KINGSTON – The Ellenville Blue Devils football team won the Section IX Championship this past Saturday at Dietz Stadium in Kingston when they blanked the Liberty Indians 27-0. The Section IX title is the second in as many seasons for Head Coach Tony Borriello, who has done a superb job working with a very small roster.

"We're persistent," Borriello said after the game about this year's squad, a team that many thought would have its work cut out for it when it came to matching last season's stellar performance. Now the Devils will move on to the regional quarter final game, when they host a tough Bronxville team at Deitz this coming Friday afternoon at 4 p.m.

The game against Liberty, however, was anything but easy, belying the 27-0 score. The opening drive for the Indians saw the visitors take the ball down to Ellenville's 21-yard line, before Michael Wernick knocked down the Liberty pass on fourth and short. On the next possession the Devils' running game got into gear and put together a long scoring drive — the highlight of which was a 42-yard run by Jose Aldarondo — to make the score 6-0 with just under four minutes to go in the first quarter. The Devils missed the two-point PAT.

Liberty managed to get good field position on the ensuing kickoff, but the Devils defense did what it has been doing all season long and stifled the Indians' hopes of matching the Ellenville TD.

But the Liberty defense was certainly no pushover, as the Devils had difficulty picking up real estate on the following sequence. Ellenville was forced to punt, and caught a lucky break when Liberty, apparently fearing a fake punt, failed to drop a return man deep. Doug Lewis's punt rolled for about half of its 60-yard total, pinning the Indians deep in their own territory.

After Liberty went three-and-out, the Devils managed to get the ball back with excellent field position inside the Liberty 35. Ellenville then went to the running game, grinding it out on the short field for what looked like a sure touchdown. But the Indians caught yet another break when Andrew Platt — who, ironically, later turned out to be the offensive MVP for the game — coughed-up the ball on the Indians' one-yard line, which then rolled into the Liberty end zone where it was corralled by the defense for the touchback.

Liberty's luck soon turned, however. On the following sequence, the Indians had their punt blocked on fourth and long. The loose ball was recovered on the five-yard line by Andrew Platt, who several plays later ran the ball into the end zone, making the score 12-0. They Devils missed the two-point PAT.

The Indians tried, once again, to get something going before halftime — their offense did a good job moving the ball deep into Devils' territory — and, with less than two minutes to go in the half, it looked like Liberty might finally get on the board. But a pair of dropped passes, including one that would have been a sure touchdown, cemented the halftime score at 12-0.

The Indians opened the second half with a bit of trickery, going for the onside kick in the hope of catching the Ellenville return unit napping. But an illegal procedure penalty forced Liberty to re-kick the ball. This time, thanks to an illegal block, the Indians managed to pin the Devils on their own five-yard line. The Liberty defense clamped down and forced an Ellenville punt.

On the next sequence the Indians moved the ball well, but their offense was once again stifled by the Ellenville "D" on a fourth-and-short situation, turning the ball back over to the Devils on their own 36-yard line.

The Devils, thanks to some solid running, and a helpful Indians' encroachment penalty, then drove the ball down field for another score, this time a 13-yard pass to tight end Thomas Saviglio, to make the score 18-0, with the two-point PAT extending it to 20-0.

The final nail in the Liberty coffin came on their next possession when the Indians' QB overthrew his intended target. The pass was intercepted by Brennin Haugen and returned 42 yards for the TD. Michael Wernick's kick made the score 27-0, where it remained.

Most of the damage was done on the ground, with the Devils picking up a total of 204 yards on 13 first downs. Doug Lewis ran for 72 yards on 11 carries, and Jose Aldarondo and Andrew Platt added 69 and 49 yards respectively. This trio also led the way on defense with 10 tackles apiece.

However, Coach Borriello said after the game that the real credit on the day went to the offensive line.

"They [Liberty] tried to take our gaps away," Borriello said. "The line did a tremendous job."

He also praised the speed of the Liberty defense who did a great job keeping the Ellenville backs from getting outside, forcing the Devils to run between the tackles.

"We felt more comfortable running inside," Borriello said.

The win is also the second of the year against John Wilhelm's football team. Wilhelm is a former player of Borriello's.

"He's done a tremendous job. Six, seven weeks ago, no one would have given them a chance [to make the sectional final]" he said.