Ron Moshier: New Hartford, Adirondack upset-minded

Looking for a first-round upset or two in this weekend’s Section III high school football playoffs? Look no further than New Hartford and Adirondack, two area teams on a roll entering quarterfinal matchups against two unbeaten and state-ranked teams from the Syracuse area.

 

Since suffering back-to-back, one-point losses to defending section champion Carthage and archrival Whitesboro and getting off to a 1-2 start, New Hartford (5-2) has won four straight and plays a Class A quarterfinal game against top-seeded East Syracuse-Minoa (7-0). On their way to last year’s Section III final, New Hartford’s Spartans hit the road and knocked off East Syracuse-Minoa in the first round, and don’t be surprised if it happens again Friday night. Weather permitting, this could be a high-scoring affair, and New Hartford has enough playmakers to pull it off, led by quarterback Mike Doyle, running backs Joey Carcone, John Boyle and Eric Verbickas, and ends Dan Safford and Anthony Acevedo.

 

In Class C, Adirondack (5-2) meets defending Section III and state champion Bishop Ludden (7-0) in the playoffs for the third straight time. The Wildcats have been beaten by a whisker each of the last two years. But they’ve been in must-win mode ever since starting this season 0-2, and nobody’s been able to stop Adirondack’s all-time rushing leader, senior tailback Scott Dunlap, during a five-game winning streak. After two narrow misses against Bishop Ludden, the underdog ‘Cats have a real shot at knocking off the state’s top-ranked Class C team.