Saturday will be a busy day on the local high school sports playoff calendar, with two Regional soccer championships up for grabs in Oneonta while the Section IV football playoffs are set to get underway.
Here is a look at the matchups for this weekend.
BOYS SOCCER
South Kortright (13-5) vs. Hamilton (16-3-1)
Class D Regional Championship
At Wright National Soccer Campus, Oneonta, 11 a.m.
The Rams are coming off an impressive 2-0 upset victory of Edmeston in the Section IV title game that clinched a fourth straight season with at least a share of the sectional title. South Kortright now looks to advance to the State Final Four for the first time since 2021.
SK has received contributions from up and down the lineup, with multiple goal scorers coming through in each of the team’s three sectional victories. Keeper Brayden Sparkes, meanwhile, was outstanding in the sectional final, posting an 11-save shutout.
He will need to be at his best on Saturday when the Rams take on Section III Champion Hamilton.
The Emerald Knights are ranked number two in the state by the New York State Sportswriters Association (NYSSWA) and have scored 19 goals in their four playoff games so far. On the season, Hamilton is averaging almost four goals per game.
Gavin Hames leads the team with 21 goals and 23 assists while Levi Neuenschwander (16 goals) and Luke Langel (10) are both in double-digits in scoring.
GIRLS SOCCER
South Kortright (15-2) vs. Copenhagen (17-2-1)
Class D Regional Championship
At Wright National Soccer Campus, Oneonta, 1:30 p.m.
The South Kortright girls will look to carry over the momentum from their dramatic 1-0 double overtime win over Schenevus in the sectional final.
Jaylee Kelly’s game-winner gave the Rams the victory, but it’s been the defense that has led SK all season. All three of the team’s sectional playoff wins were 1-0 shutouts and keeper Addy Eckert was especially impressive in last Saturday’s win, finishing with 14 saves.
South Kortright is in the Regional playoffs for the first time since 2016 and has a tough test in store in the form of Copenhagen.
The Knights played Hamilton to a 1-1 draw in the Section III title game before winning a penalty shootout. Ranked number four in the state, Copenhagen boasts a lineup that has four players with at least 13 goals this season.
Mollie Babcock leads the way with 22, Halle Miller and Brielle TenEyck each have 16 and Stella Wright has scored 13.
FOOTBALL
Delhi (7-2) vs. Deposit-Hancock (8-1)
Section IV Class D Semifinals
At Susquehanna Valley, 4 p.m.
The Bulldogs will enter their playoff game on Saturday well-rested after a forfeit win over Oxford gave them a de facto bye week.
Prior to that, the Bulldogs had won four in a row and risen to number six in the state rankings. They’ve done so behind the backfield duo of Ian Johnson and Adam Cook.
Johnson has been the more traditional running back, racking up 1,105 yards on almost nine yards per carry and 13 touchdowns. That includes a school-record 283 yards and five scores in a 40-24 win over rival Walton on Oct. 19.
Cook, meanwhile, is the dual-threat option with 503 yards rushing, 195 receiving and seven touchdowns.
Quarterback Zach Cornell isn’t asked to throw often, but he’s been successful when called upon, with 711 yards through the air, 10 touchdowns and just four interceptions. Cornell had his best performance in the Bulldogs’ biggest win of the season, going 11-of-18 for 214 yards and two TDs and another on the ground in a thrilling 41-34 upset of three-time State Champion Tioga on Oct. 4.
Rocco Schnabel has been the top receiving option with 19 catches for 265 yards and five touchdowns while John Wilson (230 scrimmage yards, 3 TDs) and Saverio Prisco (154 rushing yards, 2 TDs) have also contributed.
Ivan Richardson, meanwhile, only has four touches this season, but all four have gone for touchdowns: a 45-yard run and catches of 21, 69 and 33 yards.
Delhi’s defense, meanwhile, will have to try to slow down a Deposit-Hancock offense that is averaging almost 48 points per game and as a team is outscoring its opponents by a margin of 430-189.
The Eagles’ lone loss was a 56-28 defeat against Tioga on Oct. 25.
Oneonta (4-5) vs. Maine-Endwell (9-0)
Section IV Class B Semifinals
At Maine-Endwell, 1:30 p.m.
It’s been an up-and-down season for the Yellowjackets, but they enter the playoffs riding a two-game winning streak. OHS defeated Chenango Valley 35-20 on Oct. 25 and handled Ithaca 38-19 on Nov. 1.
Freshman quarterback Chase Jervis has settled in of late, tossing a pair of touchdowns against Ithaca. He’s being supported by a rushing attack that includes Lucas Weaver, Marshall Mahar, Beckett Holmes and Isaac Gray while Grayson Brockington is a reliable target in the passing game.
It’s all a matter of which Oneonta team shows up on Saturday: the Yellowjackets’ victories have come by an average score of 36-11 but their average score in losses has been 38-12.
Awaiting the Yellowjackets on Saturday is undefeated Maine-Endwell, ranked number one in the state and the reigning sectional champions.
Oneonta fell to M-E 55-21 on Oct. 19, though those 21 points were the second-most any team has scored against the Spartans this year.