Submitted by admin on Thu, 2006-11-23 08:00. ::
Every champion experiences a moment or a critical period that foretells success. What were the turning points for Cornwall's and Monroe-Woodbury's football teams? How did they go from just another good team to state-title contender?
We took a look at our local teams playing for state championships tomorrow and Saturday in Syracuse. Just for the heck of it, we analyzed a few other teams of interest.
Its turning point depends on whom you ask. The Green Dragons certainly turned a corner by beating Section 1 power Harrison in the state quarterfinals. But their run may have begun long before they played a game this season.
Coach Matt Buddenhagen: "If you want to look at one specific instance, it's gotta be the Harrison game. We got the right type of kid. They did everything we asked of them."
Back/linebacker Matt Moretto: "I think what really spurred us this season was the Harrison (loss) last year (in the state quarterfinals). We took that hard, and we felt with this team we had a shot at going further. This year we prepared our butts off."
The Crusaders have multiple turning points because they are working on multiple state titles. Monroe-Woodbury will try to win its 25th straight game and second straight Class AA title.
Coach Pat D'Aliso: "I think they stepped out of the shadow of last year's team on the sectional level by winning sections, and on the state level by winning the New Rochelle game" in the quarterfinals.
Coach Paul Johnson: "I think a big turning point for us was my second year (2003). Air Force came into our place undefeated and ranked in the top 25. We beat them (28-25), and I think we took that win and built on it. We finished off that year winning eight games and going to a bowl game, establishing a goal to shoot for. The next year we won 10 games, then we won eight the next year. This year we have eight wins already and, if we play well against Army, nine with a bowl game to play."
It might not be a great time to be talking Giants turning points, but they did go 11-5 and win the division last season after finishing 6-10 in 2004. And they are 6-4.
Many folks point to the final game of the '04 season, when Eli Manning dramatically won his first game as starter after going 0-6. The Giants beat Dallas 28-24 on Tiki Barber's 3-yard TD run with 11 seconds left. Manning audibled to the run and Barber went through a big hole off left guard.
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