudele. 

From the Week One results that featured T-V, SW and Fallsburg wins, it appears at this early juncture that there will be quite a bit of parity in the Division. Ellenville came up only two points shy in a 20-18 loss to Pawling. The Bears will face the Ellenville Blue Devils on the road in Week three. 

Austin Hartman - 3 TD's 1 Interception, 140 Rushing Yards, 4 tackles
Ian Mullen - 62 Rushing Yards, 4 Tackles
Dylan Poley - 34 Rushing Yards, 6 Tackles
Josh Carmody - 1 Fumble Recovery, 1 Interception, 6 Tackles
Dan Winters - 1 Fumble Recovery, 3 Tackles
Talan Scanna - 6 Tackles
Zach Kitaychik - 38 Rushing Yards, 3 Tackles, 1 Extra Point Kick
Collin Mentnech - 2 Tackles