SULLIVAN COUNTY –– The 8-man division closed out their non-league portion of the schedule this week, with each team either on the road or on a bye heading into division play. Eldred secured their first win since the 2018-19 season, Fallsburg got to rest before heading to Roscoe, Tri-Valley and Sullivan West took on potential playoff teams, and Roscoe had a playoff rematch against Pine Plains. The non-league games provide a great benchmark to see where teams stand, but this week marks the beginning of league games and now the final scores will count towards the standings.

Monticello defeated Liberty in their annual 11-man non-league match. Both teams are back in action this week. Here are the previews:

Friday Night Lights

Sullivan West at Eldred

The Bulldogs squared off against a tough Pawling team last week, and though they had their chances, were unable to capitalize in a 22-8 loss. After defeating Pawling in the playoffs last year, and losing to them in the regular season, the Bulldogs will look to bounce back against the Yellowjackets.

Eldred was the only 8-man team in the county to put up a win last week. They took down Onteora 20-18 thanks to timely scoring and a mixed offense. The Yellowjackets will host Sullivan West in their home opener under the lights, and will try to keep rolling after their first win of the year.

 Tri-Valley at Ellenville

The Bears put up a great fight against the Spackenkill Spartans last Friday. A back and forth game kept the defending champions on their toes, and Tri-Valley rallied around Austin Hartman’s three touchdown effort in the 24-22 loss.

Ellenville, on the other hand, has started their season 0-2, their two losses by a combined five points. They appear to be able to put points on the board, but haven’t been able to close out games, as shown by their 35-32 loss to Dover last Friday. They will look to get into the win column as they return home in Week 3 to host the 1-1 Bears.

Monticello at Our Lady of Lourdes

Monticello has had an up-and-down start to the season, to say the least. Opening the season with a 33-20 loss to Rondout Valley on the road, losing at Wallkill 55-6, and defeating Liberty 22-14 in their home opener. 

The Panthers will look to build on the momentum as they travel to Poughkeepsie to take on the scorching hot Our Lady of Lourds team.  The Warriors have outscored opponents 139-20 through the first three weeks, so the Panthers will have their work cut out for them.

Saturday’s Showdowns

New Paltz at Liberty

Liberty improved after their opening week loss at O’Neill. They scored a few times and kept the pressure on Monticello late in the game in the 22-14 loss. Now at 0-2, the Indians will host New Paltz in their home opener.

New Paltz had two tough contests to open their season, losing 50-13 against Our Lady of Lourdes and 49-15 against Burke in non-league matchups. They got into the win column last Friday with a 20-16 win over Marlboro, and will look to continue that momentum when they get to Liberty on Saturday.

Fallsburg at Livingston Manor/Roscoe

The Comets started their season hot with a shutout win over Onteora, and a second week bye should have afforded them ample time to rest before heading to Roscoe Saturday night. 

Fallsburg had everything going right for them in their opener, their skill players were able to get open and make plays to open the game up, and their defense was instrumental in the shutout victory.

The Blue Devils have not had the easiest path to start the season. After hosting the defending champs in week one, they went on the road to face another of last year’s playoff teams, Pine Plains. LM/R is still trying players out at new positions, and though last week’s 22-8 loss was much closer than the week prior, this team still has some personnel configurations to address.

As these two teams, as well as the rest of the 8-man array, get through the first weekend of divisional play, a clearer picture should come into focus as to what to expect this year.