MIDDLETOWN AND BEAR MOUNTAIN, NY — Great news overshadowed the negatives for Eldred, which though it found itself in the spotlight vis-à-vis its varsity football hazing revelations, handled the matter in a proactive and commendably decisive fashion. But for this writer/photographer on hand to witness the Yellow Jackets Section IX Championships in girls soccer, girls cross-country and the first place finish of Kayla Maas and Dave Powers in their respective Section IX Class D races, it was a week to reaffirm the positives and to celebrate the success of Eldred’s teams.

Kudos to its fine coaches, the supportive community and most of all to the remarkable efforts put forth by its athletes. A year ago in girls soccer, Eldred entered the Section IX tournament under the radar with an 8-8 record, besting Livingston Manor 3-2, a team with far more wins. The young Lady Jackets advanced to the state Final Four before losing to Poland. This year with nearly the entire team returning, Eldred was a heavy favorite to beat Manor again in the Section IX title game on October 28 at Faller Field. That pressure initially made for some nerves and tight play until sophomore standout and Section IX’s leading scorer Lynzee Kelty’s corner kick found an alert Jordan Lepes, who used the back of her head to send the ball to the back of the net with 35:16 to go in the first period. Lepes, who is ranked fifth in Section IX, is also only a sophomore. Eldred settled in to its brand of skillful and dominant soccer as it added a second-half goal from junior Sheila Burns in which both Kelty and Lepes were involved. The 2-0 title win propels Eldred (14-2-1) back into state contention. Keeper Jenna Burns was outstanding in goal as was sweeper Savanna Finck, who neutralized Livingston Manor standout Annaliese Gorr. They will travel to Albany to play an as yet undetermined opponent in a state quarterfinal. For great details of Eldred’s win over Manor, read “Full Mettle Jackets,” on www.sportsinsightsny.com. The Section IX Cross-Country Championships at Bear Mountain on October 31, also proved to be a banner day for Eldred. The Class D girls race was first on the docket, as sophomore Kayla Maas (20:41.08) captured her second consecutive title and is heading back to states for the third consecutive year. This time she’ll be in the company of her championship team, which bested S.S. Seward for the school’s first girls Section IX title since 1997. Sara Malzahn (21:32.90), Sara Jane Drewett (22.48.56), Kelsey Collins (23:29.21) and Missy Vanseggan (26.58.72) took second, fifth, seventh and 11th respectively. In the boys race run later in the day, Eldred’s David Powers (17:49.31) was the individual Class D boys champion. But the glory of the epic event wasn’t limited to Eldred. In the girls Class C race, Sullivan West’s Kelsey Dutton (19:46.12) qualified for states for the third consecutive year and her fourth time overall. Not only did she break 20 minutes for the first time in years, but she also will have company in Canton at the state meet from teammate Courtney Meyerer (20:39.02), who placed sixth in the race. Tri-Valley’s Sandra Alemany Benayas (20:28.68) was fifth, while teammate Brittany Pennell (20:56.65) was eighth. Both Lady Bears qualified for state contention as did Monticello’s Camryn Johnson who is making it four years in a row. Her tenth-place finish (19.38.81) in the Class B race punched her ticket. In the Class B boys race, Port Jervis’ Kobie Lane took first in 15:29.75. In the boys Class C race, Tri-Valley’s Ian Kurzrock just missed out on a state bid by a mere eight seconds. He has had an awesome fall. Details of the Section IX Cross-Country Championships as well as full results are encoded in the story “State Of Grace” on www.sportsinsightsny.com. In football, Sullivan West’s undefeated run came to an end with a non-league 54-13 road loss to Chester. The Dawgs will look to shake that off as they prepare for their November 8 title tilt against Millbrook at Dietz Stadium, while Chester looks to capture its ninth Section IX title in the past 12 years. Chester has made it to the state title game in the Carrier Dome twice but came up short each time. In boys soccer, Fallsburg’s awesome season came to an end with a 2-1 loss to eventual Class B champion Highland. Liberty fell to Spackenkill 2-1, which was in turn upset by Onteora. Highland bested Onteora for the title. For albums of photos visit www.sportsinsights.smugmug.com.