The high school football playoffs are in full swing, so on Friday night, the live game on Spectrum News will feature a Class B battle between Solvay and New Hartford. The Bearcats are 8-0, while the Spartans are 7-1. The winner of this contest punches their ticket to the section final at the Carrier Dome next weekend.
The Bearcats are in the middle of their first winning season since 2007. They're looking to win their first section title since 2002. Their head coach Dan Salisbury says his players took it upon themselves to improve in the offseason, which is why they're seeing so much success now.
"Starting July 1, 95 percent of them were there 95 percent of the time," said Salisbury
The team also has worked on improving their chemistry.
"It feels amazing. We have a great group of guys that stay together and we're really tight knit," linebacker Elijah Wright said at practice on Wednesday.
For Solvay, it also helps that they have one of the best QB's in the state in senior Brock Bagozzi. Baggozi, who's also up for the First and Ten player of the year, says he's done so well because of his team.
"They're my guys,” said Baggozi. “They make plays for me. Sometimes I'm speechless with what they do."
On the other side of the coin, New Hartford is one of the best teams in the east. They're 7-1, with their lone loss of the season coming to number one seed Oneida. Their coach Jim Kramer says the reason for their stellar record is also chemistry.
"They play together,” Kramer said. “I think that's the key. We've taken the ‘we over me’ approach."
The Spartans are in the section semifinals for the first time since 2009.
One other thing I find interesting about this matchup is because there's so many teams in Class "B," they haven't played each other this season, and they only have two common opponents. Both teams have taken on South Jeff and Cazenovia this season, and both came out with decisive wins.
It should be a great matchup for a pair of teams very motivated to get to the Carrier Dome. You can catch it live on Spectrum News at 7:00 p.m.