Neither wind, nor Valley Central, nor blown transformers stopping Crusaders

Monroe-Woodbury in rematch with NFA tonight in Section 9 final KINGSTON - Mother nature took her best shot at Monroe-Woodbury last Saturday afternoon at Kingston’s Dietz Stadium but when the Crusaders’ Section 9, Class AA semi-final battle with Valley Central was over, the defending state champs had defeated the Vikings in a 55-0 shellacking. The Crusaders will play Newburgh Free Academy at 8 p.m. tonight in a rematch of last year’s sectional final. Monroe-Woodbury will be in search of its third consecutive Section 9 championship and the right to defend its state crown. The only thing that slowed down Greg Sullivan, the 2005 New York State Player of the Year, was a blown transformer that emptied the Dietz Stadium stands and paused the game for nearly a half hour while Central Hudson crews worked feverishly to restore power to the complex. The Monroe-Woodbury quarterback rushed for four touchdowns and finished with 197 yards on just 16 carries en route to being named the game’s most valuable offensive player. “It’s time to get ready for Newburgh,” said Sullivan after the contest. “Expectations were high coming into this year and we know we haven’t won anything yet.” Monroe-Woodbury extended the state’s longest active winning streak to 21 games, leaving them ranked as the best team in New York But don’t tell Newburgh that. Newburgh actually led the Crusaders 17-0 at halftime in their game earlier this season before M-W rallied behind running back David Landesberg en route to a 21-17 triumph. The speedy Landesberg added a touchdown in Saturday’s win along with Bryant Bacon and Chris Boyce, who scored two. Boyce finished the game with 101 yards on 15 carries. Four Valley Central turnovers aided the Crusaders’ shutout. Kyle Milazzo was named the game’s most valuable defensive player. Photos, clockwise: The helmet and taped hands belong to Jon Rivera; the Crusaders’ defense is poised to attack; and Coach Pat D’Aliso exhorts his charges. (Photos by Cathy Coincon) More photos are available online at www.mwcrusaders