‘There's gonna be a showdown'

CENTRAL VALLEY-The message has been sent loud and clear a few exits up the New York State Thruway at exit 19 - the home of the Kingston Tigers. There's gonna be a showdown Friday night (Sept. 23) at Dietz Stadium when Monroe-Woodbury travels to the favorite on their own turf to play the Tigers in a match of the unbeaten. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. Nothing delivers that message quite like a 48-0 shellacking of Mount Vernon on Friday night at Etzel Field. The Tigers were 41-12 winners over Minisink Valley. The Crusaders were 42-0 victors over the same Warriors' team three weeks ago. Monroe-Woodbury has outscored their opponents 124-6, while Kingston has a 134-12 advantage. The Big AA trio of Kingston, NFA and Monroe-Woodbury all reached the 3-0 mark. "I am absolutely excited to see where we stand," said Monroe-Woodbury head coach Pat D'Aliso. "It's going to be a lot of fun. Kingston will have the advantage because of their turf, but we're coming to play." Mount Vernon could only muster 76 yards of total offense against the stingy Crusaders' defense led by Chris Dollbaum (12 tackles and a sack) and Keith Hale (11 tackles and a fumble recovery). "I thought they would be a lot tougher," said D'Aliso. "It's nice to see that Section Nine is pretty strong this year." The Crusaders cruised to a 35-0 halftime lead behind senior Neil Ingenito (eight carries, 42 yards). The all-purpose back scored three times in the opening period, including an 80-yard punt return he toted all the way to the house. Greg Sullivan (2-for-3, 26 yards) and Mike Septh hooked up for a touchdown toss. The quarterback also added a rushing score. Chris Johnson chipped in a 12-yard sprint to the end zone for the Crusaders who gained 196 yards on the ground on just 32 attempts. Danny Maviello blocked a punt in the end zone and recovered it for six and kicker Anthony Coccaro was 6-for-7 on extra points to lead the special teams which inspired D'Aliso. "They were incredible," he said.