Kevin Stevens
kstevens@pressconnects.com
Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin 

http://usatodayhss.com/2015/blue-devils-capture-third-straight-state-title

Another playoff game, another dominant showing— and another state football championship for the Blue Devils of Chenango Forks.

A pair of touchdowns rung up 39 seconds apart late in the first quarter provided the springboard to a 42-7 defeat of Greenwich on Friday night in the Carrier Dome for the program’s third consecutive Class C title.

Cody Lamond rushed for 172 yards and three TDs as the Devils logged 505 yards of offense — all but 21 via the ground game.

Tony Silvanic rushed for 127 yards on seven carries and L.J. Watson another 84 yards and two scores on six running assignments.

The outcome made for Forks’ fifth state championship, co-second-best behind the six won by Rochester’s Aquinas Institute.
The Blue Devils have won a state-record 26 tournament games.

“I would say this one is more special, not because it’s three in a row but because it’s my senior year,” said Silvanic, who was recognized as the game’s Most Valuable Player. “We always talk about winning our last game, to win the last one in the Dome is so special, it means so much to us.”

“We had a game plan and we came out and executed it,” said fellow Forks senior Dylan Studer. “We spent so much time in the offseason preparing for this moment right here, and as you can see it pays off.”

Following a shaky initial possession that ended with Greenwich’s Lukas Whitehouse intercepting a pass, the Blue Devils (12-1) got down to serious business the next time they had the football.

Drive No. 2 began following a punt at Forks’ 18-yard line.

Five plays in, Lamond took a toss and rushed 22 yards to the Witches’ 45. Two plays later, quarterback Silvanic faked a handoff to Tim McDonald and followed an inside path to a 42-yard gain before stumbling at the 1-yard line. McDonald carried in from there, Silvanic kicked the first of his six PATs and it was 7-0 with 3:29 to play in the opening quarter.

Next came a difference-making special-teams play courtesy of Lamond.

Silvanic kicked off and, at the 21-yard line, Lamond yanked the football free of Greenwich’s deep man and recovered the ball.

Watson then took a fortuitous one-hop toss and scooted 18 yards on first down, then powered through an attempted shirt tackle to complete a 3-yard scoring rush to make it a two-TD advantage.

“I saw he was hanging (the football) out so I just figured, why not?” Lamond said of his play on the kickoff. “I was going to tackle him anyway. I just ripped it. Our coaches teach us that during practice. I saw the opportunity and I took it.”

Silvanic said: “When you can score, get the ball right back and score again, that’s huge. I think it put some fear in Greenwich and it really set the tone for the rest of the game.”

The lead grew to 21-0 when, with 4:42 remaining in the half, Silvanic orchestrated a made-to-order option play— faking inside to McDonald, heading left and pitching to Lamond, who jetted 61 yards for a touchdown. That came a play after Lamond went for 21 yards on a wonderfully blocked toss play.

The Witches’ TD completed a 61-yard drive and came on a 6-yard pass from Whitehouse to Brendan Stout 14 seconds before halftime. That marked Whitehouse’s sixth pass completion of the possession.

But the upper hand in this one wasn’t about to flip sides.

The Blue Devils rattled off scoring drives on their first three second-half possessions.

The first, to open the third quarter, featured a fourth-and-1 conversion by Studer and a 21-yard pass completion from Silvanic to Lamond on third-and-19 from the Witches’ 32.

One snap after that pass play, Lamond — sprung by blocks from Watson and Brandin Paulhamus — swept 11 yards untouched by a defender to make it 28-7 with 5:02 of the third quarter elapsed.

Seth Bush halted Greenwich’s next drive by intercepting a pass at the 2-yard line.

The Blue Devils ran seven plays to their 47-yard line, from which point Watson took a toss to his left, patiently waited for a seam to develop and, with aid of Trevor Borchardt’s path-paving went 53 yards for a touchdown and 35-7 lead.

Forks’ final scoring drive of the season began at its 46-yard line four plays into the fourth quarter, opened with a 30-yard gain by Lamond — again with Paulhamus out front moving people — and ended with Lamond straight-arming the last defender near the goal line to complete a 14-yard TD run.

As impressive as the 42-point total was, the seven put up by Greenwich was equally pleasing to the Devils.

“I think it was mainly because we didn’t give up the big plays,” coach David Hogan said. “A little bend but don’t break, kind of like last week.”

Forks outgained the Witches (12-1) by 505-235. In five playoff games — two in Section 4, three in states — the Blue Devils outscored their opponents by a combined 212-52.

“Great blocking,” was how Lamond summed up the final offensive showing. “Our offensive line did great today. The whole team played great. The backs blocked great.”

Top-ranked Forks closes its season with an 11-game win streak. The loss came by 28-21 to Maine-Endwell in Week 2.

The Blue Devils made it four consecutive seasons with one loss, to go with 47 victories over that span.

Witches fall one win short

Chenango Forks too tough at the line, tops Greenwich for 3rd Class C state title in row

James Allen
Albany Times-Union

http://www.timesunion.com/sports/article/Witches-fall-one-win-short

Black Friday is a truly treacherous day for shopping, where precise timing and aggression are ultimately necessary to obtain the desired goods. The Chenango Forks football team showed it was willing to fight the crowd and travel to Syracuse for a special '3-for-1' sale, and the Blue Devils showed they had more than enough 'purchasing power' to secure the ultimate present.

Chenango Forks grabbed the lead early and proved it is the best Class C football program in the state once again with a dominating 42-7 victory Friday night over Greenwich at the Syracuse Carrier Dome.

Greenwich senior quarterback Lukas Whitehouse, who got knocked out of the game late in the third quarter with an ankle injury, summed things up succinctly regarding Friday's setback.

"They dominated up front the entire game. We couldn't get much done," Whitehouse said. "It is a tough loss, but it doesn't take away from our season. We had a great season. We just didn't want it to end this way."

"We made history for our town, being the first team to ever make it to the state championship," Greenwich two-way starting lineman Kyle Boddery said. "Yeah, it is sad, but at the same time, we made history for our school ­ so we shouldn't be sad about anything."

Chenango Forks controlled things up front from the outset, outgaining the Witches (12-1) 501-230.

"It means everything. For the seniors, it is always, 'Win the last game.' That's what makes this so special," Chenango Forks senior quarterback/defensive end Tony Silvanic said. "The underclassmen played for the seniors, and together, we got the job done."

"Words can't describe how satisfying this is," Chenango Forks two-way starter Dylan Studer said. "You dream about this since you were a little kid playing flag football. Now, we're setting the example for groups to come."

The Blue Devils entered the game having outscored foes 111-0 in the first quarter this season, but Whitehouse ended their first series by intercepting Silvanic. The Witches picked up one first down on their second offensive series before punting it back. It was at the this point when Chenango Forks took over.

Silvanic, who opened the season at tight end, dashed 42 yards on an option keeper to the Greenwich 1. On the next play, senior running back Tim McDonald scored and Silvanic added the PAT kick for a 7-0 lead with 3:49 left in the opening quarter.

"The line blocked so great, that I was able to break a few because they did so awesome, allowed us to set the tone and put a little fear in Greenwich," said Silvanic, who gained 128 yards on eight carries and earned the game's Most Valuable Player award.

Seconds after the opening touchdown, the Blue Devils got the ball back when senior Cody Lamond stripped Cole Burgess on the kick return and recovered at the Witches' 21. LJ Watson ran 18 yards to the 3 and then scored on a 3-yard run to help push the lead to 14-0.

Two runs by Lamond, the second covering 61 yards, helped provide the Blue Devils a 21-0 cushion. Whitehouse made sure the Witches scored before intermission when he connected with Brendan Stout for a six-yard touchdown pass with 13 seconds left.

About the only negative aspect of the first 24 minutes for the Blue Devils came in the form of two turnovers, which ballooned their season total to eight.

Comeback hopes were quickly dashed as Chenango Forks took the second-half kickoff and marched 80 yards ­ capped by a 11-yard TD run by Lamond (169 yards on nine carries) ­ as the lead extended to 28-7.

Watson's 54-yard TD run with 37 seconds left in the third quarter put Greenwich down 35-7.

Chenango Forks finished with 480 rushing yards. Greenwich had 156, led by senior Mike Brandow (93).

"They just blew us back. We didn't take it very well," Whitehouse said. "I thought we could get more yards and more opportunities to score, but we hurt ourselves coming out flat in the beginning."

For Greenwich, tough way to end a great season

Pete Tobey
The Post-Star

http://poststar.com/sports/football/high-school-and-prep/for-greenwich-tough-way-to-end-a-great-season

SYRACUSE Lukas Whitehouse walked gingerly, with a pronounced limp. Mike Brandow and other teammates tearfully hugged for a final time in the Greenwich locker room.

The Witches’ football season ­ the greatest in program history ­ came crashing back to earth Friday night with a 42-7 loss to Chenango Forks in the state Class C championship game at the Carrier Dome.

“They were better than us,” said Greenwich head coach Brandon Linnett, whose team finished 12-1. “We didn’t play great, but on top of that, they made us play that way. We ran into a really good football team that took it right to us ­ it was simple as that.”

“They dominated up front the entire game,” said Whitehouse, the Witches’ quarterback, who was knocked out of the game in the third quarter with a sprained left ankle. “We couldn’t get much going on, so it’s a tough loss, but it doesn’t take away from our season. We know we had a great season, we just didn’t want to end it this way.”

“It’s amazing, it’s been a great run,” said Brandow, who rushed for 89 yards on 20 carries in his final high school game. “I’m upset not because we lost, but because it’s over. I love these guys.”

Chenango Forks (12-1) won its third straight state title by manhandling Greenwich the way the Witches had dominated their opponents all season.

The Blue Devils had three backs top 100 yards rushing as they sprinted through gaping holes torn by their bigger, quicker offensive line. Cody Lamond led the way with 149 yards and three touchdowns on eight carries, and quarterback Tony Silvanic ran several midline options that gouged the Witches for 126 yards. Forks racked up 484 yards on the ground, and outgained Greenwich 501-230 in total yards.

“The issue was defensively, trying to stop them,” Linnett said. “They have so many weapons of their own, and ran midline option very well. That isn’t easy to run, they ran it well and it’s really hard to defend. … They get you outnumbered and the backs are tough ­ they don’t go down.”

The gruesome sight of Whitehouse being bent backward on a tackle that knocked him out of the game deflated the Witches, who already trailed 28-7 at that point.

“I was just running, got hit and my foot rolled underneath me,” said Whitehouse, who had to be helped off the field with 5:29 left in the third quarter. “I’m not one to come out, so anything that stops me from going in, it hurts pretty bad.”

Whitehouse finished the game 10 for 17 for 74 yards, including a 6-yard touchdown pass to Brendan Stout just before halftime.

After Whitehouse’s injury, Greenwich was intercepted at the Forks’ 2-yard line, and the Blue Devils scored a back-breaking touchdown on a 53-yard run by L.J. Watson (106 yards, 2 TDs).

“Once Lukas went out, it was like, ‘All right, there goes a big threat on our offense,’ because he can throw and run, so it was huge when he went out,” said senior Kyle Boddery, who was named the outstanding offensive lineman of the game.

“We tried to rally, but obviously you’re not going to replace Lukas in any way, and we were already behind the eight ball before that,” Linnett said.

Forks had seized the momentum with back-to-back touchdowns late in the first quarter ­ a 1-yard run by Tim McDonald, a strip-and-fumble-recovery by Lamond on the ensuing kickoff, followed by a Watson touchdown for a 14-0 lead. Lamond added a 61-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter for a 21-0 lead.

“That’s a very good football team right there,” Brandow said. “We got down early, we made a lot of mental mistakes and when you spot a team 21 points like that, you’re not going to come back.”

“It’s still a great season for these guys ­ they’re the second-best team in the state,” Linnett said. “They have a lot to be proud of and this doesn’t diminish what they accomplished this year. They won the eastern side of the state ­ they should be proud of that.”

Tough ending: Greenwich, Ticonderoga fall at Dome

Will Springstead
The Post-Star

http://poststar.com/news/local/tough-ending-greenwich-ticonderoga-fall-at-dome

SYRACUSE This area came painstakingly close to having a state football champion on Friday, but Section IV swept the Class C and D titles at the Carrier Dome.

Thanks to MVP Jesse Manuel’s 33-yard touchdown run with 16 seconds left, Tioga beat Ticonderoga 33-26 in the Class D final, while Chenango Forks topped Greenwich, 42-7, in the Class C game.

Manuel ­ second all-time on the state career rushing yards list ­ had 29 carries for 216 yards and three touchdowns for Tioga (12-1). The Sentinels finished their season with an 11-2 record.

Ticonderoga had taken a quick 14-0 lead in the first quarter, denying Tioga the ball until there was 2:28 left in the first quarter. That turned out to be the best defense against Manuel.

The fourth quarter of the ‘D’ final featured two lead changes and a tie before Manuel’s final score. The Sentinels sandwiched a Tioga score on a 12-yard scoring run from Ryan Trudeau and a 1-yard quarterback sneak from Brody Rocque with 2:18 left to tie the score at 26.

Rocque was named the game’s most valuable offensive back, Trudeau the most valuable defensive back and Chase Dixon the most valuable defensive lineman.

“It would’ve been nice to win it, but we showed up, we represented pretty well. I’m proud of this team,” Trudeau said. “I thought our defense really stepped up, we played with a lot of intensity. It would’ve been nice if we could’ve held them one or two more times, but it is what it is.”

“It was obviously a great season ­ we played for a state championship,” Ticonderoga coach Scott Nephew said. “It’s definitely going to hurt for a while, but looking 10, 20 years down the road, they can realize what they accomplished.”

Greenwich (12-1) ran into a more experienced, bigger, faster Chenango Forks squad. It was the Blue Devils’ third straight Class C state title and fifth overall.

Forks rushed for 482 yards and dominated both lines of scrimmage. Quarterback and MVP Tony Silvanic was one of three Blue Devils with more than 100 yards rushing.

“They just blew us back and we didn’t really take it that well,” said Greenwich quarterback Lukas Whitehouse, who left the game halfway through the third quarter with a left ankle injury. “I thought we could’ve gotten a lot more yards on them and get more opportunities to score, but we kind of hurt ourselves coming out flat in the beginning.

“It doesn’t take away from our season. We had a great season, we just didn’t want it to end this way,” he added.

Greenwich’s only touchdown came on a 6-yard pass from Whitehouse to Brendan Stout with 14 seconds left in the second quarter.

Also for Greenwich, Zach Smith was named the game’s most valuable offensive lineman.

“They have a lot to be proud of, and maybe they’re setting up a tradition so we can come back in the future,” Greenwich coach Brandon Linnett said.

Stevens: Section 4 home of football champions

Kevin Stevens
kstevens@pressconnects.com
Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin 

http://usatodayhss.com/2015/stevens-section-4-home-of-football-champions-3

So, make it a third successive year for Section 4 teams logging multiple state football championships.

Over a five-season span, Broome County programs have harvested seven state titles­ and this go-round they welcomed aboard a neighbor to the west.

Indeed, something is going right for the “Haves” of the 607.

Friday in the Dome brought dissimilar paths to championships for this autumn’s Toasts of the Tier, Chenango Forks and Tioga Central.

Tioga and Ticonderoga, schools separated by 260 or so miles and a conder, co-starred in an action-thriller matinee. From erasure of a tenuous early deficit to gripping last-minute adventure, this one lacked nothing.

Then, 50 minutes after its absurdly scheduled start time, Forks welcomed to the woodshed its latest in a stream of playoff victims. Those who believed unbeaten, second-ranked Greenwich to be in for a fair fight hadn’t seen what’d been brewing of late for the boys in the red helmets.

Separating the Class D and Class C finals was a Class A exhibition that brought 95 points and, regrettably, evidence that defense needn’t necessarily be executed in a state championship game.

Anyway …

Tioga’s once-beaten Tigers aren’t celebrating a championship this weekend if not for one youngster’s refusal to let them lose in his final high school football game.

Jesse Manuel, four-season Tioga wiz and hands-down Class D State Player of the Year ­ gotta be! ­ flipped a shoulda-been Ticonderoga touchdown into a critical last-minute interception. His subsequent 48 yards worth of return set up the Tigers 34 yards from the targeted stripe with 44 seconds to play.

Two nothing-happening plays later, it was a simple matter of Jesse being Jesse.

He accepted a handoff and started right, happened into a little something in the middle, re-directed craftily left and, with teammates Adam Zwierlein and Tyler Whitmore kindly and forcefully assisting, completed a 33-yard zip of a touchdown with 16 seconds to play.

Storybook stuff is what it was on the way to 33-26 over Section 7’s champions from the southeastern corner of Essex County.

And then ­ just because why wouldn’t he? ­ the Super Welterweight who’d applied finishing touches on 4.88 miles worth of varsity rushing yardage went ahead and snapped for the PAT.

All this after the Tigers dropped into a 14-0 hole before so much as calling an offensive play.

Call it Grade-A fortitude on the part of a group of lads playing for not only themselves, but those who’d done the uniform so proud but failed to secure space on that turf under the roof.

And that made for successive weekends of high drama staged by Tioga's boys, 38-36 escapees the Friday before against Bishop Kearney. Yeah, they earned their stripes.

Later, after defense rested during that prolonged Class A interruption, Chenango Forks set upon its quest to draw within one of Maine-Endwell’s New York-record four consecutive high school football championships.

And had a fine time doing so, at that.

It was 14-0 after a quarter, and while the 21-7 halftime difference suggested to some a hint of uncertainty regarding the outcome, the Blue Devils went and robbed any remaining drama in short order.

Eighty yards on 11 plays went the initial second-half scoring drive, 98 yards on eight plays went the second.

It was 35-7 when the final quarter commenced, and before 42-7 had concluded, Forks’ reserves were afforded their just due on the grand stage.

The Blue Devils made it 9-for-their-last-9 in state playoff games, three successive championships, against an opponent representing a program debuting in a state final.

The discrepancy in comfort level was profound.

“We come into every game confident,” said Forks senior Dylan Studer, who’s come to know his way around a microphone or digital recorder. Media-savvy, shall we say. “We don’t come in cocky but we come in confident, we think that makes the biggest difference. You come in cocky, it allows you to make a lot of mistakes. When you come in confident, your head’s held high and it makes a big difference.”

Quarterback/linebacker Tony Silvanic was awarded the plaque symbolic of his recognition as Most Valuable Player. And where may that plaque be displayed? He wasn’t so sure of that, rather, “I’m just more looking forward to watch the underclassmen win another one next year,” he said, in customary Forks fashion.

Forks’ personnel regularly, along the road to that next championship, articulates a mission to make the next outing better than the most recent.

Hard to imagine one superior to what was on display in a semifinal dismantling of Bath a piece up Interstate 81, but Friday’s indeed may top the pile.

“This one might have been, it really might have been,” coach David Hogan said. “Impulsively, I’m thinking right now, but I think it probably was. That’s your goal, when you try to get better every week, right? You want to save the best for the end and I certainly think several kids did have their best game, I can say that.

“It probably was our best effort.”

As we transition to winter sports season, just a thought going forward:

Some year, perhaps something akin to the level of commitment that breeds state championship-caliber football will rub off on the fellas who play high school basketball in Broome and nearby counties.

Maybe?

Nah. That’s crazy talk.

Greenwich falls to Chenango Forks in state final

David Johnson
The Saratogian
 
http://www.saratogian.com/sports/20151127/hs-football-greenwich-falls-to-chenango-forks-in-state-final

SYRACUSE >> Greenwich entered the Carrier Dome Friday having already put up the most wins in its football program’s history. One more would have capped an undefeated season and earned the team it’s first state title.

It wasn’t to be.

Chenango Forks (12-1), the two-time defending champs, made it a three-peat in Class C with a 42-7 win over Greenwich (12-1) in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Championship.

“We just ran into a buzz-saw tonight,” Greenwich coach Brandon Linnett said. “You can’t simulate their speed and power, how quickly they come off the ball.”

Greenwich’s offense moved the ball at times, but could not finish a drive until 22 seconds before halftime when quarterback Lukas Whitehouse found Brendan Stout for a 6-yard score. That made it 21-7 and the Witches hoped to build on that drive in the third quarter.

The Chenango Forks offense had other ideas.

The Blue Devils used multiple backs to gash the Witches defense and found ways to make a plays in nearly every situation. The biggest may have been a 21-yard pass on third and long from game-MVP Tony Silvanic to Cody Lamond on the first drive of the second half.

“He’s a very smart player and he makes good decisions,” Blue Devils coach David Hogan said of Silvanic. “I trusted him on that play.”

The first down pass set up Lamond’s 11-yard touchdown run one play later that made it 28-7.

On Greenwich’s next drive, Whitehouse got his leg twisted as he was being tackled by two players and was helped off with an injured ankle. He did not return to the game.

“I’m not one to come out so anything that stops me from going in hurts pretty bad,” the senior quarterback said.

Greenwich running back Mike Brandow picked up a first down when the game resumed and Cole Burgess gained positive yards on an end-around, but backup quarterback Josh James, a sophomore, was intercepted by Seth Bush on the next play to halt the drive.

Brandow finished with 93 yards on 21 carries.

The Blue Devils marched right down the field the other way before LJ Watson broke away for a 54 yard touchdown run that made it 35-7 and essentially sealed the contest.

Cody Lamond scored his second touchdown of the game early in the fourth quarter to complete the scoring. The Chenango Forks first team offense scored on every second half possession until the reserves came in to run out the clock. It was the school’s fifth state title in football in its ninth finals appearance.

“We have four kids who we feel can score from anywhere on the field,” Hogan said. “That kind of speed and that kind of strength is hard to come by.”

The Blue Devils rushed for 480 yards in the contest.

Despite the loss, the season and the experience of playing in the Dome in front of a supportive community was one Greenwich players said they will remember forever.

“Indescribable, just the big scale,” senior Kyle Boddery said. “It was a lot louder than we expected it to be. We shouldn’t hang our heads because we made history for our town.”

“It was a great feeling, I’ll never have anything like it again and I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” Whitehouse added. “It felt like we had something going. It just wasn’t in our favor today.”

Whitehouse made plays on both sides of the ball Friday night, including an interception in the first quarter on Chenango Forks’ first drive of the game.

On the ensuing drive, however, two plays that went for first downs were negated by penalties.

“I thought we could move the ball,” Whitehouse said. “A couple penalties hurt us and it was just downhill from there.”

The Blue Devils got the ball back on their own 18 yard line and didn’t take long to drive into Witches territory. A big run by Silvanic set up a 1st and goal from the 1-yard line and Tim McDonald punched it in to open the scoring. Silvanic’s extra point made it 7-0.

The Blue Devils forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff return to regain possession on the Witches’ 21-yard line. Watson, a junior, covered all 21 yards on two plays to help his team stake a 14-0 advantage.

Cole Burgess’ 45-yard kickoff return set Greenwich up across midfield. The Witches couldn’t take advantage, however, as a 4th down screen pass to Brandow was tipped by a Blue Devils defender.

Chenango Forks’ efficient running offense drove deep into Greenwich territory early in the second quarter. A penalty on 1st and goal from the 10-yard line pushed the Blue Devils back and the Witches defense forced a fumble on the next play to regain possession.

A Greenwich punt gave Chenango Forks another chance and this time they capitalized. Cody Lamond took a toss then followed his blocking 61 yards up the left side of the field for the third touchdown of the contest.

Trailing 21-0, Greenwich needed a score to try and swing the momentum with less than four minutes before halftime. The Witches did just that on a 13-play drive in which Whitehouse went 6-for-8 through the air. The senior captain completed a 4th and nine pass to Burgess to extend the drive then found Brendan Stout for their only score of the game. Senior kicker Linnea D’Acchille became the first female player to score a point in a state championship football game when she split the uprights with the point after.

Chenango Forks only extended the lead the rest of the way, however for their first three-peat in school history.

Greenwich could not have put together a season like this without the play of its eight seniors ­ Whitehouse, Brandow, D’Acchille, Boddery, George Ostrowski, Dylan Harsha, Zach Clougher and Zach Smith.

However, the success of this 2015 team did set a target for future Witches teams to aim at.

“They have a lot to be proud of,” Linnett said of his team. “They’re setting things up so maybe we can come back in the future ... it’s bright.”

Greenwich drops state title game 42-7

Chenango Forks wins third straight Class C crown

Jim Schiltz
The Daily Gazette

http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2015/nov/27/greenwich-drops-state-title-game-42-7

SYRACUSE

Touchdown, fumble, touchdown.

Ballgame.

Just like that, Greenwich was in a hole too deep to dig out of in Friday’s state Class C championship football game against Chenango Forks, a team that’s known to bend but not break.

That’s what the Blue Devils from Binghamton did in recording their third consecutive title-game win at the Carrier Dome, and second in a row against a Section II foe, 42-7.

This was the first trip to the title game for the Witches.

“They just blew us back,” Greenwich quarterback and free safety Lukas Whitehouse said. “I though we could get more yards and touchdowns than we did.”

Chenango Forks (Section IV, 12-1) got all the touchdowns it would need in a span of 39 seconds in the opening quarter, and added another before Greenwich (12-1) cracked the end zone for its lone score just before the break.

The Blue Devils doubled their touchdown output in the second half while their defense surrendered little.

“You can’t simulate their speed and power and how they come off the ball,” Greenwich coach Brandon Linnett said. “They had us on our heels.”

The Witches had piled up at least 40 points in each of their five previous postseason games, including state tournament wins against Liberty (41-13) and Gouverneur (49-13) that propelled the Section II representative into its first New York final.

“We haven’t had a lot of success the last few years,” Whitehouse said. “The town is proud of us, and we’re proud of ourselves.”

Greenwich made its only other state tournament appearance in 1997 (Class D) and beat Moriah in a regional game before a semifinal loss to Bronxville.

Watervliet (1996) and Hoosick Falls (2012) are the only Section II teams to win a state Class C championship.

“We made history for the town,” Greenwich two-way tackle Kyle Boddery said. “It’s sad, but at the same time, we made history for the school.”

Tony Silvanic’s quarterback keeper went for 42 yards to the one before Tim McDonald gave Chenango Forks the lead with 3:29 left in the opening quarter.

Cole Burgess was stripped of the ball by Cody Lamond on the ensuing kickoff and Lamond recovered at the 21.

“I saw he was hanging it out,” Lamond, a running back and defensive back, said. “I ripped it like we are taught. I saw an opportunity and took it.”

Runs of 18 and three yards by L.J. Watson gave the Blue Devils their second touchdown in a 39-second span, and Lamond padded their lead with a 61-yard burst to the end zone in the second quarter.

“That was huge,” Silvanic said of the quick touchdowns. “That set the tone for the rest of the game.”

Greenwich got on the board with 14 seconds left in the half on a six-yard touchdown pass from Whitehouse to Brendan Stout.

Whitehouse and Zach Smith made key defensive plays to help keep the game close. Whitehouse ended Chenango Forks’ first drive of the game with an interception, and Zach Smith recovered a fumble in the second frame after the Blue Devils had reached the Witches’ 15.

Lamond scored his second touchdown on an 11-yard, third-quarter run, one play after making a 21-yard catch on a third-and-19 play. Silvanic had a 46-yard run earlier in the drive.

Watson went 53 yards for his second touchdown late in the third, and Lamond delivered again on an 14-yard run in the fourth.

Lamond ran for 169 yards on nine carries and Silvanic gained 128 yards on eight attempts. Mike Brandow led Greenwich with 93 rushing yards on 21 carries.

Whitehouse left with an ankle injury in the third quarter after Greenwich fell behind 28-7. The senior ran 10 times for 39 yards and was 11-for-18 passing for 89 yards.

Chenango Forks defeated Hoosick Falls 20-14 and Rye Neck 28-27 in the last two Class C title games, and copped Class B crowns back in 2004 and 2003.

Greenwich senior Linnea D’Acchille extended what is believed to be the state’s one-season points record for a female to 53 with a PAT. D’Acchille was perfect on 13 PAT attempts in the Witches’ three state tournament contests.

Another female, Chenango Forks junior Hanna Layton, ran once for three yards after the Blue Devils had built their 42-7 lead.

Chenango Forks had 501 yards of offense to Greenwich’s 232.