Articles courtesy of the Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin - Kevin Stevens & Connie Hogas

A bedeviling brand of football

The fuel behind Forks' state title run is a belief in the basics

Comical, really, were the comments and suggestions offered up by the self-appointed assistant coaches in the Carrier Dome bleachers seeking to help Chenango Forks solve Bath's defense during last Friday's state football semifinal.

"Aw, c'mon, try something else!"

"They've been stopping that all day."

"Oh man, whaddaya doing?"

It was the standard fare, and as best I could figure, coming from just a couple of voices, three tops. Ordinarily, it'd be in one ear and out the other without so much as nicking the memory banks.

Strange, however, was that it came from the Forks following, a group I've found through the years to be among the most educated and football-savvy out there.

Try something else? Why, of course. Never mind that you've brought a perfect record into the second half of a state semifinal, what better time to scrap the running game and go with, say, a shotgun formation with four wide?

Please!

I shared my observations with Kelsey Green, the man making the play calls that day in the Dome, a man who has gotten by swimmingly to date without dipping into the suggestion box for assistance.

"I don't ever hear it," Forks' coach said. ... "But how many voices did you say you heard? And we filled that side of the Dome up pretty well. Your gut feeling is correct. Forks fans are true fans."

Forks passed its semifinal test, a touchdown and subsequent defensive stand in overtime good for a 7-0 win and the team's third shutout of the season.

In a way, it was a highly atypical performance by the Blue Devils, who'd produced four or more TDs in 10 ballgames.

In another sense, it was very much Forks football.

"Really, they play on the conservative side offensively," said Bob Zanot, coach of a Chenango Valley squad which, on the last Saturday of September, played the Blue Devils to a 13-6 game that was as close as any Forks opponent has come.

"They run option, but they don't pitch the ball all that much," Zanot added. "They don't throw it much-- haven't had to throw it much. It's as if they're playing for you to make a mistake, and usually a high school team is going to make a mistake."

Forks, ranked atop the state's Class B teams, is one win from completing a perfect sweep that has been accomplished just once by a Section 4 football team -- Walton's 1994 Class C champions.

The Blue Devils have gotten where they have by evaluating what they do best and putting the proper personnel in place, seldom if ever deviating from their strengths, and executing the game plan on both sides of the ball with great regularity.

Last Friday's offensive shortcomings amounted to a blip on the screen, an untimely twist to an otherwise productive string. But on a day the offense struggled, the defense was there, as it has been since Day 1, as it had better be Saturday evening when the Devils meet up with Peru's offensive juggernaut in the Dome.

Forks' is a football team with exceptional talent, widespread on either side of the line of scrimmage. It is a unique squad in that its best player, Kelsey Jenks, does his work at nose guard and offensive tackle, something other than glamour positions.

And there is Jamie Hoover, dependable fullback and active, excitable defender at the root of so much of the havoc the Blue Devils create on that side of the line.

The thing about Forks is, there's no telling who'll be big-play guy next.

Last week's defensive MVP, selected by a committee of state football officials, was Art Baxter, and could just as easily have been Jake Frisch or any number of others contributing to that shutout pitched Bath's way.

Offensively, it's much the same. Maybe it'll be one of the quarterbacks, Matt Juriga or Chris Spencer, providing the spark. Maybe it'll be Roy Deyo or Drew Batty outside, Hoover or Steve Tronovitch inside, sprung by an offensive line that has performed with such power and intelligence and efficiency most every time out.

"They're just a special group," Green said. "Any time you think of winning that [state title], 35 faces come to mind first."

Green, Forks graduate and for many years an assistant coach before taking over the reins six seasons ago, understands the impact the Blue Devils' season has had on the Forks community.

"We've always preached that Forks football is a family," he said. "We told the kids, 'You're playing for a lot of guys who never had an opportunity to play in something like this.' "

He's one of the good guys, a straight shooter who'll cut through the coach-speak and let you know what's up. As laid-back as he is off the field, he demonstrates equal passion on the sideline.

Green -- around the bend from his 50th birthday, but maybe the most ageless coach this side of Gil Thorp -- said moments after the semifinal escape, "Well, I can retire now. When I came in, I had six years to go. Oh, my word."

One test remains. On paper, it figures to be the Blue Devils' stiffest to date. In fact, when Green and staff scouted the Peru-Harrison semifinal, "We kept changing our mind about who we hoped would win," Green said.

In reality, the foe matters little. Forks will do what it has done -- run the football, play some of the best defense in Section 4 -- and may the better team win.

Through the first 12 weeks, the better team has.

Picture text: The preachings of coach Kelsey Green, center, have been followed to the fullest by the Chenango Forks football team this season. The Blue Devils, relying on a run-dominated offense and a stingy, opportunistic defense, have gone 12-0 and moved to within one victory of a state Class B championship. - Suzie O'Rourke - photo

Forks faces high-flying offense

Blue Devils vs. Peru in 'B' state title game tonight

BY KEVIN STEVENS
Press & Sun-Bulletin

Chenango Forks defenders, who have yielded a mere seven points in two games of state playoff competition, may face their most stern test of the season in the biggest game of all.

The New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class B championship will be at stake when top-ranked Forks clashes with No. 2 Peru at 6 tonight in the Carrier Dome in Syracuse. Both teams are 12-0.

It's the third and last of a Dome title-game triple-header, with Section 4's Delhi (11-1) playing Cambridge (11-0) for the Class C title at 3 p.m.

Here is what the Forks' Blue Devils will face:

* Quarterback Matt Bezio, a junior who has completed 62 percent of his passing attempts for 2,007 yards and 30 touchdowns. And when he takes off with the football, an average of 9.4 yards per rush has been his norm.

* Running back Brandon Keleher, a junior who has gained 1,246 yards rushing, a 6.7-yard average, and has scored 20 TDs.

* Receiver Matt St. Clair, a junior whose 37 receptions have averaged 22.5 yards.

* A Peru team that has produced 40 or more points in seven of 12 victories.

"It is a very, very scary passing attack," Forks coach Kelsey Green said. "They go wide open with a shotgun, 3- or 4-wide with speedy receivers and they throw it all over the field."

Whether or not the Indians have faced a pass rush/secondary coverage combination the likes of Chenango Forks' is unknown. Widely accepted is the fact the brand of football played in Section 7 -- the northeast tip of New York -- is traditionally not as strong as that played in the Southern Tier.

Neither Chenango Forks nor Peru -- which is located 11 miles south of Plattsburgh -- has played in a state championship game. No Section 7 representative has won a state title. Section 4 schools have won twice-- Vestal in Class A in 1997, Walton in Class C in '94.

Peru coach Larry Ewald and staff have had just one look at Forks. The Blue Devils and Bath played to a scoreless deadlock through regulation a week ago Friday in the Dome before Forks claimed a 7-0 overtime win.

"They are extremely active up front," Ewald said. "I really love the way they play football. Their kids seem to enjoy the game and really play with e great deal of passion.

"I love watching them play. However, I don't necessarily think I'll enjoy playing against them."

The Indians' bus is scheduled for a 9 a.m. departure to begin the journey to Syracuse, with a stop planned in Utica for a pre-game meal.

"Chenango Forks does have an advantage in that they've played in the Carrier Dome," Ewald said. "Our kids have only dreamed of playing in the Carrier Dome-- I don't know that more than five, six of them have even been to the Carrier Dome. So I want to get there early, get all the gawking out of the way.

"There are a lot of extraneous things that go with a championship game. We've just got to concern ourselves with what goes on between the white lines."

Blue Devils bound for the Dome

Chenango Forks plays for title

"I've waited my whole life for this," said Jamie Hoover, a senior fullback and linebacker. He and his teammates will face Peru today for the state Class B championship at 6 p.m. at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse.

Cheerleader Shaun O'Branski, a junior, will be there.

"This has been their dream since day one," she said.

The school gymnasium was stuffed with students, parents, teachers and staff. Cheerleaders tossed each other into the air. As Sweet Home Alabama blared from loudspeakers, the young men wearing navy blue jerseys stepped forward to loud cheers.

As the team kept winning games this fall, the level of school spirit grew, Kara Purce said.

"Being a senior, it means a lot," she said. "We have more school spirit than we ever did before. We cry."

And after the traumatic events beginning with the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, rooting for a championship high school football game has given people joy.

"It gives people a lot to look forward to after everything that's happened the last few months," senior Meaghan Callanan said.

Students are buying blue and white towels that say "We're No. 1," to wave during games. Even people who don't have children on the team and those who have graduated are filling the stands. Red, white and blue signs posted around the school and on students' cars encourage the team with slogans such as "We love U guys." A red car in the school parking lot had "Go Blue Devils" painted on the side in blue. Some nearby houses fly Chenango Forks Blue Devils banners.

"I talk about it everywhere I go. People say: 'Rah, rah, Chenango Forks,' " said Christine Tarnowski, whose son, Zack, is a tight end on the team.

All the excitement made it hard for students to concentrate on school work Friday. Teachers like Kirk Darling, who teaches 11th and 12th grade social studies, were understanding.

"They're a little wound up today -- of course," he said. "You have to give them some leeway the day before the big game."

Picture one text -Chenango Forks Middle School students cheer during a pep rally Friday for the high school football team. The Chenango Forks football team is set to play in the state Class B championship today against Peru at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse.

Picture two text - Chenango Forks Senior Scott Lance is blindfolded along with other seniors on the football team during the pep rally Friday at the high school. They were led to believe the cheerleaders were going to kiss them, but instead it was their mothers.