Crusaders three-peat

M-W football team captures third sectional title in a row, By Chris Mayone KINGSTON - It’s official. Monroe-Woodbury can finally start its 2007 football. After playing the entire 2006 season with a big, red bull’s-eye right in the middle of their purple and black jerseys, the Crusaders captured their third consecutive Section 9 title after a 26-3 shellacking over Newburgh Friday night at a cold Dietz Stadium in Kingston. “Every team we played this year wanted to come out and beat Monroe,” said coach Pat D’Aliso. “A couple of teams gave us a scare but we made it through. This team is a great group of kids and they have done a lot for me.” The Crusaders have now won a state-best 22 football games in a row, including 10 this season. They are the state’s top-ranked football team and it showed Friday night right from the opening kick off. The reining state champs took the game’s opening drive and marched 74 yards on just seven plays en route to an early 7-0 advantage. Monroe-Woodbury quarterback Greg Sullivan capped off the drive with a four-yard run right up the middle of the Newburgh defense. Running back Chris Boyce had 26 yards on the ground to fuel the drive. With Newburgh poised for a score on its first possession, defensive end Nick Gillan made sure that the stingy Crusader defense wouldn’t allow the Goldbacks to tie the score. His sack of Newburgh quarterback Prevent Pearson resulted in a 10-yard loss to spurn the drive and force a punt. Gillan had two sacks on the night. After a Newburgh punt, Sullivan and the Crusaders went 89 yards to improve their lead to 13-0. Sullivan used his legs and his arm to get give the Crusaders a two-score lead. Last year’s New York State Player of the Year had 26-yard run to move the ball into Goldbacks territory. Then he threw a strike to tight end Nick Mastracio for a 40-yard gain to set up a David Landesberg touchdown run from three yards out. Newburgh was successful in backing up the Crusaders’ offence again. This time a quick kick put them at their own 10-yard line. On second and long, Sullivan hit Landesberg on a picture perfect screen pass down the left sideline and he raced all the way to the end zone for a 94-yard touchdown pass. The reception was the longest in Class AA playoff history. “I just saw green when I caught the pass,” said Landesberg. “It was a great play call and Greg (Sullivan) got the ball to me in a perfect spot. All that I had to do was run my fastest and it would be a touchdown.” Three Monroe-Woodbury interceptions dominated the second half. Ayoud Aouad, Jon Rivera and Dan Mauriello terminated three Newburgh possessions. Mauriello’s interception led to the Crusaders final score, when Boyce banged in from eight yards out and a 26-3 advantage. Sullivan, the game’s offensive MVP, rushed 18 times for 143 yards, He completed four-of-eight passes for 158 yards. Flannery had two catches for 24 yards. Meanwhile, Boyce, a junior fullback, rushed 14 times for 54 yards. The Crusader defense limited Newburgh to 41 yards rushing. It sacked Pearson five times. Monroe-Woodbury entertains Section 1 champ New Rochelle Saturday night at Dietz Stadium. Kick off is 7:30 p.m. Ironically, New Rochelle was the last team to beat the Crusaders. The Crusaders are just two wins away from a return trip to the state championship game at the Carrier Dome, in Syracuse. “I think we did a good job tonight,” said D’Aliso. “Do I think we have to play better to get back to the dome? Absolutely.”