SPORTS HALL of FAME 2015 LEGACY AWARD
2005 NYS Champion
Sidney Warriors Football

In New York's Delaware County, there are only three football teams: Sidney, Walton and Delhi. All three have won the NYS Public High School Football Championship. What does that say about the quality of football in our little sector of the state?

It says a lot. And how fitting that in the fall of 2005, and even before that, all three schools would play prominently in the making of the last of the three to claim the prize - the Sidney Warriors.

It was the football season of 2002 when the Walton JV team, riding a win streak believed to be over 70 games and counting, encountered an up and coming Sidney JV squad filled with talented freshmen. The morning after Walton's varsity came from behind to beat Sidney on what was the new Sidney Alumni Field, the JV teams took their turn. In front of an amazingly large crowd for a junior varsity game held at Keith Clark Park, Sidney tore that win streak apart, dominating the game and sending a message that Sidney football had arrived.

The next season, Sidney's varsity broke Walton's domination of Sidney that covered 15 games by upending the "other" Warriors, 44-38. And while the maroon & white fell short in the 2003 and 2004 Sectional playoffs, 2005 would prove to be a monumental success story.

After an opening week thrashing of Oxford, Walton made life tough for Sidney and, as Jim Hoover's teams often did, exposed our weaknesses. Still, despite the 42-35 heartbreak, Sidney received encouraging words from Hoover's coaching staff (Walton had dropped to Class D by then) that they felt Sidney had what it took to go all the way.

Jeff Matthews summoned his own coaching staff the next morning, and changes were discussed. Adjustments can be the key to making a good team better, and indeed they made a few that paid immediate dividends.

From that point, the Warriors would never trail again in the regular season. Dominating victories over Greene, Unatego, Norwich, Delhi, Bainbridge-Guilford, and Seton Catholic left no doubt that Sidney was going to go all in. Taking Trumansburg (50-28) in the semis and a "lesson learned" defeat of Delhi (35-15) earned the Warriors their first Section IV title.

This was a high-powered offense, where the innovative double-wing running game mixed with the passing attack that broke all school records dared opponents to stop them. Defense? Well it wasn't perfect, but two shutouts and seven of 13 games holding the opposition to 2 scores or less was more than good enough. "Pride in the Tribe" was the mantra, and the Carrier Dome was the final destination.

First came a 41-13 smackdown of Section In's General Brown in the State Quarterfinal at Union-Endicott. Then came the game many observers called the greatest high school game they've ever seen. The Class C semifinals at the Dome versus Marcus Whitman. For the first time since the Walton defeat, Sidney found themselves in troble, tied in the fourth quarter 22-22. But a long drive, ignited by a successful fake punt, covered 82 yards and took six precious minutes off the clock. The six points made it 28-22 Sidney with under two minutes left. On the very next play from scrimmage, MW was forced to throw - the result was an interception that clinched the win and a date the next weekend for the NYS Class C finals.

Dobbs Ferry was defending champion with a first-team defense virtually unscored upon all year and owners of a 24-game winning streak. Ironically, the Warriors had scored on its first possession in most games, but DF lived up to their reputation and a rare scoreless first quarter left doubt in the outcome, or so it seemed.

From there, Sidney's dynamic offense took over. 3 TD pass plays lit up the Carrier Dome scoreboard and this one would be almost anticlimactic. Final score: Sidney 48 Dobbs Ferry 21.

This was a culmination of a ton of hard work and the nurturing of talent from the Pee Wee level all the way through varsity. Warrior fans reveled on how well their boys played while the coaches and players fed off the high-energy support by the Sidney fans. Magical and memorable, this was truly the season for "Pride in the Tribe".

THE 2005 NYS CHAMPION SIDNEY WARRIORS FOOTBALL is the 9th Legacy Team
to be inducted into the Sidney Alumni Sports Hall of Fame.