KINGSTON – The Ellenville Blue Devils are Section 9 Class "C" champions, after a 34-20 win in a highly anticipated rematch against the Bulldogs of Sullivan West last Saturday at Dietz Stadium in Kingston. Sullivan West had been responsible for the Devils' sole loss this season, a 41-19 defeat on opening day. But this time, the Devils' swarming defense and superior running game were simply too much for the 11th-ranked Bulldogs, as Sullivan West QB Brad Reimer had difficulty getting his offense into gear for the entire afternoon. The Devils, now 9-1 on the season, win their first sectional championship since 1993.

Ellenville starting QB Sebastian Constable was back in the lineup this week following an emergency appendectomy ten days earlier. Backup QB Anthony Casamento, who, due to his linebacker-size, had garnered regional media attention after starting last week's game against Millbrook, went back to doing what he best: creating huge holes for the Ellenville ground attack.

Eric Thayer got the scoring started with a 32-yard TD run on the game's first sequence. The Devils' defense then clamped down on the agile Reimer, who was unable to move the ball, forcing a three-and-out on Sullivan's first possession. The Devils added three more TDs, scoring a total of 26 points in the first half. Sullivan did manage to muster a TD late in the second quarter on a dramatic 57-yard TD pass from Reimer to running back Danny Figueroa, for a halftime score of 26-6.

The Bulldogs made a few adjustments during halftime, limiting the Devils to a single TD during the second half of the game. But the Ellenville defensive line continued to penetrate the Sullivan West pocket, forcing Reimer to improvise on a number of plays. The Devils sacked Reimer a total of five times, and limited Sullivan West to minus-28 yards on the ground.

The Devils' offensive line was superb, knocking the Bulldogs defensive players off the line of scrimmage and making big holes for the Ellenville backfield. Eric Thayer was the offensive player of the game. He finished with 159 yards and three TDs on 21 carries. Donald Exner also had his usual standout performance, ending the day with 148 yards and two TDs.

Devils' QB Sebastian Constable, who plays both ways, came up with the big defensive play of the second half: a momentum-killing interception of an errant Reimer pass late in the third quarter. Having Constable back in the secondary was a major spark for the Devils as they managed to all but shut down the passing game of Sullivan West. Reimer was just 8 of 11 for a meager 107 yards.

The Bulldogs did manage to make it interesting, however, scoring a TD in the third quarter, which made the score 26-12. But the Devils answered back with a scoring drive of their own, culminating with a 1-yard TD run by Thayer. The Devils capped this with a two-point PAT making the score 34-12. The Bulldogs added another late TD and two-point PAT, but it wasn't enough.

The Devils will be hoping for a good turnout of supporters as they travel to Mahopac this coming Friday to play Croton-Harmon, a team that was unranked as of two weeks ago until their stunning upset of regional powerhouse Dobbs Ferry, who until that point had been ranked number two in the state for Class C. Game time from Mahopac High School is set for 4:30 p.m. this Friday, November 14.

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