SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY — The Bible admonishes us to be wary of pride in excess: “Pride goeth before a fall” warns of the consequences of arrogance. But taking pride in the giving of one’s best efforts is, by contrast, well justified and well earned, especially when it is done with humility and grace. For Liberty and Eldred, this past week’s accomplishments were indeed something to be quite proud of.

Liberty’s annual Fall Pride Week featured a bevy of wins as the boys soccer team defeated neighboring Fallsburg 3-1 under the lights behind a hat trick from junior Sergio Diaz. That win came one day after the girls soccer team recorded a 2-1 come-from-behind league win over Sullivan West on the same day that the Liberty girls tennis team beat Fallsburg/T-V 4-1. Friday night’s season-saving 25-6 football win over Ellenville was the perfect denouement to Pride Week. Kenny Jaycox and Anthony Covington ran for two TDs each. The win kept Liberty (3-1, 1-1 Class C Division I) in the playoff hunt and set up a cathartic game to be played at Sullivan West (2-2, 1-1 Class C Division I) on October 6, the night of the Bulldogs’ Homecoming.

The winner of that tilt will advance to the playoffs, while the loser will be on the outside looking in. Last year, Liberty defeated Sullivan West under similar circumstances.

O’Neill beat the Westies 20-16 with a last-minute TD pass, giving the Raiders the Division title and a berth in the football postseason. Liberty and Sullivan West each have non-league road games this week that will not affect their standing. Liberty heads to Pine Plains (1-3), while Sullivan West heads to Livingston Manor/Roscoe (2-2).

As far as Eldred goes, this week proved you’ve got to Bee-lieve, as the Yellow Jackets garnered impressive wins in cross-country, boys soccer and football. Showing their supremacy over hill and dale, Eldred harriers Hunter Proscia and Alex Campanella had weeks to be proud of. Proscia (16:34) and Campanella (16:36) finished one-two on Liberty’s 2.8-mile course on September 20. The girls race was won by Monticello eighth grade twins Camryn (19:33) and Sidney Johnson (19:52). SW’s Dani Myers (20:00) was third. Team honors went to the Lady Monties and the Port Jervis boys. The dynamic Eldred boys duo were merely tuning up for the Warwick Wave Mania Run staged against the big schools. Campanella, who is ranked fourth in the NYS in Class D and seventh overall, iced a first-place finish in 16:06. Proscia, who is ranked 10th in Class D in NYS, finished 10th in 17:07.

In boys soccer, Eldred got second-half goals from Brian Hazen and Peter Vorstadt to hold off visiting Tri-Valley for a key Division V win after T-V’s Tyler Greffrath had knotted the game at one apiece. Vorstadt regained the lead and keeper Travis Steimle deflected a last-second shot by T-V’s Anthony Beale onto the crossbar.

In a non-league football game under the lights, Eldred (2-2) pulled off an impressive 14-6 win over the 1-3 Tri-Valley Bears, as Tyler Knapp scored on a nine-yard sweep in the game’s third overtime period and Anthony Margarum added the conversion run. T-V was stopped on four plays to end the game. Regulation had ended in a scoreless tie and both teams scored TDs and failed on conversions in the first OT to tie it up again. Eldred’s defense had the last word. Eldred heads to O’Neill this weekend for a non-league title while the Bears, who are 1-0 in Class C Division II, host division rival undefeated Burke. Burke beat T-V in last year’s semifinal round of the playoffs.

Monticello’s football team beat Saugerties 34-6 after losing to Cornwall 52-7 the week before. The Monties (2-2, 1-1 Class A) travel to Wallkill (3-1, 2-0 Class A) for a key league game this Friday night in a battle of the Panthers. Wallkill beat Cornwall Friday night, reminiscent of their playoff win over the Green Dragons a year ago.

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