*EDITOR'S NOTE* The video has the Dave Hogan interview first and is followed by the Drew White interview.

We're in the home stretch for the Spectrum News Top High School Programs Countdown, and these two programs could legitimately be atop the list. That’s not lip service. When you add up postseason success and getting players to the next level, these two might be the best in the entire state. It’s hard to believe they’re only number two, and that comes from the two who decided where each team falls.

2. West Genesee Girls Lacrosse

There’s no artful way to say this, so we'll just blurt it out: West Genesee is awesome at lacrosse.

This next sentence is probably the most impressive thing written so far in this countdown: Since 2003, the Wildcats have produced 30 All-Americans. Yeah, that is not a typo. Thirty players from one community have been named the very best lacrosse players in the entire country.

Even though this isn’t the case, at times, it feels like the sport was invented in Camillus. Between the quality of player coming out of West Genny, and the hardware the Wildcats have compiled in their trophy case, it’s easy to see why they are so high on the countdown.

In 2018, Drew White took over the reins as head coach. White, who spent nearly 15 years building a contending program at Fulton, made the jump to the pressure-packed seat in Camillus.

While a coach’s job is made easier by the quality of athlete in the program and the support from amazing boosters, that same support-system can be a double-edged sword. West Genny is used to dominating. The Wildcats have won 12 Section III titles (nine in the Spectrum News era) and seven state championships (five in the SN era). Their last state title came in 2014, which is their longest drought since Spectrum News launched in 2003.

When we hit the airwaves, West Genny was in the middle of a record-breaking winning streak. The ‘Cats won 69 sectional games in a row before finally losing in 2004. While the wins haven’t been stacking up quite at the same clip these days, White seems to have West Genny poised to re-start the winning ways.

West Genny’s Resume

  • Five State Championships in the Spectrum News Era (Seven Overall)
  • Nine Section III Titles in the SN Era (12 Overall)
  • 69 Straight Section Three Wins (Section III Record)
  • 30 All-Americans Since 2003

 

 

2. Chenango Forks Football

Ever since the turn of the century, Chenango Forks football has been one of the very best programs in the state.

After coach Kelsey Green led the Blue Devils to back-to-back state championships, he transitioned to an assistant coaching role, and Dave Hogan took over in 2008. The start wasn’t what Forks fans were used to. The season ended without a Section IV title and a shocking upset on their home turf to Waverly.

Since then, the Blue Devils have rattled off 10 of the next 11 Section IV championships. It took at little bit longer for Hogan to capture his first state title. Forks won its first of three straight under Hogan in 2013, and capped off another perfect season this past fall with the program’s sixth state championship.

Its dominance in Section IV is unmatched, and so is the Blue Devils' run in the state tournament. Forks has the most final four appearances, the most consecutive appearances in the final four, the most championship appearances and the most tourney wins of all time.

And they’ve done this in arguably the best division in the entire state. Forks has had to match up against the likes of Maine-Endwell, Susquehanna Valley, and Newark Valley across different state classifications.

It’s that kind of consistency that has landed the Blue Devils at number two and almost had them atop the entire countdown.

Forks’ Resume

  • Six State Championships
  • 15 Section IV Titles in the Spectrum News Era (18 Overall)
  • 15 Final Four Appearances All-Time (NYS Record)
  • Seven Consecutive Final Four Appearances (NYS Record)
  • 12 NYSPHSAA Championships Appearances (NYS Record)
  • 33 NYSPHSAA Tournament Wins (NYS Record)